Announcing 'Stammering Research' - Stammering Research - UCL

Stammering Research. Vol. 1.
hospital in order to consolidate fluency. I was very angry about my problem and had to work through
this and change my feelings.
Nevertheless, I have to confess that I do not look after my speech as I should. I need to concentrate
but don’t always do so. My experience of therapy has taught me that I can control symptoms, but
maintaining this can be a very demanding and often a discouraging process, needing immense and
continuous effort.
Five years ago I took on extra work, which I couldn’t cope with. I felt acute anxiety and expected
my speech to be worse but it was very fluent. This suggests that the state of the mind is not wholly
responsible for a dysfluent condition. Was my good speech a result of the medication I was taking for
the anxiety or because I was beside myself and out of touch with my normal behaviour pattern?
I found the course at Oxford helped and supported me a great deal. Perhaps it was the right time to
concentrate on my speaking performance. I was at the start of my career and motivated to succeed.
My breakthrough, followed by the longest period of fluency I have enjoyed, was when Dr. Seymour
persuaded me to be ‘up-front’ about the syllable-timed speech and explain to strangers on a first
meeting why I was speaking in that way. It is not possible in the short time of the course to master new
techniques confidently and competently. I needed much more practice than was possible and was not
good enough at the new patterns of speaking to use them outside.
The group aspect of the course is vital. I am surprised to hear how many other people attending the
Oxford courses have such bad experiences of therapy in their past. It makes my own history look
normal! The dynamic of working with people is motivating. Others give support and it is reassuring to
realise one is not alone. However, one cannot underestimate the importance of the group leader. She or
he must be interested in people rather than just theories of practice. Gerda (the senior therapist) has
been just the right person to develop the work at the Apple House. She has been ably supported by
Sylvia (voice specialist).
The Apple House approach is broad in concept. The therapists are very much in touch with new
ideas and the course has changed a great deal over the years. There is no longer investment in just the
syllable-timed approach. Course participants are encouraged to develop a technique for fluency that
they feel comfortable about using. Emphasis is given to understanding the nature of communication
and how to find strategies to overcome the range of problems one might be having with it. Great
attention is paid to the feelings of the course participants and much effort is spent in replacing negative
attitudes with positive ones.
Some people have found that Hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming have helped to
release fear and develop positive views. Total immersion is needed which can be very exhausting for
therapist and patient. Personally, I have not found these new techniques have worked for me. This may
be partly because I have retained an old-fashioned commitment to syllable-timed speech. What does
not work is to use hypnotherapy methods as part of a pick-and-mix approach along with other therapies
in the same group or course as you don’t get the necessary reinforcement. But here I go being
dogmatic again!
The Apple House staff are truly committed to developing the potential of all course participants.
However, Gerda bears the brunt and for most of the time is working on her own with groups as well as
carrying out administrative tasks and directing all Apple House activities. This makes it very hard, as
there is little support for her. Often a client needs individual attention, which has to be given after the
course has finished for the day. There are not many jobs where this level of responsibility occurs. In
the long term there are huge drains on physical and emotional energy. Greater resources are needed to
sustain the work at the Apple House, allowing more specific training and exploring local support for
clients. It is so important to continue and build on 32 years of tremendously successful work.
Question Did all the good things started at the Apple House continue for you?
Answer They did, but I must confess that over the thirty years I have not looked after my speech as I
was advised to do so. I have not given it the attention it deserves and kept up the practice. As a
consequence, I still lapse into dysfluency at times. However, I am a very different person to the one I
was initially at the beginning of treatment. In general I have learnt to cope with my speech and my life.
Things are generally good for me and I keep up an active interest with the issues of dysfluency through
the Stammer Trust. I am very committed to the work that goes on at the Apple House. It is a lifeline
for hundreds of people. It must be allowed to continue and expand. There are so many people needing
help and stammering does not have much national recognition. It is not seen as life threatening but it
has certainly threatened my life and brought endless misery and pain, not just for me but also for my
family.
ROBERT
Robert is in his forties with an active social life. He particularly enjoys playing squash and is
enthusiastic about ‘do it your self’ and has done up his own cottage from a basic wreck. Personable,
excellent company and a great sense of humour are words to describe him. He is delightful, popular
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