Stop Trying to ‘Trust Yourself’ - That’s Why Imposter Syndrome Sticks
You’ve heard it a hundred times.
‘Trust yourself.’
‘You’ve got this.’
‘I believe in you.’
It’s the pep talk every leader gives and receives. But let’s be honest - when you’re gripped by imposter syndrome, that advice lands about as well as telling a drowning person to just keep swimming.
Imposter syndrome is not the voice in your head whispering, ‘You’re not good enough.’ It’s the tightening in your chest, the contraction in your gut, the subtle urge to play small.
That sensation - that energy - is imposter syndrome. And every time someone tells you to ‘just trust yourself,’ they unknowingly create a contradiction:
‘Trust yourself’ (go forward)
while your body is screaming ‘Pull back.’
It’s an internal tug-of-war - and it’s exhausting.
Platitudes - They’re Cognitive Band-Aids
Leaders love to work things out in the head. It’s where we feel most at home - analysing, strategising, rationalising. But imposter syndrome doesn’t live there - it’s a sensation pattern in the body.
Dr David Hawkins mapped this beautifully in his Map of Consciousness - the emotional energy of fear and anxiety are some of the lowest frequencies of human experience. When those energies arise in us, no amount of rational thought will override them.
It’s like yelling logic at an anxious dog - the energy won’t respond to reason.
So, when someone says ‘trust yourself,’ the body hears, ‘ignore this uncomfortable sensation and push through.’ That doesn’t create trust - it deepens disconnection.
Imposter Syndrome Is Not a Thought - It’s a Sensation
Think of Pavlov’s famous stimulus-response theory.
But there’s something missing in that loop - the sensation in the middle.
Between the stimulus ('You’re presenting to the Board') and your response ('I feel like an imposter') lies the sensation - the flutter in the chest, the shallow breath, the heat rising in your neck.
That’s the real work. Until you can stay with that sensation without reacting, it will run your life.
You’ll continue to overprepare, overexplain, or overwork just to silence that inner tension. It’s not about fixing your thoughts - it’s about deactivating the sensation that drives them.
From Self-Doubt to Self-Trust - Without Forcing It
You don’t need to believe in yourself. You just need to stop fighting the sensations that make you think you can’t.
Every executive I’ve worked with has the same realisation at some point:
'It was never about believing harder - it was about feeling fully.'
When you master that, imposter syndrome doesn’t disappear because you’ve convinced yourself you’re amazing - it dissolves because the energetic sensation that caused it no longer exists.
Senior leaders don’t suffer from lack of competence; they suffer from over-identification with discomfort.
They mistake a bodily sensation for a lack of capability. But it’s just a feeling - not a fact.
But imagine if you could meet those sensations - the rush before a presentation, the unease before a tough conversation - with total equanimity.
No fight. No flight. No false bravado. Just presence.
That’s not positive thinking. That’s power.
If you’re ready to experience that shift for yourself - not just read about it - visit www.darrenfleming.com.au/reclaiming-focus and learn how to master your mindset from the inside out.
