Fluency

Have just been advised of another graduate who has now been 100% able to express himself freely, and is speaking fluently and has been now for 6 months, I have asked him to write his version of this to put on the website.

Below are some feedback from participants of the Letting Go and expressing Yourself Freely Workshops, held in Brisbane

"Anything the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve."
- Napoleon Hill

This workshop offers you so much more than just 'how you speak' Letting Go is the key to you living a much more fulfilling life, it has been the most profound training I have ever attended that gave me all the tools I needed to move from a job in IT in a backroom,to now being a very successful Insurance and financial planner, speaking confidently with people every day.It is two years since attending this workshop in Brisbane, and I no longer think about or identify myself as being a stutterer.- Jeremy(NT)

Feb 2006, I attended this workshop and since then my whole life has changed, I travelled overseas, have met the girl of my dreams
and married last week. I have a job I love, working with wonderful people and my fluency has improved to the point that it is no longer an issue for me. I recommend this workshop to all who have been holding on to their stutter for many years -
learn the skills and apply them to your everyday life, live life, love yourself and get on with life.
I am booked in to do the NLP practitioner training with Lorna as her expertrise and experience with NLP and influencing
language patterns is what I want to achieve. - Cameron. Jan 2008.(Qld)

I have done many courses for my speech and for motivation, over a few years and spent a lot of money, some for which I am still paying for.
This course, The Keys to Gaining More Fluency has been the most beneficial; and personally relevent course I have done, It has cost me the least and I have got the most from it. It is exactly what I have been looking for and I highly recommend to GIVE IT A GO, allow yourself to let go and express yourself more freely. Brendan

I was in need of some assistance with my blocking, came across Bob's website in the USA who then directed me to Lorna.
I liked what I read and thought this would be beneficial for me, and I realise I wasn't wrong after completing the 5 day course. This not only focussed on my fluency (or lack of), but as myself as a whole. I have come away from this course speaking more freely with the ability to manage myself, my blocking and my future. Jim

Lorna puts her heart into the workshop and I have found it extremely valuable in assisting my manageability of my stutter.
I highly recommend this course because it has evoked in me a fighting spirit that is the most valuable precondition in me managing my stutter. I am going away from this being able to use the information that is valuable to me as I become more fluent. Joanna

It is now 12 months since I have completed this workshop and as I look back to how I was struggling as I was speaking in 2004 and to now, the improvement of my speech is unbelievable and so exciting, I can now really believe in myself speaking more freely and becoming more fluent just like Jon has, he is my mentor to becoming more fluent.
Thanks Lorna and Jon. James.

"Successful men and women become successful
because they acquire the habit of thinking in terms of success."
- Napoleon Hill

Jon's Testimony - Feb 2005
Finally after a year of being asked for my story of my journey to becoming fluent, I have put it together exactly how I have experienced this. I became fluent after many years of having very Low self Esteem, Enormous Embarrassment, Fear, Distress, and Ridicule from colleagues, family and friends.
My name is Jon Vitetta, I am 54, living in Brisbane, Qld Australia . I stuttered from the age of 7, till I was 40 and have been speaking more freely, and have become 100% fluent for the last 14 years.

Being a stutterer from the age of 7 till I was 40, also allowed me to be able to show people first hand, that you can live the dream of being able to speak more freely, and the possibility of becoming more fluent, that in my case. it was a possibility to become 100% fluent, and I am and have been 100% fluent now for over 14 years.
Allow yourself the possibilityof speaking more freely, to have an open mind, discover new ways of speaking and communicating, become committed to, and apply to self the many wonderful ways we can change our behaviours by practicing and having persistence in becoming the successful person we choose to be.

Being an Engineer and a skeptic from way back of all things that were not logic in my model of the world, that if I could not see in front of me the exact formula - it could never and would never work ..............I am not sure when it was exactly or what happened that allowed me to open the doors to new opportunities of learning and experiencing new and different ways of doing things, that I was not accustomed to doing, in a way that I had not experienced before, though I am so glad that I made that decision back then to just give it a go, I sure had nothing to lose.

