Social Anxiety is a type of anxiety disorder, that affects many people aroound the world.
It is characterized by intense fear, nervousness, and self-consciousness in social situations.
If you have social anxiety you may experience significant distress when interacting with other people, which can often leading to you avoiding social situations altogether.
Causes of Social Anxiety:
Social anxiety can be caused by various means, and may likely be a combination of hereditary, emotional and environmental influences.
Some of the common influences that can contribute to social anxiety include:
- Inherited Tendencies: A genetic predisposition to social anxiety, can making some people more prone to developing the condition.
- Childhood Experiences: Childhood experiences that were very stressful or traumatic can contribute to the development of social anxiety in adulthood. E.g. bullying, peer ghoasting or alienation, physical or sexual abuse, etc.
- Environmental Influences: Volatile, unpredictable or stressful environments can increase the risk of developing social anxiety. E.g. living in poverty, a high-crime area, etc.
- Brain Chemistry: Imbalances in the part of the brain responsible for processing fear can lead to social anxiety. It can cause the flight, fight or freeze response, where you will do just about anything to avoid social sitations, or if you can’t avoid them you freeze up.
Symptoms of Social Anxiety:
The symptoms of social anxiety can vary from person to person. The criteria for social anxiety disorder includes:
- Persistent, intense fear or anxiety about specific social situations because you believe you may be judged negatively, embarrassed or humiliated.
- Avoidance of anxiety-producing social situations or enduring them with intense fear or anxiety
- Excessive anxiety that’s out of proportion to the situation.
- Anxiety or distress that interferes with your daily living.
- Fear or anxiety that is not better explained by a medical condition, medication or substance abuse.
Social anxiety can also bring about low -self-esteem and confidence, negative self-talk, tension and stress, avoidance behaviour, etc.
Do any of these symptoms sound familier to you?
Conqur Social Anxiety with Hypnotherapy:
If you prefer a natural intervention, the great news is that Hypnotherapy can be very helpful in reducing, or stopping social anxiety enabling you to fully enjoy life. Hypnotherapy can also work with adults and children/teenagers.
Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool that can be used to treat a variety of issues, involving anxiety. It involves helping you into a relaxed state of consciousness (hypnosis) to better able to access your subconscious mind, so that it is more responsive to appropriate suggestions.
During a hypnotherapy session, after a discussion with the Hypnotherapist to find out how the anxiety has been affecting you, how long you’ve had it and possible where it originated, you are then guided into a deep state of relaxation, where you can access your subconscious mind to accept the appropriate suggestions and techniques. These help you reframe your thoughts and beliefs around social situations, and so helping to reducing your anxiety and fear.
Some of the ways in which hypnotherapy can help alleviate anxiety include:
- Reducing Negative Self-Talk: Social anxiety is often accompanied by negative self-talk, such as “I’m not good enough” or “Everyone is judging me.” Hypnotherapy can help individuals identify and challenge these negative thoughts, replacing them with more positive, empowering beliefs.
- Enhancing Self-Esteem: Low self-esteem is a common contributing factor to social anxiety. Hypnotherapy can help individuals increase their self-esteem and self-worth, making them feel more confident and comfortable in social situations.
- Teaching Relaxation Techniques: Hypnotherapy can help individuals learn relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing and visualization, that they can use to calm themselves in social situations.
- Changing Behaviour Patterns: Hypnotherapy can help individuals identify and change negative behaviour patterns, such as avoidance or withdrawal, that contribute to social anxiety.
- Desensitization: Hypnotherapy can be used in combination with desensitization techniques, to help individuals gradually become more comfortable and confident in social situations.
It is important to note that Hypnotherapy is not a “quick fix”. It may take a few sessions before you feel comfortable in situations that you had previously feared and avoided. And you can get your life back!
Hypnotherapy is a safe and effective treatment option for social anxiety, and even anxiety in general, as all of our automatic behaviour comes from our subconscious mind. And as hypnosis specialises in the subconscious, then it makes sense that it’s at that level that change needs to take place.
As a non-invasive form of treatment, hypnotherapy does not involve medication, which makes it an appealing option when you prefer natural / holistic treatments.
If you struggle with social anxiety contact here us now to get your complementary 30 Minute consultation with Roger.