Stage fright is like a modern version of the kind of reaction our ancestors had to unknown potential dangers in the jungle.

Imagine that a human being—an animal without claws or sharp teeth—is placed in the middle of a stage. As she stands there, exposed and highly visible under a direct spotlight, hundreds of unfamiliar eyes watch her every move, waiting to see what she’s made of. The space is hushed nobody else moving—and she has no idea whether the animals out there in the audience are friends or foes.

To this lone animal, vulnerable, surrounded by potential predators, it could be a highly dangerous situation! So, it’s only natural that her instinctive survival mechanisms are triggered, and her startle pattern kicks in⚡.

Finding herself in such a situation, she will either gear up for a fight, make a beeline for the exit, freeze and try to look invisible, or hunker down into submission, hoping to avoid an unpleasant outcome.

Of course, this human animal is not thinking rationally but is simply reacting as her biology is designed to, to protect her under these types of circumstances.

The problem is . . . if you suffer from stage fright . . . that human animal is YOU.

The part of you that reacts to being seen and heard in front of an audience by going into a startle pattern starts in a part of your brain known as the reptilian brain. It’s that part of you that is made to keep you alive when circumstances suggest that your survival is threatened.

Happily, even though we have a reptilian brain, we also have a prefrontal cortex, the newest part of our brains, evolutionarily speaking🧠. This is the part of the brain where conscious thinking such as planning and decision-making takes place. Think of it as the throne room or command-control tower of your body, from where you can see the rest of yourself as if from above, observing your situation more objectively. This is the part of the brain that allows you to pause and consider your options before choosing to act.

Although being triggered into a startle pattern is an instinctual, animal reaction that happens quickly and below the level of consciousness, often too quickly for us to prevent it, once we notice that we’ve been triggered, we have the ability to override our animal instincts (for better or for worse) and behave differently from how our instinctual nature would have us react.✨
___

Can you relate? Most musicians can.

Stage fright isn’t a personal flaw – it’s a deeply wired survival response. And the good news is, it can be transformed.

If you’d like to learn how to calm your nervous system, work with your inner animal instead of fighting it, and consistently step onto the stage with grounded confidence and genuine artistic freedom, I would love to support you.

Leave a comment here or click here to explore ways to work with me.

Let’s help your creative spirit shine – with ease.

Love & Light,
Jennifer ❤

Need a great gift? Find the book here: BOOK LINK

If you love the book, please leave a quick review here – thanks! 🙏
(No purchase necessary to leave a review.)