I did an advance communication course while working with the State Electricity Commission in Victoria , which began me on my journey of speaking more fluently.   In 1992, with my wife, I did a course over 6 weeks, with John Kehoe of Mind Power. This really had me stepping out of my preferred way of thinking, or the only one I had known for so long. With the unconditional support I was getting from my wife, Lorna I decided to go for it – really what had I to lose!! It definitely could not be worse than from where I was standing at the time.

I began to apply these techniques to myself; and began noticing the changes, How could this really work?
There was no logic to it. (Remember I am an engineer – there has to be detail, and facts to support these things!!!) But I was experiencing the changes – with out the pieces of paper that could show me the details – did not make sense to me but what the heck – Did it really matter? I was getting the results, I had great self esteem, and feeling so good in all areas of my life, from that day I gave myself permission to just accept that this is where I needed to be to speak more freely and to become fluent. A couple of months later I became aware of, and realised that stuttering was no longer a problem for me, I was speaking more freely and was now speaking fluent.

It was no longer appropriate for me, to refer to myself as a stutterer anymore - I spoke more freely,
I was normal like everyone else.   (These days, I believe that we all speak normal, and everyone has times in their life where they experience challenges/blocks when going to speak some times. Hey that is totally okay with me!!)

How long did this take? I am not sure because I gave myself permission to stutter, and did not care or worry about what other people thought of me, or my speech, I was focussed on clearing all of my own ‘anger’ ‘fear’ and ‘anxiety’ around many more areas of my life than just my speaking, my stuttering and blocking. I decided to clean out my mind of all the toxic thought viruses I was allowing to be a part of my everyday, that had been creating so many health issues in my life. I then became more and more interested in the cognitive sciences and how it was so powerful in enabling quick results (I mean I had the problem most of my life, so 12 months was very quick for me) with different change processes, it was my responsibility to make those changes, and I was so motivated to make it happen.

I began a wonderful journey of personal development and growth. I personally become 100% responsible for making those changes permanent in my life, I knew that no one else could do it for me, at times it seemed all too hard, that is when I benefited from having a therapist /coach/wife totally supporting me and keeping me on track.

Being a stutterer from the age of 7 till I was 40, speaking more freely and becoming fluent at the age of 40, is now allowing me to be able to share with people first hand, that you can really live and achieve the dream of speaking more freely, and the possibility of becoming fluent, that it truly can becvome a reality for some to be 100% fluent,
I have proved that in my own life.

Give yourself permission and allow yourself to have an open mind to try new opportunities, discover for yourself
new ways and techniques, this may seem too unconventional for you at first, if you give yourself permission to become totally committed to, and willing to apply to self the many wonderful NLP/NS processes, I am sure you can learn how to speak more freely. I know because I have done it. I know that you can choose to use these NLP/NS skills and techniques to enhance or change your behaviours, then by practicing and having persistence till you perfect the technique that allows you to speak more freely with the possibility of becoming more fluent. I was grateful for the opportunity I had in being able to work with a professional therapist who totally supported me in getting the results I wanted.

So overwhelmed at the significant changes that I was making in my life, I decided to train further with NLP, becoming a practitioner, later becoming a Master Practitioner of NLP, Time Line Therapy and Hypnosis. Then I began my training with Neuro Semantics, becoming a Coach, and completing the Trainer's training..
Today in my life I live, walk and talk what I have learnt over many years of training, with continued practise, persistence and applying to self. NLP and Neuro-Semantics have been the most significant thing I have done for myself, the biggest achievement is the high self esteem I now have. I am now a confident manager in engineering, presenting many talks and demonstrations being able to lead my teams and share successes easily.

I congratulate all dys-fluent, PWBS who are now deciding to give yourself permission, as you allow yourself to open your minds, knowing that you can become flexible in your thinking. As you decide to begin trusting in your own ability to stop judging others, letting go of all past scepticism, as you open the doors, giving yourselves the chance to discover, what new techniques are out there and available to you. For those that are deciding to still be sceptical and critical of these techniques, that is okay too, you haven’t yet known it to be the right time for yourself to give something new a go, to me it is no longer new as I have been using these techniques for over ten years now. You may never choose to think the time as being right for you, or you may choose to give it a go and I wish you well when you do.

