Notice from Steve Sheasby:

Steve Sheasby

Hi, Steve Sheasby is my name, and I'm a stammerer. I invite you to join a new email group I am forming. The inspiration comes from narrative therapy. This group is supported by Jan Logan, a Specialist Speech & Language Therapist (stammering). Jan is a tutor at the City Lit, a centre for adult learning in London.

Narrative therapy uses the text analogy (a recent development in social theory) to talk about people's lives and identity. Meaning is created and identities are formed in a social, political and cultural context, through the telling of stories. If identities and problems are constructed as performance of an oppressive, dominant story, then the solution can be re-constructed in terms of opening space for new and alternative stories to emerge.

Within a dominant 'problem-saturated' description or story, there will always be occasions that contradict this story (this is especially true following stammering therapy). Let's call these occasions 'sparkling moments'. Now, the purpose of the group I am setting up is to open up space for a performance of meaning around these moments. Tell one or two sparkling moments and you have a developing alternative story (and one that is influential). The group provides an audience (an 'outsider-witness' group) to witness and so reinforce the person's alternative story. Let's call this a 'definitional ceremony'.

The first three stages of a definitional ceremony are:

Stage one, the 'telling': a person recounts a sparkling moment or an aspect of the developing story to the group.

Stage two, the 're-telling': the group responds to the 'telling' by recounting or talking about anything that resonates for them in their own life.

Stage three, the 're-telling' of the 're-telling': the person responds to the 're-telling'.

Jan has provided written 'ideas for topics you could write about/share'. She has also provided detailed written instruction for each subsequent stage. Rigour is required in following these; definitional ceremonies have the potential to be powerfully transformative rituals. Every three months there will be a time-out for everyone to reflect on the process.

So, if you want to re-author your relationship with stammering, and/or help others re-author theirs, please contact me at sparkling@stammering.org
(Note: the group is not run by BSA. This email address simply forwards your email to the organiser's address.)

Link:
www.dulwichcentre.com.au for more on narrative therapy, particularly the piece by Alice Morgan on the Articles to read page.