Today I’m joined by Maisie Nicholls to discover How to Use EMDR to boost confidence at your Branding Photoshoot.

Maisie is an EMDR therapist who works with successful, high achievers who’ve experienced childhood trauma.

This shows up in many ways, including

• low self worth
• low confidence
• imposter syndrome
• Generally just feeling unable to allow your amazingness to shine. 

How EMDR can increase your confidence in front of the camera

If you dread having professional photos taken you’re not alone. It can feel bloody unnerving having someone snapping away while you’re worrying how to pose and generally feeling downright awkward. 

We’ve all been there at one time or another… myself included.

I’m a Leo, so I’m a bit of a show off and I love the limelight. Despite this I’ve still found it nerve wracking to have my photo taken; it’s taken some mindset shifts and a few other tools to allow me to enjoy the experience. And to step into my full Leo self, where I’m feeling totally confident in front of the camera. 

Today, I’m going to share how you can use EMDR and nervous system regulation tools in order to feel calmer and more relaxed.

What’s EMDR? 

EMDR stands for eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing. It’s a form of psychotherapy that is recommended by the NHS and World Health Organisation as one of the best treatments for PTSD.

It’s also a great therapy to improve mindset and increase confidence!

How to Use EDMR to boost confidence at your next Branding Photoshoot

1. Feel comfortable

Get yourself an amazing photographer who you feel comfortable with. There’s no point in me sharing mindset tips and tricks if you’re going in a shoot with a photographer who doesn’t get that you may be nervous. Or that you need some direction and emotional support. 

You want someone who’s kind, understanding and gets that it can be nerve wracking having your photo taken. 

Luckily I know just the person…. Maryanne! 

2. The butterfly hug

This technique uses bilateral stimulation which involves using both hemispheres of the brain consecutively. Most people find this type of activity calming and soothing. 

You can use the butterfly hug when you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed. It’s quick and easy, so is perfect for when you’re feeling nervous on a photo shoot!

I’ve been known to have a little tapping session in my car before having my photos taken. Or even nipping off the loo to take some deep breaths and to do some butterfly taps. 

The butterfly hug basically involves crossing your hands over your chest and tapping your hands on your chest alternately.

You can interlock your thumbs so they look like a butterfly or you can just cross your hands over one another.

Some people prefer a full ‘hug’ sensation and you can tap on the outside of your arms if this feels better. 

Experiment with the speed of tapping to see which feels best for you. 

I’ve done a quick demo in the video below so you can see it in action. 

Handy hint 

There are other ways utilise the calming power of bilateral stimulation.

• These include walking (using one leg after the other).
• Listening to binaural beats or getting an app that plays tones into each ear consecutively.
• The ‘eye movement’ part of EMDR is also a form of bilateral stimulation but I’d recommend finding a qualified EMDR therapist to try that out.

The calm place is one of my favourites, it’s quick, easy and you can use it anywhere, whenever you’re feeling anxious or stressed – perfect for calming your nerves pre-photo opp.

This technique involves closing your eyes and imagining being somewhere that feels calm and relaxing. You then use sensory anchors to really connect with how it feels when you imagine being in that place. 

This is one I recommend practicing beforehand. Research suggests that doing this on a regular basis reminds our body and brain that we are able to feel safe, calm and connected. Over time this creates new neural pathways; you’re basically rewiring your brain to feel calm, relaxed and at ease. 

How to do the calm place exercise 

1. Close your eyes and take some long, deep breaths. Try to make the exhale a little longer than the inhale if you can. 
2. Take some time to get comfy and settle into where you are sitting. Notice the feeling of being supported by whatever you’re sitting on. 
3. Now imagine a place where you feel completely calm and relaxed. This could be somewhere you’ve been before or could be somewhere that’s completely in your imagination. 
4. In your mind’s eye, imagine what you can see around you in that calm place. Notice what you can hear. Imagine how the temperature feels on your skin. 
5. See if there are any tastes or smells you can notice. 
6. Now move your awareness to your body. Notice any calm, relaxing, physical sensations, or just notice if there are any parts of your body that feel a little more relaxed than the rest. 
7. Take some more long, deep breaths and enjoy that calm, relaxed state you’ve created in your body. 

You may prefer to listen to this as a recording; click on the link below and I’ll send you an audio version. 

4. Have some therapy

Ok, this is a little self serving as I’m an EMDR therapist, but I wanted to share this as my final thought.

Sometimes a lack of confidence in front of the camera can be linked to self esteem and low self worth. 

Therapy doesn’t necessarily need to be a long term trawl through your whole life history. 

With EMDR we can specifically target memories and past experiences that feed into your lack of confidence in front of the camera. Whether you have a memory of a horrific school play where you remember making a tit of yourself, or if there was a work presentation where you went blank and forgot what to say in front of a room of 30 people. 

Any experience that felt emotionally overwhelming can get lodged in our memory. Our brain then annoyingly associates the feelings of embarrassment or shame with anything that feels similar. For instance standing in front of a group of people and having your photo taken. 

With EMDR we can identify what’s causing you to feel self conscious and uncomfortable in front of the camera. We can then use therapeutic techniques to retrain your brain to feel safe, confident and excited.

You can get in touch with Maisie in the following ways

Website – Online therapy for soul led entrepeneurs | Maisie Nicholls | Yorkshire

Instagram – Maisie Nicholls (@emdr.for.the.soul) • Instagram photos and videos

And when you’re ready, here are three ways that I can help you:

1) Visit my blog for tips on VISIBILITY.

Every week I discuss strategies to improve your visibility, get over your fear of visibility and my latest shoots.  Read here

2) Plan a bespoke photoshoot.

We can plan a shoot based on what you actually need (read more) or you could join me at a Branding Day.

3) Join ‘Visibility School’.

Visibility school is a membership group where you get 12 months of photoshoots, a fab little Facebook group and lots of bonus content too (new for 2023 members) . Read