Sports Hypnosis: Ever been in the Zone?
If you’re curious how sports hypnosis works, think back to a time when you were performing at your peak levels. Recall how it felt, where everything was flowing and you were in complete control. And now, try to recall your mental state, your level of focus. Chances are you were fully engaged in the activity and able to block out every other thought. This state of absorption in the task before you, accompanied by a level of certainty and confidence, has been referred to, variously, as the Ideal Performance State, the Flow State, and the Optimal Performance Zone.
How Does Sports Hypnosis Get You in The Zone?
1. By Training the mind and muscles to perform according to your commands. Think of the mind as a giant computer that readily accepts any image that it recognizes as beneficial and true. Once it perceives this image of peak performance through hypnosis, it immediately sends electrical and chemical signals throughout the body to comply with this new command. Studies have shown new neural growth as a result of imaging.
2. Just as stress inhibits performance, the ability to simultaneously relax and be active has a positive impact on athletic performance. By emphasizing positive emotions such as passion—which any athlete naturally has—hypnosis can help the relaxed body achieve peak performance. Personally, as a Clinical hypnotist, I love working with committed athletes to help them achieve their highest goals.
3. Hypnosis can help you narrow your attention so you become completely focused on one single thought. Research using MRI’s has shown that during hypnosis the brain processes information differently, accessing abilities not normally available during the ‘conscious’ state. Since the 1980’s athletes have increasingly used hypnosis to more easily access the Optimal Performance Zone.
What kind of Sports are we talking about?
Recent studies have shown clear evidence that Sports Hypnosis can improve performance in a broad spectrum of athletic activity including golf, baseball, basketball, track, endurance sports and many other sports. The list of sports that hypnosis can be helpful with continues to grow with the availability of more advanced technology to observe brain function in athletes while using hypnosis.
If you’re serious about your training and would like to take it to an even higher level, contact me for either a free consultation or a session at 212 777-7191