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From: Dave Williams
Date: 19 Oct 2008
Time: 08:44:16 -0500
Remote Name: 71.228.93.115
Anxiety reduction was always my biggest problem as a stutterer. Sometimes the weirdest-seeming events seem to help. In a college Voice and Diction class, I was up front reading aloud a poetry selection. As usual, I was tense and stuttering. There were about ten people in class, and we were fairly familiar with one another. I came to a certain spot in my reading and really got stuck. After a few moments one of my classmates, a girl famous for her loud horselaugh and outspoken comments, called out: "Why don't you stop that damned stuttering?" A couple of students snickered, and I laughed. Strangely, it was exactly what I needed at that moment. It broke the ice of my intense self-absorption and struggle, and my tension disappeared. I knew the girl did not dislike me, and she was really trying to be helpful in her crude way. I proceeded to finish reading the poem with complete fluency. I certainly do not recommend this 'technique' as a means of anxiety reduction. I only want to point out that there are many ways to reduce anxiety, and the clinician must learn the client's personal psychological makeup and how he responds to different stimuli. My classmate's admonition resulted in only my temporary relaxation, but it was only one of countless experiences that culminated in my realization that my stuttering could not and should not be concealed, that I should face it honestly, let everything hang out. Only then could I achieve real anxiety reduction, confidence, and natural fluency. And it has happened!