I think we are talking about two things. I am focusing more about stuttering and you are talking about anxiety. I agree these are not mutually exclusive, but I stutter even when I’m not anxious at all, like at my house with my spouse. There is a very strong anxiety component to stuttering but idk which comes first? Does stuttering cause anxiety or vice versa? Is that even an important question? I think so because if it worsens speech then it would be a good idea to eliminate it. But then we have to go into what is anxiety? The way I explain to my patients is like this: we are all born with a bucket for neurotransmitters. The ratios and amounts of these neurotransmitters is genetically mapped. Some people have overflowing buckets, others have buckets that 2 thirds or half way full. Then life comes along and stress comes with it. Each stressor, be it divorce, disappointments, launching into adulthood, high school, having kids, working, illness, etc, all punch holes Into your bucket. You begin to leak out even more neurotransmitters. This causes anxiety and depression. You can absolutely try to cope with low neurotransmitter levels and tell yourself to suck it up, be positive, be a man, be a woman, be strong, but the bottom line is, your neurotransmitter levels are low and eventually you will suffer from unrelenting anxiety which will manifest not only psychologically, but physically with stress illness such such as obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, acid reflux, irritability, addiction, etc. Solution: meds work, counseling works, but both together really work well and are superior to just one. Anxiety is one aspect that is easily fixed, but it’s only one side of the coin. The other side is actively fixing the stutter and aiming for fluency. https://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/biochemistry-of-anxiety