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From: Ellen-Marie Silverman
Date: 10 Oct 2007
Time: 15:45:56 -0500
Remote Name: 64.12.117.15
[["For people who stutter, would the process of changing how they talk and communicate be compared to someone who experiences addiction? In other words does changing only take effect when the individual personally wants the change to take place?"]] >>> Jasmine, thank you for raising such a salient issue. That said, my response may not be the most knowledgeable since, although I have general knowledge of what is required to successfully treat people with various kinds of hard and soft addictions, which, I understand, have a fairly low success rate in the short-term, i.e., months after completion of a treatment program, I have not had the experience of providing treatment for individuals with addictions, per se. That said, I think many of us have, if not addictions to certain thought processes and behavior patters, a certain attachment to repeating them primarily through habit strength and a lack of awareness that we could be thinking and acting differently. Repeating patterns of thinking and behaving that predicatably generate certain, oft-felt emotional states may, in a very generic way, be a form of addition, since we do this to relieve our anxiety. The noted medical clairvoyant and spiritual teacher, Carolyn Myss, has written quite extensively and accessibly about why it is that some people fail to heal and what they could do to heal in a book, entitled, "Why People Don't Heal and How They Can." It is widely available, and you can find a reference to it in my paper. She also has lectured pubically on the subject for a video tape distributed through PBS. The title is the same as the title of her book. Dr. Myss asserts that is is the addictive practice of "woundology" (her creative term for the practice) that keeps us frozen in place, and, until we stop using this very attractive form of street currency to maintain our status quo because, even though we claim to want release from our problems, we are afraid of how we will be and how our life will be if we release our attachment to our wounds. And the practice of woundology seems to calm us. This thesis of hers really opened my eyes. I would suggest that you look into it. Perhaps, it will provide detailed and clear direction for you. >>> Again, Jasmine, thank you for taking the time to raise this issue. It is one definitely worth taking time to consider, in my opinion. >>> All best wishes. Sincerely, Ellen-Marie Silverman