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  Sports

  Having used hypnotherapy to achieve British, European and World titles during my career as a kickboxer and boxer, sports hypnosis is something that I can personally vouch for…

  (read more)

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  Smoking

  Smoking cessation is a common presenting issue for a hypnotherapists. I treat smokers in one session designed to update the unconscious mind with the conscious desire to quit…

  (read more)

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  Weight loss

  In the modern world, food has become much more than simply something we use to fuel our bodies. Hypnotherapy deals with the emotional aspect of eating as well as the habitual…

  (read more)

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  Other

  There are literally hundreds of other applications of hypnotherapy, these include phobias, emotional issues, sleeping problems, habit removal, insomnia and anxiety…

  (read more)

What I Offer

 

My Hypnotherapeutic Services

I hold a Diploma in Clinical Hypnosis from The Institute Of Clinical Hypnotherapy and I specialised in sports hypnosis and performance enhancement (see “sports” for more information on this).

The applications of clinical hypnotherapy are endless. Although I specialise in sports hypnosis, I treat a wide variety of other presenting issues in my day to day practice as well. Hypnotherapy is well known for issues like smoking cessation and weight loss. However, the ways in which hypnosis can help people extend into areas such as treatment of anxiety and phobias, self-confidence issues, insomnia, habit removal and all manner of emotional issues. You can read about the applications of hypnotherapy in more detail on the “About Hypnotherapy” page. 

Much of the success in any form of therapy is finding the right therapist for you, so I invite you to read a little about my history (see below) and also about my understanding and practice of hypnotherapy in general (see “About Hypnotherapy”). The relationship between hypnotherapist and client is a co-operative effort. Together we will work towards understanding your problem and creating change at the subconscious level to remedy it. Hypnotherapy is a holistic form of therapy and a small change in one area will often spark a string of changes across all other areas of your life. No matter what your situation is, if you are committed to making a change then I’m sure I can help you.

Please feel free to contact me via email or telephone if you would like a free telephone consultation on 07870 180 548.

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From Athlete to Therapist…

How I Found Hypnotherapy

I first discovered hypnotherapy as a kickboxer training towards the ISKA World Kickboxing Championships in Spain. Although I had previously been pushing myself to train through any illness and injury along the way, chronic fatigue was giving me serious problems and I was coming back from 6 months off to compete in one last tournament.


I told myself that if I couldn’t get fit this time I’d hang my gloves up for good. Hypnotherapy helped me to listen to my body for when I needed to rest and to know when I could push myself. Discovering the art of quality relaxation greatly improved my physical wellbeing. I found that I could train harder and recover faster than before, I was much less anxious and I felt positive about my life and my prospects as a competitive athlete. I also noticed a massive improvement in the amount of injuries I picked up during training. The osteopath who I had previously been seeing on a fortnightly basis was stunned by the difference in my body when I first saw him after beginning to incorporate self-hypnosis into my training regime. Consequentially, I regained my health and fitness, and continued to compete (and succeed) at an international level.

Right: Images by Greg Funnell

Read the article on myself, my fighting and my hypnotherapy by Ed Andrews from TheGoodTimes newspaper here.

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Using Hypnotherapy As A Fundamental Part Of My Training

 

Training The Mind

From this point on, hypnotherapy became an essential part of my training. I used it to perfect technique, set goals, mentally rehearse my performances and give myself positive suggestions. The effects that this discovery had on my performance were (and still are) remarkable.

The stress of fighting used to cause me serious problems and in the lead up to a tournament I would be tense, irritable and negative. After introducing hypnosis to my training, I found that I was able to really enjoy my sport. I went on to win two World Titles in kickboxing shortly after those initial sessions. I continue to enjoy competing today, although I now compete as an amateur boxer (ABA). Without hypnotherapy I’m sure that I would not have had the success that I have had in my sport, but also in my personal life. People respond well to other relaxed and positive people and this is something that I can thank hypnosis for every day. 

Becoming a Professional Therapist

After using hypnosis to such effect in my personal life, I felt that it was an avenue I had to explore professionally. I enrolled at the ICH, one of the leading UK institutes, and I now hold a DCH (Diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy).

It gives me immense satisfaction to be able to help people overcome their personal demons and achieve their true potential in so many areas. I used to scoff at the idea of “self-improvement” and “PMA”, but having studied the science of the mind and gained an understanding of the ways in which we create our own image of self, I’ve come to appreciate that negative self-belief can be altered and a more positive image can be projected out to the world. Hypnotherapy never ceases to amaze me in it’s rapid and tangible effects. I feel that self-hypnosis is a life skill that we should all learn as a matter of course and I teach it to all my clients.

No matter what your problem is, you can take back control of your life if you want to. Allow me to work with you and put you back in the driving seat.

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What Can Hypnotherapy Help With?

Below I have listed some of the most common presenting issues that I see in my hypnotherapy practice. However, being a holistic form of therapy that works with the fundamental beliefs we hold in our subconscious minds, hypnotherapy can be effectively applied to most problems that we, as thinking beings, may suffer from. If you don’t see your problem listed here, please feel free to contact me via email or telephone on +447870 180 548 for a free telephone consultation.

