Stuttering Solutions Atlanta

Stacy Bruce, PharmD is a pharmacist in Alabama. Listen to her list of accomplishments with speaking and how she got to where she is today. Her roles at the hospital place her in numerous public speaking situations. She is a member of two Toastmasters clubs. Stacy spoke with me at the SHAA convention in Birmingham in February, 2025. She recently participated in a panel discussion about stuttering with graduate students in SLP. We discuss a holistic approach using CBT and SLP.

Imagine, if you stutter, getting through military school, the Army, learning Japanese and now a premier MBA program!?!Kevin & Tim catch up after 12 years. Kevin vividly remembers his speech therapy with Tim. We discuss holistic therapy that integrated CBT and SLP. Listen to this compelling story!

Many adults who stutter struggle with a "flare up" or an "exacerbation" of stuttering and the feelings that come with it.Let's explore the anatomy of a flare up. How does it happen? What can I do about it? We need to explore the cognitive and the physical aspects of the flare up.

Listen to Courson share the victories from high school until now. Tim & Courson last spoke 11 years ago. Full-immersion and "trial by fire" are what we have in common. Courson is now 27 years old and he is thriving in sales. Stuttering will not slow him down!

Happy New Year! It is time to get rid of FOPO. FOPO stands for Fear Other People's Opinion. FOPO leads to so much anxiety and avoidance, doesn't it. Listen to podcasts by Michael Gervais to start your year. Watch or re-watch The King's Speech and When I Stutter. Check me out on Insta and TikTok at stutteringsolutionsatl SPEAK UP IN 2025! Your voice matters.

In the last 33 years of being an SLP I have lost track of how many people say "my stuttering is a burden!" It may be worded as "I will hold up the meeting" or "the partners in my presentation will resent my stuttering" or "the waiter is busy and I have to speak fast or he'll be upset." Because I integrate CBT into therapy, I help people find these cognitive distortions and toxic beliefs. These negative patterns of thinking create social anxiety/state anxiety and lead to blocking. YOUR STUTTERING IS NOT A BURDEN. We want to hear you share your ideas and contributions.

A fresh twist to my podcasts! Bhav Jain, a Stanford Medical student, interviews me. After listening to my podcasts, Bhav sent me an email with several questions intended to help him with his stuttering. Stuttering is a complex challenge and Bhav seeks the same insight as most adults who stutter do. Listen as he reads the questions to me.

The Successful Stuttering Management Program (SSMP), started in 1962 by Dorv Breitenfeldt, PhD and Dee Lorenz, is powerful and relevant in today's stuttering therapy! Tim Mackesey, Joe Klein, Kim Krieger, Tom Gurrister, and Robbie Jackson are all SLPs who participated in this discussion recognizing Dorv Breitenfeldt's contributions to training clinicians and helping pws. I encourage graduate clinicians to consider attending the SSMP. You will learn about stuttering from the inside out! If you stutter, look into this life changing experience. To learn more about the SSMP open this link: https://www.ewu.edu/chsph/communication-sciences-disorders/ssmp/

If you stutter, you know that talking is like a road with speed humps. In your car, you approach speed humps be slowing down and easing over the hump. You'd never back up, right? When talking you will feel a stutter coming, maintain eye contact, slow down, loosen your speech muscles and ease the word out. Emotionally, you will hit humps of frustration or embarrassment. Investigate to find out what you were thinking or feeling at the moment of stuttering and "reframe" your thinking. Listen to previous podcasts: Look and Let it Out, Eye Contact, Rate of Speech, and the Top Ten Forms of Twisted Thinking.

For 32+ years I have seen pws stutter on the word stutter and tell me they fear the word! I used to stutter on the word stutter nearly 100% of the time. The bottom line is that we attach a strong negative meaning to stuttering on stutter- shame and embarrassment. Many people who stutter refer to it as "my speech" or a "speech impediment." Ironically, "speech" is a different /s/ blend word! But, we take stuttering on "speech" less personally than "stutter." Some pws are reluctant to disclose that they stutter because they fear stuttering on "stutter." Listen in.

