GENETICS OR NOT, --- THAT IS THE QUESTION??

Hello:

Recently I asked the assistant superintendent where my wife and I live, if he knew anyone who stuttered??   After a brief hesitation, he said that he himself stuttered when he was young.   If he had not admitted it, I would never have known.  He spoke with total fluency.

So how do those who believe that stuttering is genetic explain this situation?   Invariably they say that if it was truly genetic, then he would still be stuttering right now but since he is not, --- it wasn’t genetic to begin with.

Then the question becomes, --- what was it that caused his stuttering?   After all, if you are going to say that stuttering is genetic, shouldn’t you also know why it is not?  Their answer is that the cause of stuttering is unknown and this example fits into this scenario.

Isn’t it more than likely that the cause is distorted fear?   If in the future, the person achieves fluency, then they have, in their own way, overcome that fear, or the multitude of fears that stuttering can cause to happen inside the mind of a person who stutters.  

In the case of the above mentioned person who stuttered, bullying by others while he was young was definitely a factor in developing the stutter.   I am not sure how he developed the necessary hierarchal approach to fear that allowed him to overcome them.   At least in regard to those fears that caused the stuttering to start in the first place.

However, I will take an educated guess.   He told me that he did not read except perhaps the local newspapers now and then.   I think this forced him to decide that either he would become fluent or he would not have any other pertinent form of communication to fall back on.

It also allowed him to avoid getting into discussions where he was less than confident about his response.  Not reading gave him an “excuse” not to get too involved when he was in the stuttering stage.

It is my unequivocal belief that the above ideas are much closer to the truth than trying to invoke the genetic principle to explain this stuttering problem, or for that matter, stuttering in general.   It is my hope that you will agree with me in this matter, which I believe should be considered self-evident.

STEP UP TO THE PLATE!!!

Hello:

"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink."   Sure I know I have no credentials and no experience at helping anyone overcome their stuttering.   

Nevertheless, I know that I can help you unless you have had some kind of a brain injury that is affecting your speech.   If you were fluent for awhile when you were very young, then it is not a genetic problem.

Take a drink of the water and see how much better life can be when you can talk fluently.   I won't charge you anything for my services.  But once enough people ask me for help, that will probably have to change.   Step up to the plate now --- not tomorrow!!!!  

STUTTERING

Hello:

If you think that stuttering is genetically determined perhaps your best idea is to forget all about this site.  That is --- unless you have an open mind.

In my book called the Human Mind, there is an article which I entitled, --- Stuttering Solved.  It was the title of a book that I read many years ago.  One of the stories involved a young Korean boy who was hiding from an American air attack.  

His young sister had chosen a hiding place that was too vulnerable and he decided to go across an open area to bring his sister back with him to a safer place to hide.

On the way over to get his sister, he stepped on a land mine and lost part of one of his legs.   About two months later he began to stutter.   Surely you are not going to try to tell me that his stuttering gene lay dormant until after this tragedy occurred and then it came into full bloom?? 

A much more realistic conclusion is to decide that the trauma of this situation affected the young boys nervous system.  First of all he must have realized that if he had not gone to rescue his sister, he would still have his leg.   It is my belief that the fear of his own thoughts was the starting point for his stuttering.

Then to compound the issue is the future prospects for a stuttering one-legged man after the war in his country. which was destitute to begin with.   His only option appeared to be begging for money.

The author of the book happened to show up in the boy's neighborhood and when he was able to help the boy reduce or overcome his stuttering, he suggested that the young boy come back to the USA with him, which the boy accepted immediately.

Part of the Doctor's motivation was to show off the young boy to validate his method of curing this problem.  The boys motivation was to escape the future life of a beggar that fueled his fears for his future in his homeland.

If one has a fear of elevators or any other physical fear such as that, the accepted method of overcoming that fear is to make use of the hierarchical approach.  

That means that slowly but surely the individual who is experiencing the fear is  desensitized to the feelings of fear and in the process the individual overcomes his fear.

In the story of the young boy from Korea, good luck or the vagaries of chance gave him an opportunity to take advantage of his own kind of hierarchy and he was highly motivated to become stutter-free.

Adding to his success was the fact that he already had a number of years of fluency to fall back on so that he knew it was possible for him to become fluent again.   Also the problem of stuttering had not been a long one which would have made it more difficult to break the habit of stuttering.  

So there is my theory about this problem.  If you contact me I will try to determine what trauma started your inclination to begin stuttering and then we have to address all of the fears of rejection that the stuttering would bring into existence.

So go ahead, get in touch with me and lets get started.   There are two more important things that I have to mention.   First off, the help that I offer is free.   

Secondly, and with the first item in mind, by entering this site and asking for help you relinquish any right to sue me for any problems that might occur.          

I suspect that the above entreaty is unnecessary and instead I will receive a modicum of thanks for the help that I can offer to you.  In any event, I will let the chips fall where they may.  

I am convinced that I can help you and that, my fine feathered friends, is half the battle.  Now lets get on with the other half.   I suggest that you write a letter to me right now --- not later.