Steve Andreas > Books Authored > Heart of the Mind > Chapter 1

How Joan's Thinking Created Stage Fright

When I asked her if she had any idea how she created her tightness and discomfort, she said �No.� Since the information I wanted from her was �unconscious,� I asked her to imagine being back in the problem situation to see what she could discover:

�Think of one of the situations when this happened, and go back into it before you stand up to speak. See what you saw then, feel the chair under you, and hear the sounds around you there. Nod when you�re fully back there.�...

When she nodded, I went on: �Now imagine that you stand up and walk to the front of the room where you will speak. As you do this, notice what you experience that creates the tension.�...

As she did this, I could see her shoulders rise as her chest became tense. When she spoke, her voice was indeed higher and shriller, so I knew that she was actually re-experiencing the problem situation. When she reported on her experience, she described her feelings of tension and discomfort in detail, but she still had no idea how she created it. She needed a little more help from me.

�Close your eyes and go back again to that situation of being in front of the group. As you stand there, notice any words you might be saying to yourself in your mind, or any pictures you might be making internally... Try looking out at the group and notice if there is anything unusual about the people�s eyes or their faces.� Since I have worked with stage fright before, I know that often it occurs in response to imagining being watched, judged, or rejected by the audience, and this is usually most evident in how we see the eyes or faces of the audience.

After a few moments, Joan�s body jerked slightly and she said, �Oh! They all have cartoon eyes! All those empty eyes are staring at me without any expression!�

If you imagine being Joan, looking out at a room full of life-size cartoon eyes, it�s easy to realize how this would make her feel tense and �disconnected� from the group! Now that I knew how she created the problem, the next step was to change it to something more useful.