Hi, it’s Joe Mihalik from the Institute of Hypnosis Research. While growing up, I used hypnosis to help myself become a better athlete in school. I didn’t know at that time that it was hypnosis. In my day it was called visualization or imagery. Basically it’s the same once a hypnotherapist teaches you how to do it. Then you can do it on your own.
Hypnosis is a 100% safe, proven and enjoyable way of dealing with various addictions, phobias, mental illnesses and so on. Millions of people around the world have put down the smokes, have lost weight, or have become happier with the help of hypnosis. But can it make a better athlete out of you? Let’s find out.
Sports hypnosis
Sports hypnosis, or performance enhancing hypnosis, has been used by professional athletes since the 1920’s. It’s been long known that the mental state of athletes during training and competition has a significant impact on performance, so sports hypnosis is widely used even today. It’s not surprising, though. Professional athletes are humans too, and sometimes their mind (just like yours) is filled with worries, doubts, and negative thoughts that can seriously affect their performance on the field. To avoid that, many athletes choose sports hypnosis to help them. And professional athletes require professional hypnosis, so this is where qualified hypnotherapists come into play.
But how do they do it?
First of all, they’ll identify all the negative thoughts. And then, the source of them.
- “I don’t want to let my teammates down.”
- “I will screw up in front of hundreds of people!”
- “What if I make the coach angry?”
These negative thoughts usually reside in the subconscious mind, where all of our beliefs and thoughts are stored. Now here’s the thing: the subconscious is the bigger part of our mind. But despite that, we don’t have much control over it. We could say that what happens in the subconscious, stays in the subconscious. it’s basically the programming of our mind, so to speak. It’s our “lizard brain” and it’s the source of our stress and anxiety, which we usually have before an important match or competition.
So here’s what: The hypnotherapist can access this “vault”, your subconscious, and swap out these negative thoughts that’ll block you from giving your best.
Don’t underestimate the power of inner thoughts
As I said, these annoying thoughts are coming from our “lizard brain”, and we can’t do much about them. But the worst thing is the impact it has on our performance! Every thought that passes our mind immediately impacts every single cell in our body. No kidding. Large muscles, small muscles, your stamina, everything is impacted by your thoughts. If you step on the field with confidence, concentration, commitment and mental toughness, there is a great chance that you’ll give your 200% and leave victorious. And this is what hypnosis can help you to achieve.
