Performance Anxiety

There’s been a lot of coverage in the press recently on performance anxiety, with stars such as Salma Hayek and Adele opening up about their fears, and Stephen Fry talking about stage fright in a lengthy article in The Guardian. The article talks about the strategies available to overcome stage fright, including hypnotherapy.

There is a difference between an adequate performance (when you are over-anxious about the outcome) and getting ‘into the zone’ or ‘in flow’ and delivering at peak performance.  Getting into the zone is that feeling you get when you are fully in the moment, totally focused on the process and operating at the peak of your ability. However, worry, anxiety and unhelpful thoughts will negatively impact on your ability to reach optimal performance.  Your conscious mind is often the biggest obstacle to achievement but the good news is that hypnotherapy can help calm your inner saboteur and set you on a path to unlimited positive flow.  In most fields, the role of mental skills training has been accepted. Law, sports and the military are just three diverse areas where assistance with ‘performance’ is a given.

Hypnotherapy can help you if you’re auditioning for drama school, or auditioning for a part in Hollywood. It can bring calm to the thought of delivering a one off best man speech and powerful presence to the seasoned public speaker.  My strategy uses the tools of performance psychology including managing self-talk, creative visualisation, goal setting, raising awareness, building self-trust, managing thoughts and mental rehearsal to develop positive expectations and belief which will help increase skills, stay focused, emotionally balance and improve performance.

I have helped people including Actors, world-class Musicians and CEO’s to perform at the best of their ability. You can read some of their personal accounts and stories here.  I am Registered Clinical Hypnotherapist based in Clifton, Bristol. BA Hons. DHP HPD CNHC AfSFH MNCH(Reg). MNCP (Accred.) I have ten years of experience in coaching and Clinical Hypnotherapy; with a lifelong interest in mindfulness, neuroscience and extensive corporate experience. Cultivating curiosity and compassion over the years has helped me hone my approach and informs my work – with everyone from professionals suffering stress and a fear of public speaking to world-class actors and musicians looking to manage performance anxiety and improve their performance. I’m humbled by the courage, strength and transformations it’s been my privilege to witness. Read about the sessions, recent testimonials and keep up to date with recent blog posts here.