Also look at this SLPs video who gave a speech to NSA about the mechanism that is stopping airflow to your vocal chords. Valsalva maneuver - unwanted automatic clenching of lower core muscles that impacts airflow to vocal chords. Its a flight or fight response to fear, *not of telling the Starbucks person your name*, but of precious memories of perception of being mocked for bumpy speech. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AyeJ5t22mUE Also, breathing *out* works for you because it’s the way most people speak. “Take a deep breath” came about from SLPs who had been given no training in dysfluency. There was never any science behind it, and if you aren’t able to breathe into your diaphragm only (like a yoga breath), it actually triggers a further fear mechanism in most. I think you’ll find that most people (including myself) who have had a near-total a near-permanent reduction in blocks and avoidance behaviors are talking on *normal sized exhales*. I occasionally get blocks, but can instantly resolve them with eye contact and exhaling. I occasionally get repetitions, *but they are not scary to me*, and they easily flow into my next sound! Sometimes, after some, I feel powerful, bc I barely noticed as they were happening! Finally, why eye contact is so important https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stuttering-solutions-atlanta/id1521144482?i=1000480009823