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I hear you Mistaya, I've often wondered if performance anxiety is a deep rooted brainstem response ... basically an instinct that warns you to avoid standing out in the herd. I'm thinking that it may be equally important to foster an attitude of being the one in control rather than the one being observed. Deer actually express more than the fight/flight response - I have also seen them prance in the face of danger ... they show-off ... like no way can you get me buddy! I'm thinking this may be a way to approach the problem - basically learn to be a show-off.

I have suffered performance anxiety ever since I was a very young child. It destroyed my opportunity to enjoy participating in music. Now at age 50 I'm using most of the strategies Tony S. alludes to. When you read about the subject and understand it, desensitization, visioning, and experience are very helpful. I can now play for lessons, friends and informal master classes. But for me, the physical affects of panic still keep me from the ability to perform in a formal recital setting. These are uncontrollable physical reactions to a rapid heart beat and adrenalin, and completely destroy one's ability to think and focus normally. With a beta blocker (which I was very reluctant to use), I can get through these situations. I still hope to overcome the panic and enjoy recital performances one day without the drug. However, I can now fully empathize with others' decision to take a beta blocker if they truly suffer the physical effects of panic.

Tony I used to have the most awful performance anxiety imaginable. I completely understand your predicament because I've been there.

I don't have it anymore though.

The day you play and don't care about the outcome is the day your performance anxiety goes away.

I think, the problem is most people confuse social anxiety with being nervous. It's an order of magnitude worse. Being extremely nervous before playing in public doesn't even come close to experiencing a panic attack. It's not something that just goes away after practicing enough - it's something you're stuck with for life, and manifests itself in a variety of situations.

There are people with social anxiety, who can't even eat or write in front of other people. There are pretty common cases where the person doesn't feel comfortable just walking in public. Especially the last one is a perfect example, why desentization can only take you so far. How the heck is that person supposed to play the piano?

If you don't suffer from social anxiety, then I'd imagine it's hardly your place to criticize someone for dealing with his problem the only way that works 100%. What's next - looking down on disabled basketball players using wheelchairs?

Tony - I'm glad you are working with a doctor to solve this rather than just trying the pills on your own. My doctor put me on Toporal to help control my tremors. The thought was the tremors were eighter caused by me heart due to arhthymia, or benign essential tremor. The medication didn't help, however, and I was taken off of it.

There are many other side-effects you need to watch out for includling orthostatic hypotension. This means your blood pressure can drop suddenly when you stand up, or get up quickly from a reclined or sitting position. This can not only cause a severe headache afterwards, it can also cause you to pass out and land head first on the floor! So be careful with this stuff. I due hope that it really will calm your fright-flight syndrome caused by performance anxiety.

John

OK USAPT, now you have me running for a dictionary on a Saturday....I hope you are happy now.

USAPianoTrucker, I agree with your conclusion:
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The day you play and don't care about the outcome is the day your performance anxiety goes away.
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That is exactly what I was explaining with my golf "yips" comparison.

I can't really relate because I've never had performance anxiety, for anything. Sure, the adrenaline makes you more alert and jumpy than usual, but that's a good and desirable thing.

However, I have always been (and to some extent still am) a very shy person. But when I get on stage, it's like I flip a switch and become "the performer". And this performer persona couldn't care less about what anyone else thinks about his performance. In fact, when I do start to worry about that (happened once or twice), I get nervous and start to fumble.

I think the whole trick is to allow yourself to make a fool out of yourself, and then forget about it. It's not the end of the whole if you make a fool out of yourself. Actually, I consider it to be inevitable -- sometimes you'll simply mess up, like everyone -- so there's no point in worrying about it. Just like there's no point in worrying about the weather or anything else you can't control. And the less you worry about it, the less it will be a problem.

It's also helpful to remember that the audience is on your side and very forgiving of mistakes. Unless you really really mess up, they will hear what they want to hear anyway. And if you do really really mess up, so what... Laugh about it and move on.

I think part of the problem is that you believe you must become something you don't like: a show-off. I simply think you need to learn to be a performer, and if you have performance anxiety you are not a real performer yet. At least, you're not thinking like one. I don't believe it's a matter of chemicals, but of the mind. But maybe I'm wrong; like I said, I can't really relate to panic attacks.

And about showing-off: it's not a bad thing, it's exactly what performers do, and it's what an audience pays you to do. Showing off is only a bad thing when you do it to people who haven't asked for it.

There are quite a few really good comments here and it is really tempting to just accept the answer lies in one area like learning to not care about what others think, desensitization, learning to perform (show off), etc.

