Field report: Does the Bernhardt method help with social phobia?

“Since I can remember, I was shy. Even as a child, I had great difficulty approaching others or making friends. My father, a civil servant, was very strict and critical. My mother was very anxious and reserved herself. She wasn’t much help either, but at least she didn’t put pressure on me.

Over the years, my fears worsened, and my shyness developed into full-blown social phobia. I was constantly afraid of other people and social interactions. Parties? No, thanks. Speaking in front of the class? A disaster! Things that were normal for others, like making a phone call or even shopping, made me break out in a sweat.

In my early 30s, I had become more and more closed off and knew things would only get worse if I didn’t finally make a change. It’s not like I hadn’t already tried a lot by then. My journey to healing had already been long and rocky, with more setbacks than progress. Some days, I felt like I wasn’t making any progress at all. There were days when my anxiety completely overwhelmed me, and I felt like I would never be able to live a normal life. By that point, I felt like I had tried everything—self-help books, two different therapies, even medication.

But none of it led to the breakthrough I so desperately wanted. Every new hope ended in disappointment, and my frustration grew. My last therapist even blamed me, saying it was my own inner resistance that prevented her therapy from working.

Then, I happened to come across Klaus Bernhardt’s online course designed specifically for people with anxiety and phobias. The course promised to help participants overcome their fears through videos, exercises, and simple explanations.

I was skeptical. Why should this course be different from what I had tried before? But the thought of trying it whenever I wanted, in the safe environment of my own room, without being exposed to a judgmental person wouldn’t leave my mind. The generous money-back guarantee finally convinced me to give it a try.

The course began with fundamental information about anxiety and its causes. I learned that my anxiety was like a superhighway of data in my brain, and that I could actually retrain these reactions.

The most important part of the course was, of course, the practical exercises. But the anxiety-stopping techniques seemed so simple that I couldn’t imagine how they would help. It actually took a lot of effort to try them seriously. Not all of them worked for me, but one technique was so effective that I didn’t need the others. The hardest task, though, was to write a list of goals and work on it every day.

I started keeping a journal again, noting my progress and setbacks. This helped me recognize patterns and understand when my anxieties were strongest and which strategies helped the most.

Despite my quick progress, doubts lingered. It was hard to let go of the negative thoughts. I often doubted myself and my ability to completely overcome my social phobia. But I also learned that it’s okay not to feel amazing every day, to still have some anxiety, and that setbacks can be part of the healing process. After all, I’m human, not a machine. Today, nearly five months later, I’ve reached a point where I’ve almost completely overcome my social phobia. I’m still not a devil and probably never will be, but I’m so happy and grateful for all the possibilities that are now open to me. I’ve even signed up on Parship and have had a few nice dates already. Mr. Right hasn’t come along yet, but I’ve made two great new friends.”