postr/StutterMay 31, 2017

Cured at 36

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Content

Cured at 36 After stuttering for...well...as long as I can remember, I'm cured. I've read so many books on it, tried countless tips, tried breathing tips, easy onset, all it. They helped to mask the problem, but never resolved it. And if I was in a stressful situation, it seemed like I was thinking more about HOW I was speaking instead of WHAT I wanted to communicate. My journey to recovery is a weird one. About 18 months ago, I saw my dentist because my nightguard no longer fit. I hadn't really worn it for the previous 2 years. He diagnosed me with a tongue thrust swallow. I read more about tongue thrust and went to see a myofunctional therapist. She diagnosed me with an atypical swallow. I read more about that. Orthodontic relapse, a history of headaches, speech issues, TMD, asthma, and severe allergies are all related to myofunctional disorders. I had or have all these. She had me do sets of exercises. After a couple weeks of doing these, my tongue started moving uncontrollably. At times my speech was horrible, and other times it was unbelievably fluent. Effortless. Soon after, I got in tune with my body, and no longer needed to see the therapist. I observed what my muscles were doing when I was stuttering. For the following 14 months, I could feel my tongue and mouth healing itself. There's no other way I can explain it. The sensitivity in my mouth increased and my anxiety is 100% gone. I'm just one person, and there may be several causes that cause stuttering, but if you stutter and have a history of severe allergies or asthma, mouth breathing, orthodontic relapse, TMD, or headaches, please give myofuctional therapy a look.

Themes

Speech & StutteringCoping & AdvocacyCauses & Variability

Subthemes

Onset & Life-Stage ChangesFluency TechniquesEnergy & Biological Rhythms