Hi from Canada

[Marianne Blais]

Hi! I recently finished listening to Lee’s 2nd edition book on stuttering! I loved the book and I truly believe it will help me. I however stutter, stammer and often block when speaking with my own kids as well as close friends and family. I am also a teacher and this obviously creates problems. I will be taking the series of courses on mastering the crutches, but I have a few questions : once I have the crutches memorized, will my brain automatically reach for one of them in a speech situation? I think the crutches are brillant but how does the brain know which one to grab especially if we are striving to speak in an unplanned manner?
Thank you,
Marianne

[Javier]

Hi Marianne! It’s great to have you here. Have you read the 3rd Edition of “Stuttering & Anxiety Self-Cures”? This 3rd Edition has much more content, and a much better book. If you haven’t read it, I strongly recommend you to do it.

Regarding your questions, learning to use the Crutches is like learning to play any sport or learning a new skill. The first times you play tennis, most likely you won’t be good at it. But if you keep on practicing, you’ll become really good at it. This is like driving a car. The first time you drive a car, you’re paying attention to the speed, the mirrors, the accelerator, etc. After having practiced it for some time, you just do it “automatically”. You just get into the car and go from A to B, effortlessly and without really thinking about this process. The same happens here.

My suggestion is to practice with the Crutches as much as you can, even when you don’t need them. This is very important. And one day you’ll realise that you will be using them automatically, unconsciously. This only requires consistency and practice.

I strongly recommend you to look at the videos of the coaching sessions. You can find them at the “Video” section of this website. There are plenty of videos where we show how to use them. In the online course Lee explains them pretty well too. And of course, we, the Certified Coaches, will be glad to help you personally with private coaching.

About which one to chose, pretty much depends on the situation. As you might remember from the book, Crutches 1-8 are best suited for First Feared Words (names, for example), and Crutches 7-12 are better for middle word issues. Combining Crutches is also a great idea.

I hope I’ve been helpful with these comments. Please do let me know if you have anu other questions.

Javier

[Anonymous]

Hi Marianne,

Welcome to WSSA. Javier has answered your question perfectly. What I would like to add is that it is not going to happen overnight, so do not become discouraged if for a few weeks you have to constantly remind yourself to use the crutches, this is completely normal.

There is a great benefit to having to focus your full attention on the crutches for a while. Firstly, the more you concentrate on using the crutches, the quicker your brain learns to make it a habit, and the quicker your brain will then grab for the crutches whenever you need them. Secondly, as you have read the 2nd edition, you should well know that we are incapable of thinking of 2 things at once. So if you are focusing your attention fully on using the crutches, it is IMPOSSIBLE for you to stutter!

It can take a few weeks and at most 1 or 2 months of absolute dedication, and then you will never have to think about using the crutches ever again. I have not thought about using a crutch in almost 3 years! They come to me so naturally. In fact, using the crutches has made me a much better speaker. I used to be anxious, dull and speak in a monotone voice. Now, I am excited about my speech, and I can tell that people listen when I speak.

Gone are the days where we just fade into the background because we stutter and do not want to say anything. The only thing we ask is that you practice, practice practice! Which crutches are you currently loving? One of my favourite crutches is to skip the first letter/syllable. It comes so naturally to most people, and even if it does not, it is very easy to learn. If you are struggling to master any of the crutches, let us know and we can always help you in a coaching session.

Also, try to attend our Speech Masters Club this Saturday at 9 am DC time. It will really help elevate your speech. I used to absolutely dread the thought of public speaking, and I am slowly learning to love it, can you imagine a PWSS learning to love public speaking. Hope to see you soon!

P.S. You absolutely HAVE to read Lee’s third edition because it is ten times better than the first and second edition. Concepts and ideas are explained in more detail and as such, makes for a much more interesting read.

[Javier]

Well said, Taz!!

[Marianne Blais]

Hi everyone, thanks so much for your amazing responses!

[Marianne Blais]

Hi All! I started the courses yesterday, I love them!! So incredibly useful.

[Javier]

I’m glad to hear that. They explain the book really well, and really well explained. To see someone explain and show you, for example, the Crutches is really helpful.

[Author]

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