Impostor syndrome affects approximately 70% of people at some point in their lives, across all sectors. It's not a lack of competence, it's a distortion of self-perception that makes you believe your success isn't deserved.
What is impostor syndrome?
Impostor syndrome isn't reserved for beginners. CEOs, physicians, recognized artists and university professors live with it daily. Its defining characteristic: evidence of competence never manages to convince. Every new success is attributed to luck, good timing or others' help, never to one's own abilities.
How to recognize impostor syndrome?
Attributing success to luck
"I just got lucky." "They didn't notice." "Anyone could have done it."
Fear of being found out
Persistent anxiety that others will discover your "real" incompetence.
Paralyzing perfectionism
Inability to submit work that isn't perfect, which leads to procrastination or over-preparation.
Minimizing achievements
"It wasn't a big deal." "Anyone can do that." Difficulty receiving compliments.
Where does impostor syndrome come from?
Several contexts foster its development:
- Growing up in an environment where love or recognition was conditional on performance
- Being the first in your family to hold a prestigious position
- Evolving in a highly competitive environment where comparison is constant
- Receiving contradictory messages about your worth ("You're brilliant" + "You don't work hard enough")
- Overcoming adversity and struggling to accept that success is now legitimate
I am an applied neuroscience practitioner, and one thing is worth saying early: impostor feelings aren't corrected by piling up evidence. The brain spontaneously credits successes to circumstances and failures to itself, and every new success goes through that same filter. That's why one more qualification settles nothing. What changes things is working on the filter, not adding evidence.
What you can do on your own
- Build an evidence file: positive feedback, wins, thank-yous, results. Reread it when the doubt rises. The impostor feeling ignores facts; written facts don't let themselves be rewritten.
- Talk about it with a peer you trust. The syndrome thrives on secrecy, and the most frequent answer ("me too") is a direct antidote: it's hard to believe everyone is an impostor.
- Reattribute your successes honestly: for each win, note the real share of your work, your choices, your skills. Luck exists, but it doesn't explain years of results.
- Compare yourself to your own path rather than to other people's shop windows. You see your backstage and their stage; the comparison is rigged from the start.
What coaching can bring
Name the pattern and anchor it in the facts
Recognizing that it's a cognitive pattern, not a reality, is the first step. Keeping a journal of concrete achievements helps anchor a truer view of your worth.
Reframe the beliefs and the identity
We identify core beliefs ("I don't deserve my place") to replace them with empowering beliefs grounded in evidence, and build a professional identity based on your values and real competencies rather than comparisons.
What hypnotherapy can bring
Transform the old imprints
When the syndrome runs into childhood or significant experiences, hypnosis provides access to those levels and transforms the emotional imprints that make you doubt your legitimacy.
Install a sense of legitimacy
Beyond reasoning your worth, hypnosis helps you feel it: anchoring a sense of calm and legitimacy accessible in the situations that trigger the impostor feeling.
What this support is not
My coaching and hypnotherapy support does not substitute for any medical or psychological care. It is complementary. I do not diagnose and I do not replace a doctor, a psychologist or a psychotherapist.
If you are going through significant psychological distress, such as depression or suicidal thoughts, I will direct you to the appropriate resources.
Frequently asked questions
Lack of confidence is often linked to a deficit of skills or experience. Impostor syndrome affects competent people who don't correctly perceive their competencies. The key difference: objective evidence changes confidence but not impostor syndrome.
A mild dose can drive excellence and humility. But in its chronic form it becomes paralyzing, a source of anxiety and burnout. The nuance matters: awareness of one's limits is healthy; the conviction of being a fraud is not.
With targeted support, many clients notice significant changes in 4 to 8 sessions. Core work on beliefs and identity takes longer, but initial relief arrives quickly.
It can reappear in new contexts (new role, new challenge). That's why the work targets not just symptoms, but core beliefs and long-term strategies for recognizing and deconstructing the pattern when it returns.
Written by David Veilleux, PCC certified coach and certified hypnotherapist in Quebec. Last updated July 16, 2026.
Related resources: