Social anxiety is an intense, persistent fear of social situations. It differs from ordinary shyness in its intensity and its impact on quality of life. It can appear in professional interactions, public speaking, group meals or any context involving social evaluation.
What is social anxiety?
Social anxiety isn't just feeling nervous before a presentation. For many people, it's a fear that seeps into everything: team meetings, meals with friends, informal hallway conversations. The brain perceives a social threat where there isn't one, and it triggers a disproportionate stress response.
What causes social anxiety?
I am an applied neuroscience practitioner, and I always explain the mechanism before suggesting any exercise. The symptoms of social anxiety don't come from a lack of willpower: they come from an alarm system tuned too sensitively, one that reads a glance as a threat. Once you can see what fires and in what order, the exercises stop being tricks to try and become levers whose effect you can feel.
What you can do on your own
- Turn your attention outward. In the situation, really listen to what the other person is saying instead of watching your own performance: self-monitoring ("do I look nervous?") feeds the anxiety and steals the attention the conversation needs.
- Prepare two or three open questions before an event. Having something to restart the conversation removes the fear of the awkward silence, and people remember fondly those who listen to them.
- Reduce safety behaviours one at a time: avoiding eye contact, standing near the exit, rehearsing every sentence in your head. These habits reassure you in the moment, but they confirm to the brain that the situation was dangerous.
- Afterwards, write down two things that went well. The anxious brain replays the awkward moments on a loop; a few lines about what worked rebalance the memory of the situation.
- Practise cardiac coherence five minutes a day, plus once more before a social event: six breaths a minute, roughly five seconds in and five seconds out. It won't remove the apprehension about being looked at, but it brings down the physical surge that makes it visible.
What coaching can bring
Transform the limiting beliefs
Identify the triggers and reframe automatic thoughts about others' judgment. We develop concrete action strategies and build confidence through successes that add up.
Re-expose yourself gradually
Facing anxiety-provoking situations from least to most challenging, at your own pace, gradually reprograms the brain's emotional response and undoes the avoidance that keeps the anxiety alive.
What hypnotherapy can bring
Desensitize the fear response
Hypnosis and NLP act directly on the unconscious fear responses: defusing the emotional triggers and reframing the past experiences that feed today's anxiety.
Anchor calm and presence
Installing new resources (calm, confidence, presence) accessible in the feared situations, so you walk into a meeting or a social evening with a changed inner state.
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
Shyness is generally a benign personality trait that fades with time and familiarity. Social anxiety is an intense, often irrational fear that persists, generates real suffering and concretely limits the person's life.
Coaching is very effective for mild to moderate social anxiety. It helps identify thought patterns, transform limiting beliefs and develop behavioural strategies. For severe forms, a medical consultation alongside coaching is recommended.
Each journey is unique. Many clients notice significant improvements in 6 to 10 sessions. Duration depends on the depth of the patterns, how long they've been established, and engagement between sessions.
Yes. Ericksonian hypnosis is particularly effective for social fears because it acts directly on unconscious responses. It allows revisiting and transforming the emotional imprint of past experiences related to others' judgment.
Absolutely. Online (video) sessions are just as effective as in-person sessions for coaching and hypnotherapy. Many clients even prefer to start online, from their familiar environment.
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Written by David Veilleux, PCC certified coach and certified hypnotherapist in Quebec. Last updated July 16, 2026.
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