Stuttering & Stammering

Therapy For Help With Stuttering & Stammering

Stuttering or stammering is a problem with the normal flow and timing of speech. Someone with a stutter may experience a complete block on speech, when they simply cannot get a certain word out, repetition of a syllable, or prolongation of a sound. Stuttering often begins in childhood and affects proportionately more boys than girls. Although there is currently no cure for stuttering, there are many methods that can improve stuttering to some extent. It is important to get a diagnosis by an expert first and your GP should be able to refer you to a speech therapist who can offer advice on the issue.

Stuttering and Causes

Stuttering can differ in severity in different situations (such as talking on the telephone) depending on the level of anxiety associated with that situation. Research suggests that one in five children in the UK go through a phase of stuttering, and although three in four of those will grow out of it, that’s still half a million people in the UK who stutter. Other research suggests that 1% of the world is affected by stuttering (approximately 66 million people).

No-one knows exactly what causes stuttering, although it has recently been suggested by experts that people who stammer may have difficulty co-ordinating the muscles needed for speech and require more time to form words. It is likely that stuttering is caused by a variety of factors, including genetics and environmental factors. Although stuttering is a physical condition, there can often be a psychological aspect linked to it, for example experiencing a trauma, or going through a difficult or stressful time, such as being bullied.
Stuttering is a physical condition which can be triggered by different situations and can often be exacerbated by anxiety or stress. I use a range of therapies tailored to your individual needs which can help to reduce the impact of these triggers by helping you 'relax out' of the vicious circle that can cause so many problems, re-framing your reactions, reducing anxiety, building confidence and self-esteem by helping you rehearse triggering your relaxation response when you begin to feel tense. This relaxation response not only makes you feel more relaxed, but it actually changes the way your brain is functioning at that time, to hopefully 'normalise' it to allow smooth speech to take place more easily and giving you the tools to enable you to control your anxiety levels and have a calmer more confident approach to all situations.

“A survey of speech therapists using hypnosis in the UK by Macfarlane and Duckworth (1990) suggested that the major use of hypnosis in fluency disorders is as a means of achieving rapid, deep relaxation, reducing physical tension and anxiety and encouraging self-esteem in the patient.”

Stuttering Modification Using Hypnosis: A Case Study by Dr David Oakley and Guy Moss