Overcoming Social Anxiety And Social Phobia With Hypnotherapy

Overcoming Social Anxiety and Social Phobia with Hypnotherapy

by

Peter James Field

Social Phobia, also known as Social Anxiety Disorder is probably the commonest form of anxiety disorder in existence.

In fact, it’s so common that it is believed to affect somewhere around 10% of the entire population in one degree or another.

What’s more, it can affect absolutely anyone – from housewife to movie star.

Renowned entertainers who have spent years in the public eye — from Barbara Streisland to Kim Basinger — have spoken publicly of their experience and recovery from social phobia and anxiety.

And the effects of Social Anxiety Disorder and social phobia can be truly debilitating, if not devastating.

Very often physical symptoms accompany this disorder. These can include blushing and sweating, trembling, increased heart rate, stammering and nausea. In some instances, the individual may feel really dizzy and as if they are about to lose consciousness.

All this, of course, simply serves to intensify the fear.

The true fear underpinning this disorder is very often the fear of being negatively judged and evaluated by others. This fear or apprehension can make the person afraid of doing anything that might prove embarrassing to them in public.

Some of the really common forms are fear of general or specific social encounters and social interaction, fear of public speaking, fear of dealing with authority figures, fear of exams, fear of public speaking and fear regarding sexual performance.

Very often this disorder has its origins in childhood and infancy.

In fact, the World Psychiatric Association has estimated that about 40% of such phobias originate before the age of 10, and an enormous 95% manifest themselves before the age of 20. And this appears to be the case, even though the actual symptoms may not become apparent until later on in life.

Left unresolved and untreated, depression can develop and some may turn to alcohol and drugs in order to cope.

All too frequently the medical response to social phobia and Social Anxiety Disorder is to simply drug it, often with anti-anxiety medication – particularly favored are drugs from the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor group (SSIRs) such as paroxetine (Paxil or Seroxat).

If psychotherapy is offered, it usually comes in the form of CBT — Cognitive Beviour Therapy.

Yet, while both these strategies can provide relief to some sufferers, the emphasis is on controlling the symptoms rather than treating the underlying drivers, or cause.

And, in the experience of this therapist, as long as the drivers remain intact then, sooner or later, the anxiety will return – and all too often with a vengeance.

There is another way.

You see, the subconscious mind – that repository of beliefs – is merely attempting to protect the person from what it perceives to be danger, and so is manufacturing intense feelings of anxiey or fear so that he or she will be kept safe from harm. Of course, the subconsious mind has got things wrong. It’s basing its response upon prior conditioning which is simply no longer appropriate.

With the techniques and strategies of modern advanced hypnotherapy, we can reach into the subconscious, to where the negative feelings are generated, and realign the faulty beliefs that are responsible for keeping the ‘program’ running.

Once achieved, the actual symptoms – social phobia and social anxiety – simply become extinct because there is nothing to drive and sustain them anymore.

If you have been struggling with the really debilitating effects of social phobia or social anxiety disorder, do not give up — effective help is available.

With modern and advanced hypnotherapy techniques, you can be returned to your true nature and be released from that old anxiety and fear for good.

Peter Field is one of the foremost British hypno-psychotherapists, with busy clinics in both Birmingham and London, England. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Health and Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Click here for Peter’s

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Peter Field Hypnotherapy Birmingham & London UK

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