Fear of public speaking
Fear of public speaking is common. The thought of standing up in front of a crowd, and speaking, is enough to make most of us break out in a sweat. More and more of us are using email, social media and text messages to communicate, which means it's rarely necessary to speak in front of an audience. And so, when public speaking situations arise, we can naturally feel anxious.
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Glassophobia: fear of public speaking
For some people, this anxiety turns into a phobia, known as glossophobia. While it's possible to avoid public speaking, for some of us it's not. It's also a great way to share ideas and propel yourself in your professional life, so overcoming this fear can have powerful effects.
Glossophobia has its roots in social anxiety and social phobia. When you speak in public, the audience is watching and listening. Glossophobia stems from the fear of being judged, which can be triggered when many people are paying attention to you. This fear, combined with doubts about your ability to express yourself, can seem overwhelming.
Fear of public speaking can be reinforced when you make mistakes. Even if you only make a small mistake when speaking, your mind tends to focus on it, justifying your fears.
Symptoms of glossophobia may include:
you avoid situations where you may have to speak in front of a group
feelings of panic when asked to speak in public
nausea
increased heart rate and palpitations
tremors
dry mouth
Certainly, some anxiety is to be expected when you're asked to speak in public. However, if your anxiety is weighing you down and preventing you from doing what you want to do in life, you should consider seeking help.
It's important to note that fear of public speaking isn't limited to making speeches in front of a crowd. People suffering from glossophobia may withdraw from certain social situations, such as asking for directions, attending job interviews and talking to salespeople. It's a phobia that can have serious consequences for everyday life.
Hypnosis to overcome the fear of public speaking
As with most phobias, glossophobia is not something you can consciously control. People may tell you to "relax", but that doesn't usually control your symptoms. In fact, the symptoms you feel come from your subconscious.
Hypnotherapy works with your unconscious to discover the root of your anxiety. Usually, it stems from misinformation gleaned from a past experience. Hypnotherapy can help identify this origin, and will use suggestion techniques to correct any misinformation.
What I find with most customers is that it stems from something that usually happened at school, when they first realized that they were embarrassed in front of their peers.
Suggestion and visualization techniques can also be used to instill positive thinking, boost confidence and reduce anxiety. This will help you feel calm and focused when speaking in public.
Fear and our subconscious
When we feel fear, our subconscious tends to work against us. We have an influx of thoughts, automatic and negative, which feed our feelings of self-doubt. Becoming more aware of these thoughts, and talking to ourselves with kindness, is an important first step in managing our fear of public speaking. Fear makes our minds behave differently, to the point where logic and reason are all but forgotten. This fear acts by distorting reality, and focusing on the negative.
The distortion of reality
Fear has a habit of distorting reality. You might think: "If I forget my words, everyone will laugh at me, and I'll lose respect". But in reality, this is very unlikely to happen. If you were to lose track of what you were saying, it's far more likely that everyone would simply wait for you to remember. And even if some people did judge you, it wouldn't really affect your life.
This fear and anxiety can cause you to lose your train of thought, making you believe that your life will be over if it doesn't go perfectly. Try to challenge this way of thinking by asking yourself, "Will this situation matter in five, ten or twenty years' time?"
Focusing on the negative
Another common behavior of the mind, when it feels fear, is to focus on the negative. This can lead us to think back to times in our lives when public speaking wasn't planned. It can also lead us to fixate on physical sensations that frighten us, such as an accelerated heart rate or a tight chest.
It's useful to keep this in mind, as you can redirect these fixations towards something more positive. During a hypnotherapy session, your hypnotherapist can teach you relaxation and visualization techniques. Try them out and imagine that you're doing well.
How can hypnosis help?
Hypnosis is essentially a state of deep relaxation. When a hypnotherapist places you in this state, your unconscious mind becomes more receptive. This means the hypnotherapist can communicate with this part of your mind to uncover the root causes of your behavior and influence your thought patterns.
In some cases, it may be easy to determine the underlying cause of a phobia. You may be able to recall an event that triggered a fear reaction for the first time. For many people, however, it's difficult to identify the cause of the phobia.
If you don't know why you're afraid of public speaking, hypnotherapy can help. Once you're in a state of deep relaxation, your hypnotherapist can talk to your unconscious, and help you discover the situation or event that triggered your glossophobia. Most of the time, the event seems insignificant, but over time it grows in our minds to become something we can no longer control.
Once the root cause has been revealed, your hypnotherapist can use suggestive language to change your thought processes. The aim here is to promote positive thinking, and a sense of calm in the face of public speaking, rather than the flood of negativity that previously prevailed.
Some hypnotherapists will also teach you self-hypnosis, relaxation techniques and visualization exercises. These enable you to continue your progress outside of the hypnotherapy sessions themselves. You can use them before you need to speak in public to help you stay calm and confident.
How many sessions are required?
Generally, 1 to 3 sessions are required. The number of sessions required varies from person to person. Some people feel better able to cope after just one session, while others need continuous reinforcement.
