Mastering Blocking & Stuttering: A Cognitive Approach to Achieving Fluency

"If you can speak fluently in just one context, you can learn to speak fluently in all contexts."

Suggestions for new PWS to the NLP/NS Model

by

By Bob Bodenhamer
Pour la traduction française, cliquez ici (PDF)

Information for the PWS new to the Model

Over the years in working with PWS, I have summarized what I believe to be the foundation of what “triggers” stuttering and some techniques/ patterns to assist the PWS in gaining more fluency. As you enter into this new way of thinking about stuttering be patient for it will no doubt be a journey of some years but above all be persistent. You are probably beginning a journey of from 1 to 3 years but it has the potential of radically re-organizing your thinking about who you are and what you will be doing with your life. That is worth spending 2 or 3 years on, isn’t it?

Suggestions for the PWS:

There are a lot of articles on the web site  (www.masteringstuttering.com)  that should prove helpful. Below find a list of what I believe key articles that present the information crucial to your understanding as you begin this journey.

Articles:

Techniques/ Patterns that have proven quite helpful to other PWS are:

1.  The “Meta-Yes/ Meta-No Pattern”.
www.masteringstuttering.com/articles/meta-yes-meta-no-pattern-say-no-to-fear-anxiety-and-yes-to-courage-and-faith/

2.  The “Drop-Down Through Pattern”.

www.masteringstuttering.com/articles/the-drop-down-through-mind-backtracking-pattern/

www.masteringstuttering.com/articles/the-drop-down-through-mind-backtracking-pattern/

www.masteringstuttering.com/articles/from-stuttering-to-stability-a-case-study/ (Case Study)

3.  “Applying Acceptance, Appreciation and Esteem to Yourself Pattern”.
www.masteringstuttering.com/articles/applying-acceptance-appreciation-and-esteem-to-yourself-pattern/

4.  “The Power Zone Pattern with Responsibility To/For”
www.masteringstuttering.com/articles/the-power-zone-pattern-with-responsibility-to-for/

5.  “The Mind-to-Muscle Pattern”
www.masteringstuttering.com/articles/the-mind-to-muscle-pattern/

6.  Make sure you learn the difference between “associating and dissociating” and learn how to do it. This process from Gestalt Psychology is covered in the article entitled  “Eight Keys to Personal Change”  number 6.
www.masteringstuttering.com/articles/eight-keys-to-personal-change/

7.  Also, learn the  “Perceptual Positions”  and practice those especially practicing how to go to your 5th position (Number 8 in the above pattern).

8.  I have a book Mastering Blocking and Stuttering: A Cognitive Approach to Achieving Fluency. It is available from the web site  through me and it is also available through Amazon as well as the publisher.  This book has

numerous Neuro-Linguistic and Neuro-Semantic Techniques/Patterns for you to utilize in “challenging” your stuttering mind with your fluency mind. Also, within the pages of this book, you will find a theoretical foundation for stuttering and what must happen for fluency.

8.  John Harrison, former PWS, lived through the fear of stuttering, conquered the problem, and even wrote a 485-page book about it  – REDEFINING STUTTERING: What the struggle to speak is really all about  –  that’s
available on line at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and as a free PDF download at:
www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/Infostuttering/Harrison/redefining.html

9. I highly recommend that you find a cognitive trained therapist to assist you with those deep learnings of fear and anxiety that trigger you to block. If this isn’t possible, read and practice. Post questions on the email list as
there are some really good people on that list to help you. Look through the archives of the list to found volumes of great posts. A list of providers is found at:  www.masteringstuttering.com/pws-coaches/

Also, if you are not already a member of our email list, I highly encourage you to join. The archives are full of great posts. This list is active. There are over  800 members:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/neurosemanticsofstuttering/

Discovering your “Highest Resource” for Gaining Fluency
“The Drop Down Through Pattern”

It is better to have someone assist you with the Drop Down Through Pattern but many people run it on themselves successfully.

As to discovering your highest resource think for a moment what you hold to be your very highest value. It may also be a belief. We tend to value our beliefs and believe in our values. For most, their Higher Resource is of a Spiritual nature.

Such answers that we here are love, unity, oneness, openness, vastness, serenity, peace, Jesus, God, Allah, Higher Power, etc.

Find one of these high states of mind that you hold dear and really think about that state. When were you last in that state?  Imagine yourself back in that state now. What was it like?  What were you seeing and hearing?  How did it feel?  Where in your body do you feel that high state?

Now, once you access that high state hold that state in mind and then bring into that state a state about your fearing blocking  or about  being anxious about blocking.  What you will be doing is allowing these to polar states to merge together into one with the higher state demolishing, hopefully, that fear or anxiety state.

Introduction to PWS interested in Therapy

First of all, I need to be upfront with you and let you know that this is no magical cure.  Those who gain good progress spend a great deal of time working on their speech under my directions or the directions of their therapist. I am talking about 1 to 3 years so it is a major commitment in time.

However, we are not talking about a huge amount of time in therapy – plan on 8 to 20 or 24 hours over a period of 3 or 4 months  followed by tune up session every month or so.

Approximately 1/3rd of the people I see experience significant improvement. Another 1/3rd experience feeling much better about themselves and getting more involved in their world. There is usually some improvement in their speech. With these, I have very high hopes that over the years with their new learnings they will see significant improvement in speech.

Another 1/3rd make no progress – most drop out after 2 to 4 sessions. When they realize that what I do isn’t a magical cure, they are gone.

This is for most PWS slow tedious work. Don’t give up.  Just keep working and practicing and I am talking about 1, 2 or even 3 years or longer. You can do it.

Contact Information:

Bobby G Bodenhamer, D.Min.
1516 Cecelia Dr
Gastonia, NC 28054
704.864.3585
Fax: 704.864.1545
bobbybodenhamer@yahoo.com
www.masteringstuttering.com
www.neurosemantics.com
www.renewingyourmind.com (Christian site)