commentr/StutterJuly 24, 2025

Content

I would say self acceptance first and then if you want to pursue actual speech therapy, you'll already be in a better place mentally which is only going to increase your chances of long term success. But more importantly, it will help you to cope if it ever becomes clear that long term success is unlikely. I say this from personal experience after having been through intensive fluency shaping programs. Every time I've gone through one of these programs, I come out of it with near 100% fluency... for a while. But the stuttering always returns. The last time I went through this I really thought I would be able to make it stick this time. Because I'm older now and more mature and more responsible and I know that it takes a lot of home practice after the program ends to maintain fluent speech long term. But, for me, it doesn't matter. I practiced every day and, though I was able to maintain it for longer than I ever had before, within a few months it started coming back. Within six months I was back to basically where I was before. And I can tell you, if you think stuttering sucks now, try experiencing 100% fluency for a few months and then having it slip away. That's when it really sucks. Because you've felt the freedom that you've always wanted and goddamn did it feel good. They say it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. Well that's not the case with fluency. It's much better to have never known fluency than it is to have it and then lose it again. And I think it makes it harder to ever get to a place of self acceptance if you haven't already gotten there before.

Themes

Therapy & ProfessionalEmotional ExperienceIdentity & Disability

Subthemes

Positive Therapy TechniquesHope & MotivationAcceptance & Pride