Over time--often a very short time--the anxiety becomes a conditioned response to the thought of performing. What you want to do is de-condition that response and replace it with another. Extinquish one habit and replace it with another. This particular habit (performance anxiety) involves cognitions, physiological reactions and behaviors.

These cognitive-behavioral principles and techniques are fairly straight forward to describe. I want to reiterate, however, that putting them into practice in your own situation, while VERY do-able, is not easy or effortless. And it takes practice, practice, practice.
Sometimes a coach or therapist is needed to help begin the process.

Having said that, there is overwhelming imperical evidence in study after study of the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral interventions in reducing or eliminating phobias and other anxiety disorders. In other words--it works.

Janie