After you have studied and identified what you are doing abnormally with your speech mechanism when you stutter, take advantage of pre-block, in-block, and post-block corrections to modify or eliminate your abnormal speech muscle behavior.
"The stutterer must come to know just what he does when he approaches a feared word or situation." (Van Riper)
Malcolm Fraser states in his book "Self Therapy for the Stutterer" that the post-block procedures should be learned and practiced first.
Post-Block Correction is called "Cancellation."
"Do this right after a block and before continuing speaking. That is when you should feel what went wrong. After you stutter on a word, you are to pause momentarily to allow time for you to think back and figure out what you did wrong which caused the stutter and plan how to correct it. Relax the tension in your speech mechanism, particularly in your throat. Get the feeling of your tongue lying limp in the bottom of your mouth. Let your jaw drop slightly open and feel the tension draining out as your breathing returns to normal. As you pause and relax, think back and ask yourself what caused you to get stuck on that sound - what did you do wrong - what did you do that was abnormal?"
"When the word is completed, stop completely and analyze all of the errors you made while all of the tensions and pressures are still fresh." (Starbuck)
After analyzing what you did wrong, repeat the word while making the corrections. Do the sound on which you blocked in a smooth, prolonged manner. Keep your voice flowing in order to make the transition to the next sound. Over-correct what you did wrong. If it was a sound that requires a light contact, press your lips together so lightly that there is little or no contact.
Doing this the first time may seem like it interrupts your conversation too long, but it will get easier the more often you do it. The delay and corrections will show others that you are determined to control your difficulty. This will help you gain confidence and control of your speech.
Practice this for a long time before trying the next step In-Block Corrections.
