Re: An article from Dr. Hartman on stuttering

I am thankful to have read this beautiful article, Dr. Hartman.

I believe you are answering far more than speech difficulties, and that all social interactions can be improved by your understanding and methods.

In 1930, at the age of six, school teachers tied my husband's predominant left hand behind his back, trying to force him to use his right.

He began to stammer dreadfully.

When his mother learned what was happening, she stormed to the school and probably had the teacher fired.

The stammering continued for four years, so bad that my husband tells me he was unable to say his own name.

But he has an irrepressible spirit, and his 'problem' began to disappear as he became interested in the wonders of boyhood pursuits.

I think there are two hidden facts in his case.

...1. That his parents were both strong-willed and outspoken in two different ways. I think that they shaped his reactions to this terrifying frustration...probably for both better and worse.

...2. That subtle elements of 'impairment' have continued thoughout his life, even until the age of eighty-one.

If a layperson may offer an opinion, the very best method of eliminating 'resistance' I've ever heard of comes from author Barbara Sher.

She suggests doing the frightening thing until the bad feeling builds strongly. Then, close the eyes and see what it is made of. (She goes on to warn that this may trigger an emotional reaction.)

In my experience, these are only 'echoes' lodged in our tissues and memory, and that everyone has the ability to soothe their own...to give the comfort and calm once needed long ago.

"There, there, little one. You'll be okay. I'll take care of you." (Accompanied by self-stroking of the upper arms.)

As soon as I put a name to the actual feeling (without bothering with 'why' I was feeling it), and repeated the above, the ache in my stomach disappeared, never to return. That was nearly fifty years of sorrow, in many areas, gone.

I wish I could say that I wrote this method. I didn't. I read it in a book. (I can't remember the title or authors.) But I did make it work, all by myself.

The key to it is to feel the feeling, as Barbara Sher suggests in her work. Recognition causes fears to evaporate, in my experience.

(You'll love Barbara's books. Read http://www.wishcraft.com for her first best-seller. See http://www.geniuspress.com for the rest. "Refuse to Choose" comes out March 7th, 2006.)

Many thanks for sharing your amazing insight.

fledgling Tweet