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Abstract
In a qualitative study, 10 adults who stutter were interviewed to investigate their experience of treatment. They had all previously participated in behavioural treatments for stuttering that involved one of the variants of prolonged speech. In this type of treatment, people learn to use prolonged speech to control their stuttering. One of the themes to emerge was how difficult it is to use prolonged speech in many everyday communication contexts. The participants reported having an ongoing fear that they would lose control over their stuttering. A metaphor involving the playground rocker was developed to illustrate this experience. The metaphor also suggests strategies that might help people reduce these feelings of loss of control. These include improving conversational skills and reducing speech-related anxiety. Although developed for people who stutter, the metaphor also has implications for other communication disorders.