Stuttering and Polyvagal Therapy

Polyvagal therapy applied to stuttering can produce significant results. A person who stutters is known to stutter less when feeling safe. Stuttering is therefore linked to a state of anxiety: an untimely activation of the sympathetic system (the branch of the nervous system that prepares us for fight or flight) and of the dorsal vagal system (the branch that slows us down and makes us freeze), which together block the speaker. Dr. Paret collaborates on this subject with the National Association for the Treatment of Stuttering in Italy. Below is an overview of the interventions we propose to create the sense of safety and well-being that is essential for addressing and managing this communication disorder:

Double Perspective: the person imagines being, in turn, the listener and the speaker, moving back and forth between the two roles. In doing so, they discover that the listener is the speaker's first supporter, and a positive, reassuring emotional climate takes shape.

Voluntary Projection: Freud described projection as something we always do unconsciously. This technique uses it consciously, with positive images: the person imagines those present as dear, supportive people, and the initial anxiety turns into a feeling of welcome and affection. The first few seconds matter for a positive impact, and here too a sense of connection is created.

Solar Plexus Stimulation: a gentle touch on the solar plexus area (the upper abdomen, just below the breastbone) stimulates the vagus nerve and promotes calm and well-being. In our practice we used this kind of touch, and saw the breath settle and the voice loosen, years before we read Porges; the theory now relates this effect to the vagal pathways that regulate breathing and voice. It reduces tension and improves speech fluency.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation: learning to recognise and release muscle tension throughout the body, especially around the throat and jaw, reduces the physical barriers to fluent speech.

Support Groups and Group Therapy: these increase the sense of safety and connection, again by activating the ventral vagal system (the branch of the vagus nerve linked to safety and social engagement). Sharing experiences and coping strategies in a supportive setting reduces the sense of isolation and strengthens emotional resilience in the face of stuttering.

Mindfulness and Meditation: these practices help the person centre themselves in the present moment, reduce general anxiety and handle stress and difficult speaking situations better.

Together, these interventions help people who stutter feel safer and handle speaking situations better. They draw on the body's ability to change emotional and mental states, through an integrated polyvagal approach that stimulates the person's own inner force.

Learn the method

Mesmeric Polyvagal Therapy is taught in the courses of Dr. Paret's School (ISI-CNV – Université Européenne): live seminars and online lessons, from the first-level Master to advanced training, with specific expertise in polyvagal hypnosis, trembling, completion of the response and ventral vagal stimulation. Request the programme and the next dates: our first contact is always a WhatsApp message, never a call.

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Research notes

A selection of peer-reviewed studies on polyvagal theory and vagal function that offer a scientific reading of the topics discussed in this article.

Zengin-Bolatkale H, Conture EG, et al. (2018). Sympathetic arousal as a marker of chronicity in childhood stuttering. Developmental Neuropsychology, 43(2), 135-151. Children whose stuttering later persisted showed higher sympathetic arousal (skin conductance) during a stressful speaking task than children who recovered, suggesting arousal as a possible early marker of chronicity in a small sample. https://doi.org/10.1080/87565641.2018.1432621

Tumanova V, Backes N (2019). Autonomic nervous system response to speech production in stuttering and normally fluent preschool-age children. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62(11), 4030-4044. Preschool children who stutter did not differ from fluent peers in sympathetic arousal during simple picture description, but showed higher arousal during a more demanding non-word repetition task; it suggests that arousal depends on task demand. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_JSLHR-S-19-0121

Bowers A, Saltuklaroglu T, Kalinowski J (2011). Autonomic arousal in adults who stutter prior to various reading tasks intended to elicit changes in stuttering frequency. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 83(1), 45-55. In 13 adults who stutter, anticipatory skin conductance rose before feared sounds and fell during choral reading, which also reduced stuttering; the authors conclude that arousal reflects the anticipation of stuttering but is neither necessary nor sufficient to produce it. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2011.09.021