Hypnotherapy for Low Self-Confidence - Hypnotherapy Directory (2023)

| Last updated on 15th June, 2022 | Next review due 14th June, 2024

Low self-confidence is something many of us suffer with. It can be a result of many factors, such as fear of the unknown, low self-esteem, or fear of how other people see us. This lack of confidence can hold us back from developing both personally and professionally. Here we explore how hypnotherapy can help us build confidence.

What causes low self-confidence?

How we feel about ourselves is often influenced by our past experiences, both positive and negative. The things we experience in our everyday lives, how we - and those around us - react to those events, can all have a significant impact on how we view ourselves and the world around us.

How we see ourselves may be influenced by friends, family, colleagues, peers, or even the media. Big, memorable events such as a traumatic experience can have a significant impact and can cause our sense of belief in ourselves to lower, leading to lower confidence.

The difference between self-esteem and self-confidence

While self-confidence and self-esteem are usually linked, they are not the same thing. When we talk about self-confidence we are referring to the way we feel about our ability to carry out tasks and roles. Self-esteem refers to the way we feel about ourselves - the way we look, behave and think.

Those with low self-esteem generally have low self-confidence too. Having said this, people with low self-esteem can have confidence in certain areas and those with high self-esteem may lack confidence in certain areas.

Having confidence in your abilities does not mean performing tasks perfectly. In fact, a big part of having self-confidence is knowing how to deal with mistakes when they occur. Having confidence can make a huge difference in many areas of our lives. Two key areas that benefit are your career and relationships.

Career - Lacking confidence at work can stop you from voicing your opinion and trying new things. This can hinder your progression and stunt your development. Building confidence at work can help you reach your full potential and ensure your voice is heard.

Relationships - When you have low self-confidence it can affect your relationships with friends, family and partners. It may hold you back from meeting people or cause you to isolate yourself socially. Improving this can help you feel more comfortable in social environments.

If you feel you could benefit from building your confidence, hypnotherapy is a safe and effective way to make a positive, long-lasting change.

Hypnosis for confidence

Have you ever met someone who despite constant reassurance and approval, lacks confidence in their abilities? Or perhaps you know someone who thinks they are fantastic at what they do, despite other people telling them otherwise?

This happens because our unconscious holds a set of beliefs about us that stay the same, regardless of external factors. So a singer who believes deep in their unconscious that they have a terrible voice will likely avoid performing, even if people tell them they have a great voice.

So, how do we overcome these deep-seated beliefs? As these beliefs dwell in our unconscious, this is where the change must take place.

Hypnotherapy accesses the unconscious mind and uses the power of suggestion to facilitate positive change. These suggestions can be tailored to help improve confidence levels. Generally, these suggestions will be positive and made in the present tense. For example, the phrase "you feel confident in everything you do" would be used rather than "you no longer doubt yourself". The theory behind this is that the unconscious can't differentiate between "you have" and "you no longer have".

How can hypnosis help improve my confidence?

Hypnotherapy can help some people improve their self-confidence and self-esteem. By accessing your unconscious mind, or inner voice, a hypnotherapist can help you start to take control of how you are feeling about yourself, working with you to discover what may have caused you to develop low-confidence, and helping you to feel more confident.

Your inner voice can feel like your biggest critic, causing you to feel bad about yourself, your thoughts or your actions. But it is possible to overcome these negative thoughts, no matter how deeply embedded they may seem. A hypnotherapist can help to re-teach your unconscious mind and help us to see ourselves in a kinder light. As well as being able to help improve your overall confidence, hypnosis can help improve your confidence and self-belief around specific areas, such as in work or relationships, or to boost your confidence around a specific goal such as taking a driving test or giving a presentation.

What happens during a hypnotherapy session?

To begin with, your hypnotherapist will talk to you about what you hope to achieve through hypnotherapy. They will likely ask questions about your past to try and establish any root causes or triggers for the way you feel. They will explain how hypnosis for confidence works, telling you more about the process so you know what to expect. If you have any questions that have not been covered by your hypnotherapist, be sure to ask.

Once you are both happy with what you plan to do, hypnotherapy will begin. You will be guided into a highly relaxed state. You will not be asleep - you will be aware of what is happening throughout. Once you are in this state, your hypnotherapist will communicate with your unconscious, using questions and suggestive statements to challenge your limiting beliefs.

The statements used will depend on your personal circumstances and will relate to any particular confidence issues you feel you have. The idea behind hypnotherapy is that when your unconscious believes you are confident, this translates to your consciousness. This, therefore, changes your thought patterns and actions to improve your confidence.

What happens after my hypnotherapy session?

The number of hypnosis for confidence sessions you'll need will depend on your individual circumstances, but this is something you can discuss with your hypnotherapist. After your session is over, it is likely that your hypnotherapist will recommend you listen to pre-recorded sessions regularly to help reinforce the suggestions made.

Your hypnotherapist may also teach you some self-hypnosis techniques to use as and when you need them. Listening to recordings and carrying out self-hypnosis are easy ways to continue working on your confidence levels after your session is over.

In this empowering session, hypnotherapist Vicki Crane leads a self-hypnosis on confidence building.

Does hypnotherapy for confidence work?

While many people experience an immediate improvement in their confidence levels, others may need to continue to reinforce these new ideas using self-hypnosis techniques, maintenance sessions, and recordings. Persistence is key: you didn't develop low self-confidence overnight. Fixing months or years of negative self-talk can take time to truly sink in.

Will hypnosis change my personality?

Hypnotherapy has the power to tap into your unconscious to bring out traits you already have. It cannot add personality traits or change your personality.

Everyone is born with confidence; it is the false beliefs that for one reason or another end up in our unconscious that deplete our confidence. By unlearning this, our confidence levels return to how they would be naturally.

"[hypnosis for confidence]isn’t something that turns you into a person you’re not. You will not suddenly start acting arrogantly or doing things that you have never dreamed of doing in the past. Unlike on the television, this isn’t a situation where the hypnotherapist takes over your mind and makes you do things. It works by pulling the confidence from you that is already there. After all, everyone is born with confidence; it is just the things that happen in life that either help this confidence to grow or disappear."

Certified Master Hypnotherapist ANLP, BNLP, SNLP, C.H, Dip. Hyp Biodun Ogunyemi explains more in How does hypnosis for confidence really work?

How can I find a hypnotherapist?

When looking for a hypnotherapist it is important to find someone you feel comfortable with and someone who is sufficiently qualified. Currently, there are no laws in place regulating the hypnotherapy profession. There are however voluntary regulatory bodies that check hypnotherapists are adequately trained and hold them to a code of ethics.

There are also National Occupational Standards for those providing hypnotherapy to clients, which outline the level of training hypnotherapists should have. On Hypnotherapy Directory we have a proof policy that ensures everyone we list has provided proof of qualifications and insurance or membership with a professional body. We also encourage our members to fill their profiles with as much information as possible, so you can find out more about the way they work and what they can help with before making contact.