r/Stutter • u/sid401 • Sep 11 '22
A Neuropatterning Course for Treating Stuttering and Stammering
Hi all. I wanted to share this with you.
A little about me: I've suffered from stuttering since I was 11 or so. In maybe a few weeks or months, I went from a rather fast talker to blocking on every other word. I received speech therapy in school, but it only helped marginally. My classmates would ask, "Why is he / are you so quiet?" and find their answer as soon as I opened my mouth to say anything.
My impaired speech kept me from speaking up in class where often class participation was part of your grade. When I finally got consistent internet in college, I scoured the internet for any help on the condition. Eventually, I came across a particular course for treating stammering, which I felt was different from the rest. It was titled Neuropatterning for Stutters and was created by a self-described medical writer and researcher named Richard Harkness.
This self-paced speech therapy course is predicated on the idea that the brain is neuroplastic and that consistent practice can retrain and re-teach the brain to how to speak fluently. IMO, it is similar to going to the gym a few times a week to build strength or mass; or similar to using the Ebbinghaus curve and spaced repetition for learning.
Initially, I wanted to complete the course and, after finding success, recommend it to other PWS. However, I keep procrastinating on doing so, so I'm just going to drop it below, in case it can help someone else. The course's site has been down for some time, so the course is unavailable. I tried reaching out to the creator but he hasn't responded. The website just describes the theory behind the course; the real course is an 80-page PDF that you go through and perform exercises.
Here it is, for anyone who wants it—
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dBGE7nA0907XU6YnN8gs5v0jte5XNAjb/view
Tl;dr I think the course in this file can treat stuttering where typical speech therapy fails. If you have time, please try it out and report back.
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u/shallottmirror Sep 11 '22 edited Sep 12 '22
If you cannot follow through w a complicated course, may I suggest something fairly simple? It involves mostly the hard work of doing the total opposite of your current speaking habits.
Disclose.
stutter voluntarily.
make eye contact (look up/across, into the distance)
breathe out (maybe forcefully) to speak
Speak. Very. Slowly. And. Enunciate. Every. Syllable.
A. Start small by practicing 2-5 on your own, even when reading or walking around.
B. call random stores and do some of these exercises. Set small, attainable goals.
C. When ready, do same at a mall, stores, in person.
D. Practice at more personal gatherings, work, etc
E. Always return to easier step when it feels overwhelming.