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From: Alan (to Serafina)
Date: 13 Oct 2012
Time: 13:39:28 -0500
Remote Name: 95.144.99.28
Hi Serafina, I am most grateful to you for taking the time to read my paper and contribute to the valuable ‘threaded discussion”. My involvement with online discussion groups was IN ADDITION TO a host of other things that I was undertaking in an attempt to come to terms with my stuttering issues. For example, I was simultaneously following an extensive plan of action that caused me to routinely challenge myself in a wide range of speaking situations. I was expanding my comfort zones (on a daily basis) in many different areas and confronting my long-held fears. I knew that I needed to change my stuttering mindset by challenging the diverse self-limiting beliefs that were holding me back. I needed to widen my restrictive self-image to incorporate roles that I believed lay outside my scope. In addition, I had adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards the various avoidance strategies (including word substitution) that had insidiously crept into my life. I had also commenced speaking openly about my “darkest secret” which had a hugely desensitizing effect. My participation in stuttering-related self-help activities, public speaking classes/engagements, acting workshops and personal growth seminars afforded me opportunities to speak in front of groups. The confidence that I gained in those environments served as a springboard, encouraging/enabling me to take the plunge and venture into further uncharted waters. The point I’m attempting to make is that we don’t change behaviours by retaining the status quo. Taking action does not guarantee success, but not taking action almost certainly ensures that our lives will remain the same. Involvement with Internet discussion groups can be most enlightening, especially as it may alert us to possibilities of which we were previously unaware – in relation to therapies, techniques and opportunities that allow us to unearth our true potential. However, it is important to understand that we need to speak – not just write. We need to involve ourselves in real life situations and not simply read about it online. We need to put into practice what we have learned. In the case of someone who stutters, that means TALKING.:-) Membership of online discussion groups was an exciting path that I chose to tread in my quest to deal with my stuttering. It was one of the many different pieces that I assembled together in my attempts to complete the complex jigsaw puzzle that we know as stuttering. But the successes that I wrote about in my numerous posts were (primarily) achieved elsewhere – not online. They resulted as a direct consequence of living a more expansive lifestyle. I subsequently used the Internet forums to share my stories with others, thereby strengthening my memories of those positive occurrences and reinforcing what I had done. I would not have progressed in such a favourable manner had I solely restricted my efforts to online activities. I should emphasize that we are all different – each client will be unique. What works for one may not necessarily prove to be an effective approach for another. I wish you every success with your studies and future career. Kindest regards Alan