wow, this hit home, so much so that I relate to everything you typed, esp. about exposing your vulnerability, and finding meaningful connections with other human beings. I listen to other people with the same interest that I wish my voice to be heard. Most people notice this, and they open themselves up. I'm also trying to desensitize myself to what other people think about me. I'm consciously putting myself into situations where I might fear being made fun of, or being embarrassed, and trying to get embarrassed 'on purpose'. Also, I'm working on the self-esteem part, esp with strangers and big groups. However, I feel completely at ease with my stutter in remaining situations. To keep things interesting, I voluntarily stutter in some difficult situations. This bring down my anxiety from 100 to 10 in matter of few sentences. I'm not even kidding how effective this is .... Anyways, thanks for sharing. Your coping techniques have motivated me, and hopefully it'll help many more