Hello once more! For those who have not yet encountered me, I am a clinical hypnotherapist and one of my primary areas of work is in helping men overcome psychological dysfunctions; today I'd like to talk about a common dysfunction: performance anxiety.

To begin, I cannot overemphasize how common this issue is nor how damaging it can be. By damaging, I do not mean in a physical sense, but rather in something far more mentally corrosive. Many times, the longer this is allowed to continue, the more the anxiety compounds itself. Think of it like a validation loop of sorts: There exists a fear of an outcome, that outcome happens because of the fear and that validates the fear for next time and possibly worsens it.

In most cases I've worked with, performance anxiety has a core event/association. Something happened or a belief was discovered that either caused a sexual dysfunction or created so much anticipatory fear that it may as well as actually happened. To your subconscious mind, there is little difference. I see this exact loop encountered in so very many places: sexual performance, test taking, work, sports, etc... the list goes on. Performance anxiety in some form happens to all of us, it's just a matter of where.

With all that, what should you do if you are dealing with performance anxiety as a dysfunction? My first bit of advice is not simply throwing pills or folk medicine at the issue. Any issue that has roots in the mind (performance anxiety, psychological ED, etc.) must be addressed in the mind, just as a physical ailment must be addressed in the physical body. How this is done is unique to every individual and sometimes professional intervention is the most helpful.

Finally, I see many people asking who to even speak to about resolving these issues. While it depends on the individual and their training and experience, it is most often a hypnotherapist, sex therapist or psychotherapist that is spoken with. Many of us, me included, work fully remote and it's unlikely you'd need to go into an office. Don't be embarrassed, don't hesitate and don't despair.