Athletic Pain

Question

I′ve been working with an athlete who loves to play squash but keeps suffering pain from some old sprain injuries. I have tried several relaxing techniques along with having the mind release unconscious responses to help him, but these aren′t working.

Answer

Often, a real problem for athletes is that they want to win -- A LOT! Sometimes they really can't handle the pressure and try find some way out. Sometimes the body itself is hollering, "For God's sake, you're injuring me! Quit it!!! I think he obviously has a decision to make--how much does he have to play squash (probably it defines his manhood is some way that's important to him) and how much does he want to have his body heal. Whatever the case, his body definitely is telling him to let it heal--he needs to take the time to do that, or risk more and more injury. Regarding what might lie underneath all of this, have you used the script I sent to you a while back on Problem and Solution Finding? If not, you could give it a try, since the source of his problem seems unknown. Either that (or both) you probably have to seek out the source of his original problem, and the reason for his injuries.