Thursday, January 21, 2016

HOW TO PRACTICE SILENT SPEECH THERAPY

If a pws devote more time for exercising  his speech mechanism, his speech mechanism would become more flexible and he can speak more clearly & sharply .

For giving more exercise to speech mechanism, practicing silent speech therapy was one of the best option.What a pws has to do was whenever he was having free time while walking, sitting, traveling, waiting for someone else, even during bathing etc... he has to repeat the practicing phrases with a low voice (audible to himself only) opening mouth (full or half mouth depending upon the situations) This is called silent speech therapy.

This silent speech therapy can be practiced 5, 10, or 15 minutes depending upon the availability of free time . This practice can be done on a piecemeal basis also . That's if a pws find 10 minutes time for 6 times in a day and if he make use of all the six 10 minutes free time, he had done 10X6=60 minutes of silent speech therapy. So, the pws need not spare separate time for silent speech therapy. If more time was available, he can make use of that time also . More practicing the silent speech therapy ,  his speech mechanism become more flexible and he can be able to speak with EASE..

Some pws were telling that it was difficult for them to pronounce certain words. This could be due to VERY LESS usage of those certain words by their speech mechanism. Such pws can practice silent speech therapy using those feared words so that in due course of time, their speech mechanism become flexible with those feared words and thus they can able to speak without stammering.

Only dedication & sustained efforts were required to carry out silent speech therapy practice, because carrying out activities involved in it were very easy only.

THE IMPORTANCE OF HEAD MOVEMENTS

Head movement is very very important. Because of head movement, our whole body getting relaxed which results in less stammering.

I analyze that daily practicing with  Head Moments gives you a calm way to speak.

So, We all PWS to use their head movements while speaking. After sometimes you will really get
surprise, that you will speak really well and relaxed. The most important thing is, whenever we get blocks, we will easily overcame it using more head moments.

You can use your head movement as given below :

1. While practicing.

2. While speaking.

3. While listening others speech.

4. While reading newspaper, books, files at office etc

5. While listening songs

6. In short, always use the head movement except while sleeping.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

MANTRAS FOR CONQUERING STAMMERING

Dear all,

I hope I have told/explained/clarified most of the doubts about stammering. Now it's up to the every member to follow it and conquer the stammering. 

Following are the 5 Mantras:

1. Don't hide your stammering to anyone and always accept it.

2. Do practice a technique one hour daily for one year. 

3. Always use pausing at appropriate places. 

4. Always use head movements while speaking and practicing. 

5. Always attend SHG meetings and/or active in whatsapp group and

6. Never leave this group before one year.

Of course I am here to help you as before. My best wishes to everyone.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

The New on Stammering or Stuttering

In my previous article, I wrote about FAQ on stammering and the members are requested to read it once again before reading this one. In that article, the last point was a pws could conquer his stammering if he practices continuously some kind of techniques one hour daily for a minimum period of one year.

In this article, we will see what kind of technique to be selected and practiced. Before going into details about the techniques, let us understand about what are the body & mind system differences between a pws and a non-pws.

Though the root cause of stammering has not yet been found out, it has been generally accepted worldwide that it started with a neurological problem during childhood and later on developed into a psychological one. But the stammering can be successfully controlled to an extent of upto 99.5% and many pws all over the world have done it.

The difference between pws and non-pws Mind & Body systems are given below:

MIND SYSTEM

By default, a pws always thinks faster than that of non-pws. That’s, pws speed of thinking is faster compared to a non-pws. A non-pws, most of the time thinking in the same speed that of his speaking speed. Where as a pws thinking speed is faster, and even a non-pws could not speak without stammering in that thinking speed. Hence it is very important for a pws to slowdown his thinking pattern ie to change his default faster thinking pattern into a new default slower thinking pattern.

BODY SYSTEM

1.    PWS are generally shallow breathers. A non-pws usually breathe about 15 times a minute compared to a pws breathing rate of about 20 times per minute. Due to blocks in their speech while stammering, they were unable to inhale sufficient quantum of air into their lungs. As everybody knows, sound will be formed while exhaling air. Because of stammering by pws over the years , they were in the habit of using less air and became shallow breathers. It is a debatable one whether shallow breathing by a pws is due to by system default incorrect breathing habits from the childhood.  Anyhow pws has to practice for deep breathing techniques and increase their lungs capacity.

2.    PWS while speaking is not stressing each syllable (sound) of every words for fear of stammering which resulted hardening  and toughening of their speaking mechanism muscles, less articulation of his tongue, not fully opening his mouth while speaking etc. Hence pws have to relax their speech mechanism muscles by suitable exercises.

Every pws can observe that whenever they were speaking fluently, their thinking pattern was slow which in turn breathing rate also.

 To control stammering, a pws has to achieve the following:

1.    Slowdown his thinking pattern.

2.    Increase his lungs capacity and become a deep breather.

3.    Relax all his speaking mechanism muscles.

 A pws has to choose a technique in such a way that it has to take care of all the above three aspects. There are lot of techniques available. One or other pws were successfully control their stammering using various techniques and few of the techniques are given below.

 1.    Speech therapy.

2.    Slow reading.

3.    Meditation & breathing exercise.

4.    Breathing exercise & yoga.

5.    Hypnotism.

 To my opinion, I rate speech therapy as No.1 technique because it holistically take care of all the above three problems by practicing one technique.. That’s, if a pws practice one hour of speech therapy, it is equivalent to getting benefits of practicing one hour slow reading, one hour breathing exercise and one hour exercise for relaxing speech mechanism muscles. The success rate of speech therapy is more than 80%. And the chances of relapsing of stammering is also very minimal.

 I rate slow reading technique as No.2, because breathing exercise is missing in here. The success rate is about 40 – 50%. The practicing period is more than that of speech therapy. The chance of relapse of stammering is also more compare to speech therapy in the absence of breathing excercise.

I rate meditation & breathing exercises as No.3 for the reason that because both slow reading and speech mechanism relaxation exercises were missing here. Moreover, both the above techniques have to be learned from a real guru to get maximum benefits. 

Here also the relapsing chance and practicing period are more compared to the first two techniques.

I heard about few pws controlled their stammering by doing Yoga and some other by doing Hypnotism. Since I don’t know about the above two techniques, I was not able to comment on it.

The above techniques and time required are in general nature only which varies from pws to pws depends upon their severity, biological factors, intensity of practicing, the choice of technique they opted for etc.

The reason for practicing any technique one hour daily is, only after 15 – 20 minutes of practicing, the real mind set will come and hence one hour practice is a must. This is just like Tennis players playing warm up before start playing actual match.

Similarly, the reason for doing practice a technique for a minimum period of one year is, a pws is changing his original default system into a new default system. Also pws is wrong thing (though unknowingly or unintentionally) for many years, it is not possible to correct it within a few weeks or few months.

It is upto the individual pws to select any of the above techniques, practice it for at least one hour daily for one month, and observe the progress before switching over to another technique.

Apart from the above, below are some small activities a pws can perform during any free time everyday which will accelerate not only speech improvement but also reduce the practicing period say from one year to 10 months.

1.    Write very slowly for about 10 – 15min.

2.    Type very slowly in computer for about 15 min.

3.    Type very slowly in mobile key board while composing sms.

4.    Use chewing gums for about 1 – 2 hour.

5.    Think slowly with pausing (like slow reading) for about 15 min.

6.    Read silently with pausing for about 15 min.

7.    Sing few songs silently for about 15 min.

8.    Eat dinner very slowly.

9.    Walk very slowly for about 10 min.

10. If possible, spend one whole Sunday doing all his activities very slowly.

It is not necessary that a pws has to do all the above activities. But doing more activities in a day, his thinking patterns will defiantly slowdown a bit earlier. The above activities are supplemental to the main practicing technique which has to be compulsorily done.

 Apart from the above, if a pws follows some of the following which will also help to accelerate the speech improvement.

1.    Avoid intake of food by 10 – 20 % if you are a heavy eater.

2.    Avoid coffee, tea, aerated drinks like pepsi and coke and take more fruit juices.

3.     Avoid non-veg and junk foods (Sunday exception).

4.    Avoid glued into idiot box and reading newspapers except headlines.

5.    Go to bed at 11pmand get up by 6am and start practicing.

6.    Don’t get anger, avoid making vengeance and don’t get jealousy on other persons.

7.    Always be helpful to others.

8.    Listen some good music before sleeping.

9.    Help fellow pws at any time at any cost.

10. Disclose all the above to your family like parents, wife, brothers & sisters and also your close friends and close colleagues and seek their help if pws wants one. After all stammering is a social disability and we need socity support also.

 AND ABOVE ALL, ACCEPT YOUR STAMMERING AND DON’T TRY TO HIDE IT. IF YOU HIDE IT, YOUR PRACTICING PERIOD WILL BE INCREASED TO MORE THAN ONE YEAR.

In the 3rd and concluding article, I'll write about how to sustain a pws motivation, enthusiasm & interest to practise a technique for one year or even more if required.