NEW stutter exercise from an SLP & psychologist

NEW stutter exercise from an SLP & psychologist: Yesterday I had my 4th appointment at the SLP-psychologist, and we did a new exercise together (which I have to practice daily). If anyone is interested in this exercise, I've described it below.

Stutter exercise:

• Stand a few meters from a wall.
• Close your eyes
• Slowly and normally walk to the wall
• Checking in with yourself: ‘How are you feeling? And where do you feel it?’
• Becoming aware of how your body feels when ‘there is danger’: ‘How are you feeling? And where do you feel it?’
• Try to be mindful of these questions in the coming days. In different situations, take a moment to feel what’s happening in your body. You don’t need to judge it—just feel it.

That's all! Are you wondering why I posted this? It's because it’s highly relevant to progress in stuttering remission. Consider this: many of us can speak fluently when we’re alone, but the moment we add just one other person, stuttering increases dramatically. This is similar to an exercise where you stand 2 meters from a wall—the approach-avoidance conflict (or panic/freeze response, a defense mechanism) hasn’t kicked in yet. But as you move and walk with eyes closed- halfway to the wall, your autonomic nervous system (ANS) begins to activate mildly. Closer to the wall, the full fight-flight-freeze-fawn response takes over.

Now, compare this to adding a little phrase "My name is..." before saying your name. That may create a fluency effect, much like standing at a comfortable (2 meter, or 6.5 feet) distance from the wall. Now the question is: How can we replicate this fluency effect without adding a little phrase or trick?

I hope this analogy helps you better understand and find ways to increase your chances of achieving stuttering remission!