Get Out of Your Head!
David is president of his own company which he built from the ground up. He speaks to large groups of employees at his satellite offices and is also invited to address meetings of his professional organizations from time to time. He's not afraid of public speaking; he's confident and entertaining and always receives positive feedback from his audiences.
But in the middle of his talk, when he thinks he's moving along swimmingly, he'll suddenly experience hot flashes, light-headedness, a pounding heart, and forget what he's supposed to say next. He feels embarrassed, is sure the audience thinks he's incompetent, and while he manages to recover and get through the rest of his speech, he feels like a failure.
It has happened so often that he now waits expectantly for the moment when he knows he's going to blow it, usually about halfway through his speech. He can feel himself tensing up, the blood rushing to his head, and try as he might to focus, he knows what's coming and can't seem to avoid it. What's wrong with him?