As a Chicago Hypnotist, I have been asked many times about the benefits of hypnosis, for various issues relating to performance. What do we mean by “performance” issues? The term can cover a variety of experiences where a person runs into some kind of “block” in their forward movement in a certain activity or goal. This can be in areas of actual performance, such as sports, auditions, theater, modeling, or any other “stage” experience. It can also be performance in the area of giving a speech, or being in charge of a meeting, or even anxiety about going on a first date! People often encounter something in performing where they either “trip up”, or get stuck in a perception or memory where they fear they are going to repeat the same negative experience.

In golf, this is called “the yips”, where no matter how hard the golfer tries, their mind and body cannot coordinate itself to make a good swing. This negative anticipation can become so intense that a person, no matter how hard they try, cannot shake the fear of the failure happening again. This “trauma”, either recent and/or connected to the past,then gets “anchored” in the neuro-psychological and physiological network of the person and takes on a life of its own.

Usually the stuck place is now either in the unconscious part of the mind or, some believe it is in the deep part of the primitive part of the sub-cortex where memories, emotions, and basically trauma is stored in “capsules” of the brain. Although certain talk therapies attempt to work on these stored places, talking and understanding take place in the neo-cortex or thinking part of the brain. Sometimes to effect change, the person needs help getting “beneath” the thinking brain to the unconsciously stored compartments.

How is this done? We get to this beneath -the- thinking brain part with a technique such as hypnosis. These approaches guide the person to release what is being held in the memory network so that new beliefs, interpretations, feelings and body experiences can occur. Once the source of the blockage is freed up the person can “heal” the trauma or negative energy in the network and move forward with positive anticipation.  Now the natural process of being in the moment of the experience can carry the day with renewed confidence and learning.

So, if you break out in a sweat going into a meeting, or a class where you have to present, or are frustrated about making the same mistakes in a sport or performance where “you know better” but still can’t get things to change, consider trying one of these well documented approaches to moving things forward fearlessly and confidently once again.