Many of us can recount feeling shy or anxious about social situations while growing up.
While some grew out of it, it got worse for others. According to data, 15 million American adults have a social anxiety disorder – and more than 75% of people experience symptoms during their childhood or early teenage years.
If social anxiety is:
- Causing you distress
- Decreasing the quality of life
- Affecting your work and relationship
…you should keep on reading to find out how you can overcome it.
In this post, you’ll learn more about hypnotism for social anxiety, and how it can help you overcome your anxiety or phobia of social situations.
Do I Have Social Anxiety?
Social anxiety or social phobia is a long-term overwhelming fear or discomfort for social situations. People with social anxiety worry about attention and judgment from others.
You may have an intense feeling of being watched or judged or feel uncomfortable in everyday life like:
- Grocery shopping
- Meeting with friends
- Eating in front of others
While it is normal to feel anxious or worry slightly when trying something new, with social anxiety, this worry becomes excessive — making it difficult to develop friendships or socialize at work. You may even opt out of situations entirely because of your social anxiety.
Signs Of Social Anxiety
If you have social anxiety, you may often exhibit some of the following signs:
- Fear of social situations such as meeting strangers or interacting with people over the phone
- Staying away from social gatherings
- Avoiding eye contact
- Worrying about being judged or criticized by others
- Worrying that you might do something embarrassing or humiliating in front of others
- Having a low self-esteem or confidence
- Experiencing physical or emotional symptoms of such fear such as shaking, or gasping for breath.
With social anxiety, the fear of the situation is more intense compared to the actual threat of the situation.
Keep in mind that social anxiety disorder has an official criterion for diagnosis. This is based on the criteria set out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or the International Classification of Diseases. This article is not meant to provide a diagnosis – seek out a licensed mental health professional for that purpose.
Say Goodbye to Panic Attacks & Anxiety
Being paralyzed because of anxiety can feel like a prison…
…It limits your success and happiness. Don’t let your anxiety steal happiness from your life, and instead, learn how to overcome it in as little as just a few weeks.
Social Anxiety And Panic Attacks
Social anxiety may also result in panic attacks that could be noticeable to others, or not noticeable (silent anxiety attacks).
With noticeable panic attacks, intense fear can make you:
- Sweat
- Tremble
- Gasp for air or hyperventilate
For silent anxiety attacks, you may feel intense dread inside you, but without externally visible physical symptoms. People around you may not even be aware you’re having a panic attack, but you may.
- Get chills
- Experience chest pain
- Feel dizzy or lightheaded
- Have tingly or numb hands
Whichever is the case, panic attacks stemming from social anxiety can cause you a lot of distress and hurt your quality of life.
What Is The Root Cause Of Social Anxiety?
While it’s not entirely known what causes social anxiety, genetic dispositions and environmental factors play a great part. Most people will experience the first symptoms of social anxiety in childhood, or teenagehood — It’s less likely to develop in adulthood.
For instance, social anxiety may develop from shyness. It may also develop after a traumatic experience such as abuse, bullying, or humiliation.
A traumatic experience now causes a fear of situations that may trigger those experiences.
Certain factors make it more likely for social anxiety to develop, including:
- A family history of social anxiety
- Family conflict, trauma, or abuse
- Having critical or overprotective parents
- Underdeveloped social skills or lack of confidence
- A tendency to misread other people’s behaviours as threatening
How Do I Overcome Social Anxiety?
Identifying the root cause of your social anxiety makes it easier to overcome it. The first step to overcoming social anxiety is acceptance and acknowledging that you need support. There are a couple of treatment options that can help you handle your excessive fear of social situations.
They include a combination of psychotherapy and medications.
Medications
Your healthcare provider may prescribe medications to help you manage your symptoms of social anxiety, which can include medications such as:
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
- Anti-anxiety medications (Benzodiazepines)
- Antidepressants
- Beta-blockers
Alternative medicine, such as herbal remedies and supplements might also be beneficial. Just make sure to talk to your provider if you’re considering herbal remedies.
Psychotherapy
Therapy can help you recognize and change negative beliefs about yourself or social situations.
One of the most commonly used is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT can be used both individually and in groups. It gradually works you up to facing your social fears, and developing skills to cope with social-anxiety situations.
Hypnotism For Social Anxiety
If you have been wondering if hypnosis can work for social anxiety, the answer is yes.
Hypnotherapy can help you understand why you experience social anxiety and empower you to overcome it. Several studies give credence to its usefulness in overcoming social anxiety in combination with other treatment options.
