Yahoo News Jenny Slate swears by hypnotherapy for powering through her stage fright after she left “Saturday Night Live”
Jenny Slate is someone we admire for her confidence and honesty. We respect her ability to open up about her difficult times — remember how real she got after her break-up with Chris Evans? — because she’s incredibly smart, self-aware, and transparent. (Can we be BFFs?). Recently, the Landline actress decided to open up about something we haven’t heard her talk very much about: being fired from Saturday Night Live.
Naturally, Slate struggled after this experience. Her self-worth took such a dive that she developed crippling stage fright. What did she do to get back to her old self? Interestingly enough, Slate says that she turned to a hypnotherapist. Hmm.
A post shared by @jennyslate on Jun 16, 2017 at 5:29pm PDT
During a recent interview with The Guardian, she explains:
“Performing was always an innocent, energetic joy for me but once I was fired, I got a specific type of stage fright — a narrative inside of me: ‘These people don’t like you and they don’t want you to be here. And whatever that magic is that clicks in when you’re on stage, it’s not going to happen tonight.’ My entire self-worth was challenged. I didn’t want to quit standup just because I got fired from one job, so I fought against it. I went to a hypnotherapist – it sounds crazy, but it worked.”
Oh hi @aceandjig I love this shirt so much. A bright spot, don't we all need one?
A post shared by @jennyslate on May 11, 2017 at 2:02pm PDT
Slate says that, since seeing a hypnotherapist, she has been able to move on from the experience:
“It was embarrassing, devastating, humiliating, a bummer of a mistake. But since I made that tiny mistake, so much has happened. It feels like, if I were a guy, I’d have to talk about it a little bit, but, because I’m a woman, I have to talk about it for ever. I want to honor all the good things I’ve done on purpose, instead of the stupid thing I did by mistake 10 years ago.”
A post shared by @jennyslate on Apr 26, 2017 at 4:06pm PDT
We have to admit that we don’t know all that much about hypnosis other than the stereotype involving a chaise lounge and a swinging pocket watch. The American Psychological Association says that while hypnosis was once quite controversial, “most clinicians now agree it can be a powerful, effective therapeutic technique for a wide range of conditions, including pain, anxiety and mood disorders. Hypnosis can also help people change their habits, such as quitting smoking.” Fascinating.
We’re glad that you’ve been able to overcome your stage fright and return to performing and doing what you love, Jenny! Whatever works!
