Treatment For Social Anxiety And Social Phobia

Social anxiety and social phobia affect an enormous number of us to some extent or another. It is very likely that some, if not many, of the following list will be familiar to you:

  1. Don’t like being put ‘on the spot’
  2. Try and stick to the rules
  3. Find large groups of people intimidating
  4. Find it difficult to make friends
  5. Lack confidence in social settings, being shy
  6. Find parties and small talk difficult
  7. Suffer with pre-exam or pre-test nerves
  8. Try and stick to the rules
  9. Sense of being watched
  10. Find it very difficult to talk publicly or to give presentations
  11. Find talking on the phone difficult
  12. Frequently blushing, stuttering or stammering
  13. Find maintaining eye contact with people difficult
  14. Hiding, or keep yourself below people’s level of perception
  15. Fear of being judged, criticized, mocked or rejected
  16. Shy bladder (not wanting/able to urinate in public urinals)
  17. Sexual performance issues (e.g. impotence, premature ejaculation)
  18. Feel as though people may find out that you’re a fraud

man standing in isolation

For many people social anxiety and social phobia creates significant problems in their lives, often without them knowing the root cause. The issues created via social anxiety and social phobia can seep out into every aspect of your life: perhaps you choose to live alone, or begin to avoid social interactions; you lack confidence in your abilities and your lack of confidence creates difficulties with your work; you fail to get appointed to jobs you are more than capable of doing due to your lack of faith in yourself and this leads to others questioning your abilities too; you may dress in dull or dark colours to try and hide yourself, or perhaps you over-eat as a way of avoiding unwanted attention and/or flattery; you don’t challenge others in order to avoid conflict; or you may be chronically insecure about your relationships with others which can progressively undermine even the strongest of relationships.

There are few statistics about the extent to which people suffer with social anxiety and social phobia, and those that are published come with hefty health warnings about the likely inaccuracies. What we do know though is that almost everyone, at some stage in their life will experience feelings related to social anxiety.

“Millions of people around the world suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder (also known as Social Phobia) and related conditions. Despite being the most common type of anxiety disorder and the cause of much impairment and suffering, it is under-recognised and under-treated.

However, perhaps because by its very nature sufferers of Social Anxiety are reluctant to talk about their problems or seek help, the condition is still not widely known amongst the general public, and was only recognized as a disorder in its own right as recently as 1980.”
— social-anxiety.org.uk

How Hypnotherapy and Psychological Well-Being Coaching Can Help

Perhaps there is an upcoming event that they would like specific help with. For example, you may be due to take your driving test (again!) and don’t want to fail it due to nerves; or perhaps you are due to give a presentation to your team at work and are dreading it. For these types of issue, hypnosis, combined with suggestion therapy will enable you to reduce your anxiety and feel more in control.

It will provide you with a greater sense of self; it will boost self-confidence and self-esteem; it will help you build on your self-belief and you will have a strong visual image of yourself being calm, self-assured and successful in your upcoming event.
An added bonus is that hypnosis is wonderfully relaxing and reduces stress levels.

Here at East Cheshire Hypnosis I have 16 years experience of helping people to reduce anxieties over specific events and you would need just one session a week or two before the event in question.

Ongoing And Pervasive Social Anxiety And Social Phobia

Perhaps your issues are more long term or pervasive and you have found that social anxiety or social phobia is having a limiting effect upon your life? No doubt you would like to remove and resolve all future issues with social anxiety? In these circumstances it is likely that you would benefit most from a course of therapy incorporating different interventions to specifically suit you.

This type of therapy would provide you with all the benefits of hypnosis and self hypnosis whilst also helping you to fully resolve your issues by learning about how your mind works, gaining self insight and acquiring mind management skills, leaving you free to enjoy a more fulfilled and relaxed approach in social interactions in the future.

Dear Ailsa,

I’ll start by saying a massive thank you for helping me to get my life back. When I first met you it felt like I couldn’t have sunken any lower. I didn’t want to wake up in the morning, the thought of work or being around people depressed me because I have to pretend to be happy for their sake and overall it was a tiring battle to get through the day.

You made me feel completely at ease, I trusted you from the first time we met and just the fact that you understood me and insisted other people did get social anxiety made me feel so much better and less alone. Over the weeks it was hard to remember my past, sometimes good, but most of the time upsetting because those with the memories I had buried deep down. We brought them to the surface together, you were there for me every week when I would get upset and I’m still amazed to this day that the main reason for my social anxiety came to me on the week you said it would.

Since our last meeting, I have wanted to seize every day and make the most of it. I love being with my family and friends and when I’m faced with a situation that I would have previously found uncomfortable. I use the exercises you taught me about anticipatory anxiety and change my thoughts straight away and most of the time it works. I will continue to do this over the course of my life and hopefully I’ll get better at it.

Once again, thank you for helping me find myself, I could of done with speaking to you 20 years ago, because I carried this problem around with me through primary school, high school, my first job, college, university and even into my flying career. I say to myself, never act or be a certain way just because you believe that other people will frown upon you or think less of you if you don’t. You taught me to love myself again and I’ve got the God given right to be whoever I want to be. If ever in the future I let other people’s perceptions of me get me down, I will come to you. You’re absolutely lovely and I often wonder how you’re doing, I just hope that you are as happy as you have made me feel again.

All my love from Susan