You know why it is paralyzing? It's peoples reactions toward it ans stigmas. They rarely treat you with respect. People get so frusterated at us for being down or frusterated with it. We learned to be frusterated over it because everyone acts frusterated at us because of it. We get belittled and shamed in every social instance we stutter. We see people who may of viewed is with respect lose it. They also do not take into account the bullying we endure, really for all our lives, but especially among our peers growing up. They act as if we should get over it. Exposure therapy only works when the thing that terrifies you actually turns out not to be a threat. That never changes with stuttering as we are instanlty made or labeled as vunerable.