September 12, 2014

7Th September 2014, SHG Meet Up

We must all hang together, or assuredly, we shall all hang separately!!
---- Benjamin Franklin
Hi Team,

I would first like to thank each member who made it for this Sunday’s meet up. A note of gratitude towards all others who have contributed to this SHG moving forward despite the many lows and highs. And a heartfelt 'thank you'
Dr Shivshankar and Dr Arvind to have lend their presence and address us. Unlike most Sundays, this 7th September was an important one as we moved a step towards a potential venture with NIMHANS.

I am excited to jump to the body of the meeting and I leave the initial activities we did to your guesses. I would appreciate if each of you could read through the mail till the end ,although the summary at the end is actually the objective of this meet.

We had Dr. Shivshankar (HOD of Speech and Audiology at NIMHANS) and Dr. Arvind (Senior Therapist and manages regular speech programs) from NIMHANS who visited our SHG this Sunday. After a very quick round of introduction, Dr Shivshankar started his address with a recreation of a severe stutter. I am sure most of the members present there experienced a little uneasiness while he did that. I was caught hoots when he did that in front of me, the first time I met him!

Mechanics of Speech: He began his talks with an explanation of the overall mechanism of speech and the various synchronizations between the thought and the physics of the body to produce the sound. This had us visualizing the entire process and the degree of conscious intervention from our end. He further explained that although the procedure is complex, the art of speaking in actual sense is a delicate activity. The exact opposite that we PWS do!

He suggested it will be helpful if each member takes out time to study the mechanism of speech production (on you tube/books/web). Just studying and appreciating the whole process without judgment gives a better understanding of what needs to be done with our speech!

I will leave it to your individual imagination on what could be the effect when the conscious mind along with past decisions, experience, stutter pattern, and the resultant anxiety strikes this delicate activity every moment while we are awake!


Good and Bad Circuits: As Dr Shivshankar explained the other mechanics, Mr. Tarak brought about a very interesting subject of the mind’s good and bad circuit. We sometimes wonder about the paradox we experience about being fluent at times and real hopeless during others. He pointed out that the way you react to your stuttering or fluency is all that matters. Just need to accept that the circuits are playing their trick! You really need to hear this from Mr. Tarak to JUST GET IT!

Body Language: As the discussion moved on Dr. Shivshankar pointed out the different ways body language affects our speech. This was in continuation to the idea of being good communicators that Dr. Sachin and other senior members stress during most communications with the members. Small cues like right eye contact, suitable hand movements, confident posture and empathy with the speakers makes a big difference.


Well, the list of the things and topics that were discussed goes on for long. This meeting was basically a rendezvous.I urge those who missed the session to lend an ear to anyone who attended to understand that whole space. I have listed a few takeaways below.
Other members who attended are free to add anything I might have missed in the 'Takeaways'.

Takeaways from NIMHANS
Takeaways from the meeting:
Willing to help with space and logistics
To remember that the speech is a soft activity that does not require too much pressure or stress
Have asked us to visit the NIMHANS OPD on 21st Sep 2014.
Sensitivity to help yourself rather than hurt yourself.
Dr Shivshankar suggested about getting a public face to our SHG.
To understand that you don’t live just for yourself but also for the people involved in your life and to accept that you decisions affect them as well.
Would confirm with the admin team to cover SHG in the network
Keep up the momentum running and work towards this potential collaboration
Mr. Tarak suggested he along with Dr Shivshankar can speak with the management at NIMHANS
Will workout on the 21st September visit plan.

I would conclude this here with a 'takeaway' I had from one of the training sessions I attended at my office! :)

Wisdom is merely the movement from fighting life to embracing it

---Rasheed Ogunlaru

--
Thanks and Best Regards
Pramod VP

1 comment:

ABHISHEK said...

very insightful.. I would try to ponder more on the points mentioned..