research study: you can eliminate the fear of speaking

Morty

Member
We have just completed a very exciting study in conjunction with two psychologists at the University of Arizona. They concluded after an analysis of the data: "'The Lefkoe Method' was effective in virtually eliminating the fear of public speaking in, on average, only three one-hour sessions."

Their preliminary report is copied below.

Drs. Sechrest and Cunningham and I are about a write an article with all the details for a major psychology journal. In addition, we intend to release a summary of the study results to the national media.

If you have any questions about the study or The Lefkoe Method, please contact me at 415-456-7300 or [email protected].


Preliminary Report on Results from “Speaking Without Fear” Study
Prepared by Victoria Cunningham, Ph.D. & Lee Sechrest, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology, University of Arizona
May 20, 2004

A recent study was conducted to examine the ability of Morty Lefkoe’s “The Lefkoe Method” to reduce or even eliminate fear of speaking in public in a group of forty volunteers recruited from Toastmasters Clubs and other random sources and who reported fairly severe symptoms related to public speaking. Subjects were randomly assigned to an experimental or a control group. In the end, we had 17 subjects in the experimental group and 19 in the control group. However, the study was designed in such a way that everyone in the control group also received the treatment at the end of a waiting period.

Thus, not only were we able to compare the experimental and the control groups, but we were also able to assess changes in what were originally control group subjects. All treatment sessions were conducted by telephone, and, on average, only three one-hour sessions were required to achieve treatment goals.

The results support our hypothesis that self-reported fear of speaking in public would be virtually eliminated. Before the experiment, both groups rated their last public speaking experience as an average of about 7 on a 10-point scale on which 1 meant “not at all fearful,” and 10 indicated “extremely fearful”. Subjects in the experimental group experienced a reduction of about 5 points to an average score of 1.5, whereas the control group remained unchanged. In addition, after receiving the same treatment, scores for the control group were also reduced by about 5 points to yield an average of 1.

It is important to note that all subjects rated their post-treatment scores in relation to an actual public speaking experience.

We also asked subjects about other common physical sensations and cognitive difficulties often associated with speaking in public, e.g., increased heart rate, sweating, dry mouth, quivering voice, stuttering and difficulty staying focused. The results were quite consistent with those from the rating scale: prominent symptoms were reduced for everyone who received the treatment, and the difference between the experimental and control groups was large and statistically significant.

Responses to additional questions to gauge individuals’ self-confidence as a speaker also provide evidence that “The Lefkoe Method” was effective in virtually eliminating the fear of public speaking.


The Lefkoe Method includes several different processes, two of which were used in this study. The Lefkoe Belief Process quickly and permanently eliminates beliefs; the Lefkoe Stimulus Process de-conditions the stimuli for undesirable emotions such as fear.

Some of the beliefs that most of the subjects eliminated include:

• Mistakes and failure are bad
• If I make a mistake (fail) I’ll be abandoned.
• What I have to say is not important
• People aren’t interested in what I have to say.
• I’m not capable.
• I’m not competent.
• I’m not important.
• I’m not good enough.
• What makes me important or good enough is having people like me.

Here is a list of the most common stimuli that were de-conditioned, i.e., after undergoing the Lefkoe Stimulus Process, the subjects reported that these stimuli no longer produced any fear:

• Fear associated with being criticized, judged, or evaluated.
• Fear associated with not meeting the expectations of others.
• Fear associated with being rejected.
 

renegade

Well-known member
There is something fishy in this 3 hours session

Is that all I need to get read of my anxiety of speaking ? :?
 

Atari

Member
Why does everyone have to be so negative and skeptical? Maybe it is legit, sometimes getting over something like social anxiety is only as hard as you make it.
 

pitkreet

Well-known member
Hey, it's a free course....costing only $797.

At an average of 3 x 3 hour sessions required to be cured, that's only $265 an hour.

I have a belief - a belief that $265 an hour is quite expensive, particularly when it's for just a phone-call.
 

Morty

Member
Why is it fishy?

renegade said:
There is something fishy in this 3 hours session

Is that all I need to get read of my anxiety of speaking ? :?

