Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) / Social Phobia

Social Anxiety Disorder is an overwhelming and intense fear of social situations. It often starts during teenage years but for many people it continues into adulthood.  It can be very distressing and have a huge impact upon your life preventing you from doing things that you would like to do.  It can effect everyday activities, self-confidence, relationships (personal and work).

 It is common for people to occasionally worry about particular social situations but someone experiencing SAD will be overly worried before, during and after them.

Symptoms of social anxiety may include:

• Dreading everyday activities (e.g. meeting strangers, starting conversations, speaking on the phone, working or shopping)
• Avoiding or worrying a lot about social activities (e.g. group conversations, eating with others, and going to parties)
• Always worrying about potentially embarrassing yourself (e.g. appearing incompetent, blushing or sweating)
• Finding it difficult to do certain things when you think other people are watching – you may feel like you are being watched and even judged
• Being fearful of any criticism
• Avoiding eye contact with others
• Having low self-esteem
• Experiencing physical symptoms (e.g. nausea, sweating, trembling or palpitations).
• Having panic attacks (an overwhelming sense of fear and anxiety which usually lasts only for a few minutes)

Many people who experience social anxiety often also experience other mental health issues.

How can hypnotherapy help with Social Anxiety Disorder?

Hypnotherapy is very effective at helping people to overcome the fear of social situations, dealing with any underlying issues effectively and improving the client’s self-esteem and self-confidence to enable them to start leading the life they want with ease.

The number of sessions required varies as every client is unique. Typical treatment requires four to six sessions.