As human beings, we often feel the need to be accepted by others, and so social anxiety is very common.

It can occur in many different situations, and strike at any time. Even seemingly simple social interactions, such as meeting friends or queueing for a bus can trigger it.

Social anxiety sufferers often fear feeling embarrassed or being humiliated, and this may impact many everyday situations in which other people are present. Shopping, speaking in public, meeting friends – there are many situations which can be difficult to a sufferer of social anxiety, especially if they feel they are being watched.

People with social anxiety often have many insecurities, and are likely to suffer low self-esteem. They may also naturally shy away from situations in which they fear they may be criticised or found inadequate.

Let untreated, the levels of anxiety and fear may generalise and intensify until the person begins to experience panic and anxiety attacks. This can lead people to isolate themselves from friends and family, which can cause further problems both at home as well as at work.

The stress of ongoing social anxiety can eventually lead to mental health issues such as depression, and can lead people to self-medicate with alcohol or other substances to escape the feelings of anxiety.

As the problem escalates, the fears can become self-fulfilling, as relationships start to break down and day to day living becomes increasingly difficult.

The good news is that hypnotherapy can help reduce and overcome social anxiety, regardless of how severe it has become, and it usually only takes a few sessions to help you reverse the spiral of social anxiety and resume a normal life.

The fear and worry in social anxiety is usually fuelled by past experiences of humiliation, or certain habitual thinking patterns. These underlying factors are readily treatable with hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy works by helping you to change your perception and feelings about past events as well as boosting your levels of confidence and control.

The benefit of hypnotherapy is that it works with the parts of the mind responsible for maintaining the problem, so as strongly as it was a problem before, it can begin to improve.

And as your confidence and self-esteem rise, this fuels rapid improvements in your relationships, work and social life, which creates a positive cycle of success.

So if you suffer with social anxiety, why not get in touch and see how we can help you.