Hypnotism For Social Anxiety: Can It Really Help? - Silicon Valley Hypnosis Center

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.

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

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.

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.

FAQ

1. What therapy is best for social anxiety?

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.

2. Can you beat social anxiety?

Yes, social anxiety is manageable with the right treatment and support systems in place, such as therapy, medication, and self-help techniques.

3. Does hypnosis for anxiety really work?

Hypnosis for anxiety has shown promising results for some individuals, offering relaxation techniques and subconscious reprogramming to alleviate symptoms.

4. How do you treat crippling social anxiety?

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.

5. What happens if social anxiety is left untreated?

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.