1. STUTTERING & SELF AWARENESS Obim Okongwu Toronto, Canada ISA - 10th World Congress for People Who Stutter – Netherlands. June 10 – 14, 2013

2. Stuttering... A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma

3. Questioning.... Why do I stutter? How do my blocks occur? Are there neurons, brain chemicals, enzymes involved? Why is it situational? Why is my stutter different? In situations I stutter more, why not always? Why is it impacted by the subject discussed? If physiological, why not consistent? Is it physiological or psychological?

4. Exploring.... Observation New & Challenging Situations Reading & Hearing – Other People’s Stories Speech & The Brain Human Behavior

5. Discovering.... Not Good Enough, Need to be Validated, Need to Please Thoughts & Perceptions State of Mind

6. Discovering.... amygdala

7. Actions & Decisions.... Be okay with who I was Be okay with not being perfect, being human Be able to say no, and be okay Be thankful Speak up Carrying less on what people felt about me and my actions Be in the moment and be aware of my thoughts Question my perceptions and not make assumptions about other people Worry less Seek opportunities to speak about stuttering, to inform Not take things personally Be able to use my stutter as a litmus test Surround myself with messages that reinforce some the above.

8. Final Thoughts... Quest for fluency and Zest for life Blessings of an imperfect life Courage Self Therapist.

9. Questions, Feedback?

10. Tennis Analogy Why do I play so well one day and not so another day? Why do I play great during rallying but sometimes tighten during matches? I know what I am doing wrong always keep on doing it. When I hesitate on a shot, I make an error. When I come close to game / set / match point, I tighten. When I am being watched by certain people, I don’t play as well. When I am in the zone – all appear to come together.

11. “The Inner Game of Tennis”, by Timothy Gallwey  When someone goes out to play, 2 people are playing: Self 1 (motivating, calculating, instructing coach – the teller); Self 2 (the one who goes to play – the doer). Without badgering of Self 1, Self 2 could play brilliantly. The further Self 1 takes matter into his/her hands, forcing instructions to improve play, the worse play actually gets.  Conscious trying directed by the conscious mind produces negative results.  Man is a thinking reed, but great works are done when he is not calculating or thinking.  To play your best, must live every second in the moment.  Success comes when you temporarily withhold judgement of success or failure but notice what is  When playing at ones best, you are not thinking in a technical way about a shot, you are a unit of fluidity – mind, body, court, and racquet. A state of flow.  The first skill to learn is the art of letting go the human inclination to judge ourselves and our performance as either good or bad.  The initial act of judgement provokes the thinking process. Tries hard, giving him/herself instructions. Further evaluation – which perpetuates the process of thinking and self- consciousness performance. As a consequence, the player’s muscle tighten when they need to be loose, strokes becomes awkward and less fluid, and negative evaluations are likely to continue with growing intensity.  The judgemental mind extends itself – “What a lousy serve”, - “I am serving badly today”, - “I have a terrible serve”, - “I am a lousy tennis player”, - finally, “I’m no good”.