Of late, consequently, with growing recognition of the dominant psychic factor in stammering, there has been an increasing tendency--though as yet it is far from universal--to employ psychological methods in treating stammerers. The effort is made to instil confidence in the sufferer--to convince him that he need only exercise his will power to bring about his own cure. In a good many cases, and frequently with gratifying results, resort is had to hypnotism, the "suggestion" being reiterated to the patient, while in the hypnotic state, that in the future he will experience none of his overwhelming sensations of dread and anxiety and will speak as fluently as persons who have never stammered. Or he may be treated by psychic re-education, which consists essentially in the development of volitional control by suggestions tactfully imparted in the ordinary waking state. All of which unquestionably marks a tremendous advance over the theories and practices based on the alleged anatomical or physiological defects of stammerers. There is this to be added, though, that, sanely beneficial as is the psychological treatment of stammering, it often happens that the confidence-inspiring suggestions given to stammerers do not "take." The stammerer, albeit he may perhaps show improvement for a time, remains without clear articulatory power. When this occurs, the natural tendency among those treating him--in view of the demonstrated truth that stammering is the effect of a peculiar state of mind--is to throw the blame on the patient instead of on the method. Yet, actually, it is the method that is at fault--or, to be exact, it is the failure to apply the method, which itself is thoroughly sound--in such a way as to remove from the stammerer's mind not only the fear that haunts him and helps to perpetuate his stammering, _but also the ideas in which his stammering originated_.