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From: Ellen-Marie Silverman
Date: 10 Oct 2009
Time: 16:21:44 -0500
Remote Name: 64.12.116.138
Nikki, you wisely see that changes, all deliberate change that is, begins within, with a vision of how we wish to live and a willingness to do what we need to do for as long as it takes. That's a great insight and should serve you and your clients well! >>> Now a couple comments from me: 1) You might want to substitute "clear thinking" for "positive thinking." I've found, and you might have too, that positive thinking can often be a mask to appear appealing or avoid feeling bad while, underneath, the habitual anxities grow and fester. "Clear thinking," on the other hand, sees what is and accepts what is without squirming, running away, or becoming arrogant, then deals with what is as ethically and practically as possible. That said, here's a second comment related to your question about introducing meditation into therapy: I have not found those adults who wish to bannish their stuttering eager to meditate to help do that, but, I haven't worked with any adults who stutter for some time, and, since our culture has been embracing hatha yoga, which usually includes meditation in each practice session, many more may now be more accepting of developing a meditation practice to enhance their sensitivity, at an increasingly subtle basis, to their thinking, emotions, and bodily sensations. I truly now and in the futre this is and may be so. Then, for those who do meditate, reference can be made in therapy to applying increasing self-awareness to the stuttering problems they experience, as well as increasing unconditional self-regard that accrues with a daily meditation practice. Those who follow a Christian tradition and are skeptical about meditating because they fear adopting an "Eastern" practice may sidetrack their religious beliefs and practices could alleviate such fears when they look into the various meditation practices in use. In "Doing the Work," I described three Buddhist practices I found personally helpful. But there are so many additional ones, including well-known Christian practices, such as Centering Prayer deveolped by Father Thomas Keating and encouraged by the monk Thomas Merton. And, secular secular practices, such as MBSR, (mindfulness based stress reduction) pioneered by Jon Kabat-Zinn (See his book, an encyclopedia, actually), Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves and the World Through Mindfulness exist. >>> Well, I suspect you and I might be able to enjoy quite a lively conversation about incorporating meditation practices into speech therapy for many clients, and, maybe we will do so someday face-to-face. For now, I have enjoyed the opportunity to dialogue a bit and invite you to ask further questions that the little I have written here may have suggested to you. >>> I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughtful insights and to raise essential clinical questions. Best wishes, Ellen-Marie Silverman