Interesting conversation last night!

There were 10 of us, and we learned about a new way to approach stuttering practice using “mapping.” One of the members stopped and repeated a word several times on purpose, producing it differently each time. He described that he was trying to “map” how it felt every time, and then the last production was fluent so he could feel in detail what fluency felt like.

A “gear” analogy was also discussed in terms of picturing the brain as a large factory.  All the gear “teeth” either fit well or they get caught up and mess up the rest of the line. The “mapping” idea was to help learn how to help the gears fit.

We read the quote: “I don’t measure my stuttering severity by how much I stutter, I measure severity by how much I am silent.”

Some members mentioned the degree they go to to avoid speaking, such as writing down what they want in a store (after wandering the aisles avoiding asking a clerk where it is), rushing to the bathroom when they see the waiter/waitress coming to the table (to have a family member order for them), or not chatting with barbers or hairdressers for fear of blocking and getting their hair chopped.

One member asked if folks stutter in their dreams, and there was a mix. Some noted never stuttering in their dreams, while others have and felt like “slapping” themselves when they did, saying: “there’s no need for that now”!

Looking forward to our next meeting on April 21st and CONGRATS again to Co-Leader Barry Guitar for being named this year’s George Kidder Award honoree!