Statistics show that the number of people having social anxiety increases year after year. In the UK for example, professionals have noted that two percent of the male population and three percent of the female group are socially anxious. Several studies also reveal that at some point in their lives, seven to fifteen percent of people will get social anxiety due to various reasons.
Now, twenty percent of the world’s population is suffering from this disorder. Just like any other types of anxiety disorders, social anxiety or sometimes known as people phobia, has adverse effect to the everyday lives of its sufferers.
Certainly, sufferers of this condition feel the need to avoid interaction with people because of fear of being judged, embarrassed, or being the center of attention. Individuals with people phobia often come up with reasons so that they can be excused from social events and gatherings. They are frequently left alone at home during weekends when most people hang out and spend leisure time. Therefore, they are not able to catch up with their families and friends and eventually lose their ties with them.
Persons with social anxiety are drawn close to potentially addictive activities or substances. During their alone time, they may overuse the television and the internet , and play computer games for long periods of time. On the other hand, when left with no choice but to be in a party, they try to release tension and social inhibitions buy drinking alcoholic beverages, smoking, and even using prohibited drugs.
Fear of people also generates undesirable effects to one’s job or career. Typical tasks in the workplace such as answering the phone, writing letters to co-workers and stakeholders, signing names, and attending meetings, become dreadful to sufferers of social anxiety. This results to inability to perform job functions well which can be a ground for termination.
From all these undesirable effects, individuals with social anxiety truly need to be saved and, one way of doing it is through hypnosis. Treating social anxiety through hypnosis is a fairly new approach. However, its ability to reduce anxiety attacks due to social interaction has been proven.
The primary objective of hypnosis is to disconnect a person from a traumatic memory or experience that might have triggered the social anxiety. In this way, the disorder can be resolved because the main source or origin of anxiety has already been separated from the mind.
In hypnosis, the therapist leads the patient to an altered state of consciousness where a person becomes more relaxed, experiences decrease in blood pressure, and brain wave adjustments. At such state, a person is more responsive and open to suggestions and from there on, the therapist directs the patient to dig out and eliminate each traumatic experience.