Sports Hypnosis
Sports Hypnosis is not the magic show you’ve seen in the movies or on TV. Sports hypnosis is a form of mental training and can used by a hypnotherapist or by the athlete using self-hypnosis to improve athletic performance.
Wikipedia - Definition of Sports Hypnosis
"Sports hypnosis refers to the use of hypnotherapy with athletes in order to enhance sporting performance. Hypnosis in sports has therapeutic and performance-enhancing functions.[1] The mental state of athletes during training and competition is said to impact performance.[1] Hypnosis is a form of mental training[2] and can therefore contribute to enhancing athletic execution. Sports hypnosis is used by athletes, coaches and psychologists.[2]"
Background paper on Sport Hypnosis science: https://medcraveonline.com/JPCPY/a-review-of-the-development-of-sport-hypnosis-as-a-performance-enhancement-method-for-athletes.html
Outline of Discussion
- Athletes can develop (or even carry forward from childhood) certain thought patterns that are detrimental to their sports performance. Something triggers a certain fear of failure or of embarrassment or whatever, and the thought is a distraction or directly impairs the skill deployment or physical act of performing the sport.
- A patient experience in little league baseball was impairing his golf performance. Wendi helped him to avoid that connection and negative impact on his performance.
- Via hypnosis, people can make changes that they think is impossible. Like the smoker who has tried many times to quit smoking and now thinks it’s impossible. Using hypnosis, that person can acquire the feeling of being so proud of having quit…and that feeling gives them extra strength of will to stop smoking.
- With a hypnosis strategy….having a anchor to bring them back to a balanced state. Using hypnosis to create a anchor word to reestablish control…..such as golfers when they address the ball, or the cyclists when descending and the bike starts to wobble.
- The hypnosis strategy can remove the distraction problems so athletes can perform to the full level of their skill..Also able to get faster, cleaner feedback for skill improvement.
- Golfers went from 0-1 out of 5 to 3-4 out of 5. Basketball free-throws can also be improved dramatically.
- The trigger should be initiated automatically, not just by remembering to think of a trigger word. The dimples on the golf ball, the front of the rim on the basketball court. Something that will always be there and be noticeable without remembering to look or think of it.
- Everybody is hypnotizable, and everybody can learn how to do self-hypnosis to create these effects on themselves. You don’t have to be in some zonked out state.
- Just relax in a recliner. A comfortable chair. But not a bed because you might fall asleep. Then relax your body. Start at the top of your head. Relax your face, your neck, then your shou
