Overcoming hidden stammering
As a child, Peter struggled with certain words and often avoided situations where he might have to speak. Discovering he had an interiorised stammer, he turned to City Lit for support. After joining City Lit’s specialist online Interiorised Stammering Therapy course, Peter found the confidence to speak up and truly be heard.
Video: Peter talks about his experiences at City Lit
Peter's story
As a child, Peter dreaded being asked to read aloud. Social situations at school made him anxious, and he quickly learned to adapt. “I replaced words. I avoided situations,” he says. “And that really continued into adulthood.”
Peter was living with what’s known as interiorised stammering. Unlike more visible types of stammering, this form often goes unnoticed. It’s not about obvious blocks or repetition, but about avoidance, steering clear of specific words, sounds, or conversations altogether.
“At work, I avoided giving presentations or answering the phone,” Peter explains. “I even turned down promotions. I felt like my stammer was holding me back.”
Things began to shift when Peter discovered the Interiorised Stammering Therapy course at City Lit. During his assessment, a tutor explained what he had been experiencing for years. “You have an interiorised stammer,” they told him. For Peter, that moment was a turning point. He decided it was time to face it, rather than keep hiding.
On the online course, Peter found a group a people who truly understood him.
“I was around people who got it,” he says. “They understood my stammer and my experience. I didn’t feel alone anymore.”
The course was about more than fluency. It was about freedom, the freedom to speak openly, to use the words he actually wanted to say, and to stop avoiding situations just because they involved speaking.
“Finding my voice has been such a key part of this journey. It’s not just about sounding fluent. It’s about accepting myself, not holding back anymore.”
Today, Peter is doing the things he once avoided. He’s applying for new roles, signing up for training courses, and even ordering exactly what he wants from a menu without second-guessing his words.
His advice to others? “If you think you have an interiorised stammer, don’t stay silent. There are people who want to help and that support can change your life.”
Find your voice at City Lit
Everyone is uniquely wired, with our own passions and ways of expressing ourselves. Yet many of us haven’t discovered our true voice or the confidence to share it. At City Lit, our courses are designed to help you find your voice by exploring your ideas, building your confidence, and unlocking the strengths you never knew you had.
Find your voice at City Lit, today.
Speech Therapy at City Lit
City Lit Speech Therapy, based in London’s Covent Garden, is an international centre of excellence offering a wide range of stammering therapy sessions including Interiorised Stammering Therapy led by expert speech and language therapists.
