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From: Joe Mirly
Date: 12 Oct 2005
Time: 12:46:12 -0500
Remote Name: 131.107.0.104
Sure, there is a ton of advice. Most of what I'll say is in the area of acceptance. The success of any therapy approach you undertake to gain fluency will be hindered if you do not address the underlying emotional issues. In my opinion it really comes down to accepting who you are, that stuttering doesn't define you as a person, that you are not alone in this world as a stutterer, and that it is ok to stutter. There is so much to do and experience in this life that it is a shame to miss out because of self-imposed limitations that you may feel due to stuttering. Combine this with a realistic expectation about stuttering therapy and you'll set yourself up for success. By realistic expectations I mean essentially that perhaps your goal [in therapy] shouldn't be fluency - that is a very difficult thing to achieve and not many people make it - but rather the ability to say what you want to say, when you want to say it, to whomever you want to say it to. Effective communication doesn't have to mean fluent communication. Therapy doesn't have to be a fluency pass/fail sort of thing, and if that is how you view it you are likely to be disappointed. Does that make sense? Thanks for your comments. Joe