Sebastián Rivadeneyra

I’m a person who has stuttered since I was 5 years old. I remember that when I was young I didn’t give a lot of importance to the problem and I just kept living my normal life. But I still went to different places to treat my stutter: speech therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, reikists, and healers, among others.

I was never able to find a convincing solution and over the years I started to realize that it affected me more and more. With my friends, I kept being the same joker kid but outside of my circle, it was hard for me to make relationships.

In 2008 when I was in high school, my sister who lived in England recommended to me a programme she saw on TV. This programme had helped a singer from a contest, pop idol, Gareth Gates, to control his stutter and was very well known during that time in the whole country.

That’s how in March 2008 I travelled to Swindon, England and became part of the McGuire Programme.

This programme is formed by people who stutter which became of great help for me, from Wednesday where I introduced myself in front of a group of 50 people overcoming their stutter to Saturday that I made a public speech in the middle of the street in the city. I’ve never felt such excitement to make a public speech. It wasn’t nerves on the edge, it was pure joy.

Around 8 years have passed, I’ve had some highs and lows but with a lot of effort, I know that the lessons learned since I’ve been in the McGuire Programme are incredible. Now I have the opportunity that the courses are taking place locally and I am happy to be able to support people that want to take control of this condition.