Understanding and Controlling Stuttering A Comprehensive New Approach Based on the Valsalva Hypothesis

by William D. Parry

Puzzled about stuttering? Do you wonder why words often feel like brick walls, even before you try to say them? Or why your blocks get stronger the harder you try to force through them? If so, you need to know about the Valsalva Hypothesis - an exciting new theory that explains stuttering blocks as a neurological confusion between voice and the body's Valsalva mechanism, in response to anxiety or the anticipation of difficulty in speaking. As a result, the larynx is prepared to exert effort instead of phonating a word's vowel sound, causing speech to get stuck on the consonant or glottal stop preceding the vowel. This theory was partially explained in the very popular Second Edition of this book (now out of print). That edition has now been greatly surpassed by the Revised and Expanded Third Edition, published in 2013. The Third Edition, which is written in clear, every-day language, fits together the pieces of the stuttering puzzle as never before. The Third Edition demonstrates how neurological, physiological, and psychological factors interact to stimulate and perpetuate stuttering through a Valsalva-Stuttering Cycle. It sheds new light on virtually every aspect of stuttering behavior -- its causes, its variability, and its many forms of treatment. Finally, it outlines a totally new comprehensive self-help program based on Valsalva Stuttering Therapy, aimed at relaxing the Valsalva mechanism, eliminating blocks, freeing your inherent fluency, and allowing you to speak in an easy, effortless, and natural way. The Revised and Expanded Third Edition contains many new insights and exercises, developed through actual clinical experience and experimentation, involving the participation of dozens of persons who stutter from all over the world.

166 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got some great ideas from this book which I have shared with my daughter, and they seem to be helping her. I like that it was written by a stutterer.

[Surendra]

I'm thinking this book says the total speech cycle and where we lagged(stuttering people) and some exercises for good speech.