I have a stammering problem when I have to speak in front of a crowd. Why?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am a 32-year-old male. Since childhood, I have stammering problems. It does not happen always. But when I start speaking to someone in front of others or when giving a presentation, I start to have tachycardia, palpitations, chest pain, headache, and sweating. I also have constipation. I use to take Bromazepam before giving a presentation or speaking to anyone.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Be relaxed. You get better results while being relaxed. Some relaxation exercises like one word one tap and reducing the rate of speech, open mouth approach, and changing your suprasegmental aspect of speech will help a lot. Do not anticipate and use the technique. In the beginning, you can utter mmm and then start your sentence for practice. Prolong the word where you feel that you are getting blocked. Do not force yourself whenever you get stuck. Just stop saying anything, inhale air a little bit and start it again. Doing breathing exercises by holding and exhaling breathing will help a lot. Inhale the air and hold your breath by counting till 10 and then exhale slowly with the count of 10. Gradually, you can achieve it. Start interacting with unknown people in a relaxed manner and apply techniques without their knowledge. Inhale after every 4 to 5 words.