Today, I assist PWS with Lorna, my wife in The Mastering Stuttering Workshop, as well as supporting those who attend our support groups. I highly recommend the Mastering Blocking and Stuttering Workshops, it was the
NLP/NS techniques that have made the Difference that has made the difference to me in enhancing my fluency, and has shown me how to speak more freely and fully live the life I love.
The Neuro-Semantic of stuttering group is a great forum for discovering different ways you can change your beliefs and behaviours, the many people who are always there to support you on your journey, the many therapists and contributors that are sharing their challenges and triumphs with you is so much more as far as having support, than what was there for me when I was struggling to come to terms with my stuttering.
Embrace all of these resources as you can learn how to speak more freely with the possibility of becoming more fluent, exploring all of the different ways until you discover the ‘perfect’ techniques that will assist you personally in speaking more freely, as you clean out all your own thought viruses, as you believe you can and you will, in your own time, in your own way to speaking more freely.

I really would like to personally thank Bob for his vision with NS, and PWS, his dedication and support of all PWS, and those that are working with PWS. I would like to acknowledge my wife Lorna for all her dedication to, belief in, as well as her long hours of personal assistance, and persistence in unconditionally supporting myself and all of those PWS in Australia that have become an enjoyable part of my own continued development. I am living proof that NLP/NS does help PWS, when applied to self with commitment and belief.                                                                                    Jon Vitetta

Christmas last year, anf for many years prior to that, at our company break up I allowed my manager to speak and handout all staff recognitions and awards - Christmas 2004, I made all the speeches, recognitions, and handed out all the awards myself and I was completely confident and spoke more fluently. I completed this course in April 2004, and have gone ahead in leaps and bounds since then. I am now more often fluent than not, and every day I speak more freely. Don

I recently sent this email to Bob sharing my experiences of what I had learnt so far in my journey to overcome stuttering for once and for all. He suggested that I share it with all members on the list.
In April I completed the Mastering of Blocking and Stuttering course with Lorna Bukkland-Vitetta in Brisbane, Aust. I recently has the had the opportunity to go back to refresh my understanding and learn at a greater depth.

I have held off the last few months in writing to share my experiences as I gathered my thoughts and where I have come from and how I feel that every day I am gaining a higher level of fluncy in speaking situations. I felt it was time to put words on paper and share them. I have seen a huge growth in myself in all aspects of my life. I realised that I cannot change what I have experienced in the past but can remove the emotions and feelings that I attached to the situation. To begin with I dealt with the issues on the surface and gained a higher level of understanding of my states and how to switch between them. Over the last few months I have seen situations that were previously hard become easy eg walking up to buy a train ticket now simple with probably 80% success rate in speaking fluently when I get a ticket. This in itself was the start of the journey, the ultimate building of my confidence.

I appreciate Lorna's openess and ability to push, often only using a few words to get you out of your comfort zone. Over the last few days, I recognised that it was time for me to deveal deeper into the uncomfortable areas of past experiences. The first time I completed the course I found that straight afterwards my speech had declined and hit what I could only describe as rock bottom and ultimate disfluency. I took it as a positive and felt that my patterns had been disrupted and that was good so I ploughed ahead and kept instilling the patterns to achieve higher levels of fluency :) On the second time round by day 3-4 of the course I had the same feeling as the previous course, no matter how I applied my smooth speech techniques I could feel that I was lapsing to the same point of total fluency within the next day of so. I mentioned this to Lorna and Jennifer and they agreed that I had stirred a stack of bits from the past.

By the end of the 4 day I too had realised that there were issues under the surface that needed to be dealt with. I spent a couple of hours that night on myself and lifted them to the surface. Facing these issues has lifted the weight from my shoulders, I no longer feel the anxiety and thoughts that were once there. I spoke beautifully yesterday and feeling even better today. My goal of speaking fluently in all speaking situations is achievable.

I completed a timeline on anxiety and would like to share what I felt. I am current 29. When I stood facing my past, feeling that emotion of anxiety I steped back into past and walked the timeline. I felt the level of anxiety over the last few years to be fairly small then intensify from mid 20's into teenage years, then reduce and completely disappeared by the age of about 2-3. I then brought all the resources I needed as a little kid and blew anxiety apart filling my life with confidience, energy and laughter, plus piles of other wonderful stuff. This really showed me how we store so much and associate these emotions throughout our lives.

