>however much I read aloud, however much I practice or do light contact fucking prolongations, or coastal breathing, or WHATEVER, speech is never going to be a natural part of me. You don't have to do these things to make speaking easier. Once I found out that there were alternatives that had nothing to do with fluency I felt like there was hope again. Instead of trying to control and smooth your stutter in an effort to gain fluency, you can instead focus on reducing struggle and shame so that when you stutter it isn't attached with negative emotions and pain. When that happens, stuttering isn't a burden anymore and you'll have an easier time speaking because you're no longer captive by stuttering.