Personally I do think these are all good answers and correctly lie on the path to resolving performance anxiety, but I also think the problem is a little more complex since a person’s genetic predisposition is a factor. The reality is some people have higher levels of arousal than others. Level of arousal is a stable personality trait ... and not something that you can learn to change. For these people, the world can be quite loud ... and performing for others makes it louder. I do think the answer is still the same for these people, they arguably have a taller hill to climb than others, but they still need to learn to deal with it using the methods described in this thread. All I’m saying is that for these people, beta blockers may offer some help while learning the other techniques. Considering some surveys suggest 25% of orchestral performers use bb, I suspect the learning components of resolving performance anxiety are not easy to achieve for some.

Tony,

I feel that Beta Blockers might mask some of the symptoms but will not "cure" perfomance anxiety.

The secret for me in curing the putting "yips" was to find a way "to be in the present". Athletes and particularly golfers have their best performances when they are in the "zone". That is a state where nothing from the past or future impinges upon the performance.

Find a way to stay in the present and you can be on your way to curing performance anxiety. This condition takes listening to someone who has been there to begin learning the cure.

I think Mahlzeit has hit the nail on the head.

Meds and theories aside, the day you can tune into the power of goodness in other people is the day you begin to discover the goodness and power you have inside of you. And it snowballs.

Best of luck to all of you.

Books are not cures, but I can attest to Joangolfing's post by saying that reading "The Inner Game of Music" by Barry Green and W. Timothy Galloway helped my golf game too.

I'm leaving for a week for a cross-continental trip. I hope to be back with a very special piano and an inspiring story that validates every post I've ever made on here about the fundamental goodness in people and the passion of the piano industry.

See you when I get back!

Sweating like a wet dog, your hands are shaking out of control, your legs are shaking so hard people can see your pants flapping, you can't get your foot of the pedal, and then your brain just goes blank in the middle of the piece and you just have to get up from the piano and leave, right? Yeah, been there more than once. What did I do to overcome that? I practice my piece 2,000 times or more. I make several safety points along the piece and practice them until I know I can get up in the middle of the night and play from any of those points. I get nervous everytime I hit the red button on the Zoom H. So I just play with that red dot on more often.

Sounds like some of you have learned how to address your performance anxiety … congratulations I’m very happy for you – your testimony demonstrates that it can be done.

Also … it certainly sounds like we all agree that BB are not a cure (they just mask or reduce symptoms – depending on the dose) ... the disagreement seems to be on whether or not a person should use them as part of their strategy as they learn how to deal with performance anxiety ... and that I would submit is simply an individual choice.

Some people are more adverse to medicating themselves than others - you may find it surprising that I'm one of them ... i.e. the last time I went to a dentist for a filling I passed on the anesthetic since I don't like how it makes me feel.

At any rate, BB seem to help me and I will continue to use them as part of my strategy as I learn to address performance anxiety – at this point in time I simply could not play in some situations without them (even with them it’s iffy at my current dose). Hopefully as I gain experience situation by situation I’ll find that I can lower the dose until I find it isn’t needed anymore.

Sounds like some of you have learned how to address your performance anxiety … congratulations I’m very happy for you – your testimony demonstrates that it can be done.

Also … it certainly sounds like we all agree that BB are not a cure (they just mask or reduce symptoms – depending on the dose) ... the disagreement seems to be on whether or not a person should use them as part of their strategy as they learn how to deal with performance anxiety ... and that I would submit is simply an individual choice.

Some people are more adverse to medicating themselves than others - you may find it surprising that I'm one of them ... i.e. the last time I went to a dentist for a filling I passed on the anesthetic since I don't like how it makes me feel.

At any rate, BB seem to help me and I will continue to use them as part of my strategy as I learn to address performance anxiety – at this point in time I simply could not play in some situations without them (even with them it’s iffy at my current dose). Hopefully as I gain experience situation by situation I’ll find that I can lower the dose until I find it isn’t needed anymore.

ah! chemicals! Our body is full of them.

The moment I feel particularly confortable and relaxed at the piano is when after having taken some 30 minutes worth of exercises I leave the piano for a moment, walk around for a while and when I return it's like magic: the keys feel so light, my arms so relaxed, my fingers quick and flexible, no shadow of tension!

Can it be that the adrenaline rush from the exercises wearing off? I don't know, but it's one heck of a kick!

Of course, if I was a concert pianist I wouldn't be allowed to stand up and walk around between pieces...