Public Speaking Anxiety & Fear of Being Noticeably Nervous: Mind Surgery for High Performers

"Joe", a stock broker, describes from a "Christian" perspective his progress from long term depression and social avoidance to healing.

“Mike”, a 26 yr. old ambitious entrepreneur describes his resolution of multiple psychological challenges. With dramatic insight he communicates the impact his special education experience had on his social anxiety and self- esteem. He originally “did not understand what was going on” regarding his panic and anxiety. Before treatment he believed “he was born this way” and there was nothing he could do about it!"

When I started my psychotherapy practice in 1978, I was doing biofeedback and psychotherapy for stress related disorders to empower patients to heal without medication or to get off medication. Forty-five years and over 60.000 clinical hours later I have discovered there are high performance strategies to incorporate pharmaceuticals into the treatment process. This discussion with Dr. Mathew Lorber MD is the first in a series of interviews, the purpose of which is to educate the listener on what can be a complex process.

“John” describes how he once had “joy” with public speaking but lost it due to his anxiety which drove his avoidance and performance phobia. He “tried everything” but realized all of his previous attempts at help were “band aids over a gaping wound”. Very close to “abusing medication” he rediscovered his “”joy” by doing core work, which helped him understand his deep rooted anger, which had been recycling and driving his obsessive worry. The Berent Method helped him channel the anger into productive and proactive energy.

Once having considered an operation to sever her nerves, “Diane”, in her 40’s, describes her resolution – through therapy via telephone – of erythrophobia. When Diane initiated treatment she was at a “low point”.  Her fear of blushing prevented her from getting “in front” of the people necessary to advance her career. Her avoidance was causing depression. Her anxiety was based on her belief that when she blushed “people would think she was not smart enough”. She describes how she learned to be “very good at hiding things” . Her insight into the ingrained character of the problem, and the fact that its’ seeds were in grammar school, was crucial for her healing.

When considering treatment for social and performance anxiety thoughtful evaluation would say that a model adapted to the specific needs of this specific anxiety is productive rather than trying to fit the condition into rigid restrictive existing models; most noticeably the nonsensical promises and absurd research perpetuated by the CBT community. I want to be very clear. Behavior and cognition are very important variables to consider in treatment but if you miss the emotion-physiological connection you are playing the wrong game. A productive model is going to have several tools. Since 1978 one of the tools that I have integrated into therapy is the utilization of mind states. The objective of this podcast is to introduce you to each state.

Hear “Ray” describe his battle and success with performance anxiety and fear of public speaking in an ultra-competitive business. Core work included resolution of embarrassment, shame, and unresolved anger and rage at non-conscious levels. The client evolved from not getting out of bed in the morning due to anxiety and depression to major career advancement and harmony in his personal life.

“Carol” an ovarian cancer survivor, and mother of two, describes the intensity of her anxiety. “Cancer shook me to my core. It was just me with the fight of my life vs. with blushing it’s people putting judgment and expectations on me. It’s my bright red burning face larger than life for everyone to see”. The social anxiety-driven blushing made her “a prisoner” as she avoided anything that would “put her in the spotlight”. The interpretation she put on the blushing was that “everyone could see that I was frightened and they would disregard everything I had to say”.

In this candid discussion “Mike” describes the “grey cloud over his head” caused by his daily worry regarding public speaking. His primary fear was that his voice would “quiver or shake”. High on the food chain of a small company he had been in a position to become quite proficient at avoiding anxiety inducing situations. His career as a salesman was threatened the more he avoided “getting in front of potential customers”. With a substantial amount of “expendable income” fine restaurants and “partying” became a way of life. The insidious nature of his relationship with alcohol became a major factor for deteriorating performance at work and negative mental health. Understanding the “physiology of performance” concurrent to self-esteem work is what “Mike” credits for his success.

All too often I encounter patients who have become overly dependent on prescription medication for their social and performance anxiety. A common problem scenario is over-dependence on beta blockers. While this dependence is more psychological than physical, the results can be devastatingly negative.  Frequently prescribed for stage fright and performance anxiety, they can be effective in blocking adrenaline surges. The philosophy in The Berent Treatment Method for performance anxiety is that when used occasionally in high risk situations this is productive for healing. But; when over-adapting via beta blocker dependence occurs there is minimal opportunity to learn and implement the adrenaline control technique. This is because the technique is based on adrenalin acceptance and you have to feel that which you want to control. This interview describes productive integration of beta blockers into the treatment process.

Robert described his anxiety upon initiating treatment with the following: “As I approached the boardroom I would experience a spiraling effect.  I was having bad recurring experiences with anxiety which were getting worse with each challenge. It was horrible because when I was on a speaking cycle of every 2-3 months the anxiety was worse because of the build- up. I never ran from the challenge. I continued attacking but my mechanisms were not working”.  Robert’s success in treatment was very much based on his core work revolving around his “walk of shame” concurrent with his implementation of the paradox-based adrenaline control methodology.

Perfectionism is a symptom of obsessive compulsive personality disorder. It is a characteristic of insecurity. The rigidity of perfectionism inhibits flexibility, performance and productivity. It causes “burnout”, which is mental exhaustion, and depression.. “Lauren”, a straight A student at an Ivy League College and high level businesswoman, describes her challenge and path to healing.

