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Do you fear being exposed as a fraud?
Do you struggle with thinking you’re never good enough?
Do small mistakes feel like huge failures?
Imposter Syndrome comes with high costs including anxiety, self-doubt, and mental distress.
Imposter syndrome is a thought pattern when someone doubts their accomplishments and fears being exposed as a fraud, even though there’s data and evidence indicating competence and success. It can show up at work, school and in relationships.
Common Signs & Symptoms:
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Constant self-doubt and fear of failure.
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Feeling incompetent or not good enough regardless of evidence of success.
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Minimizing achievements and attributing them to someone or something else.
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Trying to be perfect to hide one’s insecurities.
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Inability to receive praise.
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Feeling ‘less than’ others.
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Anxiety and distress related to performance.
What Does Treatment for Imposter Syndrome Look Like
Imposter Syndrome is not genetic. It is a learned response that you adapted when you were faced with adversity such as shaming, bullying or receiving disparaging messages during vulnerable times in your life. The encouraging news is this learned behavior can be shifted to reflect a more accurate, positive assessment of your worth and value.
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Here are some therapeutic strategies:
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Identifying when and how the Imposter Syndrome started​
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Building self-confidence and -esteem ​
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Replacing negative self-talk with positive self-talk
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Developing coping and calming strategies ​
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Cultivating self-acceptance and compassion
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Acknowledging and appreciating strengths and achievements
The Role of EMDR in Treatment
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an intervention that targets the experiences or events that started and continue to drive the painful thoughts and feelings from Imposter Syndrome, EMDR treats the root causes of the Imposter Syndrome. Through EMDR, the identified negative self-talk (“I’m not good enough,” “I might fail,” etc.) is reduced and replaced with positive self-talk. Essentially, EMDR aims to reduce the impact of past traumatic events that caused the thinking underneath the Imposter Syndrome.
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