Thanks for the comprehensive reply! For your first paragraph I have to say for me it is the exact same thing! It's nice to know you also can relate to stuttering and were able to help yourself in this way just as I did! We share a lot in common! I really enjoy ever trying to improve my wisdom on the topic as well and in turn find new ways to help myself. " However, I think that, if PWS replace **instructing** with: relying on the production/feedback system (such as, relying on **tension**) specifically to execute speech movements. Then this can result in stuttering (because applying tension by itself, doesn't result in executing speech movements.. only **instructing** execution of speech movements, results in moving the speech muscles), do you agree? " Yes! Very well said. There is a difference between instructing speech and relying on tension! I may find myself having to pull out of the tension I began compensating with and going back to instructing speech. Question: Could it be that when something goes wrong, we instinctively rely on tension rather than instructing speech and starting a feedback loop of relying on tension again and again not being able to distinguish between the 2 anymore? "... even if we excessively focus on tensing the speech muscles, or feeling confident - to execute speech movements. Then this by itself doesn't necessarily result in **instructing**, and thus, tension or confidence doesn't guarantee fluency, do you agree?" This took me a moment because sometimes just relying on relieving tension or (even more powerful for my state of mind) considering any psychological effect that does (such as asking myself what I'm afraid of, what do I want to say that is so scary, let me be with this fear but be able to talk anyway) lets me talk like I am back on autopilot. But like you said, "sometimes" it isn't enough, it feels like I can't untense and maybe the picture I was missing was to then be sure to re-instruct myself to talk. A lot of times I do so as I pull back a few words to let go of relying on tension. So I'll say one or 2 words again but feeling like I'm saying it louder, in a different tone, with more confidence, and in that sense maybe I was just instructing myself to talk again, maybe I did not forget this step! Other times I repeated the word I started on but in a much more pronounced and slower pace. Like I was correcting myself to get me going again. Again felt like re-instructing myself to talk in a new way rather than continue through with tension. Maybe in a new way because I was fearing if I did it the exact same way I would be calling on tensing through it rather than instructing myself to talk all over again, like I said in the previous paragraph, getting confused between the 2. But most times it happens so quickly, I just pull back to release the tension I fell into or rather as you may allude to, the mindset of using tension to force through an issue, and simply started talking again. I didn't think of needing to do anything special with the place I had issues with, the word or sound, but I just started talking again, that was it! My mind did not think there was anything special I needed to do when I got back to the word or sound I happened to mess up on. That was just "where" it happened, not why. And understanding that distinction really helped me imho. (I'll hit reply now incase this becomes too long as well and then reply to this post as I continue reading the next pages in your reply.)