What is Sports Hypnosis?

The use of hypnotherapy with athletes focused on recovery and healing the body as well as enhancing performance. This includes mental rehearsal, visualization, strengthening focus, confidence, and application of self-hypnosis.

What is Hypnotherapy?

a combination of cognitive and behavioral approaches

with the power of personalized positive suggestions

using relaxation techniques to lower stress/anxiety

creating a calm and focused state of awareness

mentally rehearsing movement forward

for goal achievement and optimal well-being

Where do sessions take place?

Hypnotherapy is effective in person, on the phone, and via video sessions.

PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL

Psy Cap equips the athlete with mental agility, discipline, and positive habits to out-perform, foster rest and recovery, handle adversity well, and become an optimally functioning human being. It is demonstrated by the athlete’s hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism – known by the acronym H.E.R.O.

Athletes with high levels of psychological capital perform better, believe in their abilities, and maintain a positive attitude even in difficult circumstances, enabling adaptability to devise solutions quickly. These attributes have been shown to influence the athlete’s career development. Psy Cap is not just an athletic skill, it is a life skill that has a spill-over effect on personal relationships, health, overall well-being, and happiness.

Psy Cap Stats:

HOPE: Athletes with high levels of hope figure out pathways to strategize and when those plans fail, they are able to quickly devise new avenues, whereas those with low levels feel stuck and are unable to bounce back.

EFFICACY: Self-efficacy determines the athlete’s willingness to overcome obstacles and endure challenges. With a positive mindset and increased focus, they are more likely to come up with effective game strategies.

RESILIENCE: Athletes with mental toughness see failure as data to be greater. They learn from errors and apply this information to the next game or competition to succeed.

OPTIMISM: Optimistic athletes view challenges as attainable, something to proactively take on. They also invest more effort to achieve them.

The Research

MENTAL REHEARSAL + MENTAL TRAINING

Reports from Olympic champions demonstrate the importance of sports hypnosis in peak performance. These athletes activate flow state, when the mind, body and confidence are in alignment, putting the player in the zone to produce results.

Hypnosis induced mental training significantly improves performance, and it is not solely attributed to relaxation techniques.

Hypnotherapy reinforces concentration and a reduction in stress that allows for a more specific focus on performance.

Athletes reported that imagery under hypnosis substantially enhances imagery intensity and effectiveness.

College basketball players jumped and shot better when they used hypnosis.

A study evaluated the effects of hypnosis on self-efficacy (confidence in skills) and soccer performance. The group who had hypnosis for ego strengthening performed better vs the control group who watched videos of professional soccer games.

Hypnosis-based intervention strategies have shown a strong link between flow and the performance of golfers, preparing elite golfers for significant competitions.

Hypnosis intervention consistently improved golf performance and the intensity of the participant’s experience of flow during real competitions.

Based on 18 studies, imagery improves performance amongst soccer players and enhances motivation during training.

FUN FACT: During the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, the Russian team took 11 hypnotists to the games.

Emotional Freedom Technique

What is EFT for Sports?

The use of EFT with athletes to rebalance the nervous system, restore the flow of energy through the body’s meridian system, help recover from injury, manage chronic conditions, pain, pre-competition nerves, release anxiety, boost confidence, maintain composure under stress, and strengthen one’s mental game.

Athletes have engaged in “team tapping” promoting team spirit, energetic alignment, and a shared purpose. According to the Open Sports Science Journal, coaches and athletes noted that EFT is used in professional and college level golf, baseball, and American football. In the same time that it takes to complete a game, quick applications of EFT Tapping have improved performance. It is why elite athletes have used EFT even while in the game!

Athletes Who Have Used EFT Tapping:

Baseball: Jorge Reyes

Boxing / Rugby: Paul Gallen

Sprinter: Bralon Taplin, Abi Oyepitan