Here is a very important testimony from Mani, Coordintaor Chennai Chapter of TISA. We are looking out for more such sharings. 'Reality' is shaped by sharing what we know about it, discussing it, questioning it and above all by emulating it.

Dear friends,
I never expected such a huge response to my post love stuttering. Of course
there are mixed reactions to the post. First of all I thank every one who have
responded to my post. After seeing so much response, I wish to elaborate further
on love stuttering. Before that I would like to stress my point to everyone that
my post is purely based on my personal experience with my life and with Chennai
self help group. It is nothing against anybody, any SLP, any organization and
any belief & faith towards stuttering. After toiling with stuttering for more
than 50 years, I am now attained 95 % fluency with just change in mindset
towards stuttering, which I am calling by name love stuttering which I want to
share with you with hope that at least someone might have benefit.

I felt it is my duty to inform everyone at what context I used the phrase love
stuttering so as to clarify my stand. Here I will narrate briefly about my
insight about stuttering from my personal experience so as to understand at what
context I am saying love stuttering.

As already told in my earlier post,I am 52 years and an engineer by profession.
I attended a few speech therapy sessions at Chennai at various ages. All the
therapists focused on prolongation on first syllable of the sentence with slow
speech. I usually spoke well in the clinical condition but I stutter immediately
after I came out of the clinic. This has happing time and again whenever I tried
with a new speech therapist. I was really fed up every time for not overcoming
this problem. Now I of the opinion that speech therapists are not giving much
important to the mindset of the Stutterers.

But I wish to tell one thing here that the therapy which really worked for me
and many others is one invented by Mr. Andrew Bell from UK which is very simple,
can be followed easily by anybody. This therapy involves both slow speaking as
well as breathing simultaneously. But you have to spare one hour in the morning
every day at least for one year initially and may be reduce to an hour
afterwards depending upon the individuals. In the clinical condition (comfort
zone), I can able to talk slowly and fluently but not in the other
circumstances. Why? What is the nature of stuttering? Physical or psychological
or both?

For me the nature of stuttering is largely psychological but a small part of
neurological problem also which plays vital role in stuttering. I also believe
that stuttering is due to more of a neurological during childhood and grow as
more of a psychological during adulthood. However the experts can give correct
opinion.

I often thought that why I should not able to speak fluently in non-comfort zone
and tried to find out reasons for that. I noticed that in the clinical
conditions, the speech therapist speaking slowly (Of course accepting whatever
way I spoke) whereas in the other conditions people normally speaks in a fast
pace (may be in India). Our natural reaction is to react whatever happened to
the same speed. Thats why I am reacting (speaking) slowly (thus fluently) in the
comfort zone and reacting fast (thus stuttering) in the non-comfort zone. The
question is how to speak slowly with fast speaking (normal for them)people?. I
have no answer for this and expert have to tell.

Till Jan2009, I hated my stuttering completely to the extend that even I hate
telling the word stutter. I believed that the stuttering ruined my carrier as
well as my life. I also have no clue how to overcome it. I read lot of books on
stuttering, about pre block corrections and about post block corrections. I am
unable to apply non of the methods I learnt in the real speaking situations
where my concentration is solely on speech. MAY BE EASIER SAID THAN DONE.
Nothing worked for me.

Then what to do? How to get rid of my stuttering?. I noticed that whenever my
mind is calm, I was able to speak fairly fluently. Then how to make mind calm?.
I noticed that after reading spiritual books, my mind become calm for some time.
So I started reading more books on spiritual, which have given me more insight
towards better life. I learnt that everything with my possession are blessing
from God. Whatever happened in life is good for me. Whatever going to happen is
also good for me. I also started loving people whom I hated in the past. If
someone harmed me also, I started taking it lightly. So no tension. No hated
feelings. No turbulence in my mind and fairly calm at most of the times..

By this time The Indian stammering Association (TISA) was launched in 2008 by
Dr.Sachin and others in India. They are trying to form self help groups in
various cities. Even though I am stuttering, I am always thinking about helping
younger generation PWS to overcome their stuttering. I grabbed this opportunity
and volunteered myself as Coordinator of Chennai chapter of TISA. The Chennai
chapter was inaugurated in Jan2009 and there are about 30 pws as members in this
SHG at present. We have conducted weekly SHG meetings in the months of Feb &
Mar2009 and after wards conducting monthly meetings till date. We are not
charging anything for the meetings except sharing hall rent and Tea charges.

Usually myself and Mr.Sivasubramanian (Asst.coordinator) take classes. May be
because myself taking class, due to confident gained my stuttering eased out. In
the initial few classes I prepared lessions from books and distributed in the
class. As the members are from various age group and from different walks of
life, except few, others have not shown much interest in the lesions. They need
only simple solution and not complicated theories. By the time 2 months gone and
the SHG have faith on me that I would do something good for them.

Then I suggested SHG to accept their stuttering whole heartily and follow
whatever therapy they liked. Like a magic vast improvement have been noticed
from everyones speech. The members informed that because of acceptance of
stuttering whole heartily, they are not ashamed of stuttering now, which saved
lot of energy and easing out stuttering thus speaking better. In the above
context only I used the phrase love stuttering. May be the phrase accept
stuttering whole heartily is more appropriate one.

I request everyone to kindly look into the content of the subject rather than to
the literal meaning of the word or sentences. Here I would like to share my
following insight towards stuttering.


Stuttering cannot be cured overnight. It takes years of hard work.
The more you speak about stuttering with others, you become less sensitive
towards stuttering and will defiantly speak better.
An Ex-stutter SLP is better than other SLP. The Ex-stutter SLP will give
importance to our psychological problem also.
Join in a SGH is better option. If there is no SGH in your area, start your own.
For adult PWS, the best option to overcome your stuttering is accept stuttering
first then do speech therapy.
Last but not the least, the most important thing is to help fellow Stutterers
irrespective of whether you overcame it or not. Because by helping others, you
are helping indirectly to yourself.

One more reason I posted such a long one is if I knew the above facts about
stuttering at my teenage, I would have been much happier. I wish my post helps
some.

Now the bottom line of my post is whatever speech therapy you like, have a full
faith on that, work tirelessly on that with the belief that you would speak one
day well. If you accept (love?) your stuttering whole heartily you can save lot
of energy and successful in your selected therapy in quicker time. Of course the
choice is yours.

Lastly, I thank everyone who spared time to read this lengthy post and I wish
all the best to everyone of this group to successfully overcome their
stuttering.

I am also forwarding this post to indianpws and stutteringchat groups for their
benefits.

Your comments and reactions are always welcome.
Regards,
V. Manimaran
India