Stuttering seems to be a reaction to certain situations. This is one more example when it comes to stuttering of what seems to be isn’t what really is. Stuttering cannot be a reaction, because reactions are about i.e. (re) “actions”. Stuttering is not an action; it is a description of speech that is the result of an action that may be unintentional and subconscious. People who stutter may have reactions to some situations that result in stuttering. The action (what you do to generate speech), not the stuttering, is the reaction to certain situations.

Let’s remember that stuttering is the result of the malfunction of the speech generating system. The natural system is an uncontrolled system that automatically transforms thoughts into language, and allows this language to become audible speech. People who stutter are to some degree not using their system in this natural way. They may have a chronically malfunctioning system that is exacerbated by situations, including certain feelings. Alternatively, the system may generally functions naturally, but certain situations condition the speaker to interfere with the natural automatic process.

The reason that it is important to see that action, the way you generate speech, is the reaction to situations, not the stuttering, is that we can chance the result of actions only when we change the actions themselves. If you are in a situation and focused on changing the stuttering, you may act in ways that will result in even more stuttering. However, if you understand how the speech system works and let your automatic system function without interference, the result will be normally flowing speech.

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