commentr/StutterSeptember 17, 2024

Content

Don’t classify your speech experiences as good or bad. Do not assign negative connotation to your stutter. This is the most valuable lesson I learnt in the past 40 years of stuttering. The danger of doing this is that your subconscious learns that the act of ‘speaking’ is something to be afraid of (if you don’t speak you don’t stutter), so next time you try to speak, your nervous system invokes freeze response, which is basically ‘blocking’. The right way is to treat every stuttering event as an opportunity to positively reinforce your nervous system. Every time you stutter in from of an audience, just accept that fact and try not to get disappointed or kick yourself. Over time your subconscious learns that speaking is not something to be feared. The bonus is that you’ll experience less anxiety about speaking situations, and your fluency might also improve

Themes

Identity & DisabilityCoping & Advocacy

Subthemes

Acceptance & PrideMindset shift