postr/StutterJanuary 2, 2024

My mother gets angry at my stuttering technique and tells me to "just stutter". Is she right? How do I do this?

1 points13 commentsView on Reddit →

Content

My mother gets angry at my stuttering technique and tells me to "just stutter". Is she right? How do I do this? Hi there! I'm a new member of this wonderful group. I'm a 30 year old female with a stutter. I used to stutter as a child and got speech therapy but it returned as an adult. I have trouble day to day, especially on the phone, and it's usually always the same words (hello, thank you, bye and saying my own name). I've picked up a technique years ago without realizing it - when I feel a stutter coming on or if I say a problem word and feel that I won't get it out, my pitch goes high (I say the word in a higher pitched voice and then return to normal until the next one comes along). I do it without thinking about it, it just happens. But I personally don't mind it because I absolutely hate the feeling of stuttering... It feels like I'm drowning and getting the word out will give me oxygen, it's a truly awful uncomfortable feeling. However, my mum doesn't like when my voice goes high and says I sound stupid and like a "baby". She gets very angry every time it happens. She's never had a stutter or any kind of speech problem. I try to explain it to her but she doesn't seem to understand. She says to me "just let the stutter out, a stutter sounds better than your baby voice", and says she's embarrassed to be around me when it happens. I get very upset when she says this, I find it insulting, but I'm starting to question if she's right. Am I doing the wrong thing by changing my voice to a higher pitch? How do I stop this automatic reaction and just let the stutter out? Is there a way to stutter without that awful suffocating feeling? Thank you for taking the time to read this. I would really appreciate some advice :)

Themes

Anticipation & AvoidanceEmotional ExperienceIdentity & Disability

Subthemes

Avoidance & SubstitutionShame & EmbarrassmentAnxiety & Social JudgmentAcceptance & Pride