Laliophobia or Lalophobia- Fear of speaking
Each and every one of us has a voice, however, we may not use it due to fear and anxiety. Many surveys have shown that the most predominant fear in the western world is to speak in public. This need not be in front of a large audience, it could be speaking to a couple of people in an interview. In any event, this fear is crippling and can effect many aspects of a person’s personal and professional life. The profound and pathological fear of speaking in public is called Laliophobia or Lalophobia.
The causes of this fear can often be traced back to childhood, to an early experience often in front of a class of peers. In this event, perhaps something embarrassing occurred which lead to a long term anxiety of being in front of a room full of people. Perhaps, rather than embarrassing, the event was so stressful at the time the sufferer makes a decision that they never want to be placed in this situation again, and they find ways of avoidance which in their mind keeps them safe. However, especially in career terms it is very difficult to advance if one is unwilling to make presentations to colleagues or others, so this avoidance can often lead to a regression in one’s career prospects which can lead to anxiety and even depression.
The most common way to use hypno-psychotherapy in these cases is to help the client to mentally rehearse being in this situation and succeeding. Using hypnosis as the vehicle the sufferer can get the full experience, whilst being safely in the therapist’s chair. Once overcome, the client can then go out and do the presentation in real time.
