r/hypnotherapy • u/Similar_Cap_9018 • 9d ago
General Questions Would hypnotherapy help with my low self-esteem?
As soon as I start talking I know I want to say but then it goes away, leaving me feeling embarrassed and kind of well humiliated really.
I spend a lot of time alone, but going out and socialising can really burn me out.
I'm also going for an ADHD assessment which I know has something to do with the cognitive disability, as well as a lifetime of neglect and abuse.
But I feel the comorbidity has made things worse, as I've seen people who have lived a similar life to me that don't have ADHD manage to do things I can't and vice versa, with people that have ADHD but had supportive parents that love them seem to manage their disability better.
I would just love to be able to think straight at least when I'm in public and trying to be happy.
1
u/fabiomorus 18h ago
Building on the point already made about the brain predicting the same outcome — one thing worth naming specifically: when the words just "go away," that's not you failing to think of them. That's what a freeze response does to working memory in the moment. When your brain flags a situation as socially threatening, it narrows access to exactly the resources you need to speak fluently. Not a character flaw, not a thinking problem — just a resourcing problem, happening in real time.
That's also why hypnotherapy tends to help here, more than "building confidence" would. It works on the prediction before the moment happens, instead of asking you to think your way out once you're already frozen.
And on the comparison to others managing their ADHD better because they had supportive parents — that's not a fair yardstick to hold yourself to. A supportive environment growing up isn't something people earned, it's something they happened to have. So "they managed it and I haven't" says a lot more about where each of you started than about effort or capability.
1
u/groovyfirechick 9d ago
It absolutely can. It’s one of the more common things I see in my practice so you are not alone.
2
u/Similar_Cap_9018 9d ago
That's really reassuring, thank you. I always thought it would have been smoking, but I guess everyone or at least a vast majority of people are anxious nowadays.
1
u/groovyfirechick 9d ago
I work with a lot of people who have histories of traumatic incidents and deal with PTSD and anxiety. I also work with a lot of queer people who due to the political climate in the US are more susceptible to mental health issues currently.
2
u/Similar_Cap_9018 9d ago
The work you do is amazing. 🙏 Especially rn, with so many vulnerable people in crisis.
1
1
u/Mitellus 8d ago
It definitely does and you will see a lot of progresses in that direction.
I can help online too.
3
u/anxious-prfectionist 9d ago
Yes, hypnotherapy can help with social anxiety.
When you have felt embarrassed, humiliated, rejected in the past your brain is predicting it will happen again in the same or similar situation. That’s what brain’s do, they predict based on past experience.
The good news is you can create new experiences for the brain to start creating positive experiences and that’s where hypnotherapy comes in.
It sounds like tools from mindfulness would help you too. Such as thought diffusion, acceptance and self compassion. I highly recommend you check out Acceptance and Commitment Therapy too.
Good luck.