Fear of movement (kinesiophobia)

A fear of movement can show up after an injury, an operation or a long spell of pain, when you worry that moving will hurt you again. It can slow your recovery and shrink your day. It can be helped.

What it feels like

• Holding back from exercise or normal activity
• Expecting movement to cause pain or injury
• Feeling tense when you start to move

Please note: Please check with your GP or physiotherapist about what movement is safe for you, and keep following their advice while we work on the fear.

Common questions

Why am I afraid of moving after an injury?

The mind learns to link movement with pain and tries to protect you by avoiding it. Staying still for too long can leave you stiffer and more anxious. Working on the fear can go hand in hand with your medical care.

How can you help?

I use hypnotherapy and NLP to change how your mind responds to the thing you fear, so the old alarm stops going off. Sessions are one to one over Zoom, and you get a recording of the hypnosis to listen to afterwards.

How many sessions will I need?

Many clients notice a real difference after one 90 minute session. If the fear goes back a long way, three sessions gives us room to make the change stick.

Ready to start?

Book a £49 consultation call and we’ll talk through your fear, or take the free suitability test first.

See all session options and prices