There is a fine line between wanting to change something about yourself and having low self esteem. Many Americans wish they could be taller, shorter, or have more money. just to name a few. Having a negative or hateful view of yourself is typically associated with low self esteem and is more serious. Those suffering from low self esteem generally look at themselves and others negatively, lack confidence, and perform poorly. Trying to figure out what percent of the population suffers from low self esteem is nearly impossible as low self esteem is related to many other emotional issues.

Lack of self confidence is not something learned overnight or from one isolated incident, it comes from repetitive criticism. Anyone, whether it is a parent, teacher or society can cause a person to have low self esteem. Some parents compare siblings, have unrealistic demands of children, or simply do not understand the child and berate them for it leaving the child feeling unloved and detached. Teachers sometimes are overly critical of students work or compare them to other children, making the child feel isolated and negative. Society can place very unrealistic expectations. Many preteen and teen girls feel the pressure to be thin simply from an article they read in a magazine.

We are losing an alarming, one third of our youth to drugs, alcohol, eating disorders, jail, teen pregnancy, crimes and violence, drop outs, and suicide according to Selfesteeminternational.org. All of these problems have one thing in common, low self esteem. Some people of society have a hard time accepting negative self image is the cause for all of these problems. Often, as stated before, low self esteem is just a cover up to other emotional issues. However Selfesteeminternational.org reported that 80-90% of pregnant teens do not give up their children because they feel a baby will give them the unconditional love they never had. High school seniors report using drugs and alcohol as a way to fill a personal void and improve self esteem at the rate of 66%.

There are a range of programs which offer help with low self esteem, Some suffers attend counseling sessions, take medication, or read self help books. There are also new techniques being used to help build confidence, one of those is hypnosis. Hypnosis works with the subconscious mind to uncover what memories are causing the low self esteem. Once the memory has been identified, the hypnotist and patient work though the memory and the patient’s reaction to it. Together they help rebuild self confidence and work through all feelings, good or bad until the patient is satisfied with their progress. Since it works with the subconscious mind, it is easier to open up and express feelings you might not know you were having.

Some still feel that medication or therapy is the best and only way to treat self esteem issues. However, the medications only work with the chemical reactions in the body, it will not create a positive image or with the memories which are causing the patient pain and agony. Therapy can go on for months before the real trigger and emotional reaction is uncovered and it also deals with the mind on a conscious level. When dealing with the mind on a conscious level, patients often become very censored for fear they are being judged by the counselor. While under hypnosis they sub conscious mind takes over allowing for completely candid thoughts.

You have taken the first step in your treatment, whatever it may be. You have acknowledged that you have issues with low self esteem and want to do something about it. You no longer want to go on feeling the way you do. The choice is yours, will you choose a treatment that could take months and months, will you choose a short term chemical fix or will you choose to open you mind and discovery why you feel the way you do, the choice is simple.