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| Gymnast Mary Lou Retton used hypnosis to prepare for Olympic success in 1984. |
Growing up a fan of nearly all sports in the 1980s was an
exciting time.
There was the magic of Diego Maradona, the star soccer
player who propelled Argentina to a World Cup victory in 1986. Watching his “hand of god” goal live was
a thrill I will always remember.
On the basketball court, players like Michael Jordan, Larry
Bird and Magic Johnson owned the headlines. For me, growing up in the Washington, DC
area, I was star struck by the University of Maryland’s Len Bias. His reverse dunk against North
Carolina is forever etched in my imagination.
And then there was the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, the
first international competition I recall watching with friends and family. Although I was never a huge fan of
gymnastics, it was impossible to not be enthralled by the athleticism, competitive
spirit and achievement of Mary
Lou Retton.
I suspect her five medals and glowing personality inspired
millions of girls in the United States to adopt the sport.
So, it was very cool to come across a dated
report from Time magazine about how Mary Lou Retton turned to hypnosis as a
tool to prepare for Olympic competition and block pain in her injured right
foot.
During the past few years, I have spoken to and worked with
a myriad of high school and college athletes about how positive visualization
can help enhance performance, increase stamina and facilitate injury
recovery. I’ve included below links to a
few of the articles I have written for this blog.
Although hypnosis and visualization is unable to make an
athlete a gold medal winner, it does accelerate their own natural talent and
help them prepare mentally for success.
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