Liza Waller, then BSA's Information and Support Officer, wrote about a 2 day workshop facilitated by Lane Ayre, Clare Hill, Jan Anderson

Letting the body lead - Letting the stammer speak

No-one knows the root cause of stammering. Certainly there are believed to be a number of factors. It is a phenomenon of many theories but whatever its initial cause, it soon becomes, if it is not already, a phenomenon of both the psyche (mind) and soma (body). My training in body psychotherapy has given me a grounding in working with the mysteries of the 'bodymind', but as yet I had not integrated this specifically with people who stammer. This Process Oriented Psychology workshop was an opportunity not to miss. So it was I arrived in Edinburgh to join a small group of participants, among us people who stammer, as well as a small number of interested professionals. No-one in the room knew or claimed to know the 'secret' of stammering but there was an invitation to enter a process of exploration. People worked individually with Lane or Clare, or both, in the centre of the circle .The way of working was spontaneous, embryonic and dynamic. The facilitators took the role of 'midwife' - helping bring to birth some new level of awareness.

Process work was developed by Dr Arnold Mindell from his training as a physicist and Jungian analyst. It assumes there is a psychosomatic (mind/body) dimension to all physical symptoms. Each symptom is viewed as the meaningful expression of a deeper/broader unconscious 'process' which is of key significance to the person concerned. Therapy aims to identify, unravel and work with the psychological material contained within the experience of the physical symptom (e.g. in this case, stammering), recognising that much of this is held in the unconscious. Process work does not profess to cure, rather instead to bring awareness to that which is already happening. It proposes that the seeds of resolution are contained within the symptom and that rather than seeking to eliminate the 'problem' we need to find out more about it. The therapist therefore adopts an open mind and encourages the same spirit of curiosity and discovery in the client also. The aim of the work is to facilitate a process whereby the person can go deeper into the experience of stammering in the moment, into whatever is happening in the body mind (whether this be tension, blocked breath, inner pressure), and bring more and more awareness to whatever 'is' in the present moment. This can be a surprisingly new experience - and in itself, the agent of change. Most of the time we adopt a habitually defensive position against that which we don't like, making all sorts of closed assumptions about it which in turn contribute to an experience of feeling blocked. An alternative is to go deeper into the experience in the hope of a different way forward revealing itself to us. Process work seeks to break away from the habitual to a new realm of awareness in order to reveal the 'meaning' or psychological content contained within any behavioural pattern. As a method it employs great use of the imagination, metaphor, image and story. The following serves as an example:

"So what is the most disturbing thing about stammering for you, today?"

"The tightness. It's horrible. I can't stand it."

"OK - how would you feel about exploring that tightness? Lets make no assumptions about it - what it might be from, or for. Try not to bring judgement to it - whether you even like it not. Just let it express itself. Where do you feel it?"

"Here - around my chest."

"Do you have an image for it?"

"Yes - it's like a clamp."

"Yes? - so go into this feeling. Feel this clamp more. Can you visualise it?"

"Oh yes -"

"Ok. Now hold that image and see if you can become that clamp. What does it like to do?"

(client shows clasping hands)

"Can you do that to me? Be curious. How does it feel to be this clamp -?"

"Great actually! Surprisingly great! Strong! I feel like a huge monster and I like feeling this strength, usually I feel so weak!"

"So feel the strength and enjoy it!"

The client stands tall and expands his chest and continues to explore this strong side of his nature with movements, rather than fear it. As this happens his chest expands and releases and he says he feels easier in his speech. After some time, the therapist asks, "Where in your life could you use this strength? Where might you like to be like this a little more?"

Discovering these complementary, often hidden, aspects of ourselves is important. In this example, the client experienced the 'clamp'. Previously, this had felt like something external and frightening to him, which stopped him, held him back. Through this work he came to know it as an aspect of himself, from the inside, and furthermore he could then explore how he could use his strength, rather than feel at the mercy of it. By working with the experience, the two parts dialogued rather than remained in conflict. Bringing these different parts into the one can help to bring wholeness.

Given the focus upon stammering, pieces of work centred around predictable common themes of control, tightness, blocking, anger, self expression. One person 'turned round' in her experience of feeling hounded by her stammer (embodied for her by someone standing behind her and gripping her) to physically embracing it -she turned around and 'hugged her stammer. In this she made the beginnings of a journey towards befriending that part of her which she had habitually seen and felt to be her enemy. In Jungian terms she made a move towards embracing her shadow and it was moving to witness.

A couple of group exercises bonded the group on each day and powerfully helped us be reminded that the issues of stammering are also related to broader issues. In the first exercise we explored the nature of 'difference', and the pain of being made to feel the odd one out (whether because of stammering, or because of our religion, race or sexual orientation). We saw how we respond to people's prejudices in different ways and the need in us all to honour in ourselves - in our bodies - these commonly felt experiences of rejection, humiliation, anger, loss.

The second group exercise was somewhat more light-hearted although equally profound. We were invited to experiment and 'play' with an aspect of our behaviour which we liked least. Again the purpose of this was to go into it deeper in order to come out into a place less habitually bound. People chose habits associated with stammering, (e.g. hand gestures, facial movements). Others of us chose gestures associated with for example, our bossiness, our arrogance etc. We were then asked to choose a sound to go with the movement we had chosen, and one by one we 'performed' our piece. Gradually we each joined with one another in unison. This sort of exercise is quite impossible to describe - (you just had to be there!) - but suffice to say we made a great song and dance together! It was a wonderful celebration of self- expression and a means of laughing with ourselves at the very things which cause us pain - itself a paradoxical means of great healing.

A wonderful way to end the course.

If I were to sum up what Process Work had been for me it would be to use the word exploration. We had explored the experience of stammering on a deep bodymind level, unique to each individual. We had allowed the body to speak and lead itself on to new insights. This is not everyone's cup of tea. It can be enormously threatening to work in this way. Working with the body, letting 'it' lead us into new insights, rather than bring our minds to interpret what a bodily sensation may be, is a means of working with the unconscious, and therefore most often we don't know what's going on. We are touching on unfamiliar and well defended territory. However it is also potentially extremely rich and fertile ground, and I believe this work deserves more recognition.

From the Autumn 2001 edition of Speaking Out

See also:
Process Work page
Biodynamic massage for people who stammer - offered by Liza in London