My approach to helping guide people to transform their stage fright has been evolving since 1984. It began by asking people to stand quietly in front of my performance classes to see if they could just BE at the center of attention. Most people had great difficulty simply standing quietly in front of the class. Some people said they felt uncomfortable physical sensations, like a pounding heart, tightening stomach, shaky knees and sweaty palms. Others said they felt emotional reactions like fear, anxiety, nervousness or awkwardness. Still others said they thought they should be doing something to entertain us, were afraid to seem dumb or were concerned about what others thought about them. Regardless of their internal reactions, each person clearly felt some form of self-judgment.
I realized that people needed to be supported to become comfortable being the center of attention. I thought I could facilitate that process. I followed my intuition and asked people to focus on their inner tensions rather than avoiding or denying their discomforts. Participants consistently reported that their discomfort diminished or even dissolved shortly after simply acknowledging their stage fright tension. Intrigued by this positive result, I asked them to give themselves permission to feel the inner tensions. I also asked them not to resist or judge the internal sensations but just to “be with” those sensations and see what would happen.
The transformations were stunning! An individual who was stiff and wooden only a minute ago would almost instantly relax into her body. Someone who was very spacey and “not-present” would suddenly become present before our very eyes. We could see the surprised looks of relief and the new willingness to just be there at the center of attention. Suddenly people weren’t hiding and were no longer afraid to stand there. In fact, they would come alive and reach out to connect with the group. After a while, they began to marvel at how good it felt to be the center of attention. Some didn’t want to sit down; they wanted to continue standing in front of the group. When people started exclaiming how good it felt to be the center of attention and asking if they could stay in front of the group, I knew I was on to something that needed to be developed and shared! For more about my approach, please visit my websites, www.self-expression.com and www.TransformStageFright.com.
