Hypnotherapy Brighton, Hove & Lewes

Social Anxiety (aka Social Phobia)

Social Anxiety is underlined by a strong fear of being judged, criticised or watched by others.

If you have been experiencing this then you will probably hold a belief that you will make certain mistakes, being embarrassed and and perhaps humiliated in public which can include specific fears around:

  • Blushing
  • Being the centre of attention
  • Eating or drinking in front of others
  • Writing or working around others
  • Interacting with people such as dating or going to parties
  • Asking questions or presenting in groups
  • Using public toilets
  • Talking on the telephone

Anxiety about upcoming social situations will often start days or weeks before an event causing difficulty concentrating, muscle tension, headaches and trouble falling or staying asleep. In addition to this you may feel nauseous and sick with frequent visits to the toilet.

While in social situations you may notice sweating, shaking, blushing, mental blankness & confusion, as well as pounding heart, muscle tension, upset stomach and diarrhoea. It can also lead to Panic Attacks.

Avoidance of social situations reinforces the anxiety and in more extreme cases can lead to agoraphobia (fear of leaving the house).

You may sense feel that the fear is irrational, but despite this it is still difficult to overcome, or you may completely believe that the predictions you make will happen, leading to embarrassment.

I use a combination of Hypnotherapy with CBT, which has shown to be more useful than either treatment modality alone.

By challenging thoughts and beliefs, use of behavioural experiments and creative imagination techniques you may find yourself able to overcome the blocks that have been holding you back.

If you have any you'd like to have a chat about something, have any queries, or to book a consultation call on 07949 989986 or email info@possie.co.uk



Please refer to my Resources page, where you will find self help guides on Social Anxiety.

The CCI Social Anxiety modules are especially good to both understand and overcome Social Anxiety.

Also, you will find some worksheets called Behavioural Experiments on my CBT Worksheets page with an explanation on how to use them. Conducting social experiments can help you get your thinking straight when it comes to social situations and regain a balanced perspective.

Go to my Hypnosis Downloads page for an abundance of Anxiety related downloads that you can purchase to help you, help yourself.



Blushing

If you've been having a problem with blushing you'll know that it tends to happen when in social situations. Common trigggers include having the attention of a group upon you, when answering a question which you don't know or if taken by surprise with something.

Also, the fear of blushing causes a hypervigilance to the symptoms of it, which increases the likelyhood of it reoccuring. For example, if walking bruskly to an meeting your body temperature may rise slightly. Noticing this may lead to the thought "oh no I'm going to blush", which in turn causes a sense of embarrassment, triggering blushing.

Fear and worry about blushing will make it happen more. Therefore it's important to start to change the way you feel about blushing in the first place. If you are no longer embarrassed about blushing, is there still a problem with it?

Many worry that others will notice the blushing and make judgements. Some people might, but most probably won't notice or won't care if they do. Getting a more balanced frame of mind about what others may, or may not be thinking will also be useful.

Working with a Hypnotherapist can help you change your associations to blushing, realign to more realistic views of others perceptions and start to cool that blushing down.

If you'd like a chat about how I may be able to help you give me a call on 07949 989986 or email info@possie.co.uk



Go to my Hypnosis Downloads page for downloads related to blushing that you can purchase if you wish.



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Possibilities Unlimited Hypnotherapy

Therapy Room: 9 Bartholomews, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1HG

Email: info@possie.co.uk

Mobile: 07949989986

*Disclaimer: Results may vary from person to person.