> Except, this time, my head was swirling with techniques and tips and tricks to manage my stutter. Unfortunately, that mental load made my stutter even worse. I remember visiting family for the first time in a while and not being able to say a single sentence without a severe block. I felt awful. My family was the one group of people I talked to best. I'm really sorry that happened. And I can totally see how that would happen. I remember one of the specific instructions I had from my speech therapist was "Do not try to use anything we learn here out in public. Not until we agree that you're ready to do so."