Tomorrow, next week, or 60 days from now how will I know to fear or avoid very specific words, sounds, or situations? Did I download an App to my brain that controls me? Experiences on my timeline create these fears and avoidance habits. Pschologists talk about "one trial learning" when a phobia is created. We who stutter can create a fear of stuttering and then this "App" runs in the background of our communication system. Listen and learn.

I hear from people who stutter on a regular basis that it is hard to talk in noisy environments. Speaking when there is ambient noise, with multiple listeners competing to be heard, or "chaotic" moments was hard for me. I get it. We have to examine what we are thinking and feeling in those moments. We can have what Joe Sheehan called the "approach/avoidance conflict." We also want to learn to project our voice from the diaphragm and not strain at the larynx.

Tyler is a college senior who is earning a degree in psychology and a minor in Spanish. Listen and you will hear his speech pattern two years ago. He stuttered and cluttered 24 months ago. He has enjoyed his new speech pattern for 6 months now. Tyler will explain what he learned to make both English and Spanish so much more fluid. Tyler plans to get a master's degree and serve our community in both languages!

This powerful quote is attributed to Sufism and it's philospophy of spiritual awakening. Stuttering is not an external thing that we are a victim to. Listen to explore how a pws can "peel the layers back" and investigate their stuttering. How can we breakthrough the grind of avoiding and anxety? How can I grow and improve my verbal skills and my confidence?

"When the ojective is clear enough, there is no obstacle" ~Earl Nightingale I met Dylan when he was a sophomore in college- at age 20. Listen to his story. Like myself, it was very hard stuttering as a child. Now, as a senior VP for a fantasy sports gaming company he has to speak in meetings and webinars every wek. His fear is gone and now he finds enjoyment in public speaking!

Like learning to play an instrument, golf has MANY similarities to stuttering. We need patience, self-forgiveness, to be free of a temper, and to not personalize bad shots or high scores. Golf has subtleties like wind, sand, deep rough, penalty strokes, hazards, and other twists and turns. Ambient noise, phone calls, checking in at a counter and saying our name, public speaking and other conditions can affect a person who stutters. Listen in an find helpful thoughts for your communication.

Listen to the insane and stupid story. As of today, 100% of my podcasts, my articles, and my YouTube videos are FREE. Yet, I must be banned. LMAO

I have heard "when I don't think about talking I don't stutter" a million times. If only it was that easy! Can I be hypnotized today and never think about talking or stuttering? Nope. When athletes think "don't miss it!!" they do miss it. Sometimes they are "in the zone" and making 3 point shots or clutch putts in golf. What the person who stutters wants to do first is to use CBT or mindfulness to find out what they do when they stutter and/or have anxiety. For example, when their phone rings and they walk away from listeners who might here them talk. When the pws points to a menu for the server to say the food item, what does the pws believe about stuttering? They are likely projecting on listeners. Once we pws remove the malware thoughts from our hard drives we can really liberate ourselves. Refer to several of my previous podcasts that refer to purpose and intention, changing why to how?, and the cinema of the mind. If you prefer language such as "accept and embrace stuttering," read this article with an open mind. Jack talks about freeing our mind of personalizing stuttering. https://www.stuttering-specialist.com/post/and-the-stuttering-just-dies

People who stutter often have "internal rules." An example that pertains to voicemail on a phone would be: "I can't leave a stutter on someone's voicemail!" Or, "my personal greeting cannot have a stutter!" Another, "during an interview I cannot have blocks!...if I do, I won't be hired...little stutters are OK but not blocks!" A rule book for stuttering doesn't exist, does it. We can feel so sure about these irrational beliefs. Personalizing and/or projecting are the real culprits behind internal rules.

An adolescent who was unable to say his name without dramatic blocking and who was being teased on a regular basis attended a stuttering day camp. When he asked for help with his name- the #1 reason he attended the camp- he was told "we don't do that here." When a SLP will not help child with his name because of paradigm paralysis the child suffers. Listen to this common sense message.

