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From: Walt Manning
Date: 10/12/03
Time: 12:27:07 PM
Remote Name: 141.225.97.53
Hi Judy- I also heard Alan Rabinowitz speak at the NSA meeting in Nashville last June. It was one of the best keynote presentations I ever heard. His last book "Beyond the Last Village" also expressed the great pain he experienced as a child. There was no humor associated with his experiences then or even now. But his retelling of his experiences indicate the distance and change in perspective and reflect humor in his re-telling of his experiences. I think sometimes the humor is not so much a result of anything funny but the wonderful paradoxical nature of the human condition that we can all appreciate. It's not funny but a different view of the experience, which, of course, is related to healing. I don't know how a person changes perspective but I know that it occurs during good treatment or during self-help meeings. The change in perspective that laughter reflects (during treatment or during self-help meetings) is simply an indication of change. I've had a humorous reaction to a client's story that hasn't worked well. Timing is important in any relationship and I've missed the mark on more than one occasion. I tend to be (too!) spontanious at times and it has gotten me into trouble more than once. But all things considered, most of the time it has been worth it. I don't know how to react except to be yourself and respond as you did when you, quite naturally, smiled with your client about her conversational French class the other day. When she smiled back it was a victory and you know things are moving in the right direction. I don't think we can guide people in any direction -as toward an appreciation of the humor aspects of their experience with stuttering. I do think we can model some new perspectives about their situation (and ours) and follow their lead when they give us cues such as smiling, or better yet laughing. Thanks for your question.