Exam Anxiety
You know the material, and still you feel completely desperate the moment you think about the exam ahead. You have studied, revised and practised.
And still that feeling rises in your stomach as the date comes closer.
Perhaps you know it from your school years. Perhaps it only appeared at university, before a professional qualification or your driving test.
The trigger varies; the pattern is similar. Your knowledge is there, but at the decisive moment you cannot reach it.
How exam anxiety shows itself
Exam anxiety is more than nervousness. It often begins long before the date and accompanies the whole preparation:
- You put off studying although time is short
- You lie awake at night running the exam through your mind
- A pounding heart, trembling, damp hands or a hollow stomach
- Your mind goes blank in the exam room although you know the material
- You read the first question three times without taking it in
- Afterwards everything comes back to you
What weighs most is the cycle this creates. An exam that went badly becomes a memory that resonates the next time.
The fear of failing produces exactly the tension that makes failing more likely.
Why knowing is not enough
Your mind has long understood that you are prepared. It also knows that an exam is not a fight for survival. Your body, however, reacts as though it were in danger.
That is because this reaction does not arise in the mind but deeper. Your subconscious learned to link exams with danger, and it holds on to that link in order to protect you.
It means well. It is simply working from outdated information.
This is why talking yourself round rarely helps. The level on which the anxiety arises cannot be reached with arguments.
How life coaching with hypnosis helps
LIFE COACHING with HYPNOSIS gives you access to your inner resources and to trust in yourself and your own abilities.
Inner blocks can dissolve, so that everything you have learned becomes freely available. In deep relaxation we address the level on which the tension arose.
The old link is released
Together we look at where the anxiety comes from. Often there is a single situation at the beginning of it, one you can barely consciously remember.
Once it is recognised, it loses its power over the present.
Your body learns a new response
In hypnosis you experience the exam situation inwardly in advance, this time calm and composed. Your subconscious does not sharply separate what is lived from what is vividly imagined.
It stores this new experience, so that your body can draw on it on the day.
You are given something to take with you
You learn a short anchor that you can use discreetly in the exam room to gather yourself within seconds.
If you wish, we combine this with autogenic training, so that you sleep more calmly and study with better focus during your preparation.
You will no longer meet an exam as an ordeal but welcome it as a positive challenge.
How it works
The first session lasts 90 minutes, includes a detailed initial consultation, setting your goal and already a hypnosis. It costs 130 euros.
Each further session costs 90 euros for 60 minutes. All details are on my price list.
Oral examinations, presentations and job interviews follow the same pattern. If speaking in front of others is your main concern, have a look at Speaking in Public Without Fear.
Frequently asked questions
How many sessions will I need?
With exam anxiety I see particularly quick results. Two to three sessions are often enough. How many it will be in your case we discuss openly in the first conversation.
Will I lose control during hypnosis?
No. You remain responsive, you notice what is happening around you, and you stay in control.
Hypnosis is deep relaxation with alert inner attention — not sleep and not unconsciousness. It has nothing to do with stage hypnosis on television.
A first step
If you are unsure whether this is the right path for you, simply give me a call. In a free conversation of about 15 minutes we clear up your questions.
Heart to heart and as equals. Request an appointment or call +49 177 6839890. Sessions in English are available.
Hypnosis accompanies and supports therapy; it does not replace medical treatment. If an anxiety disorder requiring treatment lies behind your exam anxiety, I will tell you honestly if medical care is the better route.
