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From: Dirk Vannetelbosch
Date: 10/15/01
Time: 6:03:50 PM
Remote Name: 134.29.30.79
I am a person who stutters. I am a priest and not a speech therapist. Judy is helping me with my English in answering you.
For me, acceptance was very important. When I was able to accept my stuttering and give it a place in my life, I was also then able to work on it. Healing my own life by accepting stuttering was for me, to learn how to live with this problem. When I was able to integrate it, I could also work on it. The great compulsion I used to feel is no longer there. I am more at peace and more relaxed so it is easier for me to work on my stuttering. I have come to accept that I am more than stuttering. With this attitude, I am more ready to learn how to modify my speech. But here I am not competent to comment further. This is the work of the speech therapist.
In answer to your second question, I will say that when people accept a stuttering person, they also accept his stuttering. I can imagine that a vigorous and explosive stuttering can bring some uneasy feeling in the audience, but I think that a stutterer has the right to express an important message. When I am honest with myself, even though I am pretty good at accepting my stuttering, when I feel I have a really difficult time expressing myself, I might try to write it or wait until I am more fluent. I don't like making other people uncomfortable, and when I stutter badly, I worry that I am doing that. At times like this I think others do not even hear my message, but only hear the stuttering.. But still the important thing is to get my message across. When I stutter I try to stay calm. I can do that pretty well because most of the people know me as a person who has some stuttering problems. They are patient and supportive that I can manage it and that I do not seem to suffer because I am someone that stutters.