Welcome. This is Jonathan Berent. I’m going to tell you the real story about social anxiety. You are not going to hear the real story anywhere else. I guarantee you that! This is a deep dive into a complex subject the reality of which remains very misunderstood… so let’s get clinical!KENDRA age 46, mother of two, is a world renown physician who has headed numerous clinical trials and has saved many lives. She suffered from public speaking anxiety disorder. You may want to listen to her interview which is on the podcast. It’s titled “World Renown Physician Describes Her Cure from Public Speaking Anxiety Disorder”. Mike age 26, a college grad spends most of his life in his room. He doesn’t work, is socially paralyzed, and spends over 100 hours a week with various technology dependencies. His parents walk on “eggshells” for fear of triggering his anger. This has resulted in long- term enabling of what has become an addiction to avoidance.

“Jack”, a standout golfer, discusses the process by which he resolved his conversation anxiety, social avoidance, and obsessive perfectionism. His healing journey started when his parents initiated treatment when he avoided going to a cocktail party during school vacation. He never would have initiated treatment on his own. His anxiety was driven by his fear of sweating and conversation challenges. With his anxiety under control he proactively advanced his career and social life.

“Bill” had achieved a relatively high level of success in sales relying on one to one scenarios and spontaneous interactions with physicians in hospitals. Career pressure and advancement required that he face the anxiety scenarios that he had been very adept at avoiding; group presentations and meetings. In fact he had been avoiding job opportunities due to his anxiety, which he described as “anelephant sitting on my chest when trying to talk”. He had gone to a psychiatrist for help, but did not like the medication route. In this interview he discusses his high performance learning curve which was characterized by confidence implementing the paradoxical technique required for psycho-physiological control and management of sweating and blushing.

“Richard”, a successful businessman and dedicated family man describes his “core” work of self-acceptance that had been eluding him after experiencing “every type of motivational technique from positive thinking to programming your unconscious”. His long term struggle with social anxiety grew out of his “conflict with authority figures and his father”. He had lived with his “unauthentic self” stating that his many previous attempts at self-help and therapy dealt with this concept in a “cursory manner”.

Hear “Kevin”, a successful lawyer describe insightfully how he learned to resolve his hyperhidrosis-driven public speaking anxiety and fear of being noticeably nervous. He describes how he controlled his “internal critical script”, which in turn stopped his sweating during a business meeting. While learning to control his “perfectionism” he states “I stopped trying to be perfect and focused on being the best I could be”!

“Sam” remembered experiencing anxiety since he was 15 in high school when there was any situation where he was the focus of attention. His anxiety became especially debilitating in college where he would skip the first day of classes to avoid the panic that would occur during introductions in class. He realized that his use of Xanax and beta blockers was becoming a crutch as he always kept them at ready, in his pocket, when there would be any situation where he could be the focus of attention. He was desperate to “hide any possible symptom”. He became an expert at obsessively analyzing in advance possible  performance scenarios, during meetings,  so that he could take his medicine exactly at the right time. This became a compulsion and an ingrained way of life. “Power drinking” beer became an integral part of his social culture as a teen; especially during football days. Sam turned the tragedy of his DWI into an empowering treatment experience.

Learn from this technology executive of a 30 billion dollar company who suffered from intermittent, but long term social anxiety and public speaking anxiety. Hear how he integrated the adrenaline control technique to make adrenaline his “friend” and source of power! Gain insight into the ingrained nature of hyper-vigilance and detachment.

This unique discussion may be one of a kind! Four patients who suffered from Erythraphobia and social anxiety discuss their healing journey and treatment experience. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best measuring treatment progress) two of the participants self -evaluated as 9, one a 7, and the other was just beginning treatment; a 1. Listen carefully and you will gain insight into the methodology of recovery including the technique of adrenaline acceptance, “mind state” work, management of emotions and self-esteem.

Brought to you by Jonathan Berent L.C.S.W. & Social-Anxiety.comSr. Executive of a Multi-billion Dollar Company, Describes How He Changed His Life by Resolving His Deep Rooted Public Speaking Anxiety“Tom” a senior executive and former semi-pro football player and military swat team member describes how he changed his life by resolving his deep rooted public speaking anxiety. Hear how he embraced the adrenaline to facilitate his “passion”.

Brought to you by Jonathan Berent L.C.S.W. & Social-Anxiety.comThis is a remarkably insightful clinical/medical description of a journey into healing.

This podcast is a clinical map for healing. It is for high performing individuals who suffer from public speaking anxiety disorder and the fear of being noticeably nervous. Learn the treatment architecture for performance anxiety, panic, fear of blushing (erythrophobia), fear of sweating (hyper-hidrosis), voice freeze (selective mutism), dissociation, obsessive worry, and perfectionism. Jonathan Berent, L.C.S.W. has pioneered treatment for social and performance anxiety having worked with thousands of patients since 1978. He is the author of "Beyond Shyness: How to Conquer Social Anxieties" (Simon & Schuster) and "Work Makes Me Nervous" (Wiley).Jonathan has extensive media experience including Oprah, NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, Fox, The New York Times, Newsday, The Chicago Tribune, and The Boston Globe.

This podcast is a clinical map for healing. It is for high performing individuals who suffer from public speaking anxiety disorder and the fear of being noticeably nervous. Learn the treatment architecture for performance anxiety, panic, fear of blushing (erythrophobia), fear of sweating (hyper-hidrosis), voice freeze (selective mutism), dissociation, obsessive worry, and perfectionism. Jonathan Berent, L.C.S.W. has pioneered treatment for social and performance anxiety having worked with thousands of patients since 1978. He is the author of "Beyond Shyness: How to Conquer Social Anxieties" (Simon & Schuster) and "Work Makes Me Nervous" (Wiley).Jonathan has extensive media experience including Oprah, NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, Fox, The New York Times, Newsday, The Chicago Tribune, and The Boston Globe.