When Fluency and Speech Tools Become Avoidance (268)

Natalie Bragen

Natalie Bragan joins Peter Reitzes to discuss her life as a person who stutters, covert stuttering, speech therapy, her interest in trying voluntary stuttering, stuttering accomplices, how faith has supported her in life and with stuttering, how stuttering and avoidance can be tiring, her great appreciation of the recent B Team episode and much more.

NATALIE  BRAGAN graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Maine in Orono in May 2008 and is currently working as a Staff Accountant for the State of Maine. Ms. Bragen is an active member, treasurer, and song leader of her church in Newport, ME, married in June of 2008 and started her job with the state in the same month.

Natalie has recently been attending monthly meetings of the Maine Chapter of the National Stuttering Association (NSA) lead by Marybeth Allen, M.A., CCC- SLP. For more information on the Maine NSA chapter, contact Ms. Allen at mbslp@roadrunner.com.

During the show Natalie shares that speech tools have helped her greatly reduce stuttering behaviors, but accepting her own stuttering is still a major challenge. Natalie discusses three speakings strategies she uses: slowing down (pausing), enunciation and being conscious of how the articulators are moving.