Managing a stuttter, being willing to disclose that you stutter, and coming out of your shell all take patience! Many of us tried to hide it for years. Lee Reeves, DVM is a retired veterinarian and he has been active in the stuttering community for decades. Lee and Tim examine the power of the Jean-Jacques Rousseau's famous quote "Patience is bitter but its fruit is sweet." I also mention the passing of Walt Manning, PhD. You want to read his 1999 classic Creating Your Own Map for Change: https://ahn.mnsu.edu/services-and-centers/center-for-communication-sciences-and-disorders/services/stuttering/professional-education/convention-materials/archive-of-online-conferences/isad1999/creating-your-own-map-for-change/

How many times have you feared the very worst about stuttering and the worst never happened? So many pws stuttered during interivews, they felt sure an offer would not come because of the stuttering and POOF the offer came! A pws can worry in the past tense and in the future tense. This is why stuttering has been compared to PTSD. BUT we must realize that we typically blow our stuttering out of proportion and that we have a community of people who don't judge our stuttering the way that we assume. https://www.stuttering-specialist.com/post/stuttering-as-a-variant-of-post-traumatic-stress-disorder

I will not disclose my stutter! I will not use self-deprocating humore about my stutter! I will not use my new "stutter more easily" technique such as a pull-out with people who have seen me stutter for years! I will not tell anyone that I have joined a stuttering support group or that I attend speech therapy! The self-sabotaging beliefs, that originate in projecting on our listeners, keep us from emancipation from stuttering.

We have all experienced painful moments of stuttering during which we formed rigid beliefs. Rigid beliefs are the ones that we think are gospel, no one can talk us out of being under the spell of the belief we have, and we rationalize these toxic thoughts. What is a belief? L Michael Hall, of Neurosemantics, taught me that a belief = words + affirmation. An example would be "As a speech pathologist I cannot stutter..a potential client will judge me as unqualifed to help." We affirm our words in our brain. Yes, someone did hurt our feelings BUT we simply MUST delete the memory and break through! Thanks Michael and Bob: https://www.neurosemantics.com/

Tyler Lane is a 24 tax auditor. I met him when he was in 4th grade. Listen to his story of transforming his speech and unleashing his courage. He walks the walk.

"The Best way out is always through!" Robert Frost How does that apply to stuttering? "You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore!" William Faulkner How does that apply stuttering? "A ship in harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for" John A Shedd You are built to speak, and socialize, and thrive.

PWS feel a stutter coming in their soma (throat, chest, or stomach). This is related to anxiety about stuttering. This fact explains how pws develop very specific word fears and they are often overwhelmed in the moment. Most speech therapy techniques are focused on once the stutter is up in the lips, tongue, or the voice. We can do better! What if you can "block the block?" CBT reduces anxiety and makes all of this easier.

If you stutter, these questions will help you get the leverage needed to summon up courage and purpose! If you help teens or adults who stutter, these questions will help them immensly. Mathematician Rene Descartes created this type of questioning in the early 1600's. Identify a fear you have about stuttering and run it through these questions. Also, think of something that you DID DO in the past that required courage and purpose (i.e. trained for an athletic event, earned a degree, learned a musical instrument). When we neglect to remember our victories we are "discounting the positive." Map over successes as resources to score more wins! The Four Cartesian Questions ·         What would happen if you did X? ·         What would happen if you didn't do X? ·         What won't happen if you did X? ·         What won't happen if you didn't do X

The notion of "controlling a stutter" has become somewhat controversial. It requires a deep dive now. We have to define the concept in order to eliminate the 'black and white' thinking that exists for some in the stuttering community. Who gets to tell a person who stutters or a troubled parent what is to be "controlled" or "not controlled?" Have you ever stuttered? Stuttering has two major parts: stuttered speech and anxiety/avoidance. Let's change control from a noun (i.e., command or dominate) to a verb (i.e., guide or manage). In my case, I was hung up on the phone for a decade- due to silent blocking. Did I want to manage my speech and my anxiety? Heck yes! I can now. If you stutter, you can evolve. You can dramatically reduce your anxiety and you can loosen your speech patterns over time. The map is not the territtory- NLP presupposition. Be careful forcing your map on a person who stutters.

