Hypnosis for Male Performance Anxiety
Performance anxiety is a common experience. For many, this manifests in the context of sport performances or getting up on stage. Sexual performance anxiety, on the hand, is a form of anxiety that stops men from being able to perform sexually in the bedroom.
Sexual performance anxiety can happen with an existing partner or spouse or in the context of new sexual relationships. Apart from being emotionally unpleasant, sexual performance anxiety is associated with other sexual problems, including premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, and difficulties achieving orgasm.
Often, treating sexual performance anxiety can resolve the sexual dysfunction that is being triggered. In this article, we will be thinking about sexual performance anxiety in men and how hypnosis or hypnotherapy might be able to provide some relief.
What causes sexual performance anxiety in men?
There are many different factors that can lead a man to experience performance anxiety. Often, there is a genetic component, meaning that if you come from a family that experiences a lot of anxiety, you may be more at risk of developing sexual performance anxiety for biological reasons.
What else? Chronic stress is another big culprit. It doesn’t matter what you stress about: finances, work, family or health. Any form of stress, especially chronic stress, has the potential to negatively affect your sexual functioning. This is because of the way in which stress is able to interrupt the neurological links between the brain and the genitals, meaning that issues such as erectile dysfunction become more likely.
Another factor that often underlies sexual performance anxiety is frequent porn use. Why? Porn sets us up to have unrealistic expectations for ourselves, our bodies, and our abilities to perform in the bedroom. This can create problems with self-doubt and fears of inadequacy that can fuel sexual performance anxiety.
Cognitive distortions can also cause sexual performance anxiety. Cognitive distortions involve thinking in ways that are unrealistic or exaggerated, usually triggering intense negative emotions. Often, people who struggle with depression or anxiety disorders engage in these patterns of thinking, where they automatically assume that they are going to fail; or that they do not have what it takes.
Can hypnosis help sexual performance anxiety?
Hypnosis, or hypnotherapy, can certainly be helpful here. Hypnosis is a state of extreme focus and calm. It can be practiced independently, or through the use of a recording. In many ways, hypnosis is similar to meditation. Hypnotherapy, on the other hand, is when a trained psychologist uses hypnosis as a part of a comprehensive treatment plan.
Hypnosis is thought to help by giving us access to memories, thoughts and feelings that sit just below the level of conscious awareness. In this way, hypnosis or hypnotherapy can help us to process stress, trauma and fears in a unique way. For this reason, hypnotherapy can be very useful in helping a person break-out of the performance anxiety loop, where low-self-esteem about sexual functioning causes anxiety which causes more sexual issues.
So, how can you go about getting hypnotherapy? Unfortunately, there are a lot of people these days practicing “hypnosis” without the proper training. Have a look at the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis in order to find an appropriately trained and registered practitioner.
Can self-hypnosis help with sexual performance anxiety?
Yes, absolutely! Self-hypnosis may provide you with some symptom relief while also possibly having some broader health benefits, such as stress reduction and improved sleep. There are many resources available online that you can use to practice self-hypnosis for sexual performance anxiety in your own time. Make sure, though, that the resources you are using come from a credible source. Mindfulness meditation is a great therapeutic alternative that shares many similarities with hypnosis.
Mindfulness shows promising results and is gaining traction among sex therapists as a way of helping patients to take back control sexually, while also deriving a whole range of similar health benefits.
Takeaway
Some are surprised to learn that hypnosis is, in fact, a health treatment rather than just a stage trick! Hypnotherapy has been used by trained practitioners around the world to help their patients achieve a trance-like state of calm and focus. This state has proven useful for a range of psychological conditions and holds promise to help those who are suffering from sexual performance anxiety. It is, however, important that you are getting your material from a reliable source. Ideally, speak with a registered sex therapist who also has training as a hypnotherapist.
