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From: Russ Hicks
Date: 10/7/02
Time: 7:51:09 PM
Remote Name: 12.237.31.119
Hello Jessica. Thanks for your comments and questions.
Yes, I feel very strongly about "feeling the fear and doing it anyway." That's what LIFE is all about, isn't it? Not just stuttering, but almost everything in life. We can be paralyzed with all sorts of fears and those fears will inevitably lead us into inaction and withdrawal from life unless we face and conquer those fears. My mother had this tongue-in-cheek saying, "It's like the bear at the window: if you don't look at him, maybe he'll go away." Ha, ha! Of course we can't do that and live a real life! You've got to look at that bear directly in the face - and LAUGH at him! And more often than not, he'll turn out to be a teddy bear...!
Yes, of course it will help your clients. Been there, done that, jillions of times. Running from your fears is NOT the way to live.
I am particularly interested in your final question, "...would that defeat the purpose of therapy and the goal of fluent speech?" Consider this: The purpose of therapy should NOT be fluent speech. That may sound strange if you've never been exposed to this idea before, and it took me decades to understand it. Your goal as a therapist should be to help your clients live the best lives possible, regardless of stuttering. The stuttering community is rapidly backing off the idea of "chasing the fluency god" in favor of a much more holistic approach involving treating the whole person including adding support from organizations like the National Stuttering Association. I learned fluency shaping as a teenager and it did me little to no good despite years of learning and working as hard as I could. It was nearly 20 years later that I discovered the NSA and all of a sudden things started to click. The fluency skills were important, to be sure, but they were not nearly enough. I had to attack my emotions and fears first. Then the fluency techniques I learned as a teenager began to become effective. I had the cart before the horse.
Are you familiar with the Stuttering Iceberg? That's a critical concept in really effective stuttering therapy. Check out my home page at www.russhicks.com and you'll see a picture of that iceberg.
I much prefer the therapy goal of helping your clients "lead a fluent lifestyle" rather than simply being fluent. Fluency in and of itself is a meaningless goal - and nearly if not entire impossible to attain for the vast majority of chronic stutterers. Today I lead an almost perfectly fluent LIFESTYLE, having no fear of speaking, no anxiety, no avoidances, no shame, nothing which inhibits me from living a full and successful life. And yes, I still stutter significantly, but it's easy and open stuttering, no struggles, no loss of eye contact, just plain and simple stuttering. No big deal. I am totally accepted just as I am, and welcomed at countless speaking engagements and social events. I think I've just about eliminated the "underwater" part of my stuttering iceberg, so now all you see (or hear) is the easy stuttering above the waterline. And it feels good!
Please check out my home page and feel free to contact me at russhicks@mail.com in the future. What you are doing WILL affect so many lives. I thank you for dedicating YOUR life and career to MY cause.
Good luck in school, Jessica!
Russ