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Working together
Published in Trudy Stewart, Stammering Resources for Adults and Teenagers, 2020
Rachel Everard, Cathinka Guldberg, Sam Simpson, David Ward
The fear of public speaking, also known as glossophobia, can be powerful and debilitating. It is helpful for a client to recognise that this fear is highly prevalent among the general population. Increasing the client’s understanding of what may lie behind this common fear can help him to become more tolerant of its presence. Introducing psychological explanations for why the ‘fight or flight’ response is often triggered in situations in which humans face a group or an audience can enable the client to normalise his fears. For example, appreciating that the human need to be accepted by the ‘tribe’ can have a powerful subconscious effect on emotional states, perhaps bringing up subconscious fears of being ostracised from a group. The client can be directed to further reading e.g. Theo Tsaousides (2017) Why Are We Scared of Public Speaking?
Integrating Hypnosis with Other Therapies for Treating Specific Phobias: A Case Series
Published in American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 2018
The patient, who received superlative reviews from more senior colleagues and supervisors, nevertheless felt stymied by his glossophobia (speech anxiety). This was not an all-encompassing social anxiety, as he had no discomfort performing avocationally as a musician in a band. Rather, it was manifested when his profession required him to speak to his own clients or when interviewing for a new position, as occurred after his contract was terminated due to downsizing. The patient was aware of his tendency to speak more quickly and raise the pitch of his voice when anxious. Hypnosis, as well as self-hypnosis, had some success with the patient learning, through pacing and leading, to slow his speech pattern with slow breathing and to imagine himself as being strong and confident (to improve vocal cord control and reduce up-speak) by visualizing his “future self.” However, this approach was insufficient, especially when feeling daunted by the prospect of addressing larger groups. The patient wistfully remarked that he would like to present at continuation education seminars to peers, as this would help him promote his own professional skills, but that he was still too anxious to do so.