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From: Alan Badmington (to Judy)
Date: 07 Oct 2009
Time: 17:56:47 -0500
Remote Name: 84.69.10.167
Hi Judy, Please accept my profuse apologies for the delay in responding to your questions. It has been due to circumstances totally outside my control. I should like to reciprocate your sentiments by saying that it’s always a pleasure to receive your feedback. I shudder to think how many years we have been corresponding in this manner. :-) You asked, “How does one become aware that they have a limiting belief?” Firstly, let me say that PWS have limiting beliefs about many things, not just their stutter. However, in view of the nature of this forum, I shall focus solely on stuttering. In my own case, I simply sat down and listed everything that I avoided ( or believed that I could not do) because of my stutter. It can sometimes be difficult to identify these disempowering beliefs because they creep insidiously into our lives and become so engrained and habitual. They simply become a way of life – we just accept them. In my paper, I make reference to some of the self-limiting beliefs that I held (in relation to stuttering) but there were many others. How should you (as an SLP) respond to a student when you perceive something (that he or she has said) to be a limiting belief? That’s a difficult one, as I’m not too certain that I fully understand your question. Would it be possible for you to give me an example? How did I come to recognize that I was operating under a belief system that needed to change? The realisation came about when I joined a stuttering management programme in 2000. For so many years, I had simply drifted along (without help or guidance) – coping with my stutter by whatever means I could. I had not subjected myself to mainstream therapy for more than 30 years, although I was in possession of a prosthetic mechanical device (known as the Edinburgh Masker) which I wore for two decades. Gaining membership of the stuttering management programme involved attending an initial 4-day residential course, following which I was afforded access to further courses, support groups and an extensive support network, all dedicated to that programme. The new techniques and tools that I acquired allowed me to achieve (in a controlled environment) a high degree of control over my speech. During my initial course, I was afforded numerous opportunities to speak in front of large groups, and undertake numerous other roles, with a great deal of success. I gained hugely in confidence and started believing that I could speak well in that supportive environment. However, I suspected (from past unsuccessful therapies) that it might be difficult to transfer those gains into the real world. The programme also provided me with opportunities to speak to members of the public, whilst accompanied (and supported) by persons who had previously passed through the programme. I found that more challenging, as there were still elements of fear present, but I still enjoyed considerable success. I relished having spoken well in a multitude of different situations – I wanted more of the same. :-) I was seeing a different side of me – I was discovering a wide array of talents and abilities that I never realised I possessed. These experiences demonstrated to me that I was capable of so much more than I had previously believed. I knew that I had to change my belief system to permanently incorporate these new roles. Did I have role models? Certainly – I had them in abundance. On my first course, there were more than 100 people in the room – the majority of whom were returning for the second, third, fourth, fifth (and more) times. That’s the way the system operates – they come back to assist the new clients. Many had made immense progress - I wanted to emulate their achievements. I also came into contact with these role models at subsequent courses/support groups and via the international telephone support network. Judy, I am most grateful to you for taking the time to (once again) read my ISAD paper and participate in the threaded discussion. I sincerely hope that you find something of value midst these lengthy ramblings. Kindest regards Alan