In my opinion: I think that stuttering-like disfluencies require a certain belief \[convincing oneself\] \[self-imposing demands\], which could play a critical and likely necessary role in the manifestation of stuttering events. Jackson & [Yaruss](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfludis.2021.105878) (2021), for example, states that we are required to believe "the right things" in order to speak (more) fluently - when speaking alone. Of course, we don't ONLY improve fluency when alone.. we have 100s, if not 1000s of other beliefs, which are essentially self-imposed demands. These are demands that I have imposed on myself that affects my stuttering \[convincing myself of a certain beliefs\]: * (1) I deny voluntary control whenever I experience a loss of control * (2) I require a reactive approach to sensing a loss of control (instead of a proactive one) * (3) I increase motivational conflict e.g., by perceiving less communication competence or less sense of self-efficacy during the speech initiation of a feared word * (4) I justify starting from zero after incentive learning - resulting in disregarding dopaminergic motor learning (disregarding new knowledge gained through past errors) * (5) I reinforce a tendency to rely on freezing as a defensive behavior (such as freezing, fighting, avoidance) (instead of exhibiting a greater repertoire of defensive behaviors beyond freezing) * (6) I decrease cognitive flexibility (this ability to alter goal-directed thoughts and behaviors when needed, is essential for cognitive control) * (7) I link speech and language processes that are monitored for cognitive conflict to speech perception (instead of domain-general) * (8) I reinforce overreliance on [internal/external](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iIWvZ4K8-apu4IRCCHStCL9iOA0c92k8/view?usp=sharing) feedback * (9) I become more cautious to prevent errors, specifically when perceiving or anticipating a loss of control In the table is explained that "loss of control" is unique to stuttering. **But, what is a sensation of loss of control?** If we feel a loss of control, right before stuttering on a feared word (saying our name for example) - our stomach feels like its going to bottom out, our chest gets tight, or our heart starts to pound so hard it feels like everyone can hear it. And our face heats up, we feel a lump in the throat and then our eyes start to well up. Years of stuttering have led to developing this feeling of loss of control which everyone perceives differently.. also, it has led to a "learned" association - aka a link - between this feeling of loss of control and being convinced that we are unable to initiate articulation. However, this sensation of loss of control doesn't actually mean that we will stutter. But if we implement or rely on this demand of "the sensation of a loss of control" (convincing ourselves of this belief that we need to respond to it), what actually happens is, we are shifting motor control from being predominantly on one side (lateral) to being distributed and coordinated on both sides of the hemispheres (bilateral). Because we limit our ability to execute speech plans due to imposing conditional beliefs, such as, we try to find ways to keep unpredictable stuttering moments from happening, or to find ways to predict when the stuttering events may be likely to occur. Over time, anticipatory anxiety and physical tension are then integrated into this loss of control feeling - becoming habitual in response to the chronic conflict-demand phenomenon. If we rely on perceptions or expectations regarding this loss of control to form speech decisions in order to initiate articulation - by requiring the concomitant use of highly controlled processes (resulting in greater prevalence of disfluency), then **cognitive conflict** is established. If stuttering were more predictable, it would likely not lead to such strong feelings of losing control in our speech mechanism (e.g., [Evan Usler](https://alliedhealth.ceconnection.com/ovidfiles/00011363-202201000-00004.pdf)). This, then, leads to things like superstitious behavior. PWS do not react to the behavior of stuttering (i.e., repetitions, prolongations, blocks), but to the loss of control that underlies those behaviors and the feeling of helplessness and frustration that results (Yairi & Seery). It's surprising that few clinicians seem to understand these aspects of the stuttering experience. Many SLPs impart the message to clients that ‘‘*if you would just use your targets, you could be fluent*’’ or ‘‘*if you did it all the time, you could be more fluent all the time.*’’ When viewed in the context of loss of control, the involuntary, out-of-control moment of stuttering occurs and, at that time, these ‘‘fluency targets’’ are not helpful. Quesal (PhD) suggests that if we examine individuals who have recovered from stuttering, we would find that the nature of their success lies in how they have dealt with loss of control ([Quesal](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/47795582_Empathy_Perhaps_the_most_important_E_in_EBP)). I argue, by habitually relying on this feeling of loss of control to initiate articulation \[vicious loop\], it can cause abnormal neurological overactivation in the right-hemisphere (e.g., abnormal attempts to get past a block: hyper-attention, hyper-activity, emotions, secondaries), or dysfunction in the left-hemisphere e.g., Basal Ganglia (specifically, an inhibition of the speech motor program due to a lack of tolerance for perceiving or anticipating an invalid speech error) (as explained in the table). This is just my perspective on the matter. What is your own viewpoint? If the loss-of-control conflict is not resolved before the onset of articulation, an emergency braking of the motor system occurs (e.g., a speech block) (see [research](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352029918_STUTTERING_DOPAMINE_AND_INCENTIVE_LEARNING)). If we experience a loss of control, and we consider this a speech error, while we impose the demand e.g., "*I require a certain perception or anticipation to initiate articulation*" (aka self-imposed demand), then this can activate the Behavioral Inhibition System ([BIS](https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Behavioral+Inhibition+System%22+%22stuttering%22&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjbys7HqLmCAxUKh6QKHXJyBVMQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=%22Behavioral+Inhibition+System%22+%22stuttering%22&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzoECAAQHjoHCAAQGBCABFDQCliyGWCiGmgAcAB4AIABhgGIAbsGkgEEMTMuMZgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=cRJOZZvOO4qOkgXy5JWYBQ&bih=835&biw=1745)). Because of the perceived threat, for example, during a feared word we desire articulation, but we expect an inability to initiate articulation (mismatch in expectation) \[motivational conflict\]. Motivational conflict can reinforce anxiety, arousal, tension and other physiological changes, and can require avoidance behaviors, thus perpetuating the heightened sense of loss of control. This dynamic may create a vicious cycle in which excessive use of cognitive control via the BIS creates more cognitive conflict than it resolves.