Why Do Adults Stutter? The Real Causes Explained

Stuttering in adults is widely misunderstood. I have my own beliefs about the causes of stuttering since it was a part of my life for so long until I was able to cure myself. And I know many people in the stuttering community do not like the word "cure" — but I am free to use it for myself. You can listen to me speak on my website at www.stopstutteringnowgurian.com.

Below are my thoughts on the causes — and what you can do about it.

"Just slow down."

"Take a deep breath."

"Relax — you know what you want to say."

If you stutter, you have heard all of this. And you know how unhelpful it is. Not because the people saying it do not mean well, but because it misses the point entirely. People you are stuttering to feel very awkward. They don't know what to do, or how to react, which is why sometimes they try and "help"!

Stuttering is not caused by going too fast. It is not caused by forgetting your words. And it is definitely not caused by being nervous — though anxiety makes it significantly worse, because stuttering is what I call "situational." It depends on the situation and how you feel in that particular situation.

So what is actually happening? And why does it persist into adulthood for so many people?

Personally I do not agree with the neurological approach, and it is here that I must state again that I am not a speech pathologist. I spent many years as a Cosmetic Dentist and a Clinical Professor at N.Y.U. in Oral Medicine and Oro-Facial Pain. I also spent 20 years on the Board of The Association for Spirituality and Psychotherapy, where I lectured at Energy Psychology conferences.

This is not to say that you have to have a heart attack to be a cardiologist, or have every disease yourself in order to treat it — but with stuttering, which I believe is psychological and emotional, who better to learn from than someone who had it and let it go.

One of my most successful clients was engaged to a speech therapist the entire time we were working together, and she was not able to help him. She told him that in her studies they spent very little time on stuttering.

He recently married her and sent me a thank-you video for being able to get married. He had been putting it off for fear of stuttering on his vows. As the result of my work he was able to say his vows perfectly and sent me a beautiful video to thank me for it. You can see it on the website!

Most children start stuttering around 5, 6, or 7 years old — when they have already been speaking fine from the age of about 2. To me that means it is a subconscious reaction to something going on in their lives at the time they start stuttering. I do a very in-depth interview and questionnaire before I start working with a patient.

Here is something that puzzles many people: if stuttering is neurological — which I don't believe it is — then why does it get worse when you are nervous, and better when you are relaxed, alone, or talking to a pet or a baby?

Pets and babies are not judgmental. Many stutterers are sensitive and creative people who fear being judged for whatever reason. I always say it is never important to say that this is exactly why you are stuttering, or why you are reacting in a certain way — but it is very important to look at all the possibilities.

For most adults who stutter, the psychological layer is the layer that is most responsive to treatment. I spent 20 years on the Board of The Association for Spirituality and Psychotherapy, and I use a body-mind-spirit approach to stopping stuttering.

Over years of stuttering, most adults develop an elaborate system of avoidance. They substitute words they can say for words they fear they will block on. They wind up with a very big vocabulary! (LOL) They often let others speak for them. They avoid phone calls, introductions, job interviews, things like food orders in restaurants, and social situations.

Avoidance feels protective. In the short term, it reduces the immediate discomfort of stuttering. But in the long term, it does something damaging: it teaches the brain that speaking is dangerous, and that there are certain words or sounds that you cannot say.

Every time you avoid a feared word or situation, you reinforce the belief that you cannot handle it. The fear grows. The situations you avoid multiply. Your world gets smaller. The answer is to challenge yourself and NEVER back down from a word.

This is why avoidance is one of the central targets of effective stuttering therapy — not because avoiding is a moral failure, but because it is the mechanism that keeps the problem alive.

Myth: Stuttering is caused by anxiety.

Anxiety makes stuttering worse, but it does not cause it. Many people who stutter are perfectly calm in low-stakes situations and still stutter. The neurological difference is always present; anxiety amplifies it. And people perceive you as a nervous person which is not good if you want to be a doctor, as in my case! (LOL)

Myth: Stuttering means you are not intelligent.

This one is particularly damaging and completely false. Stuttering has no relationship to intelligence. Many highly accomplished people in law, medicine, business, entertainment, and politics have stuttered throughout their careers. But you really have to want to stop in order to conquer stuttering because it's not easy! It takes work and determination, but it's fun work and the goal is fluency.

Myth: You can stop stuttering by thinking before you speak.

If anything, thinking too carefully about speech makes stuttering worse. The more you monitor and control your speech, the more tension you introduce — and tension is a primary driver of blocks.

I look at stuttering as a kind of bad habit. If you've been told since you were a child, by an adult, that there was something wrong with your speech, you will believe it and carry that thought with you for your whole life until someone like me teaches you to release that thought!

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most evidence-supported approach for adult stuttering. It works by teaching you how to change your thoughts and release the old negative thoughts and replace them with new positive thoughts. One of the affirmations I work with is "Fluency is Freedom" — and it is such an amazing feeling to be fluent, it's hard to explain.

I had a severe stutter for most of my life. I could not say my own name. Most stutterers have a hard time saying their own name and my feeling is because your name represents your identity — and if you are not happy with who you are, it's difficult to put that information out into the world.

I avoided phone calls, introductions, and any situation where I might be put on the spot. My parents sent me for speech therapy and nothing worked. I was so depressed. In college I had to see the school psychologist to try and help me deal with it. But I was determined not to go through my whole life as a stutterer. That started my journey on curing myself, and where I started developing my techniques.

What finally worked was understanding the cognitive dimension of my stutter — the beliefs, the anticipation, the avoidance — and working through them systematically. That is the approach I bring to my work with clients today.

If you are an adult who stutters and you are tired of managing around it, I would be glad to talk. I offer a free 20-minute introductory session — no commitment, no pressure. (It often goes to 30 minutes because since I don't stutter, I have a lot to say! LOL)

Schedule your free session or call (212) 826-8125.