Most of us have experienced test anxiety at one time or another: sweaty palms, rapid breathing or nervous stomach. Perhaps we felt like this during a driving test, math test, college entrance exam or recertification exam. According to a 2009 study published in Nordic Psychology and a 1998 study published in Journal of Humanistic Education and Development, college students who learned to enter a hypnotic state (self-hypnosis) reduced their stress and increased test success. 

In her book, Stop Test Anxiety: Test-Taking Strategies that Use the Hidden Power of Your Subconscious Mind, hypnotherapist Dr. Wanita Holmes agrees that we can overcome test anxiety by using the subconscious mind. Drawing from her experience in over 40,000 sessions with clients, Holmes concluded that “getting rid of your problem is not that complicated or difficult.” She explains further that “your thoughts create your behavior. When you choose to change a behavior, you must change the thoughts behind the behavior.”

While learning how to study is an integral part of test preparation, using hypnosis allows us to make needed changes for us to relax and pass that test with confidence. Hypnotherapy can be a welcome alternative to prescription medications.

Annelle Soponis, Ph.D., BCH, is a retired college professor and board-certified hypnotist who helps clients in the Reading area overcome test anxiety. Connect at BridgeHypnosis.com.