The Emotional Reflex

Many who stutter experience the feeling of being out of control when they stutter. At the moment of stuttering there is a diminished sense of awareness; not knowing and not being able to explain what happened. This "cognitive block" is coincident with the stuttering block and might be explained as an "emotional hijacking" or emotional reflex.

The concept of "emotional reflex" stems from the physiological studies of LeDoux. Its psychological application is credited to the work of Daniel Goleman in his book Emotional Intelligence.

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You will notice that many clients sincerely attempt to use their speech targets in anticipation of a stuttering event. However, as the moment draws to bear, they are unable to summon their target and they stutter. They are unable to explain what happened. Their best effort to explain their inability to use the target is generally "I forgot" or "It didn't work" --aware that they didn't use the target they planned to use, but totally unaware of what happened in that one split second. They lose control and conscious awareness of a critical aspect of the event.

Briefly and simply, LeDoux found neural interconnections between parts of the brain which "shortcut" the process which triggers the body's response to "emergency alarms". This shortcut bypasses the higher cortical functions (our intellect) which enables us to use the reasoning process to determine the precise nature of the alarm and how we should appropriately respond to it. For example, you hear a mysterious noise in a room in your home; you go to investigate. As you walk into a room your five-year old jumps out from behind the door and says "BOO". In that moment your body instantly and automatically responds in total "terror" as if you are about to be slain. You have just experienced an emotional hijacking. In the next second or two, after your intellect has a chance to process the event. You are able to determine your life is not threatened, it is only a "joke". In that instant you are unable to explain why your shoulders raised and your head "ducked"; you did not volitional move your body parts, it was a reflex.

Anticipation of an "emotional event", particularly a feared event, serves to heighten the response. This was the hallmark of the work of the film producer Alfred Hitchcock. The fact that the audience knew what was going to happen and were made to agonize, squirming in their seats waiting for the event to take place was part of the genius of the filmmaker. For the person fearfully anticipating stuttering, the emotional component of the event is similarly heightened.

Likewise, people who stutter are emotionally hijacked at the moment of stuttering, overwhelmed by emotion, unable to intellectually process the event. Their cognitive awareness diminished in the moment of stuttering. Emotions heightened by the anticipation and fear of an upcoming stuttering event.

In the another section of this website, ways of better managing the emotional reflex in stuttering are discussed.