The much publicised return of 70s singing sensation Kate Bush to the stage this week showed a remarkable recovery from stage fright and 35 years of being almost reclusive.
In an interview in 2011, the singer admitted the tour had been tiring, even when she was 20 and ‘physically absolutely exhausting’.
She also said, in a radio interview: “I do have the odd dream where I’m on stage and I’ve completely forgotten what I’m meant to be performing – so they are more nightmares than dreams.”
Some musical journalists have suggested that her failure to continue touring was down to stage fright.
Asked if this could be the case in a recent radio interview, National Council for Hypnotherapy marketing director and director of the Surrey Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy Paul Howard said presentation nerves or stage fright was more common than many people think.
This, he said, could stem from childhood with critical parents or bullying often leading to a lack of self belief.
“This fear of judgement is typical of virtually all forms of social phobia. The fear exists because, at a subconscious level, for some reason people have a belief that they are not good enough in some regard.”
So how do people with an over-riding anxiety about public speaking or appearing on stage overcome this and get on with their lives?
Says Howard: “Hypnotherapy is a very rapid and effective way to get to the root problem and find out why they have these feelings about themselves. It can then go on to change those beliefs and make a real permanent change at a core level.”
Once this has been achieved, he said, the hypnotherapist will deal with prediction mechanisms to change the belief of failure or danger into a positive outcome.
“This can be achieved by repeatedly visualising how the situation would go if it was a positive outcome. By using these techniques, you take away the underlying anxiety that was supporting the behaviour and create a much better prediction of the outcome.”
The National Council for Hypnotherapy is the UK’s leading not-for-profit hypnotherapy organisation and has over 1,800 therapists on its register.
If you suffer from anxiety and/or stage fright or presentation nerves, it could be worth your while to make contact with an NCH hypnotherapist near you by using the Council’s directory.
You have nothing to lose – except your nerves – and a lot to gain.
