Clinical Hypnotherapy / Performance
Hypnotherapy for Performance Anxiety and Public Speaking in Orlando, FL and Online
When the pressure is on, your body can take over before your skills get a chance to show. Hypnotherapy for performance anxiety helps you stay steady, focused and confident on stage, in the boardroom, in competition or in the exam room. Sessions are guided by our Clinical Hypnotherapists, Shannon Rollins-Rodriguez and Jennifer Adams, at our Orlando office near Lake Nona, or online.
Book a Free 15-Minute Consultation Read common questions
Why pressure hits the body first
A racing heart, shaky hands, a tight throat or a mind that suddenly goes blank. These are signs of the body's threat response switching on, even though the room, the field or the interview panel is not actually dangerous.
You can know your material and train for months, and the nerves still show up. That is because performance anxiety lives in the nervous system, not in a lack of preparation.
How performance hypnotherapy helps
In hypnosis, your body settles into deep relaxation while your mind stays focused and aware. From that calm state, you can mentally rehearse performing with ease, loosen old memories of freezing or failing, and anchor a quick cue for confidence you can use in the moment.
You leave each session with simple breathing and self-hypnosis tools to use before you walk on stage, step onto the field or click join on the call.
Performance situations hypnotherapy can support
Pressure shows up in many places. These are the situations clients most often bring to us.
Public speaking and presentations
Fear of speaking up in meetings, giving presentations, keynotes, toasts or teaching a room full of people.
Sports and athletic performance
Sports hypnotherapy for golf, tennis, running and team sports addresses pre-game nerves, choking under pressure, recovering confidence after an injury or a slump, and staying in the zone.
Exams, interviews and auditions
Blanking on test day, interview nerves, licensing exams, and auditions where everything rides on a few minutes.
Stage fright and creative performance
Stage fright for musicians, actors, dancers and creatives who want to perform as freely as they practice.
What to expect in your first session
Free consultation
A 15-minute call with our team to talk through your goals, upcoming events and whether hypnotherapy is the right fit.
In-depth intake
The first part of your two-hour session explores where the pressure shows up, past experiences that shaped it and what peak performance looks like for you.
Guided hypnosis
A personalized session with mental rehearsal and confidence suggestions tailored to your sport, stage or setting.
Integration
Time to talk through what shifted, plus a quick pre-performance routine you can use anywhere.
Meet your hypnotherapists
You can work with either of our Clinical Hypnotherapists, in person in Orlando or online. Both offer a free consultation first so you can start with a conversation.
Shannon Rollins-Rodriguez
Shannon is a Clinical Hypnotherapist and Somatic Breathwork Facilitator and Coach. She specializes in helping women and men with relationship issues, heartbreak, dating, loss, and major life transitions, helping clients feel safe in their bodies again when life or love has knocked them off center.
Shannon blends hypnotherapy, breathwork, and nervous system work so clients don't just understand their patterns, they feel the shift. Her sessions draw on parts work, IEMT, NLP, and hypnotic belief work, and as a QHHT® Level 2 Past Life Regression Practitioner, she also guides clients through past life sessions. She especially loves guiding women through her group program, Wired for Secure Love, where they rewire old attachment patterns and learn to attract love from a regulated, secure place. Shannon is the founder of A Way Forward.
Jennifer Adams
Jennifer is a Clinical Hypnotherapist who specializes in regression and root-cause work, helping clients understand what may be happening beneath the surface. She often works with confidence, self-esteem and self-worth, stress and overwhelm, self-sabotage, repeating patterns, and personal or professional blocks.
With a background in sales, entrepreneurship and real estate, Jennifer understands performance pressure firsthand. She offers a grounded, supportive space where clients can shift old patterns and give the subconscious mind a way forward.
Learn more about clinical hypnotherapy at A Way Forward, explore hypnotherapy for anxiety, or browse our confidence and public speaking recordings.
What the research says about hypnosis and performance
Here is what the evidence shows, and where it is still growing, so you can decide with clear expectations.
Public speaking anxiety
In a controlled trial for public speaking anxiety, adding hypnosis to cognitive behavioral treatment raised expectations of change, and higher expectations were linked to better outcomes. Both treatments outperformed a waitlist. Behavior Therapy, 1997.
Athletes and sport
A 2025 systematic review of 13 studies linked therapeutic hypnosis with improved athletic performance, injury recovery and lower psychological distress. Most studies were small, and the authors call for more rigorous trials. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2025.
Anxiety more broadly
A 2019 meta-analysis of 15 studies found that hypnosis reduced anxiety, with benefits that held at follow-up and were stronger when combined with other care. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 2019.
Online and virtual performance hypnotherapy
You do not need to be in Orlando to work with our hypnotherapists. Online sessions run over a secure video call and follow the same structure as in-person sessions, which suits busy professionals and athletes who travel.
All you need is a quiet private room, a comfortable place to sit or lie down, and headphones if you have them.
Orlando hypnotherapy, near Lake Nona
Looking for performance anxiety hypnotherapy in Orlando, FL? Our private office is at 5850 T G Lee Blvd, Suite 205, Orlando, FL 32822, close to Lake Nona, Conway and Winter Park, with easy access from Kissimmee, Oviedo, Winter Garden and Windermere. We see in-person clients Monday through Thursday by appointment.
Not sure which format fits you? Book a free consultation and we will talk it through.
Performance anxiety questions
Can hypnosis help with public speaking anxiety?
Hypnosis for public speaking works on the body's alarm response, the racing heart, shaky voice and blank mind, while rehearsing a calmer, more confident version of you in the room. Many clients combine sessions with practical preparation, and results vary from person to person.
Does sports hypnotherapy work for athletes and golfers?
Research on hypnosis in sport is growing. A 2025 systematic review linked hypnosis with better athletic performance, injury recovery and lower distress, though most studies were small. Sessions focus on focus, confidence, pre-game nerves and bouncing back after mistakes.
What is performance anxiety?
Performance anxiety is the fear response that shows up when you are being watched, judged or measured, before a speech, game, exam, interview, audition or important meeting. It is common, and it often has more to do with the nervous system than with your actual skill.
Which hypnotherapist will I work with?
You can work with Shannon Rollins-Rodriguez or Jennifer Adams. Jennifer brings a background in sales, entrepreneurship and other performance-driven work, and understands pressure firsthand. Your free consultation is a good time to talk about which fit feels right.
How many sessions will I need?
Many clients work toward a specific event, such as a presentation, competition or audition, and plan a few sessions in the weeks before it. Others want ongoing support for a pattern that shows up again and again. We will talk through a plan after your first session.
Will I lose control during hypnosis?
No. You stay aware throughout and cannot be made to do anything against your values. You can open your eyes and return to full alertness at any time.
Can I do performance anxiety hypnotherapy online?
Yes. Online sessions run over a secure video call and follow the same structure as in-person sessions. Many busy professionals and traveling athletes prefer online sessions.
How much does a session cost in Orlando?
A first session is $300 for two full hours, and follow-up sessions are priced by length. We accept major credit cards, FSA and HSA cards, PayPal and Afterpay. See full details on our pricing page, or ask about a session plan during your free 15-minute consultation.
Walk in steady, starting with one conversation
Book a free 15-minute consultation with our team. In person in Orlando or online.
Book a Free ConsultationA Way Forward Hypnotherapy & Breathwork provides complementary wellness services. Our work does not diagnose or treat medical or psychiatric conditions and is not a substitute for care from a licensed medical or mental health provider. For any diagnosable condition, we work only with supervision or referral from the appropriate licensed practitioner, in line with Florida Statutes Chapter 485. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.