Hypnosis Cardiff Online

Self-confidence can influence almost every area of life. It affects how we communicate, the decisions we make, our relationships, our work and our willingness to try new things. When confidence is low, even relatively simple situations can feel difficult. You may worry about what other people think, constantly question your decisions or hold yourself back because you are afraid of getting things wrong.

Low self-confidence can sometimes develop after difficult experiences, criticism, rejection, failure or prolonged periods of stress. It can also become a learned pattern of thinking in which negative thoughts about yourself are repeated so often that they begin to feel like facts.

The good news is that confidence is not necessarily something you either have or do not have. It can be developed, strengthened and changed. Hypnotherapy may be one way of helping with that process.

What is self-confidence?

Self-confidence is essentially your belief in your ability to deal with situations and cope with what life presents.

It is not the same as believing that you will always succeed. A confident person can make mistakes, experience setbacks and still believe they can cope.

Low confidence, on the other hand, can create a very different internal dialogue:

“I’m not good enough.”

“I’ll probably make a fool of myself.”

“Other people are better than me.”

“What if I get it wrong?”

When these thoughts become automatic, they can influence behaviour. You may avoid opportunities, remain silent when you have something valuable to say or choose not to try because failure seems inevitable.

Over time, avoidance can reinforce the original belief.

How can hypnotherapy help with self-confidence?

Hypnotherapy provides an opportunity to work with some of the thoughts, beliefs and emotional patterns that may contribute to low confidence.

During hypnosis, the mind becomes deeply relaxed while remaining focused and responsive. This can provide a useful environment for therapeutic work aimed at strengthening more positive and realistic beliefs about yourself.

Suggestions can be used to encourage greater self-belief, calmness and resilience. Mental rehearsal can also allow you to imagine yourself handling situations with greater confidence before you actually encounter them.

For example, someone who lacks confidence when speaking in front of others might mentally rehearse standing calmly in front of an audience, speaking clearly and remaining composed.

The purpose is not to convince yourself that you are perfect.

It is to develop the belief that you are capable of dealing with whatever happens.

Changing the internal conversation

One of the biggest obstacles to confidence can be the way we talk to ourselves.

Someone with low confidence may be extremely critical of themselves. A small mistake becomes evidence of failure, while successes are dismissed as luck.

Hypnotherapy can help bring greater awareness to these automatic patterns and encourage a more balanced internal response.

Instead of:

“I always get things wrong.”

the developing response may become:

“I don’t have to get everything right to be capable.”

This may sound like a small change, but repeated changes in the way we think can influence how we feel and behave.

Building self-efficacy

Psychologists often distinguish between self-esteem and self-efficacy. Self-esteem relates more broadly to how we value ourselves, while self-efficacy concerns our belief that we can successfully deal with particular tasks or challenges.

There is some interesting research suggesting hypnosis may help strengthen self-efficacy.

A 2010 randomised study involving 59 collegiate soccer players examined hypnosis combined with ego-strengthening suggestions. The hypnosis group showed greater self-efficacy and improved performance compared with the control group, with the differences still evident four weeks later.

Although this was a specific sporting task rather than a general study of self-confidence, it provides useful evidence that hypnotic techniques can influence confidence in one’s ability to perform.

What does the research say about hypnosis and self-esteem?

Research specifically investigating hypnotherapy for general self-confidence is still relatively limited, so it would be misleading to suggest that hypnosis has been conclusively proven to increase confidence in everyone.

However, there are encouraging findings.

A randomised controlled trial involving 104 people who had completed cancer treatment examined a group programme combining self-hypnosis and self-care. The participants receiving the intervention reported improved self-esteem, reduced emotional distress and greater mindfulness compared with the wait-list control group. The researchers concluded that the hypnosis-based intervention improved the variables studied.

Another study involving 261 veterans receiving treatment for substance-use problems investigated self-hypnosis and self-esteem. Participants who regularly practised the self-hypnosis material reported higher self-esteem and greater serenity at follow-up than those who practised minimally or did not receive the intervention.

These studies do not prove that hypnotherapy is a universal solution for low confidence, but they provide encouraging evidence that hypnosis-based interventions can influence self-esteem, self-efficacy and related psychological factors.

Confidence grows through experience

One of the most valuable aspects of confidence work is recognising that confidence does not necessarily have to come before action.

Often, confidence develops because we take action and discover that we can cope.

Hypnotherapy can help prepare the mind for those experiences. By mentally rehearsing situations, reducing unnecessary anxiety and strengthening belief in your ability to cope, you may find it easier to take the first step.

That might mean speaking up at work, meeting new people, starting a relationship, taking an examination, giving a presentation, learning something new or simply becoming more comfortable with who you are.

Each successful experience can then provide further evidence that your old beliefs were not necessarily accurate.

Hypnotherapy and a stronger sense of self

Hypnotherapy is not about creating a false sense of confidence or turning someone into a completely different person.

The aim is to help you recognise and develop qualities that may already be there but have become overshadowed by self-doubt, criticism or past experiences.

A 2023 paper discussing the role of the self in hypnotherapy also highlights an important point: self-hypnosis involves the person’s own active control rather than the popular misconception of “mind control”. The authors suggest that recognising this element of personal control may itself support feelings of self-efficacy.

Ultimately, healthy confidence is not about believing you can do absolutely everything.

It is about being able to say:

“I may not know exactly what will happen, but I trust myself to deal with it.”

For someone whose life has become restricted by self-doubt, developing that belief can be enormously liberating.

Supporting research and published articles

• Assessing the Immediate and Maintained Effects of Hypnosis on Self-Efficacy and Soccer Performance — Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 2010.

• Randomized Controlled Trial of a Group Intervention Combining Self-Hypnosis and Self-Care — Quality of Life Research, 2021. Examined self-esteem, emotional distress and mindfulness.

• Self-Hypnosis Relapse Prevention Training: Effects on Self-Esteem and Affect — American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 2004.

• The Importance of Highlighting the Role of the Self in Hypnotherapy and Hypnosis — Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 2023. Discusses self-hypnosis, self-control and self-efficacy.

• Meta-analytic Evidence on the Efficacy of Hypnosis for Mental and Somatic Health Issues — Frontiers in Psychology, 2024. Reviews the wider evidence base for hypnosis.