Product reviews for I Have a Voice

Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D
By happy coincidence, I received Bob Bodenhamer's I Have a Voice while conducting NLP counseling sessions with a teenaged boy who stuttered. I recommended the book to his parents so they could better understand how and why NLP could help their son. The book is a new edition of the 2005 Mastering Blocking and Stuttering. 

Stuttering has received public attention with the popularity of The King's Speech. Like the unconventional speech therapist in the movie, Bodenhamer has worked with hundreds of people who stutter (PWS), helping them achieve fluency. His successes and articles on the subject have attracted world-wide recognition. He is a leading expert and pioneer in treating stuttering, stammering, and verbal blocking. His book is for therapists as well as those seeking a self-help approach to the problem. 

The premise is that stuttering is a learned behavior rooted in traumatic childhood events that prove detrimental to social relationships and self-esteem. The book draws upon Neuro-Semantics, NLP, and cognitive psychology in defining the components of stuttering and describing strategies for change.
The three tasks for achieving fluency are:

  • Develop a healthy self-concept.

  • Ignore other's opinions.

  • Access personal resources for living successfully.



I Have a Voice shows how to accomplish these outcomes in a therapeutic approach that incorporates NLP interventions for reframing meanings, releasing trauma, changing limiting beliefs, achieving calm, reaching personal empowerment, confronting cognitive distortions, shifting one's perceptions and focus, and developing behavioral flexibility. Bodenhamer estimates 25 to 30 hours of therapy and much at-home practice are required for success. 

Bob Bodenhamer has produced a definitive, landmark text for treating stuttering. It should be in the hands of every speech therapist. As to my teenaged client, after a dozen sessions, his stuttering reduced in frequency and his speaking confidence improved. His parents said they had previously taken him to psychotherapists and speech therapists, but had not witnessed the improvement that he made with NLP. Thank you, Bob!

Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D., is a Licensed Professional Counselor, free-lance writer, and speaker, practicing in Springfield, Virginia. She is a certified NLP Trainer and Master Clinical Hypnotherapist. She is the author of The Weight Hypnotherapy and You Weight Reduction Program practitioner's manual.
Guest | 13/12/2011 00:00
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