A Client's experience of therapy for Imposter Syndrome
Many people assume that anxiety means feeling nervous all the time. In reality, anxiety often hides behind a confident exterior. This story - shared with permission and anonymised for privacy - shows how therapy can help someone struggling with anxiety, self-doubt, and imposter feelings at work to reclaim their confidence and move forward.
Living With a Constant Inner Critic
When this client first came to therapy, he described his anxiety as a gremlin - an inner voice that whispered:
- “You’re not good enough.”
- “Remember when you messed up last time?”
- “Why would anyone want to hear your ideas?”
On the surface, colleagues saw a capable, confident professional. Inside, he was fighting constant self-doubt, overthinking, and fear of failure.
Anxiety showed up in very specific ways:
- struggling to say his own name in meetings
- shaking while presenting
- replaying conversations for days
- avoiding opportunities he wanted to take.
Over time, the gremlin grew stronger, feeding avoidance and eroding his confidence.
This is a familiar pattern in anxiety and imposter syndrome: the more you try to hide it or push through, the more it controls you.
Reaching a Turning Point
Eventually, he hit a crisis point: “I didn’t even recognise myself anymore.”
Reaching out for support was one of the hardest steps he had ever taken. Like many people, he feared that seeking therapy would be seen as weakness. Instead, it became the start of real change.
How Therapy Helped
Through Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), he began to understand what was happening:
- He was able to increase awareness of the gremlin and how it operated, recognising patterns that he was stuck in.
- Learn that the gremlin was not weakness, but his brain’s threat system misfiring, a normal response that had become overactive.
- Recognise how avoidance gave anxiety more power, while small steps forward weakened its hold.
- Self-doubt wasn’t proof that he was incapable - it was a sign his brain was trying (clumsily) to keep him safe.
By recognising unhelpful thought patterns and practising new ways of responding, he gradually rebuilt his confidence. He learned to speak up in meetings without being paralysed by fear, reduce rumination, and approach challenges with more flexibility.
In his own words:
“When I say therapy has been life-changing, I’m not being dramatic. I no longer feel like a fraud or a wimp. I’m just someone learning to retrain my brain - and there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”
Why This Matters
Anxiety and imposter feelings at work are far more common than most people realise. Many professionals quietly carry the burden, believing they just need to work harder or hide their struggles. But as this story shows, therapy can make an enormous difference.
Seeking support isn’t weakness. It’s a sign of strength - a step toward understanding your mind, regaining control, and creating lasting change.
Could Therapy Help You?
As a therapist, I've seen countless individuals grappling with the silent burden of workplace anxiety, much like the client in this post.
If you recognise yourself in this story - struggling with anxiety, self-doubt, or imposter syndrome at work - know that you don’t have to face it alone.
Therapy provides the tools to:
- Understand anxiety as a normal but overactive response.
- Break the cycle of avoidance, overthinking, and self-criticism.
- Rebuild your confidence and take back control of your life.
If you’d like to explore how therapy could help you, get in touch today to arrange a free initial consultation.