Hypnotherapy for Confidence and Performance
Unlock Your Potential, Quiet Self-Doubt, and Perform at Your Best
Learn to calm performance anxiety, release self-limiting beliefs, and reconnect with your natural capabilities through evidence-based, solution focused hypnotherapy.
How Hypnotherapy Helps With Confidence and Performance
Solution focused hypnotherapy does not claim to guarantee success and does not replace training, skill development, or professional coaching. However, it can be a valuable supportive therapy alongside other preparation to optimise your performance and manage anxiety.
Hypnotherapy can help to:
Calm an overactive nervous system that triggers performance anxiety and self-doubt in important moments
Reduce self-critical thoughts and unhelpful inner narratives that can undermine confidence and performance
Support emotional regulation and resilience when facing challenging situations or high-pressure moments
Improve focus and mental clarity, reducing the mind chatter that interferes with performance
Ease perfectionism and fear of failure that can paralyse action and creative expression
Rebuild a sense of capability, trust in yourself, and natural confidence at a manageable pace
Support optimisation of performance across work, sport, presentation, creative, or social contexts
Many clients notice improvements in their ability to perform under pressure, feel more confident in their abilities, and access their full potential, even as confidence builds gradually and naturally.
Why Choose Solution Focused Hypnotherapy for Confidence and Performance?
Solution focused hypnotherapy is a forward-focused therapeutic approach that supports peak performance and combines:
Solution focused brief therapy techniques
Neuroscience-based psychoeducation
Clinical hypnosis
Rather than analysing past failures or focusing on what could go wrong, this approach helps calm the mind and nervous system, reduce performance anxiety and self-doubt, and strengthen your ability to access your skills and confidence in important moments.
Sessions are structured, practical, and carefully adapted to support nervous system regulation, build confidence and mental resilience, and move forward at a pace that feels empowering and sustainable.
Who Solution Focused Hypnotherapy Can Help
Solution Focused Hypnotherapy can support people experiencing addiction-related difficulties by helping to calm an overactive nervous system, reduce urges and repetitive thought patterns, and ease the stress that can drive addictive behaviours.
Rather than analysing the past or focusing on distressing experiences, this approach helps the mind and body settle in the present, creating the conditions needed for clearer thinking, better emotional regulation, and healthier choices.
Sessions are practical, structured, and time-limited, with an emphasis on restoring a sense of calm and control, strengthening resilience to stress and triggers, and gently supporting recovery at a pace that feels manageable. Many clients find this a supportive, forward-focused alternative to traditional talking therapies, helping them move forward without dwelling on difficulties.
How It Works
Over our sessions, we’ll work together to help you:
Understand how the brain and nervous system can become overstimulated and drive urges, cravings, and compulsive behaviours
Learn tools to calm the nervous system, reduce impulsive or repetitive thought patterns, and create more space between triggers and responses
Develop a more supportive, solution-focused approach to managing addictive behaviours
Reinforce feelings of calm, control, and confidence through relaxing hypnosis
Each session is structured as follows:
A discussion of “what’s been good?” to help your brain notice positives and moments of progress, however small, and move into a calmer, more regulated state. These do not need to be big things — perhaps you managed a craving differently, felt slightly more in control, or noticed a brief moment of calm during the week.
Brain revision to remind you of the neuroscience behind addiction and recovery, including how stress, nervous system arousal, habits, and thought patterns influence urges and behaviour, and how calming the system supports change.
A simple scaling exercise to explore how you are managing urges or behaviours this week and what might help you feel slightly more in control or resilient.
A visualisation exercise to explore what your preferred future in recovery would look like, how you might feel with greater freedom and stability, and what small step you can take to move in that direction.
A guided relaxation to support nervous system regulation and gently reinforce calm, confidence, and healthier coping patterns at a subconscious level.
Many clients notice a real difference after just a few sessions.
Meet Laura
My name is Laura Bartlett and I am a Solution Focused Hypnotherapist and Psychotherapist, with a strong academic and professional background in psychology and evidence-based therapy. I hold a BSc (Hons) in Psychology from Royal Holloway, University of London, alongside a Diploma in Solution Focused Hypnotherapy and a Hypnotherapy in Practice Diploma.
I am a registered member of the Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (AfSFH), fully insured, and hold an enhanced DBS certificate — so you can be confident you are working with a qualified, professional, and ethical practitioner.
Before retraining as a therapist, I spent 20 years working in the London corporate world as an insurance broker. With an Advanced Diploma in Insurance (ACII) and a Level 3 Diploma in Management and Leadership, my approach is practical, grounded, and evidence-informed.
You’re In Safe Hands
Membership Number: 2625
The Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapists (AfSFH) maintains the only dedicated register for Solution Focused Hypnotherapists. All members are fully qualified, insured, and required to follow a strict Code of Conduct and professional standards. AfSFH also sets and monitors best-practice standards, with members completing at least 21 hours of ongoing professional development each year, including regular supervision and further training.