We've now helped 97% of the over 400 people who had a fear of public speaking or who had social anxiety. We had independent researchers from a university conduct a study that showed 36 people dropped from a fear level of 7 to a fear level of 1.5 after less than four hours.

We intend to conduct additional research this year.

Regards, Morty
 

Morty

Member
study published in Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy

To see the full study that proves its effectiveness go to www.speakingwithoutfear.com and read the entire study that was published in Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy.

We have just figured out a way to offer the one-on-one sessions that eliminate the fear of public speaking and social anxiety in a three-DVD set. See www.undoityourself.com. It's guaranteed to work.

Morty
 

signs05

Well-known member
Like someone said it seems to good to be true. I dont like these websites that are super positive "Remove all your anxiety! It will never come back! Everyone will love you! You will be a super public speaker!"

And I especially doubt products that depend more on testimonials than actually telling us hard facts about the product..
 

Morty

Member
hard facts are available

If you would take the time to read the study you would find a detailed descritpion of how and why the technique works. You would see that 36 people who had fear before the 3-4 hours did not have fear after the technique was used and that the fear did not come back six months later. All the details of how the study was conducted and the process that was used is in the study, that was accepted by a peer-reviewed psychological journal.

Morty
 

charlieHungerford

Well-known member
worrydoll said:
my fave self-help dvd is 'how to overcome your obsessive compulsive disorder'. its good ive seen it 364545 times.

hehe that is really funny.

I must say this whole topic about paying all that money to listen to a phone call is absolutely shocking. I am about to tackle this fear myself, it must be achievable to overcome, all fears can be. I will find the way if its the last thing I do.

But the reason this whole thing is just shocking is because if it was true and you were good honest people - you would write a book, you would make a dvd, write it in health magazines, etc - and people would pay a small amount. But to charge hundreds of dollars is disgusting. I have never heard anything so ridiculous as listening to a phone call. You are simply cashing in on people's desperation. Its disgusting.

I mean for god's sake you do not know the reasons behind people having this fear. I believe that a lot of people have this fear not because they fear speaking, but because they are anxious/self conscious about something else - i.e. all eyes fixed on them or messing up - which makes them uncomfortable - and the anxiety from that is what makes speaking seem scary because they know the anxiety paralyses you which makes you not want to speak as you don't feel capable of doing it. Maybe people have had a speech impediment and suffered so much ridicule that they have lost confidence in speaking because they feel when they speak out loud they will be ridiculed further.

It makes me so angry does this. This is a forum to help people not to cash in. You should feel very ashamed.
 

Morty

Member
reply

I did create a DVD. It took two years and $325,000 to produce a DVD that would work so well that we could guarantee it's effectiveness. If the fear is not toally gone after watching the DVDs, you get a FULL refund. The price is $197. We need to sell almost 1700 to just break even, and that inmcludes nothing for the time four people spent over two years.

I am insulted that our attempt to help people get rid of their social anxiety and public speaking fear is made fun of and criticized as non-caring.


If you don't believe it and want to live with your fear, that's fine with me. But to criticize and attack something as useless that you haven't tried yourself is just not fair.

Morty
 

Morty

Member
citation for study

Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 13, 183-193 (2006), the May-June, 2006 issue.

If you want to read the entire study go to www.undoityourself.com, and click the "research" link on the side. That will give you the entire study in html or PDF file.

Morty
 

signs05

Well-known member
I'm willing to try anything that combats or relieves anxiety or fear of public speaking. I am however skeptical of this money guarantee thing. I think it should be the other way around, that after the treatment is performed you should pay if the results are what they claimed to be.
Because I'm pretty sure there is some loopwhole in this "if youre not satisfied 100% money back guarantee" that makes it impossible for a disgruntled customer to actually get his money back.

I have a question, and I'm genuinally interested. What makes the Lefkoe method different than other CBT based psychology sessions?
 

Morty

Member
There is no loophole. We've refunded about 7% of our clients. That makes us 93% effective.

For details about how the process works and what's different from CBT, read the study that was publised in Clincal Psychology and Psychotherapy.

Morty Lefkoe
 
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