Problem saying my name

DJW7

Hi,

I stuttered a bit as a child, but it was mainly form speaking too fast.
Then I grew out of it, but it resurfaced in my teenage years, but in a different way. It was more of a fear of stuttering or speaking in front of certain groups. I could read or speak certain words, but if I didn’t like the word, I’d almost have a panic attack. So it got to the stage where I had to have a word with my teachers in secondary school and college and asking them not to get me to read in class. I also had to have a word with the coach of the team I played on as it was having an effect on that too. This really relaxed me as it was more of the anticipation of reading or speaking that would make me panic, once this worry went away I started to forget about the trouble I had.

Then I got a job, and then this seem to go away and I got another job which involved phones, which I just had to get stuck into and after a day I was fine. So I’ve worked away fine for the last 4 or 5 years, thinking that I’d finally conquered this, but one day last summer when announcing my name to someone on the phone, I stuttered… I had trouble getting my name out. This really bothered me, and then it happened again another day. I couldn’t believe it, I tried to forget about it but I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And this is where my problem lies, the worry and anticipation or saying my name, mostly over the phone. When I'm out and about sometimes and if I know the person who I’m supposed to be meeting is going to ask me my name, I’ll still get worried about it, but if someone was to ask me my name out of the blue when I’m not expecting it, I’m fine.

All in all I’ve probably stuttered about 10 times in the last year, but it’s the constant worrying that is killing me and making it worse. I try and put it out of my head but something will be said or mentioned that makes it pop back in. It only takes for someone to say that I might have to ring someone about something and I’m thinking about it. I’ve practiced announcing myself on my own phone, but its just not the same, when I try it for real, my heart just starts to race and my breathing goes all funny and I cant breath or get the words out.

Can anyone recommend a good speech therapist in Dublin City Centre?
Or maybe I was thinking of hypnotherapy as I don’t really have any other problems other that worrying about saying my name in certain circumstances, and if I could find a way to block that worry out, I thing I’d be fine

So getting to the point, do you think I should go to a speech therapist or maybe try hypnotherapy?

Thanks
D

sadie9

Hi DJW7, is it just on your name that you get stuck? And what exactly happens, do you go D D D David or do you actually 'block' where you are stuck and nothing comes out. If you had to go to the Post Office and call out your address and telephone number to the person behind the glass would you be able to do that fluently? To be honest it sounds like it is an emotional problem rather than a mechanical speech problem. You know how to talk fluently so it's the emotional fear thing that is kicking in. Hypnotherapy might reduce the underlying fear but to be honest I don't know much about it. You probably have to go private to get quick access to a speech therapist. There is a technique that might work for you where you say the first word on the exhale of a sigh. Forget what it's called. You first practise saying words on the exhale of a slow breath beginning with H, then eventually you are saying a kind of silent 'h' before the word you want to stay. Takes a bit of practise. There's a website for the private speech therapists here http://www.iasltpp.com

paulieeye

sadie9 wrote: »

There is a technique that might work for you where you say the first word on the exhale of a sigh. Forget what it's called. You first practise saying words on the exhale of a slow breath beginning with H, then eventually you are saying a kind of silent 'h' before the word you want to stay. Takes a bit of practise. http://www.iasltpp.com

Hi all,

Its called the Airflow technique. I tried it for a while when I was a kid. Takes a good bit of practice alright. I didnt really have much success with it. I think at the time i felt it sounded just as bad as stammering. "Haaa-Hi. Haaaaa-Do you know where the bibliotech is?" But I was an impatient kid and didnt give it long enough to get good at it.

I remember seeing people on the Late Late show who had the technique nailed. Worth a look anyway if its just ur name ur getting stuck on.

pc

carbsy

OP, I sometimes have the same issue.If I'm standing in the q at the chipper and I get asked to shout my order out, I've often have trouble saying Dinner Box and I'd have to ask for something else instead.