Positive Visualization Helps Athletes at All Levels

NFL coach Pete Carroll employs visualization to help his players succeed. (Photo: BleacherReport.net)

My 9-year-old son is a heck of a basketball player.  One of the best in his house league, he was selected to play on an all-star team that competed in a youth tournament hosted at the Comcast Center at the University of Maryland.
 

In their first game they faced off against one of the top U9 teams from the state of West Virginia.  The opponents were just as tall, just as athletic and more skilled.  It took my son an entire half to get over the shock of this level of competition and actually get comfortable on the court. 

Each rung of the competitive ladder requires an athlete to adjust in order to achieve success.  Plus, once a player reaches a high level of competition (i.e. travel teams, high school ball, college and (even) professional) the difference between win/loss becomes increasingly influenced by mental toughness.

That’s where positive visualization and hypnosis can help.  In an environment comprised of physically gifted and skilled equals, a mental edge is absolutely critical.

The NFL’s Seattle Seahawks subscribe to this.  Take a moment to read this article published by ESPN.com entitled Lotus Pose on Two.  It describes how coach Pete Carroll has integrated meditation, visualization and yoga into the team’s practice and preparation regimen to promote well-being and enhance performance.

NBA coaching legend Phil Jackson is also a believer.  In his book Eleven Rings:  the Soul of Success, he outlines the use of self-hypnosis by the Chicago Bulls to facilitate performance on the court and foster team cohesion.

During the past few years, I have shared self-hypnosis and visualization with a number of athletes as they have transitioned to higher levels of competition.  Additionally, I have taught hypnosis as a tool to manage injury recovery. 

I encourage you to keep an open mind when it comes to alternative approaches to athletic performance and success.

Fall Performance Line Up - Wonderful Events

Five volunteers achieve a deep state of hypnosis at a performance of The Hypnotic Experience.

It is going to be an action packed fall season for me with eight shows in eight weeks currently on the calendar.

I’ve included below a list of my scheduled performances with links to the Web site for each event.  With the exception of my visit to Georgetown University which is a private show, each performance is open to the public.

I encourage you to come out for the Hypnotic Experience.  It’s an entertaining, fun and family friendly show with an incredibly positive message:  success in academics, athletics, career and life can be achieved through positive visualization.

If you’re an event organizer, I encourage you to contact me by phone at (301) 538-8100 or Email to m.russell.hausman@gmail.com to learn more about my show.  And remember, I do not charge for a performance that benefits a community group, charitable organization, school or non-profit.

Georgetown University Welcome Week for Students (private show)

Copley Lawn, Georgetown University

Friday, August 30 at 9 PM

Burke Centre Festival

6060 Burke Centre Parkway, Burke, Virginia

Saturday, September 7 at 8 PM in the Wine Garden

Sunday, September 8 at 11 AM strolling entertainer on festival grounds

30s/40s Meet-Up Group

Chinatown Cultural Center in Washington, DC

Sunday, September 22 at 6 PM

South Silver Spring Street Fest

8040 Kennett Street, Silver Spring, Maryland

Saturday, September 28 strolling entertainer on festival grounds

South Riding Fall Fest

43055 Center Street, South Riding, Virginia

Saturday, October 5 at 2 PM strolling entertainer on festival grounds

Bradley Farm Haunted House

13159 New Parkland Drive, Herndon, Virginia

Friday, October 25 at 9 PM

Saturday, October 26 at 9 PM

30 Second Hypnosis for School and Test Success

I have just returned from a wonderfully relaxing and enjoyable vacation with my family at the Delaware shore.

While on the beach each day, I had the opportunity to speak with a number of students who are preparing to return to classes – high school, college and graduate level.  Each typically expressed excitement about their prospects for the coming year, yet also concern and, in some cases, dread about the pressures of exam performance.

The academic environment is defined by extended periods of preparation for tests that often comprise a significant percentage of a course grade.  This structure puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the student, often creating anxiety and stress which then impacts the ability to succeed.

We all know smart kids who are poor test takers, right?

Hypnosis and positive visualization can serve as a tool to help a student mitigate stress and mentally prepare for an exam.

