How It's Complicated works
1
Find your therapistUse our free matching service for personal recommendations, or browse our network of 2,500+ therapists yourself.
2
Create your free accountSign up in under 2 minutes. All you need is an email and a password, and you're ready to go.
3
Start therapyReach out to your therapist and book your first session within 24 hours. Online or in person, in 60+ languages.
Learn more about performing arts medicine
Performing arts medicine is a specialist field that addresses the psychological and physical health needs of performers: musicians, dancers, actors, singers, and others whose professional life centres on live performance. It combines knowledge from psychology, coaching, and in some cases physiotherapy or sports medicine, applied to the specific demands of performance culture.
Performers face pressures that general practitioners and therapists may not fully understand: the relationship between identity and performance, the psychology of auditions, the physical risks of intensive training, and the particular kind of anxiety that comes with performing in public. Performing arts medicine practitioners are trained to work within this context.
In performing arts medicine, the practitioner works with the performer on both the psychological and practical dimensions of their situation. Sessions are shaped by the client's specific concerns and performance context.
Work may address:
- Performance anxiety: understanding its triggers, managing the physiological response, and developing a sustainable pre-performance routine
- Stage fright and mental blocks: working through the specific fears or thought patterns that interfere with performing
- Burnout and career stress: addressing the cumulative toll of intensive training, touring, or audition culture
- Injury and recovery: supporting the psychological impact of physical injury and return to performance
- Career transitions: navigating the identity challenges of changing direction, stepping back, or retiring from performance
Performing arts medicine is most relevant for difficulties that arise specifically within or because of a performance context.
Anxiety
Performance anxiety is the most common reason performers seek specialist support. It may show up as stage fright before a specific event, or as a pervasive anxiety that affects practice, auditions, and daily life. Performing arts medicine practitioners understand the particular character of performance anxiety and how to address it without eliminating the arousal that fuels great performance.
Work & career
A career in the performing arts involves specific stressors: precarious income, competitive environments, identity tied closely to professional success, and transitions that can feel like losses. Performing arts medicine provides support that understands these realities rather than treating them as generic career stress.
Stress
The demands of training, performance schedules, auditions, and professional uncertainty create chronic stress for many performers. Performing arts medicine addresses this in context, helping performers manage pressure without compromising their relationship to their art.
Self-confidence
Confidence in a performance context is particular: it is not simply self-belief but the capacity to perform under pressure, recover from mistakes, and trust one's own preparation. Performing arts medicine works with the specific psychological patterns that undermine confidence in performers.
Choosing an approach isn't something you have to do alone. IC's matching can pair you with a therapist whose approach suits your situation. Get matched
It's Complicated is a therapist-founded mental health platform connecting clients with verified practitioners across Europe and globally in over 60 languages. We work with over 2,500 vetted therapists, with in-person availability in Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Lisbon, Vienna, and other major cities, alongside online sessions.
Finding a practitioner who genuinely understands performance culture, rather than a general therapist who has worked with one or two performers, requires a more targeted search. Our matching service is built to remove that friction. You complete a short survey, our psychologists combine data-driven insights with human judgement to identify the right therapists for your situation, and you choose from a shortlist of strong candidates. You can also browse our directory directly if you'd prefer to choose yourself.
Get matched with a performing arts medicine practitioner, or browse all performing arts medicine practitioners in the directory.