Many people who stutter spend the week trying to hide and conceal their stutter. The refusal to accept, disclose, and evolve creates anxiety and avoidance habits. Acceptance is defined as "the quality or state of being accepted." We who stutter often project on our listeners and we imagine a lack of acceptance because we stutter. As Sufi once said, "The journey begins within and it ends within." Ultimately, we have to accept ourselves as imperfect, don't we. Listen and learn tangible steps to acceptance and freedom.

Joseph is a rising junior at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC. He is studying economics. That was my undergraduate degree; ironically :) Joseph is rapidly reducing the severity of his stuttering. More importantly, he is taking on MANY sepaking challenges that are remarkable. He is VP of the table tennis club on campus. He parlayed all of his new courage to interview for and be selected as an RA in a dorm! He will be speaking and mediating on a daily basis. GO JOE GO !

Tim and Grace talk about her fast paced job and the constant speaking demands in her role with the KC Royals. We learn Grace's back story and what she faced to get there. I have known Grace since she was 15 years old and stuttering will never stop her from a vision she has. She reminds me of Susan Jeffers book "Feel the Fear and do it Anyways." "Courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph over it" Nelson Mandela

Many people who stutter are often baffled by and frustrated when the strategies, techniques, or "targets" don't seem to work when they want them the most! What are your strategies? Which ones are helpful and which ones are actually part of the problem? How does anxiety affect you and make it seem impossible to use your strategies? Why are "techniques" only part of your solution? What can you add to your self help? Refer to other podcasts in the series. Here is the breathing video referenced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lxYvaTGVGM

As we begin to stutter we typically develop a myriad of avoidance tricks and unique physical symptoms of struggle. If you attend a stuttering conference, you will see a wide array of stuttering behaviors. Word changing, looking away while stuttering, taking phone calls in privacy, and inserting chronic fillers during stuttering (i.e., like, um, so) are some of the many aspects of stuttering that are choices. We have a "structure" to our stuttering as though the physical and cognitive aspects are an engineered product. This was my story, too. Go back and listen to podcast #1- Purpose Intention and Stuttering. Once we have identified the choices we make, we can do the opposite and re-engineer stuttering. It takes time and a ton of courage. Like Nelson Mandela once said: "Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the triumph over it."

Noel and Tim reunite 20 years after speech therapy. Noel explains where he was when we met, the therapy we did together, and his success today! Using metaphors and analogies from computing we break it all down. People who stutter have malware (negative thoughts) that populate instantly and trigger anxiety. What if you had an anti-virus program to remove toxic memories, to reduce anxiety, and thrive when talking? After listening to this podcast you will want to reference back to previous podcasts such at Purpose Intention and Stuttering (#1), The Cinema of the Mind, The Top 10 Forms of Twisting Thinking, Teriyaki Chicken, and Beliefs. Remember that his change began at age 30. With the right CBT skills anyone can dramatically reduce their anxiety related to stuttering. "When the objective is clear enough, there is no obstacle"- Napoleon Hill If you need software testing done, reach out to Noel and his team: https://celticqa.com/

People who stutter (PWS) develop fear and avoidance habits. Unless we know how to help a pws with reducing fear and anxiety, we are not providing holistic therapy. An embarrassing moment of stuttering or avoiding talking is "stored to the hard drive"- it is consolidated, and it can be reconsolidated later. You can actually feel an old memory in your soma! As Starkweather and Givens write, stuttering is a variant of PTSD (see below). Anxiety and fear is the biggest obstacle for pws and graduate programs don't train students in CBT. Time-Line therapy is special sauce in providing CBT for pws. Disclosure and acceptance are essential but they take a long time. What if you could run an antivirus scan in your brain and quarantine files of toxic memories, beliefs, and malware thoughts? Caveat: as the wikipedia article states, you must be skilled in the delivery of this therapy. Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traumatic_memories#:~:text=Traumatic%20memories%20are%20formed%20after,hours%20after%20the%20initial%20experience. https://www.stuttering-specialist.com/post/stuttering-as-a-variant-of-post-traumatic-stress-disorder Books: Time Line Therapy and The Basis of Personality. James and Woodsmall Adventures with Time Lines. Bodenhamer & Hall