My goal is near and can see myself speaking fluently. Stuttering is something that I did in the past and it no longer serves me in my life. Things from the past are often hard to deal with and this is often what holds us back. I encourage all to not give up, but to go forth and conquer to you get your dream. Cheers - Kerrie

July 2004 - Brisbane Workshop Summary and Feedback. We have just completed our second successful Brisbane, 5 day workshop of The Keys To Gaining Fluency by Mastering Your Blocking and Stuttering, using Bobby Bodenhamer’s, Neuro-semantics Model. I was exceptionally happy as to how the whole five days went, From a presenter point of view the participants interest, energy and enthusiasm was at a high level through the whole five days. They were an excellent group and all contributed so much to each and everyone of us. I was exceptionally blessed to have had two assistants of extreme excellence, Jennifer from Mackay, Qld. and my husband Jon, Who added so much extra to the training from their own personal journeys, that allowed for it to be completely seamless. We had four who completed the April workshop, who reviewed and offered very valuable support to all of the new participants, Sharing with us all of their successes and improvements in their lives since completing their course.

Again It was so special for me as well as all of the participants, to have my husband Jon there, as proof of what can be achieved as you practice and apply the contents of the Mastering Blocking and Stuttering workshop to gain fluency. some have chosen to have him as their mentor in gaining fluency.

COMMENTS

The course simplified for me the contents of the manual

Doing the exercises were great – got a better understanding of how the processes work

I feel that it was great, loved the re-imprinting process. I believe it is important to do the Time Line and have the capacity to use it  to deal with issues in the past.

I am already speaking more fluently, more easily and can see myself improving even more as I leave here.

I would like the exercises to be even more simplified

I liked the way Lorna showed it on the screen and explained all the processes step by step.

Liked the Power point and life experiences, this made me understand more. Information was excellent and is easy to understand and use.

As a reviewer, I really appreciated the extra handouts - I now have a better understanding of how the processes work.

Applicable to all areas of my life not just my stuttering

Opened my mind up – learned many new things – new outlook

The process of learning about yourself, thoughts and feelings was great – loved the whole 5 days

As a reviewer, really liked the new information section leading into the manual, I found it very helpful and made it easier for me to understand, I liked the way Lorna simplified the exercises, Effect can be lost for me sometimes in the lengthy exercises.

Presentation was very good, I thought the information was great.

The manual is pretty big, looks overwhelming but then Lorna explained it, and showed it step by step on the screen and I got a much better understanding of it.

I believe the content is a little confusing at first but the way in which Lorna simplified it with her explanations and power point helped me a lot.

I found it too Americanised, I am sure I will understand it better as I re-read it now after the course.

I would suggest to try to simplify the manual - Lorna did this perfectly with her simple explanations and presentation.

PRESENTER

Lorna was excellent, I really appreciated her thorough understanding of the material and it is great to see that her and Jon are living what they are teaching.

Lorna, you have a great outlook on life and a passion for helping/supporting us all to reach our full potential of speaking more fluently.

You have brilliant expertise, warm, glowing energy that makes me feel good – I now believe that I to can achieve more fluency. Thankyou so much

Lorna has done a fabulous job, it is great how you push everyone to extract themselves from their comfort zone

Lorna was excellent and very supportive in helping me get to the root of my stammering , her passion for living life to the fullest gave me the motivation I needed to change the way I have been making choices that limited me in many ways.

Lorna is wonderful passionate woman. I truly envy the way you have overcome your personal challenges, you are so full of life, thankyou for all of your support and help. I now know that I can also overcome my main challenge of stuttering.

ASSISTANTS

Jon has given me hope of gaining complete fluency – I will use him as my mentor.

Both Jennifer and Jon have been great, I appreciated their support with the exercises.

It was great to have people around you to get you out of your comfort zone –this makes a Difference and has made me go and get results

Jennifer was excellent in her way of telling me the truth of the matter in a firm but kind way.

What benefits have you recognised from attending this workshop?

