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From:
Date: 10/2/03
Time: 10:17:18 AM
Remote Name: 142.161.177.162
Better eye contact, yes, but within reason.
It is true that we who stutter take non-eye contact to an extreme because of the shame component. But it is also true as Van Riper once said that a stutterer would have to be psychotic to maintain eye contact during a severe block.
I suggest that eye contact fans go to the food court of a mall and actually observe fluent speakers in conversation. They certainly do not maintain perfect eye contact. They look at their interlocutors but they also look at their food, they look around at other diners. It quickly becomes apparent that only lovers gaze steadfast into each others eyes.
I suggest that genuine and thorough process of desensitization is needed in stuttering, followed by healing and strengthening. Better eye contact, within reason, yes. But any claim that eye contact is some sort of shortcut panacea is shortsighted.