I write frequently on this blog about how professional and collegiate athletes employ visualization as a tool to improve performance in competition, remain positive and more quickly recover from injury.
Here is a link
to my article about the Washington Capitals’ Braden Holtby. And here is the piece about the University of
Maryland basketball team entitled How
the Lady Terps Achieve Zen.
What about amateur athletes? For them, participation is typically about
passion and wellness. Can hypnosis enrich their competitive experience?
To answer those questions I sought out a woman who
trains and competes in CrossFit. Statuesque and in pristine physical condition,
she explained why she made the leap about two years ago from CrossFit as a
personal vehicle for health to competitive environments.
“I like to try new things,” she explained. “CrossFit competitions give me the chance to
measure my progress in strength, cardio and endurance against others. I also enjoy the competitive side of it. It is motivating.”
Her most recent competition failed to produce the
desired result. She placed eighth out of
18 competitors, which she found personally disappointing.
“My engine wasn’t prepared to go the whole day,” she
explained.
We talked about hypnosis, what it is (and isn’t) and
how it allows an athlete to improve focus and concentration. It was time for a simple hypnotic induction
and “confidence” visualization, which took about 20 minutes.
She enjoyed the process, although failed to
achieve a deep state of hypnosis. I
suspect this was partly a result of the environment which was somewhat
distracting.
When asked her opinion of hypnosis, her comments
were insightful.
“It’s similar to guided meditation in terms of
stress relief,” she said. “The hypnosis
process encourages more self confidence.”
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| CrossFit combines speed, strength and agility. (Photo source: Crossfit.com) |