For a long time, bilingual families were told to discard their native language and to only use English. Many practitioners and clinicians force English on their clients and patients during appointments. Ana Paula G. Souza Mumy and John Gomez join Tim for an interview. Ana Paula's research was recently published and a link to the article will be seen at the bottom of this paragraph. The title of the article is Culturally Responsive Guidelines for Serving Families of Bilingual Children Who Stutter. A few key take aways are: bilingualism does not increase the risk of stuttering, children can endure "code switching" as two languages are used simultaneously, clinicians want to allow the language of the parent to be used in the clinic or the office, and that language choice is about relationship and connection. John Gomez is the director of When I Stutter (keeneyeproductions.com). Ana Paula translated the movie into Portugese, her native language. John is an SLP working in Los Angeles, California and he serves a very diverse community with a heavily bilingual population. As America become more and more bilingual, this is eye opening and ground breaking work by Ana Paula. Link here: https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2022_PERSP-21-00235

Listen as Jeff tells you about his milestones that led to a highly successful career in sales. In retirement, Jeff is a non-stop volunteer and a minister to those in need. Jeff describes his several attempts at speech therapy before we met and he found what was missing: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Strategies from NLP and time-line therapy were essential in reducing his anxiety and unleashing his inner voice.

Yesterday I explained the consequences of negative watershed moments that lead to anxiety and fear. A watershed moment is a turning point, the exact moment that changes the direction of an activity or situation. A pws can have victories that are positive watershed moments. Examples are: rewarding moments of public speaking, beginning to disclose that you stutter, learning to advocate and have a "come back" to bullies, or joining the stuttering community. Positive watershed moments ultimately change the meaning of stuttering. "Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say." Barbara Kingsolver

A watershed moment is a turning point, the exact moment that changes the direction of an activity or situation. A watershed moment in stuttering is a dividing point where the stuttering and the impact it has on the pws takes a turn for the worse. Notice the title is "how?" and not "why?" The question "how?" is more productive and solution oriented, isn't it. When a pws attaches personalization and projecting thoughts to stuttering he will develop anxiety related to stuttering. I take calls every week that start with something similar to this: "I don't understand why my child is stuttering more/worse and she is now changing words, looking away, and grimacing." That child is at the inflection point/turning point/watershed and she needs help now. Watersheds remind us why holistic treatment is ESSENTIAL to offer lasting solutions for pws. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) explains my own emancipation from speech anxiety and it is a skillset needed in speech therapy for stuttering.

The mind can operate like a cinema or a movie and create wild images that portray the fear of stuttering. People who stutter (pws) can create very vivid and specific "movies" about their stuttering. Pws also remember past moments of stuttering with negative thoughts linked to them. This podcast explains the Cinema of the Mind, how it manifests anxiety, and it offers ideas that can help a pws or a clinician dedicated to helping them.

Is my child really stuttering? Preschool presents a special time window that offers the greatest opportunity to resolve stuttering. Many parents hear conflicting advice from physicians, clinicians, and teachers regarding stuttering. Generalizations (i.e., "all kids do that") can be innacurate and can deter parents from seeking a consultation from a certifed stuttering specialist. Listen to this podcast for vital information specific to preschool children at risk for stuttering. It is estimated that 5 million Americans and 70 million world wide stutter. Parents do have choices. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Many recent news interviews and articles have made a matter of fact declaration that "stuttering is not caused by trauma." It's true that young preschool children do not begin to stutter because of trauma. Stuttering is best classified as a neurological disorder. Now let's look at the role that traumatic experiences play in the complex communication disorder called stuttering- or stammering in the UK. Teasing, bullying, mimicking, stupid and harmful comments are traumatic for the person who stutters (pws). The pws develops anxiety, avoidance, and shame as a result of the traumatic experiences of said hurtful moments of stuttering. The pws who stutters can also feel ashamed and remember avoiding talking (i.e., declining a reading at a wedding). The CDC researched and discovered that 61% of adults remember Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE). To honor,understand, and to effectively help pws the life experience of stuttering must become clear. The personal experience of trauma within the pws is responsible for "the iceberg of stuttering" and the "giant in chains complex." Listen to this and other podcasts of mine that examine fear and the psychological parts of stuttering.

