Dear Dr. Gurian.

I have been meaning to write to you but have not had a chance lately. I just wanted to thank you for the amazing and dramatic changes that your therapy has made to my life.

I had experimented with many other forms of therapy before finding yours. All had either nonexistent or negative impacts on my speech. The reason that your therapy works while other types don’t is because you do not teach a trick or weird speaking technique. You simply eliminate the cause of stuttering based on the fact that there is nothing physically wrong with people who stutter. You taught me that I am not a “stutterer,” but I am (or WAS) just a normal person who happens to be inflicted with a bad stutter.

You have a unique respect for people who stutter because you used to personally stutter. The experience of stuttering automatically gives you more credibility than any “speech therapist.” The vast majority of “speech therapists” really don’t have the slightest idea of what it is like to stutter, so they lack respect and compassion for their patients. In fact, I now believe that while some have good intentions, most speech therapists specializing in stuttering treatment are just trying to make money without really caring if their therapy is effective. They think the first “S” in stuttering is a dollar sign missing the vertical line. You are just the opposite: not only is your therapy more effective than any other I have ever experienced, but it is also significantly less expensive.

I am still amazed how I found you. One night I was watching the evening news on TV, and there was a story about this revolutionary new product called the “Fluency Master,” which is a product that goes behind the ear and is supposed to “trick” you into not stuttering in some crazy way. I had heard of something like this before, but did not really know much about it. They mentioned a website, so I decided to look it up. The website claimed that this “miracle product” worked in ninety-something percent of patients who tried it.

Please understand, before I began therapy with you, whenever I heard the word “stutter” I would stutter even more. So, since stuttering was already in my head and my fluency for the next few weeks was destroyed anyway, I decided to do some research on stuttering and this product. As expected, I found out that the “Fluency Master” only was prescribed to approximately three percent of patients, and its effects usually wore off after about two weeks. Oh yeah, it also costs over $5,000 and is not covered by insurance!

So, as I now had entirely stopped even considering trying this product, I did some more research on stuttering. Within just a few minutes, I came across your website. So, thank you very much “Fluency Master!” Your influence helped me find Dr. Gurian’s website.

Now I must admit, before I began your therapy I was really not even a remotely spiritual person. Even when I was looking through your website, I was not very confident that this was a valid treatment method. However, at the same time, I liked what you were saying. In fact, just by reading through your website, I began stuttering somewhat less. So, despite the fact that I was not a spiritual person and I had to travel 150 miles each way, I made an appointment to see you in December 2003. Remember, I had to make a long trip from New Jersey to New York City to see you, while I really had no idea what I was getting into. For whatever reason, I had a good feeling about it. I’m glad I went, as it was one of the most influential decisions of my life.

So, I went to the appointment and we went over your method on a very basic level. Even after that, I did not have a tremendous amount of faith in the program. It really did not make much sense to me. I thought about it for several weeks, and then decided to go for it and began participating in the necessary exercises. My next appointment was in February 2004. Even after that short period of time, my speech had improved dramatically; much more quickly than I had expected. So, at this point I was appropriately very excited, as I had finally found the therapy that actually works!

After that, I went to several more sessions over the next few months and worked hard at home. Now it is the end of May 2004, just five months after first meeting you. My stutter is practically gone. I had stuttered for at least fifteen years before meeting you, and then was almost totally cured in five months. That is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me. I do not mean to say I am totally fluent, but I now have no doubt that I will become fluent within a relatively short period of time by using this therapy.

In addition to almost the complete elimination of my stutter, I have had many other benefits of this therapy. I have become basically a totally different person. Everything from my posture to my assertiveness level has changed for the better. These changes almost make the changes in my speech look minor in comparison.

Indirectly I have also had many effects of your therapy. My relationships with people have changed. I have become physically stronger than ever before. I have more fun in life. I am sure I am forgetting about many things. I can relate virtually anything good currently happening in my life to your therapy.

As shown above, my decision to attend your therapy is the best and probably most important one I have ever made in my life. I would recommend your therapy to any person who stutters who is willing to work hard and actually see results. I have now made it through the hardest part of therapy. Now I am just continuing the work and holding on for the ride to the new me. It makes me think that anything’s possible. “Bring it on; what’s next?”
I can never thank you enough.
Sincerely,

Jeremy Smith

P.S. Please feel free to post this on your website along with my name and e-mail address, so that if any stutterers want to ask me questions they can reach me.