commentr/StutterJuly 13, 2015

Content

It's been more than 10 years since I've read the book so some details escape me but I think this is the gist of it. Bill's theory, which he plainly states in his book has yet to be proven by science, is that the internal group of muscles called the Valsalva mechanism, which includes the larynx, is responsible for stuttering. So the idea is to get these muscles under control as much as possible, ideally never to use them, so that their effect on speech will be minimal. The morning exercise session he proposes includes a few minutes of concentrating on the all the muscles involved in the Valsalva mechanism, to then be able to relax them as much as possible. While these muscles are in a relaxed state, you are then instructed to inhale and exhale in a specific way, as to make it as easy and smooth as possible, and then to also speak in a very controlled manner, which is very passive and continuous so as to minimize the potential for using the wrong muscles which could lead to blocks. It might sound a little overwhelming when I say it like that but IMO it's no so bad. After a few days you get the hang of it. Every time I used to bring up Bill Parry and his therapy on other web forums, I always seemed to be the only person in the world who had tried his method which I always felt was a little surprising. As I've already mentioned, this is obviously no quick fix as it can take years to see real progress. But it is also the only thing that has ever brought me any kind of results so I can at least vouch for the fact that there is some merit to the self-therapy he proposes. I suggest reading the book if you're curious about it. I'm not even sure if there isn't some place online where you can download it for free. It's been out for a while.

Themes

Coping & AdvocacyTherapy & Professional

Subthemes

Fluency TechniquesSeeking Therapy