Mind simulation model; an effective treatment to decreasing dissociative experiences caused by traumatic events in adult with stuttering disorder

Introduction: Stuttering can begin with the experience of traumatic event and the stress it causes. Mind simulation model is one of the promising treatments for stuttering and its associated problems. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mind simulation model on decreasing dissociative experiences caused by traumatic events in adult with stuttering disorder. Method: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test/ post-test design and a control group. The study population included all stutterers who referred to the Tavanmandsazan-e-Zehn Clinic in 2018-2019. Among them, the number of 30 stuttering 18- 45 years old men who had experienced a traumatic event were selected through available sampling method and put randomly into the experimental and control groups. After measuring basic levels of dissociative experiences of all participants using dissociative experiences scale (Bernstein, 1993), the experimental group received mind simulation therapy, while the control group received no intervention. Finally, both groups completed the post-test. Results: Results of MANCOVA analysis showed that mind simulation model could significantly reduce dissociative experiences (including dissociative amnesia وdepersonalization/derealisation, and absorption/imaginative) (p<0.001) in participants whose their stuttering were caused by experiencing traumatic events compared to the control group. Conclusion: Given these findings, it can be claimed that the use of this new method can help the therapists in the effective treatment of stuttering and its associated problems by mind enabling of the patients.