Comparing to school: If a child in 4th grade sees a small harmless ant (or other insect) in his classroom, then he will most likely stay in the classroom and continue listening to the subject that the teacher is explaining. But, if a child, instead, self-imposes a rule/demand/expectation that he can only continue staying in the classroom (or keep listening to the teacher) if the ant is gone (or is reduced). Then the child is creating a health disorder on its own. If the child also self-imposes many other unnecessary rules, not specifically about the ant, but literally anything else, like: - \[I first need/desire to reduce the amount of students in class\] - \[I first need a certain confidence in class\] in order to continue being in the classroom or being able to continue listening to the teacher. Then this child is creating too high expectations, and thus, he increases the defensive mechanism because he perceives all those rules (that have not yet been met) as an error/threat. It's the same with stutterers. The longer we continue stuttering, the more we learn to self-impose rules, like: - I need more confidence (to decrease the defensive mechanism) - I need to reduce listeners interrupting me mid-speech - otherwise I increase my defensive mechanism that prevents me from saying words/sound - I need (or I desire) to reduce loud noise. - While other PWS speak more fluently during loud noise, so they might have learned the rule: 'I need to increase loud noise - to activate my defensive mechanism to allow saying words/sound' It's like an IF-THEN statement: 'If I perceive loud noise, then my defensive mechanism increases or decreases' (self-imposed rule). There are 1000s of things that affect our stuttering - very subtly, meaning that we rely on 1000s of self-imposed rules. Most of the rules are totally subconscious, I think. Unfortunately, most people have a lack of mindfulness (awareness) of these rules that increase (or decrease) the defensive mechanism. And instead, most PWS attribute their stuttering/fluency to: 'it's luck' 'I think my stuttering is just random' 'It's neurological, there is no mechanism' However, by adopting a denial stance, in my opinion, they are reinforcing doubt and possibility to stutter, and they allow their self-made defensive mechanism (that allows/prevents the execution of speech plans) free reign. At least, I think so **Conclusion**: So, if most PWS would then speak on auto-pilot, then they subconsciously activate the defensive mechanism without realizing this. Also, I think that there is a big misconception among many people on internet. They believe that if we don't '**feel fear or anticipation**' then it must be neurological. Of course, I think this assumption is totally wrong. I think, it doesn't mean that it's more neurological, rather it's simply that there are other triggers/rules/expectations/errors that our defensive mechanism perceives as a threat, (or at least an obstacle) and to be avoided, that is, we impose on ourselves that we first need to reduce/increase something so that the defensive mechanism allows execution of speech plans (or words./sounds). In other words, we have many other 'rules' (besides rules about fear or anticipation), it can literally be anything else that we 'need to reduce or increase' so that the defensive mechanism prevents/allows saying thoughts out loud. This is just my own take on it