Benefits of hypnosis In Helping Athletes Achieve Their Performance Goals
RELAXATION: most noticeable due to how an athlete feels when he/she comes out of a trance. Usually relaxation is experienced in the mind and/or body of the athlete. This is similar to someone that is well rested from a nights sleep.
SUGGESTIBILITY: most prominent characteristic that comes to most individuals’ minds due to individuals coming in contact with hypnosis via movies, stage hypnotic show, etc. Although stage shows seldom help the individual with any issues or conflicts, sports hypnotic suggestions can be used to empower athletes. By educating athletes, they are able to understand that during a session they are able to, at any time, resist suggestions as well as follow them.
CONCENTRATION: Athletes that are in trance have an increased ability to concentrate and focus which makes sports hypnosis attractive to athletes and coaches alike. Through trance, the athlete is able to focus on task relevant cues and tune out distractions in which the athlete is able to analyze factors contributing to their failure and/or success of a past, present, or future event.
IMAGINATION ABILITY: In trance, the athlete has enhanced imaginative abilities which enable the athlete to reduce current reality testing- to accept distortion of time, cognition and affect. The ability to distort time helps such athletes as tennis players, golfers, and gymnast to vividly rehearse a dive or skill in slow motion.
BRAIN FUNCTION: Hypnotic trance allows access to different functions of the brain. The motivations, though inaccessible through conscious mind, can be more accessible through trance. Understanding unconscious motivations is major with working with athletes in helping cope and understand different issues. Theories suggest that humans have two halves or lobes in their brains. The right side deals with emotions while the left side is the logic, and rational side of thinking. Hypnosis allows more access to qualities associated with the right side of the brain. Tapping into both sides can be useful in mentally training athletes. Imaginative skills of the right side of the brain can help make hypnotic imaginary sessions more vivid and thus more powerful!
AUTONOMIC CONTROL: Ability to control some autonomic functions such as blood flow and blood pressure. This characteristic is important in facilitating recovery of injuries. With an increase in the flow of blood and other healing fluids to the site of an injury recovery is more rapid. Likewise, hypnosis is valuable in pain control, which can be used in sports medicine. Anxiety has both physiological and psychological aspects and its control is important.. Sport hypnotist can teach athletes how he/she can control both aspects effectively in trance.
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