How can hypnosis help with performance anxiety?

Have you ever had that moment of panic before standing up in front of a group to say something? Maybe you’re a performer nervous about stepping on stage, or a business professional about to give a presentation. Or perhaps you’re in a bar with friends, where everyone’s singing karaoke—but you’ll wait until you’ve had a couple of drinks before you’ll even consider singing. That fear—of being in front of an audience, of being judged, of not being good enough—is called performance anxiety. It’s something we all experience at times, and it’s a completely natural reaction.

Why do we feel performance anxiety?

You might be thinking, “But I love performing,” or “I love my job, so why do I freeze up?”

The answer lies deep in our evolutionary history. Our brains are wired to look for threats everywhere. Human beings have evolved over billions of years, from single-celled organisms to fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and eventually, humans. One thing all our countless ancestors had in common? They survived long enough to pass on their genes.

That required some pretty amazing instincts for survival, and one of those instincts is the fight, flight, or freeze response:

• Fight or flight: When faced with danger, our ancestors often had to choose between fighting for their lives or running away.
• Freeze response: Sometimes, the safest option was playing dead. You’ve probably seen this in wildlife documentaries—a gazelle going rigid when faced with a lion, its nervous system overwhelmed, hoping the danger will miraculously pass.

Sound familiar? It’s what happens when you stare at the karaoke book, unable to choose a song, or when it’s your turn to give a speech at a wedding, and suddenly, your mind goes blank. That’s your primal survival instinct kicking in, treating public speaking or performing as if it were a life-or-death situation.

What are you really afraid of?

At its heart, anxiety is the fear that something bad will happen—and that you won’t be able to handle the consequences. But what exactly are you afraid of?

For most people, performance anxiety comes from a deep-seated fear of being judged. The thought of making a mistake, forgetting your words, or looking ridiculous is enough to trigger our most powerful survival instincts.

These instincts evolved when we lived far more precarious lives than we do now. Homo sapiens has been around for about 100,000 years, and in those early days, survival depended on being part of a tribal unit. If you were excluded from the tribe, you were left alone in the wilderness—facing wild animals, freezing temperatures, and the very real risk of death.

Of course, in the modern world, forgetting your words during a speech isn’t going to get you exiled into the wilderness! But your brain doesn’t always know the difference. It still reacts as if public speaking, singing, or performing is a threat to your survival.

Can hypnotherapy help with performance anxiety?

Now that you understand why performance anxiety happens, here’s the big question: How would it be if you could give your presentation and not feel paralysed by fear?

Can you imagine what that would be like? Take a moment—close your eyes and picture it happening:

• You’re standing in front of an audience, poised, calm, and confident.
• The people in the room are engaged, smiling and nodding along as you speak.
• You pick up the microphone at karaoke and sing without hesitation.

How does it feel just imagining being able to do the thing that scares you? It’s a lovely feeling, isn’t it? And just by imagining the possibility that everything will be fine, you’re already rewiring your brain.

This is the core of how hypnotherapy helps relieve performance anxiety. It works by:

• Identifying limiting beliefs: The thoughts that tell you, “I’m not good enough.”
• Reprogramming negative self-talk: Turning “I can’t do this” into “I’ve got this.”
• Using your imagination to your advantage: Instead of letting anxious thoughts take over, you learn to expect success instead.

Practical steps to overcoming performance anxiety

The first thing to do? Take a deep breath and relax.

It’s a scientific fact that you cannot be relaxed and anxious at the same time. The fight-or-flight response is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system, while relaxation is controlled by the parasympathetic nervous system. The good news? You can take direct control.

Other simple strategies to reduce performance anxiety

1. Be prepared. Know your material inside out. Practice, but don’t over-rehearse—perfectionism fuels anxiety.
2. Cultivate a positive expectation. Anxiety comes from imagining failure. Try imagining success instead.
3. Challenge your fears. Make small mistakes on purpose. You’ll quickly see that other people barely notice.

How hypnotherapy reprograms your mind for confidence

The first stage of cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy involves understanding the thoughts and beliefs behind your anxiety. Once we know what’s driving the fear, we rewrite the script.

Right now, your subconscious might be telling you:

• I’m not good at this.
• I’m going to mess up.
• People will judge me.

But through guided hypnosis, we replace those messages with:

• I’ve got this.
• I am more than good enough.
• If something goes wrong, I know how to handle it.

The only thing to fear is fear itself

There’s a reason that phrase has lasted through history. The fear itself is worse than the thing you’re afraid of. Once you realise that the experience of performing is never as bad as the fear makes it seem, you can move past it and start living a more confident, balanced life.

Ready to take the next step?

If performance anxiety is holding you back, hypnosis can help. With guided hypnotherapy sessions, we can reprogram your automatic thinking, helping you build confidence from the inside out.

Book a free consultation to find out how hypnotherapy can help you overcome performance anxiety and step into your full potential.