Many times we get embarrassed in public when new make a blooper or are incorrectly dressed for the occasion. But some people suffer from a social anxiety disorder which causes an extreme fear of being humiliated or embarrassed in front of people.
According to the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) this can be connected to low self-esteem or feelings of inferiority. It can be so bad that the phobic may feel that everyone is looking at them.
A trivial mistake is regarded as much more serious, and blushing can be embarrassing. Social phobia can frequently be accompanied by depression, anxiety and even substance abuse.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists says shyness is a common sort of mild fear – if it’s mild, it doesn’t really spoil life.
Many of us get a bit worried before meeting new people but find that, once we are with them, we can cope and even enjoy the situation.
A phobia is also a fear. We all have fears about things such as heights and spiders but, for most of us, they don’t really stop us from doing what we want to do. A fear becomes a phobia when it stops us from enjoying things or doing them easily.
A BBC report recently covered a review of 101 clinical trials which found that ‘talking therapies’ were more effective and longer lasting than medication in treating social phobias.
Medication should be used only when psychological treatments are turned down, said the UK/US team behind the study in The Lancet Psychiatry.
“Social anxiety is more than just shyness,” said Dr Evan Mayo-Wilson, of the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a co-researcher on the study.
“The good news from our study is that social anxiety is treatable. Now that we know what works best, we need to improve access to psychotherapy for those who are suffering.”
The study, involving more than 13,000 participants, compared different types of psychological therapy with medications such as antidepressants. It found cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) on a one-to-one basis was the most effective.
Similar treatment is available with hypnotherapy and the National Council for Hypnotherapy (NCH) has around 1800 qualified and highly trained therapists around the UK who are available to talk to clients and offer the right therapy to ease their discomfort.
The NCH says that social anxiety can also manifest itself in different worries; it may be fear of being around other people, it may be anxiety in specific social situations, anxiety in your relationships with particular people at home, at school or at work.
Simply put, an anxiety is a fear or concern that is exaggerated, and is out of proportion to the situation, although sometimes it may not feel like this.
Talking your particular phobia through with a hypnotherapist will allow them to help assess your anxiety and identify the root of stress or anxiety whether it is a situation, a physical issue, a past experience or a relationship.
Hypnotherapy allows the client to feel more confident; more relaxed in situations that have previously been challenging and to be calmer.
Some, who have experienced side effects of anxiety such as insomnia, find they are sleeping much better and as a result are able to work more effectively.
It is as if hypnotherapy unlocks the potential to break free of negative thought patterns, and to react more positively and more confidently to situations.
