Healing and Hypnotherapy Volume 5, Issue -2, 1 August 2020 | Page 30

connection between the conditioned mental response and a muscular action
and that is what a Sports Hypnotherapist can help with.
So when or how does the mental game deteriorate and an athlete’s past
ability change? How does one recognise if there is a problem? Many athletes
are able to bounce back and return to previous successful athletic
performance after an issue, but some are plagued with problems long-term
such as anticipatory anxiety, fears and phobias. The triggers for these can be
elusive even to the athlete.
Some of my Sports Hypnosis clients I’ve met with know exactly why they
have come to see me; some don’t know where the issues stem from. But they
all know they aren’t happy with their performance. They also know that at one
time they played their sport well and realise they aren’t playing at the same
level or with the same intensity or confidance anymore. A Sports Performance
Hypnotherapy Specialist needs to examine the possibility of past actions the
athlete may be bringing forward into current and possible future events.
Athletes may realise themselves or be told that they aren’t making plays they
once made. They feel they are “choking” under pressure, are failing to
execute important plays, or missing the “goal”. They might be an amateur that
has been taken off the first line, or a pro whose status has been downgraded.
What is certain is they know they have it in them to be a better.
Many times sports performance anticipatory anxiety issues can be evident
and often inherently felt. The athlete may or may not know what their triggers
are but know that they don’t want to feel what can ultimately manifest as a
panic attack the closer they get to the event or time of performance. The
athlete may begin the process as far out as the ride home from the last event
or as close as seconds before the next event begins.
A Sports Hypnosis Specialist can help with the anticipatory anxiety, but you
need to first root out how far out from the event the athlete is feeling the
anxiety, how it is affecting their play, and work to systematically de-sensitise
and reprogram the subconscious mind. The desired effect is to allow the
player to be in control of their mental state throughout the duration of an
event.
One of my Sports Hypnotherapy clients was a pro bowler who presented a
perfect example of Anticipatory Anxiety. This athlete does well in practice, but
just before tournaments their focus shifts from what has been working to the
competitors, the fans and a negative fantasy of how they will look if they
shoot poorly. As the player is warming up and the lights are low they feel as