I already feel more confident and that I now have access to the knowledge that I need to make a difference to my speech. I believe that I will attain fluency. Lorna is a warm, compassionate, funny person who is deeply involved in helping people to reach their full potential. I found the course challenging and most interesting and am positive it will definitely make a difference in my life. Alison

I have a more positive attitude in general, I have pushed my blocking and stuttering to the background and have a stronger sense of self worth and am relating better to people in the foreground, I am speaking more fluently.
The course is well balanced and deals with feelings and emotions behind the physical Blocking and Stuttering. Terry

I now have a greater depth of knowledge, it has pushed me over the edge that I needed, who ever wants to deal with the yucky stuff that held me back. I feel that I am now free and can now reach my ultimate goal of speaking fluently in all situations. It is only our mind that stops us from reaching our goal of speaking fluently in all situations. Kerrie

I am not a stutterer, attended the course with my girlfriend, I believe that anyone can get over any of their fears
in their life by applying the principles and practises of this course. This course will surely change my life completely and people in my life will change their perception of me. I feel extra confidence and believe that I can really change completely what I have not liked about myself in the past. Adrian

I feel I am discovering some aspect of my personality I haven’t thought of for a long time, some of these aspects of me are the cause of my stammering, I now know that I can make the necessary changes. It was all a bit of a shock, I am really glad that I attended this course. Julie

I realise that I now have more power over my mind than I realised before the course. I thought the course was going to be too much for me to understand, but it has turned out not to be. I know I will become more fluent. Katrina

I know, since completing the course in Perth and reviewing in April, I have much more perseverance and confidence. Since doing this course with Lorna, I feel I have been able to explore and understand my inner-self. I have understood the concepts of the course much better and easier. Lorna explains it very well, so that I had a better understanding. Thank you for your time, patience and effort.   Holly Rolly

I feel so confident at this very moment. I am so excited to continue my road to fluency. I was a little sceptical at the beginning as I have tried so many different things and none of them have been successful, but now I know I can do it and I will. Lauren

Speech maintenance is the key for me (brick/wall) – this course was the mortar/cement. I wasn’t always sure as to if
I was doing the exercises correctly, simplifying the exercises would have made it easier for me. Thanks.

I now can see that I have been living in the past and allowing it to control my present and the future.
This course has allowed me to put my stutter where it should be, behind me. It is only a small part of the whole person I am. Brett

I now have a much deeper understanding of myself and how my stuttering works by me allowing it to control me.
I fully see the light of fluency at the end of the tunnel of practice and application.

I now have a better understanding of course material, I know that I am now able to apply concepts quicker (put into practice) – I was getting myself ‘stuck’ (bogged down) in too much detail and content

Give yourself the gift of attending this workshop. You’re worth it.

I hope to see you at the next The Keys To Gaining More Fluency by Mastering Your Blocking & Stuttering workshop

July 2004 - Brisbane Workshop Summary and Feedback.

PARTICIPANTS FEEDBACK –

Appreciated the extra handouts
Applicable to all areas of my life
Opened my mind up
learned many new things
New outlook
The process of learning about yourself thoughts and feelings was great
Loved the whole 5 days

About the manual –

liked how you presented your manual
I would suggest to try to simplify, you did this perfectly with your presentation.
Good presentation
Very Good

The Presenter -

Enjoyed it at all times
Truly professional presenter
Great outlook on life and a passion for helping/supporting PWBS
You have brilliant expertise, warm, glowing energy that makes you feel good
Good presentation Lorna

The Assistants -

Both Jenn and Jon added so many different aspects that enhanced the whole course. (they were great and added things where they had also experienced in making many changes in their lives, especially Jon from being a stutterer to how he became fluent)

What benefits have you recognised from attending this workshop?

I am a better person, I know myself better, and I will become fluent.
Deeper understanding of myself and how my stuttering works by me allowing it to control me. I fully see the light of fluency at the end of the tunnel of practice and application.
I have a different outlook on life. My past stuttering manners were not as important as I made out
I was an attention seeker rather than a participitator.
A far greater understanding of self
Already from the course I can feel a happier ‘self’. I can see that it will enable me to work on so many other aspects of my life that will give fluency.
The journey was started before I walked in the door but this will finish the process and continue my growth in myself.
I learnt a lot about my self and accept things more, with more practice comes more benefits so the foundation has been laid the building is about to be constructed.
Better understanding of course material, able to apply concepts quicker (put into practice) – was bogged down in too much content.

