What is mindfulness? Stated most simply it really is just about paying attention, either paying attention passively to where your attention is focused or actively focusing your attention on something.
Mindfulness can result in profound change in people's lives and practising mindfulness can also potentially influence stuttering, according to Paul Brocklehurst, PHD, Director of the Stammering Self-Empowerment Program.
When thinking about mindfulness and stuttering, it is important to first consider what mindfulness is not. Mindfulness...
1. Is not a form of relaxation
2. Doesn't include emptying the mind
3. Is not a moral, ethical or religious practice (although it could be incorporated into one)
So how can mindfulness influence stuttering exactly? Paul Brocklehurst suggests that mindfulness...
1. Can help us identify what we do when we stutter
2. Helps us to identify how others respond to our stuttering
3. Reduces the amount of unhelpful value judgments we impose on ourselves
4. Can help reduce unhelpful secondary symptoms related to stuttering
For more information on mindfulness and stuttering, as well as a few mindfulness techniques you can incorporate into your life, see Mindfulness and Stuttering: How can mindfulness help? by Paul Brocklehurst, PHD.