Therapy Intensives for Stage Fright in Connecticut

Stage Fright can be Debilitating

I remember the first time I froze on stage. I was a freshman at a performing arts high school, and even though I had been acting since I was a child, I believe this was the origin of my stage fright. I can’t tell you what was different about that performance, but for whatever reason I blanked on my lines and froze up. I lost all ability to improvise and connect with my scene partner. And afterward, I was afraid it would happen again. I had stage fright, and I started to believe that I wasn’t safe on stage.

Luckily, it’s a fear that I was able to overcome and I’ve successfully used skills I learned as a therapist to help myself and client’s move past their fears and get back to performing!

What’s an intensive?

Traditional therapy goes like this: you meet once a week for an hour and you practice skills in between sessions. Hopefully, you start to notice changes in a few months.

Intensives can be life-changing because you focus on one issue for a shorter, but more intense amount of time. I find that with stage fright, time is often of the essence and therefore, it is more beneficial to meet once or twice for 3-5 hours and see transformation sooner!

What happens in an Intensive?

If you are able to travel to my office in New Haven, Connecticut for a stage fright intensive treatment, I offer a hybrid experience designed to get you back on stage.

Session 1: Virtual 60 minutes

We meet online to review a bit of your history and to learn how stage fright has been impacting you. At this time, you will also learn some techniques to practice in between sessions to maximize your results.

Homework: To be completed before next session

You will receive a workbook to complete to ensure that you are prepared for your intensive.

Session 2: Virtual 30 minutes

We will review your workbook and I will answer any questions you might have about the process of the intensive.

Session 3: The Intensive (Virtual or in-person) 5 hours with a lunch break

Depending on your individual goals, we will use a combination of:

• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
• Drama Therapy
• EFT (tapping)
• Hypnosis

to reduce the fear of performance.

Session 4: Virtual Debrief 30 minutes

We will meet virtually to debrief the intensive and follow-up on the work we did.

Your Investment: $1500

Add ons:

• Additional sessions for audition or performance prep: $175 

 

What is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Therapists use the bilateral stimulation of the brain (ie: moving back and forth) using eye movements, audio sounds, or physical tapping/vibrations. EMDR therapists facilitate these bilateral movements while the client focuses on aspects of an adverse experience including mental pictures, thoughts, emotions, and body sensations. EMDR is not like talk therapy! While we’ll talk a bunch in the first few sessions, once we begin reprocessing, we let the brain heal itself as it was meant to.

My EMDR teacher used a brilliant metaphor to explain this. Have you ever eaten too much and you get a stomach ache? It’s because it was too much food and it was eaten too fast. Therefore, your body couldn’t digest it. When people go through adverse life events, it often occurs too fast, it’s too much, it’s too scary, or too upsetting. Our brain doesn’t digest it properly and therefore, people experience symptoms like: nightmares, anxiety, depression, anger, panic attacks etc. EMDR helps the brain digest memories and changes them to be more adaptive. EMDR will not make memories go away, but it’s been shown to make them less upsetting. Many of my clients experience new ways of remembering or thinking about the past experience which gives them a lot of comfort.

Click here for more information about what you may experience.

What is drama therapy?

Drama therapy is Embodied Parts Work. Drama Therapists are trained to use theatrical processes such as movement, posture, speech, improvisation, and somatics to help clients heal trauma, mental illness, and relationship issues.

You can learn more about drama therapy here.

Want to learn more about Stage Fright Intensives? Feel free to contact me for a free consult.