STUTTERING & SELF AWARENESS

Obim OkongwuToronto, Canada

ISA - 10th World Congress for People Who Stutter – Netherlands. June 10 – 14, 2013

Stuttering...

A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma

Questioning....

Why do I stutter?

How do my blocks occur?

Are there neurons, brain chemicals, enzymes involved?

Why is it situational?

Why is my stutter different?

In situations I stutter more, why not always?

Why is it impacted by the subject discussed?

If physiological, why not consistent?

Is it physiological or psychological?

Exploring....

Observation

New & Challengin

g Situations

Reading & Hearing – Other People’s Stories

Speech & The Brain

Human Behavior

Discovering....

Not Good Enough,

Need to be Validated, Need to Please

Thoughts & Perceptions

State of Mind

Discovering....

amygdala

Actions & Decisions....• Be okay with who I was

• Be okay with not being perfect, being human

• Be able to say no, and be okay

• Be thankful

• Speak up

• Carrying less on what people felt about me and my actions

• Be in the moment and be aware of my thoughts

• Question my perceptions and not make assumptions about other

people

• Worry less

• Seek opportunities to speak about stuttering, to inform

• Not take things personally

• Be able to use my stutter as a litmus test

• Surround myself with messages that reinforce some the above.

Final Thoughts...

• Quest for fluency and Zest for life

• Blessings of an imperfect life

• Courage

• Self Therapist.

Questions,Feedback?

Tennis AnalogyWhy do I play so well one day and not so

another day?Why do I play great during rallying but

sometimes tighten during matches? I know what I am doing wrong always keep on

doing it.When I hesitate on a shot, I make an error.When I come close to game / set / match point, I

tighten.When I am being watched by certain people, I

don’t play as well.When I am in the zone – all appear to come

together.

“The Inner Game of Tennis”, by Timothy Gallwey

When someone goes out to play, 2 people are playing: Self 1 (motivating, calculating, instructing coach – the teller); Self 2 (the one who goes to play – the doer). Without badgering of Self 1, Self 2 could play brilliantly. The further Self 1 takes matter into his/her hands, forcing instructions to improve play, the worse play actually gets.

Conscious trying directed by the conscious mind produces negative results. Man is a thinking reed, but great works are done when he is not calculating or

thinking. To play your best, must live every second in the moment. Success comes when you temporarily withhold judgement of success or failure

but notice what is When playing at ones best, you are not thinking in a technical way about a shot,

you are a unit of fluidity – mind, body, court, and racquet. A state of flow. The first skill to learn is the art of letting go the human inclination to judge

ourselves and our performance as either good or bad. The initial act of judgement provokes the thinking process. Tries hard, giving

him/herself instructions. Further evaluation – which perpetuates the process of thinking and self-consciousness performance. As a consequence, the player’s muscle tighten when they need to be loose, strokes becomes awkward and less fluid, and negative evaluations are likely to continue with growing intensity.

The judgemental mind extends itself – “What a lousy serve”, - “I am serving badly today”, - “I have a terrible serve”, - “I am a lousy tennis player”, - finally, “I’m no good”.