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

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.

William D. Parry, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist who previously overcame his own stuttering through Valsalva Control, enabling him to become a successful trial lawyer. He is founder and long-time leader of the Philadelphia Area Chapter of the National Stuttering Association, has served on the NSA s board of directors, and has presented workshops on the Valsalva Hypothesis throughout the United States and internationally.