Yes, emotional trauma can cause or worsen stuttering, leading to a type called psychogenic stuttering, which starts after a significant stressful event, or it can exacerbate existing developmental stuttering by increasing anxiety and stress during speech. While developmental stuttering (common in children) has complex causes, trauma and extreme stress can trigger speech fluency issues, sometimes even appearing as a form of post-traumatic stress.
Psychogenic stuttering is not common. It may happen after emotional trauma. Or it can happen along with problems thinking or reasoning.
Speech fluency can be disrupted during times of emotional distress. Speakers who usually do not stutter may experience problems with fluency when they are nervous or feel pressured. These situations also may cause speakers who stutter to have greater problems with fluency. Psychogenic stuttering.
Causes and Risk Factors
Emotional trauma, such as physical or verbal abuse, or significant life events, such as the loss of a loved one, can contribute to the onset of psychogenic stuttering.
Research indicates that subjects with PTSD typically exhibit a more monotonic voice characterized by fewer pitch variations (Marmar et al., 2019), decreased intensity (Schultebraucks et al., 2021), and slower speech (Marmar et al., 2019; Scherer et al., 2016).
Anxiety disorders can cause speech disruptions such as stuttering, hesitation, or avoidance of speaking. Social anxiety may also lead to challenges with verbal expression.
7 Clear Signs Your Body Is Releasing Stored Trauma
Acquired stuttering can occur at any age, and typically can be managed with speech therapy and various speech techniques based on the individual's preferences. In some cases, this type of stuttering may lessen as the brain heals from trauma.
Signs of childhood trauma
The 7 key signs of emotional abuse often revolve around Control, Isolation, Verbal Attacks, Gaslighting, Blame-Shifting, Intimidation/Fear, and Invalidation, where the abuser manipulates, belittles, and controls you to undermine your self-worth and reality, making you feel constantly fearful, worthless, and dependent.
Psychogenic Stuttering is a speech disorder that originates from emotional or psychological factors. Unlike other forms of stuttering, which may have neurological or developmental causes, psychogenic stuttering is triggered by psychological stress or trauma.
acquired or late-onset stammering – is relatively rare and happens in older children and adults as a result of a head injury, stroke or progressive neurological condition. It can also be caused by certain drugs, medicines, or psychological or emotional trauma.
Psychogenic stuttering is a type of stuttering that is caused by psychological factors. Some psychogenic stuttering examples can include things like anxiety, depression, or trauma. Psychogenic stuttering can also be caused by physical factors, such as a head injury.
Stuttering can occur after mild to moderate head trauma.
Yes, stuttering can be increased by anxiety. But how? Well, fear causes your body to release cortisol and prepare for “fight or flight.” This fear response leads your body's vocal muscles to tighten, which makes it harder to pronounce words—and for some people, could increase stuttering.
Common causes include: stroke, severe head injury and brain tumours. Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and motor neurone disease.
In univariate analyses, all 5 forms of childhood trauma in this study (ie, witnessing violence, physical neglect, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse) demonstrated statistically significant relationships with the number of different aggressive behaviors reported in adulthood.
The 10 ACEs of childhood trauma are:
Symptoms of unprocessed trauma frequently emerge as: Physical symptoms: heart palpitations, sweating, or shaking. Emotional symptoms: panic, feeling trapped or terrified. Psychological symptoms: avoidance of situations that trigger the trauma.
A few examples of treatment methods include: Speech therapy. Speech therapy can teach you to slow down your speech and learn to notice when you stutter. You may speak very slowly and carefully when beginning speech therapy.
Palilalia differs from stuttering in that palilalia is a speech repetition of a whole word or words occurring at the end of speaking; stuttering, in contrast, can include repetitions of sounds or words at the beginning or middle of sentences, and may also present as prolongation of vowel sounds or difficulty starting a ...
Stammering may be one feature of this. psychological reasons, often as a response to a traumatic event or to extreme stress. medication related reasons. Some medications such as those that treat psychotic illness may lead to a change in speech.
Ongoing negative emotions of fear, blame, guilt, anger or shame. Memory problems, including not remembering important aspects of a traumatic event. Feeling detached from family and friends. Not being interested in activities you once enjoyed.
Signs Your Brain Is Starting to Heal
You start responding rather than reacting. Your relationships feel safer, and boundaries become easier to set. You find joy in small things again, and moments of peace last a little longer. These are all signs that your brain is gradually rewiring in healthier, more balanced ways.
Crying when angry can be linked to past trauma, where the nervous system reacts to triggers. Emotional flooding occurs when stress responses lead to overwhelming feelings. Strategies like mindfulness and therapy can help regulate these emotional reactions.