Do You Have Imposter Syndrome? And How to Fix it

(General information is provided on this page. If you are experiencing impostor syndrome, consult a health care professional or Mindtraining for Life for professional support)

Impostor syndrome has always been part of the human experience and it is known by many different names.¹ The basic sense of ‘being a fraud’ or ‘not being good enough’ expresses the central emotion generated by the syndrome. However, the experience presents in various ways according to individual differences and circumstances. Essentially, if you feel that you can’t do something or are not as good as others, without evidence, then you likely have impostor syndrome. When we talk about ‘impostor’ in this context we are referring to thoughts and emotions unwittingly generated in a brain network (in reality, different elements of different networks that can be altered through mindtraining).

In most cases we think that impostor syndrome is a product of the brain structures and functions lagging behind real world changes. For example, if you get promoted or start a new course of study it can take your cognitive structures a little while to ‘catch up’, for perception to match reality. To illustrate; it’s common for new parents to say, ‘it feels unreal to be a parent’. Normally a few months later the brain has adjusted, and the state of being a parent then seems ‘natural’. With impostor syndrome emotions can become involved in the lag between the old and the new states, sometimes leading to consolidation of the ‘impostor’ feeling. And in extreme cases this uncertainty becomes a permanent condition.

Obviously if there is clear evidence that we are not performing at the appropriate level we need to tackle this in a different way.

The experience of being an impostor can be traumatic. If it endures for long periods it may be corrosive to mental health and lead to trauma. People experiencing this problem sometimes report that they feel one small step away from dramatic failure, where their world will collapse. Fortunately, mindtraining has developed some strategies that can help most people reach their ‘natural state’, free from impostor syndrome.

How does Mindtraining for Life tackle impostor syndrome?

1 – Solutions – begin with presence and awareness

We train people to recognise and observe their own feeling and mental processes so that the thoughts sustaining impostor syndrome can be observed.

At the earliest stage we avoid self-criticism and recognise that we all have the potential to unravel harmful mental processes.

The big issue is to know that psychological suffering is often based on erroneous thought processes that can be mediate by mindtraining.

2 – Mindtraining

Once you know mental processes can be controlled in many circumstances, you are ready for mindtraining. A good start is to learn how to reduce harmful ways of thinking leading to a more balanced view of self.

If a short-term approach is desirable we can use grounding , distraction and affirmations to reduce our exposure to impostor syndrome, but this is more of a ‘fix, than a solution (a temporary fix is a legitimate strategy, it can reduce psychological suffering and create space for a permanent solution to be developed).

3 – Behavioural Changes

Finding objective evidence of your actual performance or status, is a good way to weaken the impostor brain network. Like most emotional states, reasoning through the executive function can reduce psychological suffering presented through the emotions.

Positive reinforcement though feedback and recognition of actual performance offer benchmarks that can subordinate self-doubt. Use real world evidence, hard copies of success to embody your natural state. Emails acknowledging your ability and role, positive feedback from performance reviews and even academic or training certificates as proof of ability and attainment.

Learn techniques linked to nondual meditation to better regulate emotions and reduce anxiety.

Use meditation to overcome impotor syndrome — Nondual meditation helps combat impostor syndrome

4- Better Understand Self and Other

Nondual awareness offers significant support for many forms of psychological suffering. For example understanding that impostor syndrome is widespread and based on ‘normal’ thought processes can lessen our low self-esteem or self-doubt.

Consideration of the Dunning- Kruger effect can help you to understand why self-doubt occurs as a ‘normal’ mental process.

Successful approaches to lessen and even eliminate impostor syndrome are featured above. If you need support or more information contact Mindtraining for Life.

1 Different ways of describing impostor syndrome include: