| Relaxed breathing is very important in stuttering | | | | really just sets of neurons that fire together in |
| treatment. Without the breath / the ability to | | | | set sequences within our brains. We establish solid |
| breathe, no living creature on Earth would survive. | | | | neural pathways from repeating procedures that |
| The simplicity of the inbreath followed by the | | | | may be as simple as feeding ourselves and |
| outbreath could be looked on as the rhythm of | | | | brushing our teeth to complicated routines such |
| life. In its simplest form, when human beings are in | | | | as, carrying out brain surgery or striking a golf ball. |
| their most relaxed state, like sleeping or slumped | | | | In fact, the human brain develops and stores a |
| in a comfy chair at home, the breath is even and | | | | pathway for each routine that we choose to |
| in rhythm with the needs of the body. The | | | | undertake in our lives. Everyone capable of |
| rhythm of breathing is automatic, thank heavens, | | | | speech has a neural pathway set in place for that |
| we don't even have to think about it. When we | | | | purpose. |
| are not relaxed, our heart rate elevates. This is | | | | In terms of a person with a stutter, his neural |
| usually caused by: | | | | pathway for speech tends to be cluttered with |
| - Physical and / or | | | | emotional debris, negative perceptions of how he |
| - Emotional activity | | | | feels others see him and his dysfluency. From this |
| During physical activity, the rate of breathing is | | | | negativity, many people who stutter develop poor |
| lifted to ensure that the body is getting enough | | | | self-concepts. I liken this to a bird's nest of |
| oxygen. Muscles require oxygen to function. As | | | | negative causal thoughts that have accumulated |
| physical activity intensifies, the breathing rate | | | | over years of dealing with the stutter. When we |
| increases. This is relative to the increase in that | | | | (stutterers) battle to employ our neural pathway |
| activity. Emotional activity is complex and any | | | | for speech, it's like trying to negotiate a minefield |
| attempt to discuss this human trait in any level of | | | | while wearing a blindfold, there is just too much |
| detail would not at all serve the purpose of this | | | | going on and too much stress. The battle to expel |
| topic. Suffice it to say that emotional activity is | | | | the words in some coherent pattern is often |
| tied to a large extent with metabolic activity | | | | disjointed to the point where the breathing |
| within the body and any increase in the body's | | | | system is jerky, uneven and unlikely to allow |
| metabolic activity sees an increased demand for | | | | fluent speech. |
| oxygen and thus an increase in respiration rate. | | | | As mentioned, fluent speakers fall in to a |
| What does this have to do with recovering from | | | | predetermined pathway for speech which is |
| stuttering? | | | | rhythmical and relaxed. If we listen closely to |
| If we look at the other 99% of the population | | | | stuttering speech, in most cases, there is no |
| who don't stutter, speech is not an issue for | | | | rhythm and it is definitely not relaxed. The phrase |
| them. Speech is as simple as the breathing | | | | pause relationship between the speech and the |
| process itself. | | | | breath is erratic, and generally inappropriate for |
| If we study the speech process of the majority | | | | what has been said. |
| of non-stutterers, and listen to their speech | | | | It is important to seek out speech therapy |
| pattern carefully, we will notice that there is an | | | | programs that spend a deal of time on breathing |
| obvious rhythm to their breathing and speech. | | | | modification and reverting back to the basics of |
| There is a solid phrase pause, phrase pause | | | | speech in trying to establish a solid and relaxed |
| pattern in play with the breath being inserted at | | | | phrase pause, phrase pause relationship. Often the |
| appropriate points throughout their speech. These | | | | use of slow diaphragmatic breathing coupled with |
| patterns obviously vary from person to person, | | | | prolonged or smooth speech technique gives |
| but one common thread exists. They have a | | | | recovering stutterers an excellent foundation of |
| built-in relaxed phrase pause pattern that has | | | | control. With a technique that offers you control |
| driven their speech since they began to talk, they | | | | over your rhythm of speech and pausing, you will |
| fall into a well-trodden fluent path every time they | | | | have every chance of managing your stutter to |
| open their mouths to speak. They do this | | | | the point where it can be a mere glitch on the |
| apparently simple thing without even thinking! We | | | | path of life. |
| all have thousands of these pathways set up in | | | | Join me on our quest for speech fluency. |
| our brains. Known as neural pathways, these are | | | | |