Hypnotherapy has been shown to
- Help patients with anxiety disorders manage fearful feelings activated by intrusive thoughts or stressors
- Treat chronic PTSD symptoms
- Reduce global test anxiety and lack of confidence in first-year medical students
- Enhance treatment effectiveness for public speaking anxiety
Say Goodbye to Panic Attacks & Anxiety
Being paralyzed because of anxiety can feel like a prison…
…It limits your success and happiness. Don’t let your anxiety steal happiness from your life, and instead, learn how to overcome it in as little as just a few weeks.
How Does Hypnosis Work
Hypnotism for social anxiety and other forms of anxiety is beyond the fancy videos we see on the Internet where it appears individuals have no control over the process. In a hypnotherapy session, your hypnotherapist will guide you (in-person or online) to enter a deeper state of your subconscious mind to create a feeling of relaxation and focus.
Your subconscious mind is the part of your mind that contains many of your childhood memories and beliefs about yourself which you may not be aware of – and are largely responsible for your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Hypnotherapy allows you to get into the inner workings of your mind without fear.
In this state, you can recognize what is causing your anxiety, and unlink the traumatic past event and your negative response to it. Your hypnotherapist will guide you to take control of those negative thoughts or feelings and turn them into positive ones.
At the end of the session, your hypnotherapist will bring you back to a present state of awareness where you can reflect on the session. You may also learn self-hypnosis cues that you can perform outside of your appointments.
In essence, hypnotherapy helps you get to the root cause of your anxiety by:
- Uncovering hidden traumatic experiences in your subconscious
- Helping you identify thinking patterns that may be contributing to your anxiety such as “people will judge me” or “I’m not good enough”
- Guiding you to imagine past events, and helping you change that outcome in your mind
- Allowing you future pace — where you imagine yourself in a similar situation where you’d otherwise feel anxious, but handle it calmly and confidently
- Helping you relax, reduce stress and improve your overall well being
How Many Sessions Do I Need?
The number of sessions you need depends on these factors:
- Your mental state
- The intensity of change you need to bring to your life
- The nature of the liming patterns of thoughts and feelings you have
- How easily you can tap into resourceful states of mind, as guided by your hypnotherapist
Typically, sessions can range anywhere from 3 – 10. During your consultation, your hypnotherapist will be able to provide guidance on the estimated number of sessions needed to overcome your social anxiety and reclaim your social life.
Can Hypnotherapy Make My Anxiety Worse?
Hypnotherapy, when done by the right professionals, typically has little to no side effects.
However, there may be potential risks during a session including:
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Increased anxiety
These usually fade after the session.
Not sure if you’re the right candidate for hypnotherapy? Schedule a consultation with us now.
Take Control of Your Social Anxiety With Hypnotism
Dealing with social anxiety can limit your real life. You may find it difficult to perform everyday activities, meet people, and maintain relationships.
Learn more about related topics from the resources below.
- How Hypnosis Can Help You Break Free From Your Fears
- Silent Anxiety Attacks: Everything You Need to Know
- 18 Anxiety Triggers You Can Overcome With Hypnosis
Let’s guide you to get rid of social anxiety today. At Silicon Valley Hypnosis Center, each of our hypnotherapy sessions is aimed at helping you recognize your fears, and empowering you to overcome them.
Schedule a consultation right away, and take back control of your thoughts, feelings, and life.
Say Goodbye to Panic Attacks & Anxiety
Being paralyzed because of anxiety can feel like a prison…
…It limits your success and happiness. Don’t let your anxiety steal happiness from your life, and instead, learn how to overcome it in as little as just a few weeks.
FAQ
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and hypnotherapy are often considered by clients to be the most effective types of treatment for social anxiety, offering strategies to challenge negative thoughts and behaviors.
Yes, social anxiety is manageable with the right treatment and support systems in place, such as therapy, medication, and self-help techniques.
Hypnosis for anxiety has shown promising results for some individuals, offering relaxation techniques and subconscious reprogramming to alleviate symptoms.
Crippling social anxiety can be addressed through a combination of therapy, medication, and lifestyle adjustments, empowering individuals to gradually overcome their fears and improve their social interactions.
Left untreated, social anxiety can significantly impact one’s quality of life, leading to increased isolation, low self-esteem, and difficulties in forming meaningful relationships.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to provide medical or mental health advice. Terms used in this article are meant to be interpreted as common vernacular, and are not meant to diagnose or treat any type of mental health disorder or physical disease. We do not diagnose or treat any type of mental health disorder or physical disease, nor do we hold ourselves out to offer these services. Please seek care from a licensed mental health or medical doctor for these purposes.