Membership Number: 12094
The National Council for Hypnotherapy holds one of the largest registers of independent Hypnotherapists in the United Kingdom and strives to maintain the highest standards among its members.
There is an agreed Code of Conduct, an established Complaints & Disciplinary Procedure and all members are obliged to maintain comprehensive Public Liability & Professional Indemnity Insurance, maintain regular CPD (continuing professional development) hours, and attend Supervision when needed.
CASE STUDY: Rebuilding Confidence After Business Failure
Details changed for confidentiality reasons)
Vanessa had previously run a successful business which ultimately failed. That experience hit her hard. Her self-confidence was at an all-time low, and because being an entrepreneur was central to her identity, she began to question her self-worth.
Although she was considering starting another business, she felt deeply apprehensive.
When Vanessa came to see me, there were still practical tasks that needed to be completed to fully wind up her previous business. However, even thinking about them made her feel physically sick. She procrastinated, avoided the tasks, and felt unable to move forward.
At the same time, Vanessa was drinking more than she wanted to and withdrawing from her family. She spent evenings planning her new business while carrying the pressure of being “the strong one”. She was snappy with her children and neglecting her own self-care.
This pattern is incredibly common among entrepreneurs.
Over the course of 8 sessions we focused on:
Helping Vanessa’s brain process what had happened safely
Reducing nervous system overwhelm
Reconnecting her with her strengths and resilience
Separating failure from identity
As Vanessa became calmer, she was able to look at her previous business with clarity rather than shame. She could see what had gone wrong and, importantly, how she could prevent this happening again.
We broke down the overwhelming list of outstanding tasks into manageable steps and scheduled them into an achievable timeframe.
As her nervous system settled:
Procrastination reduced
Decision-making became easier
Physical symptoms eased
Confidence began to return
Not because she pushed harder — but because she felt safer.
Client Testimonials
“I could not recommend Laura highly enough. She really helped me come through a difficult stage in my life and I am still feeling the ongoing effects of our time working together” — LM, Female, 49
“The results have been profound. I have noticed significant improvements in my overall well-being, confidence, and mental clarity.” — JK, Female, 41
Next Steps…
Ready to build genuine confidence and perform at your best?
Book an initial consultation or learn how solution focused hypnotherapy can help you overcome self-doubt and unlock your full potential.
I service the local areas of Hadleigh, Leigh-on-Sea, Benfleet, Chalkwell, Southend-on-Sea, Canvey Island, Dunton, Laindon, Basildon, Horndon on the Hill, Corringham, Stanford-le-Hope, Pitsea, Thundersley, Hockley, Hawkwell, Rochford, Westcliff-on-Sea, Wickford and Rayleigh. Or anywhere in the World via Zoom.
An initial consultation is £35 and takes up to 45 minutes. It can take place online via Zoom or in-person in my relaxing therapy room at 96 Westwood Gardens, Hadleigh, Essex, SS7 2SJ.
During the initial consultation I will take some basic information from you - including what you are looking to achieve from sessions. I will then explain how the brain works including why it is negatively biased and what causes our intrusive thoughts. We will discuss the format of further sessions and you will leave with a sleep audio to listen to at home.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hypnotherapy for Confidence and Performance
Can hypnotherapy help with confidence and performance anxiety?
Yes. Solution focused hypnotherapy can be very effective in helping people overcome low confidence, self-doubt, and performance anxiety. It works by calming the nervous system and helping you access a more resourceful, composed state of mind.
By addressing the subconscious patterns that drive negative self-talk and avoidance, hypnotherapy helps the brain respond differently to pressure. Over time, you naturally begin to feel more capable, present, and confident in situations that previously felt overwhelming.
Will hypnotherapy make me confident straight away?
Hypnotherapy is not a "magic switch" and does not guarantee an instant transformation in confidence. It is not about forcing yourself to feel a certain way or pretending to be someone you are not.
Instead, it focuses on gradual, sustainable change by calming the nervous system, reducing self-critical thought patterns, and building genuine inner belief. Many clients notice positive shifts after just a few sessions, but lasting confidence comes from consistent practice and reinforcement of new ways of thinking.
Is solution focused hypnotherapy safe alongside other treatments or coaching?
Yes. Solution focused hypnotherapy is safe and non-invasive and can be used alongside other treatments, counselling, coaching, or personal development work for confidence and performance.
It does not replace medical advice, medication, or therapy when needed. Instead, it complements other approaches, focusing on the mental and emotional factors that contribute to self-doubt and performance anxiety.
Is solution focused hypnotherapy suitable for all types of confidence and performance issues?
Solution focused hypnotherapy can support a wide range of confidence and performance challenges, including:
Work presentations, meetings, or interviews
Sport, competition, or physical performance
Exams, academic performance, or test anxiety
Social confidence and public speaking
Creative blocks or fear of being judged
Each session is tailored to the individual’s goals and needs, ensuring the approach is safe and relevant.