I'm excited to explore a more compassionate approach to stammering

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Jonathan

Jonathan Brooks tells us about a new course he hopes will help him address the emotional side of living with a stammer.

As a PhD student with a covert stammer studying the philosophy of stammering, my personal journey with stammering has been as much intellectual as emotional. I've spent years working to mask my stammer with various avoidance techniques like word switching and inserting pauses to my speech. These short-term successes often come at great emotional and mental cost. Rather than being present and relaxed in conversations, I find myself occupied with the task of managing my fluency and feeling on edge.

Inevitably, being human, there are times when I don't feel as though I've managed to come across well to others, whether in terms of speech fluency or the content of what I'm trying to convey. In these scenarios, I have a bad habit of being overly critical of myself, as though my 'underperformance' is something to be ashamed of, as though it means that I'm not good enough. My Christian faith has taught me that I am fundamentally valued and worthy of love, despite how well I perform in any area of life. Unfortunately, this is something I've struggled to truly accept and put into practice, and I don't think this unrelated to my speech difficulties.

...a crucial aspect I found missing was addressing how I emotionally respond to my speech, particularly my tendency towards self-criticism. 

I've been through various forms of speech therapy in the past, focusing on fluency techniques and speech exercises. However, a crucial aspect I found missing was addressing how I emotionally respond to my speech, particularly my tendency towards self-criticism.

New course

I recently came across a new online course called 'Self-compassion for people who stammer', which starts on 12th November at City Lit in London. It immediately caught my attention. After reading over the course description, I felt as though I'd found exactly what I've been looking for and signed up on the spot. Rather than focusing solely on managing the stammer itself, it says the course emphasises the cultivation of compassion towards myself and my speech. By approaching my stammer with kindness and understanding, I hope it can help to reduce the (almost) constant self-monitoring, frustration and self-criticism that often accompany my speech struggles.

I hope this course offers an opportunity to change that narrative and to instead approach my stammer with acceptance and compassion.

I don't believe that living more easily with my stammer is just about how I speak; it's also about how I think and feel about myself. I've always been hard on myself, and for me, I hope this course offers an opportunity to change that narrative and to instead approach my stammer with acceptance and compassion, so that I can improve my overall wellbeing and manage my stammer in a healthier, more sustainable way. It feels empowering to prioritise not just the external aspects of communication, but the internal, emotional side as well.

The self-compassion course starts in just a few weeks from now so if this post resonates with you, I'd encourage you to take a look on the City Lit website to see if it seems like a good fit for you. It feels like the right next step in my journey, and I'm excited to join others in exploring a more compassionate approach to living with a stammer. However you decide to do so, I wish the same for you.

City Lit's 'Self-compassion for people who stammer' online course starts on Tuesday 12^th November. For more information, and to book your place, see the City Lit website.

City Lit is one option for people who stammer. To see the full list of options, see One-to-one Speech & Language Therapy, Adult Group Stammering Courses and Stammering & Mental Health.