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From: Lindsay Burch
Date: 15 Oct 2011
Time: 16:10:34 -0500
Remote Name: 76.174.58.50
Hi Dr. Silverman, As a current Speech Pathology Graduate student, I was thrilled to come across your article on the practice of mindfulness and meditation as it relates to stuttering. Before pursuing this career, I obtained my BA in Psychology, which initially introduced me to the idea of mind-body approaches as a therapeutic tool. Since then, this topic has always been a very special interest of mine but I have not found much in the literature regarding its use in the field of Speech Pathology. Do you know when your book will be available for purchase? Also, what personal methods do you use to practice mindfulness? For example, do you use guided imagery, breath work, etc. to release tension? Do you practice throughout the day or do you reserve a specific amount of time to practice (e.g. 20 minutes during the morning/evening)? Referring back to the beginning of your article, I am glad to see that mindfulness and other forms of meditation are gaining more recognition as I think the benefits of these techniques have been vastly underestimated in the past. As science continues to make new strides in learning how the brain and body function together, I think we will see that these practices may often help where other techniques have sometimes failed. It makes sense both psychologically and physiologically, that when we release our minds from self-criticism and negative self-talk, we are better able to focus in the present moment, thus enabling our brain to function and respond at a more optimum level. Thank you very much for your willingness to bring this topic into the open; I look forward to doing more research in this area! Sincerely, Lindsay