Social Anxiety (or Social Phobia)

Social Anxiety, or Social Phobia is the fear of being judged by others.

In his article, Symptoms of Social Anxiety, Paul Douglass writes...

"Social anxiety (also known as social phobia) can be summed up as the fear of being judged by other people.

Someone with social anxiety or social phobia, will worry about how other might see them.

Everyone wants to be seen positively by others, and we all, to one extent or another, care about how others see us.

If you suffer with social anxiety (social phobia) though, this is more than just caring what others think... it can become an outright fear.

It can affect almost any aspect of a social phobic's life, where any kind of interaction with others may occur (not just social interaction as the term 'social anxiety' might suggest).

Someone with social anxiety (social phobia) may actively avoid situations that involve any interaction with other people, so that they don't have to face their fear."

Paul goes on to explain about the fear of being judged...

"People with social anxiety (social phobia) often presume that other people are judging them, even if there actually isn't any evidence to support this.

Let's take the example of someone going out of their house into the front garden. Let's say that the neighbor, who had been in their own garden, goes indoors. In this situation, someone with social anxiety (social phobia) might incorrectly assume that the neighbor had gone indoors because they had gone out into their garden.

They might assume a responsibility for their neighbor's actions... in actual fact, the neighbor had gone indoors because their phone had rung, but to the socially anxious (social phobic) person, they may assume that the neighbor simply doesn't like them.

Of course, someone with stronger social anxiety (social phobia) might not have gone out into their garden at all in this situation, for fear that they might get into a conversation with the neighbor.

People with social anxiety (social phobia) often feel that everything they do is being judged, and so will often try to just 'blend into the background', in the hope that they won't get noticed."

Read Paul Douglass' full article on the Symptoms of Social Anxiety here

What Causes Social Anxiety (Social Phobia)?

Social Anxiety (Social Phobia), in common with many other phobias, is a mechanism put in place by the brain to protect us from something that (for some reason), it has mis-judged the threat of.

In the example of Social Anxiety (Social Phobia), the person may have had an experience in their past where they felt judged, and their mind is over-protecting them from similar situations, in case something similar ever happens again.

Treating a phobia can by surprisingly simple, because all that really needs to happen, is for that 'unresolved emotion', or 'conflict', to be resolved. Once the 'unresolved emotion' is resolved, there's no longer a need for the mind to protect us (or over-protect us) from it, and the Social Anxiety (Social Phobia) can disappear.

Looking for Help with Social Anxiety (Social Phobia)?

It's important to remember, that if you suffer from Social Anxiety (Social Phobia), then help is available.

Social Anxiety (Social Phobia) (the fear of being judged by others) responds really well to therapies such as 'Pure' Hypnoanalysis.

Pure Hypnoanalysis is a relatively quick form of therapy, that helps people with Social Anxiety (Social Phobia) to overcome their fear of 'being judged'. It is a form of therapy that is quite unique, in that it aims to resolve the root cause of the problem, rather than (as most therapies do), temporarily manage the symptoms.

If you are in the UK, and would like to look into Pure Hypnoanalysis as a possible therapy, there are therapists trained in this unique therapy all over the UK.

One of the easiest ways to find a therapist in your area who is trained in this therapy, is to use the free find-a-therapist service, by Avon Hypnotherapy.

The find-a-therapist service is very easy to use, simply tell them some basic details, including your name and location, and they will do their best to help you locate a trained therapist in your area.

Click here to visit Avon Hypnotherapy's FREE Find-a-Therapist service.