And The Stuttering Just Dies by Jack Menear

The following article first appeared in the National Stuttering Project monthly newsletter "Letting GO" in January 1982 and again in the December 1984 issue.

I stuttered for twenty some years, and it seemed that there was no place to find real help. Through a year of selfanalysis of the problem, the way out became apparent. Since I never went the route of speech therapy, my approach to becoming fluent is nonstandard. It is clear now that stuttering is really a whole lifestyle founded on incorrect mental habits. When the speech blocks are identified as the outward expression of these mental habits, the habits can be changed, and the stuttering just dies.

It is important to note the passive element in this approach. Rather than focusing on "beating stuttering", I focused on eliminating the mental habits that prompted it. The stuttering falls aside without direct confrontation. As a result, the classic approach of pre-, post, and inblock correction is not important.

Fundamental thoughts about stuttering

Malcomb Fraser makes an interesting statement about stuttering:"...the statement can be made that stuttering is largely what the stutterer does trying not to stutter. In other words, it is an incredible trick which you play on yourself because you have such a consuming desire to speak fluently." This statement accurately reflects that the reason we stutter is because we are afraid we might stutter. Later in the same chapter, Fraser follows this up with, "If there were some way you could distract your mind from thoughts of fear, or you didn't think about it, possibly you wouldn't have any trouble. Or if you could forget you were a stutterer, you probably wouldn't stutter, but we don't know how you could develop such a forgettery."

It's no wonder that people have given up on developing a "forgettery." The harder you try not to think about something, the more you actually are thinking about it. One could say, "I won't think about stuttering. I won't think about stuttering. I won't think about stuttering." But the truth is that you're thinking about stuttering. What a frustrating circle it is!

But I don't think this route should be neglected. There is a way around this dilemma, and it is the fastest way to ending the stuttering problem. In addition, if this route is chosen, there is no residual dependence on blocking techniques or tricks. And since the route is based on truth and honesty, permanence is guaranteed.

In a nutshell, the answer to developing this "forgettery" requires that you stop fighting the stuttering. Don't even fight the causes. Just be willing to give up the patterns of thinking that stimulate the stuttering. Don't fight and confrontÑjust let it go.

The mental patterns that cause stuttering

To understand the mental patterns that cause stuttering there are two obvious places to look: (1) the differences between how a nonstutterer thinks when talking as compared to a stutterer, and (2) the difference you feel inside during periods of fluency and nonfluency.

It is a fact that we are in the habit of anticipating and trying to control that gives rise to the fear and tension which ultimately leads to stuttering. Probably as a group, stutterers are the most introspective people in the world. The mere thought of stuttering is so frightening that it focuses our whole world inward. With time, this inward focus is all we know. It becomes accepted that we consciously anticipate each time we'll have to talk. A frantic scramble to gain control becomes consuming, and by the time we actually do have to speak, we've "lived" the experience a hundred times in our mind. By anticipating and trying to control, we've allowed the fear of stuttering to gain such momentum that we force ourselves to stutter.

If we let go of the mental habits of anticipating and controlling, we desensitize ourselves to the fear of stuttering, and, hence, the stuttering itself dies out. In essence, we allow ourselves to think about speaking like a nonstutterer. A nonstutterer just led his words flow; it never occurs to him to anticipate his words or control how each word leaves his mouth.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), stuttering is not the only affliction based on the fear of fear. The stutterer has a fear that he (or she) may have a fear of stuttering; agoraphobias (people with a fear of leaving the safety of their home) have a fear of their fear also. And, of course, it's based on anticipation and need for control starting the whole thing off. Dr. Claire Weekes has proposed four simple rules that have effectively helped agoraphobias, and these rules apply equally well for stutterers. Dr. Weekes' rules (modified by explanatory statements) are as follows: