Does anyone on here have a stammer, or are you friends with anyone who has one? (I’m in the UK, but for our American friends on here, you’d call it a stutter.) I’ve written a blog entry about my experiences of having one and my struggles in taming it. It’s gone up on the website of a new charity I volunteer for called Empowering Voices, which runs costal breathing courses to help people who stammer. I’m pretty proud of the piece because it was basically me dumping everything in my brain onto the page and it turned out well!
And if you do have a stammer or know someone who has one, say hi! I’m always happy to answer any questions, share experiences or just bitch about the annoyance of having it!
It isn’t a cure for stammering, it’s a lot of hard work every day even after you’ve learnt the technique. And the technique is never mastered, only tamed.
A close friend has a full-on stammer. He went on that course 20 years ago (one of the first in the UK i think) and learned to control it, and he still uses those techniques when it’s ‘polite’ to do so (talking to strangers, clients etc) – but around mates he’s comfortable and can take a break from the control, so just lets rip, full stammer. We’ve all known him since before he could control it anyway so we get the lot
Now that I think of it my nephew has a light one.
We adapted and he does exercise regularly so I don’t notice it at all now…
I try to speak in a more peaceful manner to him to avoid adding stress.
Fellow PWS (Person Who Stutters) here. In the US, stammering is known as stuttering but its the exact same thing.
Excited to read your piece. Thanks for starting this thread; I’ve thought about doing something similar to help educate people more about stuttering / stammering. Here in the US, Biden being a PWS has helped move the conversation forward (regardless of how you feel about his political views).
I highly recommend reading John Hendrickson’s book ‘Life on Delay’ for those interested in the experience of growing up with a stutter.
Also happy to answer any questions and share my experiences with stuttering if anyone else is curious.
Interesting piece, @Michael_R_Grant. I have gone to several different speech therapies over the years that have had some element of breathwork, so I wonder how similar they are to what you went to over there in the UK (I’m in LA). However none of the therapies I went to when I was younger really had long last effects.
What has been helpful for me is something called ARTS (Avoidance Reduction Therapy). It is more about self-advertising yourself as a PWS and not trying to hide your stuttering in any way. Getting it out into the open, so to speak. It’s been a challenge in many ways but has also been a breath of fresh air (no pun intended) in that it has given me permission to use my real voice, 100% of the time without any other tricks or effort needed.
Interesting read.
I’ve had a few friends with stutters/ stammers over the years and currently have an occasional coworker who has a bit of one. While I don’t have one myself I do have a speech issue that I developed suddenly at 30. Very different issue in how/ why I have it and also it’s management but I can relate to challenges in communication.
Thanks for posting.
Just been reading Pete Townsend biography. He talks about Roger Daltrey practicing a stammer for My Generation. Just seeing it in a creative way if it helps.
So the lovely UK charity I’m involved with, Empowering Voices, just started a YouTube channel which I’m heading up, and the first video is out which features the ‘before and after’ of one of our mentors. I filmed, edited, presented, narrated and did the music (a proper schoolboy-film-esque list of credits!). I’m pretty proud of it as a first effort, and I’d love if you’d give it a watch so that I can get the viewcount up!
