Great post! You never had a stutter disorder until 13 years old where you then started to block and few months afterwards it turned into a severe form until 26 years old. You experience that something (not anxiety) leads to stuttering. In reply to your question 'what caused this sudden shift', in my opinion, I think that different stutterers have different early onsets. For example, where one stutterer starts stuttering after a bad experience in class, another stutterer started stuttering after imitating someone who stutters (this is me), and so there are a variety of ways how PWS start to stutter that eventually leads to anti-confidence thoughts like anticipatory anxiety: 'I can't breathe' and 'I can't move my mouth during a speech block' In my opinion, what all stutterers have in common, is that the fear that we had in class (a long time ago), is not what is in our mind right now during stuttering. Yes indeed, sometimes it could be fear and sometimes it's not fear that leads to a speech block today, however, it's not that we think about that one feared teacher in class from the first grade when we are stuttering today is what I'm trying to point out. I think it's important to distinguish what stuttering is: primary symptoms (inability to breathe and inability to move mouth) versus secondary symptoms (repetitions, facial muscle jerks, attention-holding behavior, avoidance behavior, waving hands). Secondary behaviors like waving hands can create stuttering. For example if one sets a **condition**: 'I first need to wave my hands to start speaking'. I think secondary behaviors sometimes lead to stuttering, while primary behaviors always lead to stuttering, naturally we cannot speak without breathing out or moving our mouth. Yes indeed, 80% of kids outgrow stuttering. When you ask how they removed stuttering, these kids usually reply with similar answers like confidence in their speaking ability. I think that 'acceptance' where one acknowledges he doesn't have confidence yet, but believes he will gain confidence, is the first step to improve one's stutter or specifically, to improve the primary behaviors: calmly breathing and calmly moving one's mouth. Lastly, I think that most stutterers perceive 'acceptance' as: 'I cannot **choose** to breathe or move my mouth during a speech block' - they conclude: I accept this and I will live with this problem. I want to point out an important stigma floating around the community, that prevents PWS from improving - in my honest opinion: 'PWS will stutter more if they: 1. focus on their speech mechanism 2. try or have the intention to breathe or move their mouth'. **Firstly**, I think that this stigma is a 'personal **condition** that we set to ourselves that reinforces the stutter cycle'. **Secondly**, I suggest to not perceive or associate: 'focusing on how you speak' as 'stuttering more'. **Ultimately**, I suggest to try it out for yourself: 1. speak while focusing on how you speak 2. notice how the stigma 'stuttering more' doesn't apply anymore. What did you notice after you tested this out? Did you stutter more or less after intentionally breathing out and moving your mouth by stopping said **condition**?