I would appreciate a testimonial that you will agree to me using in my promotions, that will encourage others who Block/Stutter to participate in this workshop.

Give yourself the gift of attending this workshop. You’re worth it.
The key is looking at your inner self, I believe that mastering stuttering is a journey that you can take only by looking at your inner self.
I found Lorna’s course to have added extra layers to the course I did in Perth. I have found the course to be beneficial in life in general rather than one aspect of my life – ie: stuttering. I have now given myself permission to do/ say and act the way I want to.
The course addresses where the stuttering comes from and treats it at the causes. It is not fluency modification, which can be
effective but doesn’t address the cause. Together they create powerful tools. (from a Mc Guire course instructor)

From Marc
Howdy all, I wish to encourage all Queensland Speakeasy members to attend this 5 day workshop. Carlo and I attended the Perthworkshop along with John Steggles (the President Australian Speak Easy Association) and I concur with John's comments below: "that all the participants felt the workshop was good value for money and were happy with what they got out of the course and are now well on their way to implementing the techniques that were taught"

What did MARC get out of it ???
Some history first! Smooth Speech has been part of my life for close to 25 years, and most of you guys know, I come across pretty damn fluent!..... Yep, I sure am... when I'm at the Mater!, or at a Speakeasy event!..... basically when ever I speak to another "stutter"! I seem to be able to turn on the "smooth-speech tap" with you guys! But unfortunately the other 90% of the time I'm not fluent, and I'm even less fluent when speaking with AUTHORITY figures!

This fluency phenomena has been puzzling me for years, for example: why do I speak fluently with my Mum, yet stutter chronically (until recently) with my Dad? why do I speak more fluently with younger people and less fluently with older people? why do I speakmore fluently with an apprentice and less fluent with my boss? and the list goes on and on and on .................................
I repeatedly questioned Speech pathologists about my dilemma!.... I knew from previous 'personal development' courses that our adult life is a pretty much shaped by childhood experiences from birth to age six! I used to ask the Speech pathologists what in my childhood could have caused me to stutter? (no other family member stutters!) etc...... No answers where forthcoming!!!!

But I knew in my "gut" that the solution to my stuttering would have to be a psychological one! The Speech pathologists have done a fantastic job making me 100% fluent in the laboratory but I was unable to transcribe those skills to the out side world! Why is this so? As soon as I made myself responsible for the solution to my problem... the answers came.. in the form of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) NLP/NS (Neurosemantics) has assisted me to think about stuttering differently!

NLP breaks up the meaning we put behind our stutter into 5 matrix's 1. Self 2. Power 3. Time 4. Others 5. World
For example: I related to my stutter and more importantly to using smooth speech in public like so.... Self Esteem Matrix - I don’t want to look like a fool. I will not show my vulnerability's or weaknesses. I will play it safe and create a sense of security because I am not like others. I am more sensitive. I can’t handle criticism well.

The Power matrix - I am going to try to control this? I am going to try to control every word that comes out of my mouth.
I will do that by becoming very self aware of my speech.
"Time" matrix - I am going to not repeat the past. I am not going to make a fool of myself with my speech anymore. If I block any emotion in this moment, it will give me more control.
How "Others" view us matrix - I am not going to attract attention. I am not going to let others see my vulnerability's. I will not let them see me struggle. I will avoid any situations around people or groups that will expose this weakness. I will not give others a chance to laugh at me.
How I view "World" matrix - I will not do anything that will draw attention to me in my work, career, etc. I will avoid peaking situations that will attract attention to me.

NLP/NS has provided me with a frame work to understand how "unresolved" childhood issues drive adult stuttering, it has also given me the tools to train my mind to change states to a more resourceful state, in an effort to reduce my fear and anxiety associated with stuttering and in my case using smooth speech in public!

Now back to the original question - What did MARC get out of it ???
I feel calm, relaxed and confident about myself. I have put my "stuttering" into perspective, it is NO longer the biggest issue in my life, in fact, its a spec of sand, very unimportant. Thanks to NLP/NS when I meet new people or speak to authoritative figures, I no longer think those thoughts in the above 5 matrix's, this immediately reduces fears and anxiety associated with speaking and hence a better chance of fluency.