A cognitive approach to achieving fluency
Most people who block and stammer do not do so every time they speak. Indeed, most people who stammer are consistently fluent in certain contexts. When by themselves, speaking to a pet or speaking to a person with whom they are comfortable, they speak fluently. This behaviour has been a puzzle for people who stammer and for speech pathologists who think stammering is a purely physical problem for many years.
Now the puzzle has finally been solved by this outstanding new book which details a completely new approach to treating this debilitating condition. Bob Bodenhamer explains that blocking results from the thinking (cognition) of the stammerer as he or she associates speaking with a lot of fear and anxiety about stammering. Most blocking is no more than a panic attack expressed in the muscles that control breathing and speaking. This book both explains the structure of blocking and provides the tools for gaining more fluency.
