My name is Sushan, and I am currently in college. I am 21 years old. I discovered Lee Lovett’s method through Reddit while desperately searching for stories about other people’s experiences with stuttering. I stumbled upon a post from someone sharing their frustration about how badly stuttering had affected their social life. As I read through the comments, I found one that mentioned Coach Lee’s methods. I quickly reached out and became familiar with the World Stop Stuttering Association (WSSA). This was in the summer of 2022.
I then read Lee Lovett’s book, How to Stop Stuttering and Love Speaking. At first, I doubted the methods, but after reading the book, I realized he was speaking nothing but the truth. Everything he mentioned in that book reflected my own experiences. I began applying the crutches and reading aloud as part of my daily routine. At first, it felt like I had found the ultimate solution to my stuttering, but after a week or so, I started to lose interest in the method. I questioned myself: If this method works, why am I not seeing any improvements yet? I’ve always been someone who expects quick results, and since I wasn’t seeing them, I stopped practicing the methods entirely.
Then, in the summer of 2024, I once again stumbled upon a comment mentioning Lee’s method. I revisited the book, thinking I must have missed something. I started applying the methods again and saw some improvements, but once again, I relapsed after a week. I felt disappointed. I questioned myself: Are all these hundreds of people who claimed the methods changed their lives lying? I began to reflect and sought coaching sessions from the WSSA. I then committed to the methods: 30 minutes of reading aloud and 20 minutes of affirmations in the morning, attending crutch practice sessions as often as I could, and 30 minutes of reading aloud and 20 minutes of affirmations before bed. I was also introduced to my speech plan called “Short-Link-Stop,” which I had not known about before.
All of these combined, along with the supportive community at WSSA, helped me persevere and stick to the methods for an entire month without a appearing to be a stutterer. Then, I began to see real improvement—not just small changes, but meaningful progress. To give you an idea, I started thinking less about my stuttering. I could say my name anywhere, anytime, and I no longer appeared visibly speech-disabled. That, for me, is a victory. Why? Other people view me as fluent; I can live seamlessly in the fluent world. That’s the bottom line. IF you want to live in the fluent world, this is the program for you.
Lessons Learned
One of the most important things I’ve learned is that overcoming a habit takes time. For me, just not appearing speech-disabled took a month, even with prior knowledge of the method and some practice. The second lesson is to keep practicing the methods no matter what. No matter whether you see results or not, dedicate those two precious hours a day to improving your speech. Even today, if I miss my routine for a day or two, I start losing confidence, and I notice a decline in my speech. It’s a continuous process, but if you truly commit those hours, you will improve, even if you don’t see visible changes right away.
Stopping stuttering is the first step. Erasing the stuttering memories, and thus overcoming fears of stuttering, takes much longer, but I many PWS have done it in this program. You can meet them at SAM Metings. I want to end my story with a phrase that I remind myself of every day: “The path to overcoming your stuttering is hard, but IT IS POSSIBLE.”
Sushan, Nepal, December 2024