Yes, I said that you can be a CHAMPION in stuttering. Listen for my 10 point plan to help unleash your speech and your confidence.

What is L2? Look and let it out! People who stutter tend to look away and to compensate for stuttering from a place of fear or embarrassment. A snap shot of a moment of stuttering may be a pws introducing himself and following these steps: 1) look away, 2) inhale, 3) begin to stutter, 4) back up and insert several "uhs and ums," 5) retry the word and stutter through it. To stutter more easily and freely listen to this podcast and implement ideas that you agree with. My first podcast was called Purpose Intention and Stuttering. L2 is congruent with that key concept. "Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say." Barbara Kingsolver

Jason and Tim catch up 20 years and one month after our last session. At age 25 he was an engineer doing desk work. His old anxiety was holding him back. Now he has 20 years of constant talking, phone calling, internet chats, seminar talks, managing, and team building under his belt. He travels internationally and get to speak to people of all cultures. That could be quite intimidating. Listen to how he has been so successful. Fitness is one of his key ingredients. I am a big fan of cardio work for mental acuity and stress management. Jason also tells us to speak up and that we are more than stuttering! As you listen to several of my other podcasts you are reminded that adults who stutter can still transform and liberate themselves in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond.

Many of you know John's name from his book Redefining Stuttering: What the Struggle to Speak is Really About. He also authored the famous Stuttering Hexagon diagram and article. John explains why he prefers the concept of "Holding Back" over stuttering. He was one of the original 15 people who participated in the National Stuttering Project- now known as the National Stuttering Association. John participated in Toastmasters for several years before leading public speaking workshops in the Bay Area of California. I have learned a lot from John since first meeting him in 1997. I think he helps SLPs think outside the box of mainstream treatment methods for stuttering.(Search his book title on on the internet and the 600+ page book is available for free on PDF).

Ian Trimble is a cyber security expert. He speaks all day long. He is a trainer and a consultant. Ian's childhood included teasing, bullying, and avoidance. He had a life time of speech therapy before we met when he was in his early 20's. Ian explains how cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) via NLP and Neurosemantics provided him the life-changing breakthrough he sought after. Listen to his story of resolve and courage.

Children who stutter are often teased and bullied. This leads to a social anxiety, avoiding, and the fear of talking. Social anxiety starting in childhood can persist into adulthood. This podcast explains the psychological impact of teasing and how parents and teachers can support the child who stutters. This is really important!

A healthy sense of humor is like medicine for stuttering- it can help take the pain and anxiety away. People who stutter (pws) can spend a life time attempting to conceal their stuttering. Why? Teasing and bullying is real problem for ps. Pws believe they will be judged for stuttering. Rob Bloom, of Orlando Florida, joins Tim in this podcast. We reflect back and we wish we would have disclosed our stuttering and used humor to de-personalize it. If a pws can make light of his stuttering and "set the frames" for it, what happens to fear and social anxiety? The Iceberg of Stuttering begins to melt. Begin to set the narrative for your stuttering. Never apologize and be bold. You are more than stuttering. Read this later: https://www.stuttering-specialist.com/post/the-stuttering-iceberg-russ-hicks.

The Miracle Question Pattern (MQP) helps a person who stutters (PWS) make goals that are within reach. After a clinician interviews the pws, the clinician may lead the MQP process. Many pws can independently do this pattern after listening to this podcast. The MQP was created in the 1970's by Steve De Shazar and Insoo Kim Berg. Solution Focused Brief Therapy evolved out of the work of De Shazar and Berg. PWS have anxiety and fear related to stuttering. The MQP can help identify and change the elements that lead to anxiety and avoidance. I used it to help myself. I have been using it for 30 years. Have a great 2022 and beyond!