Right now the severity of the stutter is what's preventing me from having conversations with people and connecting with them. The blocks are very difficult to deal with, the prolongations are incredibly long, and talking is a nightmare. I've also had some unpleasant experiences where I've stuttered so intensely that I haven't been able to finish sentences and I've had to resort to other methods to get my message across. Example: I was once in a lecture room at university and another student asked me my name. I started stuttering so much, that I simply couldn't get the word out. I then took out my university ID card and handed it to the, so they could read my name. The experience was overall unpleasant and weird. So I guess ridicule and rejection is part of the fear? But I still stutter in other areas which don't have anything to do with rejection and embarrassment. My aunt for example, knows very well that I stutter and have social anxiety. We are very close and I have nothing to fear when interacting with her. However even when I talk to her, I am not able to have effective communication because of how severe the stutter is. Earlier in my life, I could talk to people like anyone else. I would still stutter when talking though. I guess it was not so severe back then and it was easier to deal with. It was more like a background thing, as opposed to now where the stutter is the forefront of my speech. So that's what I meant. I am not ashamed of stuttering. If people hear me stuttering here and there, then its fine. I just want to be able to talk to people and live life.