>*Even if I try to relax, the freeze mode kicks in almost immediately like panic. I can say the the feared word alone.. but in a social setting, my anxiety takes over.* I agree with you. Additionally, [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stutter/comments/120kxqm/tips_to_improve_stuttering_strategy_to_stop/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) post explains why people who stutter don't have a '***true freeze response***' like when prey animals freeze (making them unable to move any muscles), in us however, if we block, we are able to move all the muscles in our body, it only 'seems like' we cannot move the speech muscles during a block. The speech muscles are not actually frozen, paralyzed or stuck, we just get that impression caused by immersing in intrusive thoughts and feelings. If we (1) feel this intrusive fear (without trying to relax, without trying to reduce this fear), and interrupt ourselves when (2) '*we are blaming this fear to stop with moving speech muscles*' then we won't stutter. Try it out for yourself (first when you speak alone and later when you speak in a high stress environment or social setting whereby you fear anxiety. Note that the aim of the strategy (in above link) is to evoke and feel this anxiety instead of reducing it or instead of avoiding it by using avoidance-behavior). "*Do you think speech therapy would help in this case?*" No, in my opinion speech therapy does not aim for breaking the stutter cycle. In other words, speech therapy doesn't aim for '*interrupting when we blame fear to stop moving speech muscles*'. Speech therapies reinforce the vicious circle, for example by **(1)** trying to '*reduce fear*' which has never led us to outgrow stuttering previously, and by **(2)** trying to add 'speech techniques' which only leads to paying more attention to stuttering, lose faith in the forward flow of speech and reinforces conditioned stimuli.