Understanding what's fanning the red-faced flames

This is a photo of a woman hiding behind her hand

The symptoms of blushing can be overwhelming: feeling hot, palpitations, sweating, shakiness, and that awful feeling inside. The fear of it happening again can also mean the number of situations where we feel embarrassed can increase. Managing the situation often feels like a full-time occupation. However there’s something you can do about it.

Blushing is your unconscious detecting some kind of threat in your midst, and instigating the flight-or-fight response by releasing adrenaline into your system. This causes the autonomic nervous system to turn your face red and for some, blotching on the neck as well.

Exploring why your unconscious thinks it’s a good idea to put you into protection mode can be the best help. Think back to the earliest instances of blushing you can remember, and consider how, as an adult, that situation could be interpreted now. These childhood events can have a variety of meanings, such as not feeling good enough, not wanting to be the centre of attention, or not saying anything for fear of making a mistake in public.

These meanings from the past can be reframed to provide a more useful pattern of behaviour, which includes losing the need to become embarrassed and red. Cognitive hypnotherapy can help people understand why they blush. By bringing the meanings from the unconscious into the conscious, clients can see how much more in control they can be.

Written by Christine Black Dip C Hyp HPD NLP Master Prac RGN RSCN MNCH.
Read the full article on Hypnotherapy Directory