Many of my patients who work as executives and need to speak in front of large crowds, get cold feet right before the event. The symptoms range from pounding heartbeat and breaking into sweat to feeling woozy and unable to focus. Even some of my actor patients report frequent stage fright, no matter how experienced they are. Stage Fright and Fear of Public Speaking can be very annoying, since they both result from a subconscious autonomic nervous system response, while on the conscious level the person fully realizes that there is no rational explanation for feeling this way. Both stage fright and fear of public speaking are very effectively treated by medical hypnosis. It takes anywhere between 2-3 weekly sessions to make the person fully comfortable with being the center of everyone’s attention. Monthly maintenance sessions are highly encouraged in the first 6 months to “cement the deal”. In the meantime, try this useful breathing technique – practice just before the speaking engagement: place the tip of your tongue behind the upper teeth. In this position, take a deep breath in through your nose while mentally counting to 4. Hold the breath in on a count of 4. Exhale through your mouth on a count of 8. Repeat the cycle 3 times. Keep in mind the tongue behind the upper teeth position throughout the entire exercise. This is an ancient Ayurvedic breathing exercise and it works wonders for the quick de-stressing before public engagement. For those who feel uncomfortable with hypnosis and other Mind-Body techniques for stage fright or fear of public speaking, I recommend getting a prescription for a beta blocker, such as Propranolol. It is FDA-approved f0r social anxiety and can provide a quick fix if you take a dose 15-30 minutes before the anxiety-provoking event. However, if you really want to get to the root of the problem and fundamentally do away with your fears, there is nothing like deep relaxation, guided imagery, and practicing coping mechanisms, all achieved with medical hypnosis. Feel free to call my office with any questions you may have about medical hypnosis and how it may help you with your concerns.

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