commentr/StutterOctober 31, 2024

Content

I think the thing to keep in mind is that every person is different, everyone for the most part stutters differently (although there are many commonalities) and therefore what works to manage stuttering for one person might not work at all for another. Using myself as an example: I’m almost 40. I have a career and a family and a social life. In my day to day life I’m almost perfectly fluent and I interact with people all day. That might sound really awesome to a lot of people who stutter more severely. Would it sound as awesome if I told you that I was a severely covert stutterer in my 20s? To the point that I was selectively mute in college and in my workplaces? That I was so miserable from spending so much effort hiding my stutter that I lost friends, had almost no self-esteem, and bounced around from job to job. For me at least, fluency came with a huge price, I am pretty happy now and in a good place, but I also wouldn’t wish my experience on anyone. So yes, maybe I have “cured” my stuttering, but who I am as a person is also forever changed and I feel like I missed out on my 20s in some important ways. Also, please don’t listen to people who tell you drinking cures stuttering. That’s just ridiculous.

Themes

Identity & DisabilityCauses & VariabilityEmotional Experience

Subthemes

Authenticity vs. MaskingSeverity & FluctuationHelplessness & Agency