A watershed moment is a turning point, the exact moment that changes the direction of an activity or situation. A watershed moment in stuttering is a dividing point where the stuttering and the impact it has on the pws takes a turn for the worse.  Notice the title is "how?" and not "why?"   The question "how?" is more productive and solution oriented, isn't it.  When a pws attaches personalization and projecting thoughts to stuttering he will develop anxiety related to stuttering.  I take calls every week that start with something similar to this: "I don't understand why my child is stuttering more/worse and she is now changing words, looking away, and grimacing."  That child is at the inflection point/turning point/watershed and she needs help now. Watersheds remind us why holistic treatment is ESSENTIAL to offer lasting solutions for pws.  Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) explains my own emancipation from speech anxiety and it is a skillset needed in speech therapy for stuttering.