‘Treating Performance Anxiety: Lessons from Musicians’

Thomas Nicholl, Clinical Psychologist, The University of Sydney

The term performance anxiety captures the experience of anxiety related to an evaluative performance space. The experience is often endured, despite debilitating symptoms, and results in a negative performance experience. Performance anxiety is particularly prevalent in musicians, with anecdotal evidence suggesting most musicians will experience it at some point in their career. With the influx of performance-based psychological research, interest in exploring performance anxiety is growing to distinguish its facilitating and debilitating effects. This seminar will explore the applicability of cognitive behavioural models to understanding the experience of PA from both a facilitative and debilitating lens, leaning on the experiences of musicians to highlight these factors.

The seminar will specifically look at:

• Defining performance anxiety

• Effective interventions for performance anxiety

• Exploring the cognitive mechanisms involved in its development and maintenance

• Performing in the absence of anxiety

• Considerations for working with musicians

• Applying knowledge to a case study

Thomas Nicholl is a clinical psychologist with a special interest in understanding and treating anxiety disorders. He currently works in community outpatient services, alongside researching mechanisms that maintain and deter anxiety disorders in high performers. Thomas completed a PhD exploring performance anxiety in musicians at the University of Sydney with Professor Maree Abbott and brings both a clinical and performance lens to his work, leaning on early experiences as a musician to support his research.