Hi. I've had speech therapy in the past and I believe a big portion of my stutter is mechanical and rooted in anxiety. I also have a nasally voice and chronic nasal congestion.
I was practicing a speech and held the tip of my nose up and not only could I breathe much more clearly, but I could pronounce words more clearly, the physical sensation of my nose vibrating when I spoke reduced (thus a less nasally speech), and my stuttering disorder reduced (not significantly, but I felt more in control of my speech due to the above). I have a slight plunging nasal tip (tip of nose has a lower angle drop than average), so I plan to talk with my doctor and get more information on if this is a real possibility.
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I don't want to get anyone's hopes up or have them obsess over if this will "cure" them, just thought it was interesting. I do think it'd be useful to list two things that I've done years ago in speech therapy that have helped me:
- Over-articulation.
I spend a couple minutes throughout the day speaking slowly and out loud when I read or write something, making sure to enunciate each syllable and really feel it in my mouth, tongue, and facial muscles. This has helped me with mumbling, clarity, and conscious motor habits. It's important to not do it all the time and give your face a lot of rest. I just read a random article in the morning and practice as soon as I wake up.
- Exposure therapy.
Anxiety overloads the brain and makes stuttering more prominent. If you have chronic anxiety like me, you NEED go outside and make yourself feel uncomfortable.
Before I practice, I write down what I expect my brain to think and do, then I do the practice, then stay in the moment and observe how people actually react. Afterwards I right down what actually happened
First, I'd start very easy to get a good base line: Greet a minimum of 3 strangers while walking. Once I've felt like it was too easy, I'd ramp it up: Have a short back-and-forth with a minimum of 2 strangers on my way to work. Once I tried it on the bus with someone who did not want to talk to me. I accepted how awkward I felt, then took a step back and analyzed how it's not a big deal, then I turned to someone else and chatted with them. Not the end of the world. Each step had to make me feel the slightly bit of discomfort at the very least.
The most uncomfortable one for me was when I intentionally made myself trip and fall (SAFE AND CONTROLLED FALL!) in a public area. Even tossed my keys. I got up, stood there, and observed how people reacted. I didn't try to walk away from the environment, just let myself feel that awkwardness. Most people didn't notice, a few looked then kept walking, and one person helped me get my keys. I gave my brain evidence that it's not the end of the world, and continued on. I showed my amygdala (emotional response center of the brain) that things happen, and it's okay that it does.
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These aren't fool-proof. Again, they won't "cure" anything. But if you're like me it may help. It may not help everyone reduce their stuttering, but it may help with other areas in your life!