Singing in Public

Question
Can hypnotherapy help with fears of speaking or performing in public? I am a singer. When I sing in my chorus, I do just fine. I am having fun and am confident in my abilities as a performer. The problem is when I solo. I do fine at home, but in front of others the fear gets so bad that it hampers my ability to stay on pitch and be fluid in my performance. I am looking to hypnosis because no matter how much I practice and no matter how well I know the songs, my fear, irrational as it is, takes over. DEAR DEL, Your website and its information, especially on healing, has given me another perspective on issues beneath my lack of confidence in public speaking, and shyness in interpersonal conversations. I get lots of practice in speaking, but the "fright" always catches up with me before long. My vocal cords swell. I can't project. It's stressful.

Answer
As you might guess, hypnosis is especially superb at helping people get over stage fright. It is unnecessary for a hypnotherapist to know a musical instrument (or a speaker's subject matter), in order to be able to help a musician, or speaker, become more consistent in their performance skills and in their confidence in front of others. As you no doubt know, most performance is 90 percent of what is in your mind. The singer knows how to sing; the speaker knows his or her subject. The hypnotherapist is a "doctor" of the mind. One who not only uses hypnosis for this problem, but also has the knowledge of how to get to the source of the fright, can be the most helpful, I feel. Hypnosis is especially helpful in assisting a person to draw from more of their mind's ability. It helps a performer become more confident within, and to build a deeper sense of self-esteem. It not only helps with your confidence level, but it assists in releasing the resources you have within you, more consistently, in any situation you face - even standing before a group of people. In other words, your subconscious/unconscious mind holds what you know, and releases what you are able to do, automatically. It can also help the nervousness be used in a creative way - for instance, transforming it into passion for what you have to say or do.