Office Hours: The Professor is In

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Re: covert-discovert stuttering

From: Lynne Shields
Date: 10/20/03
Time: 10:40:45 AM
Remote Name: 199.217.208.172

Comments

Dear Valentina,

It seems as if you are feeling as if you are between a rock and a hard place, as the English saying goes. You gave up trying to hide your stuttering, which is a big step, as you said. I applaud you for taking that step. It certainly was a brave choice. Now you are experiencing much more difficulty with your speech and it sounds as if you are having more tension and struggle when you stutter (and, you can't even go back to the old habits!). I can't say, not knowing you, what the best approach to this problem would be. But, in general, I would suggest finding a way to stutter more easily, letting the stuttering happen without the tension and pushing that seems to be going on. Voluntary stuttering is one way to approach breaking the cycle of severe blocks. You already used it to be more open about your stuttering, so perhaps voluntary stuttering may help you begin to break up the current pattern of struggle. You mentioned that you are not ashamed of stuttering, and you probably are correct about that, at least in part. After all, you were able to stop hiding your stuttering. I may be off base, but you still seem to be reacting to the stuttering if you are tensing up enough to cause severe blocks. It could be very useful to continue to attend to your feelings about your stuttering, along with addressing the tension itself. In my experience, shame is a pretty deep feeling that takes some period of time to address.

Thanks for sharing your experience. You made a significant life change in becoming open about your stuttering. This says to me that you have the strength and ability to move on in managing your stuttering.

Best wishes,

Lynne


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