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Del Morrill, M.S. C.C.H

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A Center for Counseling & Hypnosis
Tacoma, Washington, USA
(253) 752-1506

Performing Better as an Athlete?

Question
Can Hypnosis Help Me Perform Better as an Athlete?

Answer
Dear Del, I hear about athletes who use methods like relaxation, visualization, and hypnosis to improve their game. How does that work? Personally, I love working with athletes, and consider it one of my specialties. However, not every hypnotherapist works with this area. So it's probably wise to ask such a question first when you are looking for someone. Professional athletes have been using hypnosis (and other tools which deal with the subconscious/unconscious mind) for a long time to help them be their best. The same techniques can help improve your own game, whether it is an individual or team sport. Such techniques can be used just as effectively for golfers to improve their game. The hypnotherapist works in partnership with your subconscious (or unconscious) mind. Your mind is a storehouse of experience and perceptions that can often slow your movement toward the goals in your life. The therapist offers strong, affirming suggestions designed to enhance your self-esteem, encourage an automatic response from your body with the techniques you've learned, and encourage your ability to move forward with confidence. Hypnosis works with the areas of confidence, motivation, courage, concentration, focus, and refinement of technique. Your hypnotherapist can help you to sharpen your game, no matter what it is, by teaching your body and mind to work at its optimum best. Hypnosis can help an athlete who has been injured, to heal faster, and to get over any residual fear from the injury. It can help someone get off a plateau, it can help an athlete solve problems like procrastination, confusion and a lack of concentration or focus. Hypnotherapy can help you set goals, set priorities, and make plans to carry through necessary actions. Dear Del, My daughter is a gymnast who is having difficulty performing skills that are on the beam and bars. The coaches feel that she is strong, capable, talented and full of potential. She learns all skills easily, but then she becomes fearful, allowing her fears to keep her frozen for weeks. This prevents her from doing her best. Can you help her? If there are any underlying experiences or faulty thinking, then a well-trained therapist who knows how to get to the underlying blocks can help by identifying what may be causing an athlete to sabotage him/herself. With good coaching from your hypnotherapist, your subconscious mind can search out anything that blocks your success, and can change the understandings that lie deep within you. Sometimes, however, it is the parent (or the coach) who needs assistance to pull back from their child and their activity. A child may not really want to do the activity they're involved in, but feels pressure from coach and/or parent to continue. Missing moves, or freezing, may be the mind and body's way of saying "stop." A qualified hypnotherapist can often get at any reasons beneath the problem that may not be apparent at a conscious level. It will then be important to honor that awareness.

 
 

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