Yes…they still have to study and understand the material.  Yet, increased focus (and decreased anxiety) allows a person’s talent, knowledge and confidence to shine.

I’ve included below an easy-to-follow 30 second process that you may want to try or share with others.

PS  This approach also works well for work-related presentations and projects.  

-Take a deep breath and visualize yourself pushing out stress and anxiety when exhaling

-Close your eyes and take another deep breath

-Count down in your mind slowly from five allowing yourself to relax with each number

-Visualize an accomplishment in your life you are proud of (academic, athletic, family, friendship, etc.)

-Think about how this accomplishment makes you feel: confident, secure and balanced

-Take another deep breath

-Count up slowly from one to five feeling yourself energize with each number

-Open your eyes  

On vacation with my family.

A Good Path with Hypnotic Experience

It took six months of testing and practice, followed by more testing and more practice, followed by...well...you get the point...to develop my Hypnotic Experience show.

I wanted a fast-paced performance that combined comedy with a meaningful discussion about the power of positive visualization.  It had to be entertaining and informative, and relevant to audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

Plus, it was imperative to steer clear of the tired misconceptions and cliches that define Las Vegas style hypnosis shows.  While there is a place for that brand of entertainment in the market, my preference was to offer a truly unique experience that an audience would both enjoy and come away with ideas on how to fulfill the promise of exceptional living.

Hypnotic Experience remains a work in progress, yet I'm on the right path.  There have been stumbles along the way as I continually refine, however I typically receive heaps of positive feedback after each show.  Even my late night performance in April after a burlesque show resulted in one attendee imploring me to "keep doing what I am doing."

I have an exceptional schedule of shows lined up for the fall that I will announce in the coming weeks.  Several are return performances for event organizers who have hosted me the past.  For me, that's perhaps the ultimate compliment.

Others are new relationships who like the positive message of Hypnotic Experience and believe it will resonate with their audience.  I very much look forward to those as well!

One additional benefit of entertaining has been the improvement in my professional presentation skills. 

Yes...I have a full-time job that pays the mortgage and keeps my children well fed.  I'm now frequently asked to speak at industry conferences because of the timeliness of my topic (social media marketing) and my ability to deliver with passion and style.

Check out this video of the initial five minutes of a recent keynote I delivered at a tradeshow.  The story and its Jerry Maguire reference produced a healthy laugh from the crowd. 

Can a Type A Personality be Hypnotized?

I blend well in Washington, DC.  It’s a city of on-the-go, type A personalities who jostle for a taste of action in fast paced political and business circles.

My practice, teaching and performances of hypnosis are an enjoyable hobby.  I pay my mortgage as the CEO of a business consulting firm.

A misconception about hypnosis is that the volunteer forfeits control to the hypnotist.  This would then make take charge personality types resistant to gently drifting into a highly suggest-able, trance-like state. 

The truth is actually a near 180 degree opposite of the perception.  The practice of hypnosis and its ability to help a person manage stress; enhance confidence; improve academic, career and/or athletic performance; and recover from injury is incredibly empowering.

It makes type As who are open to it wonderfully gifted when it comes to hypnosis.

This past Friday I had the pleasure of meeting with a young woman who has booked my “Hypnotic Experience” show for an upcoming event she is organizing.  We talked through expectations for the show, audience and logistics.

I then asked if she wanted to give a hypnotic induction a try.  She agreed, yet with an understandable level of cynicism.  That’s because she is the definition of overachiever:  National Merit scholar, exceptional student, multi-sport athlete and self-taught musician.

Yet, upon taking her through a series of relaxing visualizations she soon achieved a deep and sustained level of hypnosis.  And this was in a somewhat public environment with a significant amount of background noise and activity.

We focused on a couple of post-hypnotic suggestions designed to promote stress mitigation, confidence and concentration.   I then shared with her how to achieve a trance like state on her own in as little as 10 seconds. 

She emerged from the experience enthusiastic, positive, refreshed and…empowered! 

A focus exercise combined with a simple sleep command puts a volunteer into hypnosis.