Articles

Its all in the mind - or is it? – A personal reflection on neuro-linguistic programming and stammering Issue 25, Spring 2006
By Rachel Everard, specialist speech and language therapist, The City Lit, centre for adult stammering therapy


Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), used in relation to stammering, is very topical at the moment. Witness the success of the book ‘Mastering Blocking and Stuttering: a cognitive approach to achieving fluency’ (Bodenhamer, 2004) and the number of recent articles in Speaking Out (Johnson, Winter 2005, Jones, Spring 2006 and Johnson, Spring 2006).

NLP is a branch of cognitive therapy; it helps to explain the distinction between what actually happens to us in the world and the interpretation we as individuals place on any particular event. This interpretation is often learned or conditioned and sometimes can be unhelpful. NLP is a way of analysing any ineffective or faulty programming of the mind and introducing more effective programming so that we can function more easily.

When applied to stammering, the underlying premise of NLP is that if someone can speak fluently in one situation, they can speak fluently in every situation. When someone is stammering they are in a certain mindset (which can be seen as ‘faulty programming’) and it is possible for that person to change their mindset, to the one they use when they are speaking fluently. It all sounds very simple, yet very plausible – we all know that people who stammer can be fluent at times, often when they do not fear the consequences of stammering.

To find out more about how NLP can be applied to stammering therapy, I and my colleagues, Carolyn Cheasman and Jan Logan, were fortunate enough to attend Bob Bodenhamer’s five-day workshop on NLP back in September. Bob is everything you’d expect and more from an American pastor and NLP practitioner – immensely likeable, a powerful and charismatic speaker and highly skilled. During the five days he worked with a number of people in front of the whole group, guiding them expertly through a myriad of emotions and leading them to a place of safety. He introduced us to a number of NLP patterns which are described in detail in his book. One of the fundamental skills he taught us was how to access and anchor a resource state which can then be applied to a problem state.

Following the workshop I met a client S. who described himself as in the process of having a ‘speech breakdown’, in urgent need of help. S. is the first to admit that he sets himself incredibly high standards in everything he does and frequently achieves them. At the time of our meeting he was becoming increasingly frustrated and angry with his stammering which was becoming more noticeable. As a result he was fearful of many speaking situations. He was getting married in a few months time and was terrified of not being able to say his vows. I started working with him and introduced him to Bob Bodenhamer’s book. We both set off on a journey together using Bob’s book as a guide. Working through some of the patterns and discussing the ideas in the book, we both benefited from the experience and also shared the same concern: this way of working was indeed helpful but was it the final answer? Six months on and after a wonderful wedding (S. reported that he somehow knew from the moment he woke up on that day that stammering just wasn’t on the agenda), he is feeling much better about his speech but is still stammering at times and is experiencing frustration that he cannot change his mindset on an everyday basis.

To deepen my knowledge of NLP and to help me apply it more effectively, I attended a two-day workshop in January run by Mike Jones called ‘10 steps to ease in communication’. Mike is a master NLP practitioner and someone who has personal experience of stammering. His weekend workshops have attracted a lot of interest among people who stammer, many of whom have taken part in other therapy programmes previously. During the weekend I gained a greater understanding of reframing and took away some useful ideas to use in therapy, such as the concept of red and green frames. A red frame is a negative mindset where the person is fearful of stammering. A green frame is a positive mindset where the person is more focused on getting their message across than how they’re doing it. Mike demonstrated skillfully how easy it is for someone who stammers to step from a red frame to a green frame.

At City Lit we have started to introduce some aspects of NLP into our group therapy. We have taught students how to access and anchor a resource state, then apply this to a limiting state (ie, a state of fear, anxiety or panic), for example, when they are about to do some outside work. Students have reported that this has been useful.

I’m very much aware that I’m at the beginning of my journey into exploring the value of NLP when applied to stammering. Here are my initial conclusions:

I believe that NLP can offer speech and language therapists another way of helping adults who stammer to tackle negative thoughts and feelings, in conjunction with other forms of therapy. I don’t believe it is the ultimate answer as I strongly suspect that there is a physiological dimension to stammering and that it’s not all in the mind.

There is a clear demand from people who stammer for this type of work. The type of workshops that I have attended are very helpful and there needs to be more follow-up support available.

I recognise that I have much more to learn and intend to undertake further training. I would very much welcome the opportunity of liaising with other speech and language therapists who are either already working in this way or who are interested in doing so. My contact details are given below. Tel: 020 7492 2579, r.everard@citylit.ac.uk

References

Bodenhamer, B. (2004) Mastering Blocking and Stuttering: a cognitive approach to achieving fluency. Crown House Publishing Ltd, Carmarthen, Wales.

Johnson, S. (2005) The Strength within us. Speaking Out, Winter 2005. British Stammering Association.

Johnson, S. (2006) Fluency – it starts with the mind. Speaking Out, Spring 2006. British Stammering Association.

Jones, M. (2006) Stammering and its therapy: a cognitive or physical problem. Speaking Out, Spring 2006. British Stammering Association