I was able to stop stuttering simply by studying the book.
I learned about Lee G. Lovett’s book back before the start of July, maybe in the latter part of June (2021). I learned about it through John Harrison and Richard Parent. My first reactions were – well here’s another therapy that most likely will not work. Considering that it was told to me by those two gentlemen, I figured I should look into it. After purchasing the book and after getting acquainted with it, I started doing some of the techniques. About a week and a half later, I was startled by my improving speech. I thought to myself that “hey this is working!”.
I think I started (to be sure) at about July 5th, 2021, with all of the 3 techniques- reading aloud, doing the auto and self hypnosis and practicing some of the crutches, which for me is the one that require the most work.
I believe that the most helpful part of the 3 pronged therapy or system, for me, is the “reading aloud”. I do it 1/2 hour in the morning, and 1 hour in the evening. I do the self hypnosis and auto suggestions in the morning, in the early afternoon and in the late evening. I depend on the crutches 1,4, and 11 mostly.
To get to the point, this works and I am experiencing more fluency than I have ever had in my seventy – four years of living!! I believe that if I keep on doing what I am doing for the next six months or so (especially the reading aloud, that my speech will keep get “better and better”! My goal now is to learn to love to speak everywhere.
I won’t go into minor details about my history of stuttering but like most people who have stuttered I went through all of the things that my other PWS (people who stutter) have or had gone through. I will touch on a few instances. In elementary school, I was made fun of and that caused me much anxiety and fear. I would act silly; by acting silly I could get by – getting the words to come out.
When I was in high school – it affected my participating in class and my relationship with the opposite sex and my relationship with one particular girl. I could not say anything to her because of the way I sounded. I could not talk to anyone the way I wanted to.
I was withdrawn and I didn’t socialize much. Of course, at times I felt inferior. In college, the same sort of things happened. I was embarrassed to talk in class and in many situations I felt alone. I would not talk to the females that I really liked and I didn’t perform as well as I could have in class. One thing I could do well and that was sing well. I was the leading baritone in the college choir. Looking back trying to escape having to talk in more formal classes I chose a not so formal major Art. I had an interest in psychology but because I didn’t want to be looked down upon as being debilitated and thought of as appearing not too smart I chose I chose that as my major.
My job life was altered because of the speech. I had to learn and go after jobs that didn’t require talking that much to do. Stuttering affected every aspect of my life from, being in church, to jobs, to communicating anywhere. I was misunderstood most of the time and made my share of mistakes in every aspect of my life. I remember telling my dear mother that “I can’t seem to get anything done”. She told my sister, who was slightly older than I that I was weak and that she was the stronger of us two. I know that that was because of this speech debilitation. A fluency attained earlier would have helped me to be the kind of person I wanted to be and know that I could be.
In terms of jobs, I was trained to be a teacher (Art). I wanted to be a teacher like over half of my uncles and aunts who were successful. That is what I really wanted to do. That profession didn’t last long because you have to communicate well with the students, the parents, and the other teachers which I didn’t do well.
If I wrote of every instance of where my life was affected by stuttering it would take a good size book to do that.
Another point I’d like to make is that I have spent my entire life going to speech therapists, seminars, expensive clinics, etc. and none of them were anywhere near being successful. I do have to admit that Dr. Bob Bodenhamer was the most helpful up to that point and I thank him for his effort.
Finally, now because of Lee G. Lovett and his openness and caring about the stuttering community, there is hope for all of us people who have or had trouble communicating.
Now, I can talk to just about everyone and do so with the attitude of “loving to speak”. My life seems to keep getting better and better! I sing more in church or wherever I can and I talk to members of the congregation. I am no longer acting like a hermit.
I thank Lee Lovett for giving of his knowledge and openness and to helping others. I have achieved what I have by studying his book up to this point.
PEOPLE, THIS WORKS — IF YOU TRY IT AND IF YOU BELIEVE IT, IT WILL WORK!
WARREN advised of his SS Jan. 25, 2022