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From: Gene
Date: 10/22/03
Time: 11:11:55 AM
Remote Name: 24.233.173.179
|Dear Anne:
Thank you for your kind words and questions.
Yes, we followed the assessment and treatment protocols from the 1985 Cooper Personalized Fluency Control Therapy program in working with Todd.
We have not used the term "relapse" in several years when dicussing CPS. We describe it more in terms of "re-emergence" because that more accurately portrays what most frequently happens. Individuals experiencing CPS are no different than all of us who focus intensely on maintaining the feeling of contol in various aspects of our lives over the years, be it maintaining a diet, exercise routine, drinking, drug taking, etc. etc. Stealing from Thomas Jefferson's observation that "The price of freedom requires eternal vigilance," we suggest that the price of maintaining the feeling of fluency control is eternal vigilance. We all know hard and frustrating that can be. No sooner do we get things under control, we change and age, our life situations are altered, and new challenges suddenly appear. As school pressures, vocational-choice pressures increased, I suspect he, as most of do, lost the energy to maintain the vigilance required. When he returned to us, our focus was on assisting him in organizing his life so that once again he could put energies in maintaining the vigilance needed to maintain the feeling of contol - which is exactly what happened. No, I don't think denial was an issue with Todd. I think he did all the right things in seeking help to handle the re-emerging affective, behavioral, and cognitive components of his CPS syndrome. Assuming we've done a good job in educating clients to the realities of their stuttering problem, and the need to continue to seek help, particularly in the early years following completing of formal treatment, clients typically know when they need treatment "booster shots," be it in returning to formal treatment of seeking support from support groups like the National Stuttering Association (which does an absolutely fantastic job in assisting individuals to maintain their feeling of control in the most life-affirming manner).
Didn't mean to turn this into a sermon, but you questions were too good to give a too brief response.
Best wishes to you and don't hesitate to contact me should you have any further questions <ebcooper@msn.com>. Again thanks for your interest.
Gene