Overcoming public speaking anxiety

Fear of public speaking is a hugely prevalent phobia and also an extremely rational one. Very few of us actually get up and speak in front of others on a regular basis, so there is little chance you will get the opportunity to practice before being put in front of a great audience. Couple this with the fear that somewhere along the way, you could make a mistake in front of all the people and anxiety can quickly turn into dread.

This fear can manifest itself in many different ways, with the most common being shaking violently and freezing up - making a person completely unable to present.

For people who suffer with public speaking anxiety, the old tips of imagining the audience in the nude are just not enough to alleviate the fear. Hypnosis, on the other hand, can.

A hypnotist looking to alleviate this fear may first look at giving the brain ways to react to public speaking in a more calm and rationalised way. Instead of associating public speaking with extreme fear, the brain can begin to associate it with coolness and confidence. By doing this, a person can not only feel less nervous about public speaking, but instead feel more empowered; making public speaking something they go on to enjoy.

Then, to ensure this continues in the long term, hypnotists can teach their patient breathing techniques to relax them whenever they come to speak in public again. This can mean that years down the line after the sessions become just a distant memory, the person can still exercise the techniques given to them to calm the nerves and get on in a cool, rationalised way.

So even though fear of public speaking may feel to an individual like something debilitating, it can be overcome relatively easy, making for a confident public speaker that is virtually unrecognisable from their former, anxious self.

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