Performance Psychology for Performing Artists

What performers work on

• Stage fright and performance anxiety
• Audition and competition nerves
• Perfectionism and harsh self-⁠criticism
• Recovering from mistakes mid-⁠performance
• Focus, presence, and getting into the "zone"
• Confidence after rejection or a tough review
• Burnout and keeping the love of the work
• Pre-⁠performance routines and energy management

How sessions work

The same mental skills athletes use under pressure work on stage. Sessions combine education about how your body responds to pressure with skills you rehearse until they're automatic: breathing and arousal control, pre-⁠performance routines, attention cues, imagery, and ways to answer the inner critic. We practice them, rather than just talk about them, so they hold up when it counts.

If anxiety, low mood, or disordered eating reaches beyond performance, those concerns can be addressed in therapy, which may be covered by insurance.

EMDR and NuCalm

When a bad audition, a memory slip on stage, or a harsh critique keeps replaying, EMDR helps your brain reprocess it, so stage fright and mental blocks stop running the show. NuCalm sessions support recovery during demanding rehearsal and show runs, sleep while touring, and burnout recovery.

For ensembles and programs

Workshops and group sessions for ensembles, companies, studios, and school programs can cover performance anxiety, burnout prevention, communication, and building a healthy performance culture. Call the office to ask about group and organizational rates.

Questions from performers