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From: Pam
Date: 17 Oct 2011
Time: 22:12:58 -0500
Remote Name: 67.248.218.106
Hi Gary, hope you don't mind me commenting on your suggestions to James. You mentioned the long journey it can be, and the patience and focus needed to work on techniques and targets. I know there has been endless discussion on various sites about the use of the word "target." I wonder if that could be the reason why some folks like James struggle with maintaining a satisfactory level of fluent speech outside the clinic setting. They work so hard on "hitting the target" that if they miss, perhaps he/she feels like they failed. If we are already worrying about being judged for not talking like everyone else, wouldn't the feeling of failing that comes from "missing the target" sort of compound the problem? For me, when I was doing fluency shaping therapy, I came to despise the concept of a target. I actually rebelled and would not say each week, "Hi, my name is Pam and the target I am working on tonight is . . . " (That did not endear me to the clinic staff, I know! Sometimes, other clients would jump in and say, "Pam, you forgot to tell us your target." I hated that too!) I felt like I was throwing darts each week in therapy - if I missed and didn't hit the target or the "bulls-eye" then somehow I had failed. For me, that feeling of failing or not understanding why I couldn't "get" full breath or easy onset, just added to the feelings of shame I had already had. Wonder how you deal with that at all, or does it not come up? ~Pam