Performance Anxiety (Paperback)

by Dr. Eric Maisel Ph.D. (Author) "Welcome! For the first half of this book we're going to explore the territory of performance anxiety and get to know it intimately in all..." (more)
Key Phrases: disidentification affirmations, twelve incantations, detachment training, Sleep Thinking Program, Stephanie Judy, Ann Brebner (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
• The definitive book on overcoming performance anxiety

• Helpful for performers of all types

• Practical, step-by-step guidance plus spaces for journaling and interactive exercises

The Performance Anxiety Workbook shows how to approach public performances calmly and comfortably, without sweaty palms and a pounding heart. Effective anxiety-management techniques and practical, step-by-step workbook exercises—plus thoughtful guidance from the author, a licensed psychotherapist—make this book uniquely enlightening and empowering for anyone in the spotlight

About the Author
Eric Maisel, Ph.D, is a creativity consultant and psychotherapist whose books include Affirmations for Artists, Fearless Creating, A Life in the Arts, and Artists Speak. He lives in San Francisco

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Back Stage Books; 1st edition (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823088367
• ISBN-13: 978-0823088362
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #562,196 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent resource for anyone with stage fright, March 25, 2007

By	a california reader - See all my reviews

Maisel's book is an excellent, comprehensive, thoughtful resource for anyone suffering from stage fright. Highly recommended!

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Accentuate the positive (I'm not so positive about this book), March 13, 2007

By	R geist (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

I bought this one and Don Greene's Audition Success. Greene's book I found very helpful and positive, and it had a practical approach you could apply right away. It was uplifting, if a little cheesey at times, and made one focus on positive thinking and constructive feelings right away.

I've read to around page 70 of Maisel's book. I have to say I'm put off by the beginning of this book. So far it is too intellectualized for me. It is not very intuitive or clearly process oriented, and the tone is negative. He loves giving labels, there is a section where he has named no less than 21 different types of fears you can suffer from! Whew. Glad I don't have all of them.

He spends much of the first 70 pages on the various stages of one's potential avoidance of one's problem of anxiety. This is done through a series of exaggerated "type" characters I found tedious and not very useful for me. (He chides his fictional performers for their misguided hangups, telling us what they should have done instead of exhibiting their neurotic behavior.) Of course some of the ideas are very solid, it's more the presentation that is annoying.

I don't feel getting into all these detailed cognitive terms is practical for me. I did learn some things, but I have done some cognitive type analysis in a psychotherapy setting before. I would prefer more exercises focusing on strong visualization and positive focus techniques, and getting "inside" the performance.

I think there are more practical exercises at the end of the book, so you might want to look at it in a bookstore before deciding whether it's right for you. I liked The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook more than this book, as far as anxiety goes. And I have read better things on the web about performance anxiety in musicians' chat groups.

2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I completely disagree, July 11, 2007

By	whoopsiedoop (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

I feel just the opposite about almost everything the other reviewer felt -- advice for general anxiety and phobia is mostly useless when applied to the arts. And, if all it took was "See yourself by a beautiful, relaxing stream" or even "You're doing great on stage! You're a regular Pavarotti!" I could go to any new age store or my mom. I love the way Maisel does masterfully relate many cognitive therapy terms to the arts -- I have a lot of trouble doing that myself and it's just as great when applied to my problems as it seems to be for more run of the mill stuff that others have found useful in it.