Stuttering, also referred to as stammering, is a speech problem that is quite common in children and can continue into adulthood. It is estimated that around one in 20 children will struggle with stuttering at some point. Around four in five of those affected will grow out of it and it’s estimated that one in 100 adults will continue to stutter.
With stress often making it worse, having a stutter can affect confidence, self-esteem and lead to high anxiety. Stuttering affects everyone differently and will vary from person to person. Some people may experience periods of stuttering followed by periods of speaking fluidly. For some, stress makes it worse.
In most cases, stutters are caused by a physical or emotional trauma, or times of extreme stress (for example being bullied in childhood). In these instances, and if stuttering causes you stress and anxiety, hypnotherapy can be extremely helpful.
Hypnotherapy can be used to explore when your stutter first started and analyze what happened and why it may have triggered your stutter. Various hypnotherapy techniques can be used to help change your beliefs about the situation and desensitize your reactions to old stressful memories.