Then another thought occurred to me. Continuing to live with the mind of a seven-year-old traumatized girl is in direct violation of all the values and beliefs I hold as an adult. Beliefs such as: Jesus has come to set me free, I am saved by grace not by works, I am a new creature in Christ, I do not fear those who can kill my body but have no power to destroy my soul, and all the other wonderful Biblical truths that I hang my life on. And then there are your words ringing in my ears as you quoted Paul, “When I was a child I thought as a child but now I put childish thinking behind me”.
So right now I feel better about that seven-year-old girl. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring but today I not only look like an adult but I think like one also.”
My first phone conversation with Bob took place on January 18, 2002. The immediate results were amazing. My second phone conversation was January 23, 2002. I have not stuttered since that time. My third phone conversation was on January 30, 2002. I have loved that little seven year old ever since.
So I have to ask, “Was God really unconcerned with my speech problem for the past 32 years?” I am of the opinion that he was very concerned about the stuttering. In fact, I believe his concern went way beyond the stuttering to the heart of who I am. I am convinced he was more concerned with healing all of me not just a symptom of stuttering.
In closing, I would like to mention that for me Neuro-Semantics was a very effective tool in getting the remaining points on the Hexagon in a positive mode. Although I believe that Neuro-Semantics can assist a great majority of people who stutter, I equally believe that the quick results I received were due in part to the work I had been (unknowingly) doing through the years to get the points on the Hexagon positively biased. I have learned that the core root may be different for each individual but the symptoms (anxiety, fear, muscle tension in the vocal cords and stomach, etc.) and the outcome (stuttering) appear to be the same. If, as suspected, the emotions such as fear and anxiety lie behind the stuttering, then Neuro-Semantics provides the tools for alleviating these unconscious negative emotions. And by alleviating these negative emotions, we alleviate the stuttering.
Two month follow up – is it working long-term?
After I had completed the consultations with Bob, I knew there would be certain milestones that would determine how effective the treatment was on a long-term basis. Those milestones included being placed in the usual “high stress” situations that would normally result in stuttering. Some examples are serious one-on-one conversation concerning uncomfortable topics, Management meetings, Company meetings, and several other speaking situations that I previously thought of as “threatening”. Over the past two months I have been exposed to each of these “threatening” situations and spoke fluently through each milestone. The final milestone was met on March 21, 2002 when I was scheduled to give a presentation to the Board Members of the Company I work for. Now, prior to working with Bob, stuttering in this situation was a 100% certainty. However, even that meeting was unable to produce the stuttering again. I have tested my fluency in every situation that used to produce stuttering!And I am happy to report that it appears to be a long-term success.
The biggest difference between stuttering and fluency is that fluent individuals do not think about stuttering.
It has been over two years since this therapy with Linda. A couple months ago I asked her how she was doing. She replied, “The thought of stuttering has no place in my mind any more.” Linda and a friend started a new business venture specializing in preparing food for dogs and other pets. She has received a great deal of media attention. And at the time of this writing she wrote, “My speech continues to be awesome. Two years ago I would never have been able to do these interviews with reporters. It still feels great to be free.” Amazing, when the PWS doesn’t consciously or unconsciously think about stuttering the chances of stuttering is greatly diminished. When the person is fluent there are no fears of stuttering. They just are not there. When they block and stutter, the thoughts and fears are always there. So the purpose of therapy with a PWS is to assist them in thinking differently about how they talk.
How to contact the author
The Institute of Neuro-Semantics®
www.masteringstuttering.com
704-864-3585 About Bob G. Bodenhamer, DMin
Dr. Bodenhamer’s undergraduate degree (BA) is from Appalachian State University in Boone,
