\- Distinguish Information-Seeking from Reassurance Seeking \- Distinguish personal feelings/thoughts from system feelings/thoughts \- Distinguish what thoughts/feelings attaches importance to trigger. For example: a) if one argues "I need to use this technique, breathing, easy onset... before I speak" then it's a justification/condition to do the compulsion whenever you are not doing this technique, breathing, easy onset b) if you stop doing a technique for the first time, then you start thinking: "I need something more in order to stop compulsion". This thought by itself 'I need more help' is a condition/justification that attaches importance to the trigger. The more you attach importance, the harder it is to stop the compulsion c) "it's okay if I don't stutter, it's okay if I stutter." In the view of OCD treatment, this is a condition/justification in order to do the compulsion. Because this thought attaches importance, where you will build stutter pressure resulting in expecting a stutter and then it's harder to stop doing the compulsion. d) Every stutterer is different, which means, every stutterer has other attachments to the trigger. This means, everyone has to approach different things to change their response and perspective, but the similarity is that everyone uses trigger-attachment-compulsion, even though we have different attachments, we can still apply psychology tools from OCD Exposure Response Prevention e) If you think: "I can't stop compulsion, because I don't know how", then this trigger thought in itself is attaching importance to the trigger. Remember, the problem is not these trigger thoughts, the problem is your response/perspective where you try to act on these thoughts and trying to stop these thoughts by doing rituals (reassurance-seeking, checking and other anxiety reducing activities). The problem is also that you feel responsible to react to these triggers because you believe the intrusive thoughts. The problem is, you are replying on these triggers by opening up a discussion and trying to convince the trigger otherwise. f) OCD states that we should accept our trigger and not accept our compulsion. Accepting in OCD means: to observe the trigger without reacting. Accepting does not mean: to be okay with the trigger (it's about learning that the trigger doesn't have power and isn't a fact). The problem is, if we accept our stuttering (which is accepting the compulsion), then we attach importance to the trigger which makes it harder to stop doing the compulsion. If we accept stuttering, then we don't disconfirm expectancy. The goal of OCD Exposure Response Prevention is to disconfirm expectancy where we don't expect that the trigger will become true. If the trigger says 'I will stutter', then OCD states, we should aim for disconfirming this belief. So conclusion: don't accept the compulsion stuttering. Accept the stutter trigger by observing the trigger and not reacting to it and by not doing the compulsion. g) if you apply a technique to deliberately stutter (in order to desensitize), then you are contradicting OCD treatment. If you deliberately stutter, then you are doing the compulsion. OCD states that we should interrupt, delay and limit doing our compulsion. Because the more we do our compulsion, the harder it is to stop the compulsion. If you do deliberate stuttering, then you are not learning these goals: 1. becoming resilient against trigger 2. detaching importance 3. disconfirming expectancy. h) According to new scientific research, reducing anxiety is less effective than previously thought. Researchers have found that it's much more effective to focus on building resilience against the trigger, detaching importance and disconfirming expectancy \- More scientific-based research about this you can find here: https://iocdf.org/expert-opinions/the-inhibitory-learning-approach-to-exposure-and-response-prevention/ \- FREE ocd worksheets you can find here: https://iocdf.org/professionals/training-institute/btti/general-attendee-info/assessments-worksheets/ "An obsession is an unwanted and unpleasant thought, image or urge that repeatedly enters your mind, causing feelings of anxiety, disgust or unease." **- Our obsession (trigger)** is 'I will stutter now'. A thought is just a thought without any judgement or meaning. When we give a meaning to this trigger, we create: stutter expectation, stutter anticipation, stutter pressure, reason, importance/meaning, convincing or discomfort. **Attachment:** it's about observing the trigger in our mind while at the same time, not having an opinion about or response to this trigger "A compulsion is a repetitive behaviour or mental act that you feel you need to do to temporarily relieve the unpleasant feelings brought on by the obsessive thought." **- Main compulsion:** tensing speech muscles (not moving tongue/jaw to next letter) \- Rituals: Rumination, Avoidance, Changing how/what to say, Trying to stop, ignore or convince trigger, Waiting to speak or other anxiety-reducing activities If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them. If you need materials for stutter-OCD, just send a message.