I think everyone here has had the experience you describe. My stutter was much like yours, where I would work so hard to get a syllable out that I'd contort my face, make unpleasant noises as I tried to force out the words. I definitely understand where you're coming from. I also remember being so angry when people would tell me to slow down or breathe. Like you mention, they had no idea what they were talking about. Some people would tell me to think about what I was saying before I said it. That makes it so much worse! At the same time, however, I learned through quite a bit of speech therapy that the facial contortions and forced but ineffective syllables were coping techniques. Some people develop a tick when they stutter. Others develop coping mechanism like you and I. The irony is that the coping mechanism becomes worse than the actual stutter! So in some ways, slowing down and breathing *is* the right advice. You need to break the block. I'm now 45 and I still stutter. It's not always as bad as it used to be, but sometimes it is. I have however dealt with the worst symptoms of stuttering, and that helps me feel a lot more comfortable with it. If I could give someone in that boat advice, I'd say when you are blocked don't force through the block. Working on different ways to say syllables *can* help. It won't cure anything; if there were a cure this sub wouldn't exist. The key is to focus on management.