The Programme

How it works |  Venues |  Our approach

A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH

The Programme at the Clinic will address all aspects of your shyness, including physical symptoms. When you are feeling shy your body goes into "anxiety mode" and you might experience some or all of the following bodily symptoms: butterflies in the stomach, blushing, rapid heartbeat, shallow and irregular breathing, muscle tensions and, most frustratingly, a loss of concentration. Your mind seems to freeze, or go blank, and you can't think of what to say. We will teach you how to use simple and effective techniques involving breathing, relaxation and awareness to calm your body right on the spot.

Cognition
Most of the time, all day long, each of us is having a running conversation with ourselves inside our head. Although we can remember some of the things we think about, many thoughts race through automatically and very quickly, so that we hardly notice them. Unfortunately, many of these "automatic thoughts" are based on irrational beliefs and illogical thinking patterns, and are negative or pessimistic. These dysfunctional thoughts are both the cause and the result of our shyness. In the Clinic we will teach you how to restructure, modify or eliminate negative thought patterns to become more relaxed and self-confident with people.

Behaviour
Your shyness is supported by certain behaviours, such as withdrawal or avoidance that prevents you from achieving personal, professional or social success. In the Clinic you will learn new coping strategies, including how to be more assertive, which are more in keeping with your personal aims and goals.

Emotions
Low self-esteem and feelings of shame or guilt underlie most cases of shyness. In the Clinic we work with you to isolate and combat these negative emotions and provide you with powerful psychological tools for raising your self-esteem.

Consciousness
Beyond technique, overcoming shyness requires a new "philosophy" about people. In the Clinic we will help you to come to a more balanced and objectively accurate understanding about the meaning and significance of other people in your life, and help you to achieve more freedom and spontaneity in all areas of your life.