Hey everyone, thank you for reading my testimonial. I’m Kabir, and I grew up in Dubai, and I’m studying Psychology at the University of ELTE in Budapest, Hungary.
Long story short: I beat stuttering simply by discovering the one and only Danny and his videos, reading Lee Lovett’s great book and doing WSSA’s Mobile App, StopStutter. This is to say, I never really needed or requested coaching by WSSA’s Certified Stuttering Therapists.
Unlike most PWSS, at only 20 years old, I’ve had four relapses, and now this sad chapter of my life has ceased once and for all. It began at 13 when I was a normal child who loved speaking, thrived at interactions with other human beings, and took every opportunity he saw to converse. In one particular instance, I remember mocking my friend who had a stuttering problem of repeats. I believe his name was “Ivan” repeating what he said in a playful and teasing tone, it then somehow inserted itself into my consciousness; where for the first few months of my life, I had repeats which had people in confusion, laughter, mockery and were unable to comprehend my issue (any word you can describe the unusual). I am still, to this day, debating whether this was the root cause of my speech days. It stopped at 14 and began its toll at 16, having begun a new summer job and moving into a new school, where blocks were the new symptom of my stuttering, which I had zero knowledge of how I overcame the relapse.
My last and final relapse was at 18, having many obstacles, highs and lows and was an irritating part of my life. This was where the blocks turned out to be as severe as severe can get (unable to order, avoidance behaviour, inserting filler words for every sentence). At this stage of my life, I feared every interaction, whether a stranger, parent, friend, or basic greetings; it felt as though people were attacking me with daggers, and I just knew into every conversation that I would hit a massive roadblock. Before discovering coach Lee’s masterpiece of a programme, I tried the Valsalva Stuttering Therapy, which instructed me to practice breathing patterns such as contracting my puborectalis muscles, practising highs and low tones of every vowel and syllable, and elooongaaatiiiinggg everyyy singleeee sssylllabullleee.
I subsequently realised that the speech pathologist (SLP) whom I had a few sessions with said stuttering was a neurological/biological cause and that it was INCURABLE, totally dismissing the psychological aspect. I began to question why I took therapy in the first place. After the sessions, I saw minimal progress, and this rendered me defeated and helpless, pleading for a sacred source to pinch me out of this rathole I had dug myself into. THEN, a miracle came forth when I saw a talk between Danny and Coach Lee on YouTube, and I spent an hour watching the session and making notes for myself on my personal iPad. And that is when I decided to enrol myself into the WSSA.
My first consultation call was with the dude I saw on YouTube, the one and only Danny; I couldn’t believe it, THE DANNY. Danny said three words which always stuck with me through the programme: “Passion, Persistence, and Perseverance”. While investing time into this programme and reading coach Lee’s book, I resonated with every syllable on there as if I were watching a personalised Ted-Talk right before my eyes, the emotions, the anecdotes, and every aspect of Lee Lovets life condensed into one. This filled me with a glimmer of hope. Therefore, I made it a point to attend at least three crutch practice sessions each week, daily mind-training to affirm positive thoughts, which made me into the speaker I dreamt of becoming after all.
To everyone reading this, it may sound almighty impossible, but I believe that you can do it; have faith in the unseeable. If 90% of PWS can do it, you can do it too! And although my fears linger, I have the resourceful tools for it and fear isn’t stuttering. And I’m gradually beginning to love speaking anywhere and everywhere. Thanks to John from Scotland, Danny from Cincinnati, and Coach Lee for creating this life-changing programme! If I can conquer this… WHATS NEXT!!!
Kabir, Dubai-Hungary, January 2025