Sports And Performance Enhancement – First Session £120, subsequent sessions £90

Sports hypnosis is the area that I specialise in. For more information on this avenue, see the “sports” page.

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Smoking Cessation

1 two-hour session – £150

Smoking cessation is one of the most common presenting issues any hypnotherapist will see.

Most smokers want to quit. They know about the health risks. They know about the social inconveniences. They might even feel guilty about the act of smoking in public. But none of these reasons is enough to actually cause them to stop. This is because the subconscious mind, which drives our every action, and only functions for our protection, actually thinks of smoking as a solution rather than a problem.

 

 I am now a non-smoker and won’t ever smoke again. Imagine how many lives could be saved with hypnotherapy. If only people knew.

- Mark Simpson, London

 

When people start smoking in their teens, it’s often an act of rebellion, or perhaps because they want to look older, or to fit in. When they smoke their first cigarette it usually makes them cough, it tastes bad, some people are even sick. Their body recognised that smoking was poisonous, but for those who continued to smoke, their desire to achieve whatever positive intention caused them to pick up that cigarette in the first place was strong enough to push past the body’s natural defence system.

[Read more on this in my blog entry on smoking cessation with hypnotherapy]

 

Hypnotherapy for smoking cessation is done in one treatment that lasts two hours. Before this session I will have contacted you, either by telephone or email, to discuss your smoking routine and the ways in which smoking features in your life. This enables me to personalise each session and tailor the processes and suggestions to you and your individual relationship to cigarettes. The price is £150 (if you smoke around 20 a day that’s less than a month’s worth of cigarettes).

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Weight Reduction

Minimum Of 8 Sessions – £750

In the modern world food has become much more than simply something we use to fuel our bodies. For many people, food functions as a substitute for company or feeling loved. We eat when we’re down or lonely and it’s a subconscious decision for us to do so.

Subconscious eating has become habitual for a large portion of the population. We eat when we’re bored, we eat when we sit down to watch the TV, we eat when we run in to a problem at work… the list is endless and it’s different for each individual. Furthermore, we can become attached to our body image as overweight people. For some, their body fat feels like a protective layer, for others there is a fear that if they change the way they look their friends or loved ones will feel differently about them. These motivations (“secondary gains”) for maintaining a high body fat percentage are usually rooted deep within the subconscious mind and are rarely understood fully at a conscious level. 

To successfully aid someone in losing a weight and maintaining a healthy body fat percentage, all the above factors must be taken into consideration. It’s simply not effective to put a subconscious eater onto a crash diet. Even if they succeed and lose weight, they’ll rarely stay slim after the diet is over.

 

The Weight Reduction Programme:

Hypnotherapy deals with the emotional aspects of eating as well as the habitual issues. I work with weight reduction clients over an 8 session programme, each session lasting 1 hour. It’s purpose is to alleviate compulsive eating as well as enhance motivation to exercise and reduce weight. Each client works at their own pace as we work through the 8 steps. Over the last 4 sessions, the client loses 2 kilos before returning for the next session, so by the end of this programme, you will have lost a minimum of 8kg.

N.B. I don’t like to force people onto scales in my office so I work on a trust system for this weight loss. However, I do have scales for anyone that would rather “weigh-in” at each session.

 

Working With A Dietitian

I recommend that weight reduction clients visit a dietitian to make sure that they’re aware of any food allergies or intolerances before we begin the programme. An unknown allergy to dairy or wheat for example, could hinder the effects of the programme. I don’t insist on this but I have listed dietitians on my recommended practitioners page for those who wish to take this step.

 

Working With A Personal Trainer

Client’s are free to choose any type of fitness activity that they like. At first, many clients will only feel comfortable with some extra walking or other very light exercise, and that’s just fine. As time goes on, however, weight reduction clients will become more active and able, and as we work with their motivation to exercise I recommend they find something exciting that they can enjoy doing to get fit and aid their weight reduction program. For anyone that doesn’t already have an activity or trainer in mind, I am connected to a number of excellent personal trainers (as well as kickboxing and boxing instructors) that would be more than happy to get them active and motivated. These options will be discussed during treatment but you can also view my recommended fitness experts on the practitioners page.

Payment Plan

My weight reduction programme consists of 8 sessions. The first session lasts an hour and a half and all subsequent sessions last 1 hour.

I take payment for the entire programme up front as I want to ensure complete commitment from every client. Reducing your weight can be difficult to do, but together we can break old habits and routines, change your emotional connection to food and motivate you towards a fit and healthy future.

The price of the entire weight reduction programme is £750 (that includes 8 hypnotic sessions, 8 different CDs of recorded material for use at home as well as written reading material and assignments for use along the way).

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Phobia And Anxiety

First Session £120, subsequent sessions £90

Over ¼ of the population will suffer from an anxiety disorder, panic attacks or a phobia in their lifetime, yet few seek treatment.

Phobias

People assume their phobia is a part of them and learn to live with it, but with hypnotherapy most phobias can be cured or improved dramatically within three sessions.

The Development Of A Phobia During Childhood:

Phobias can be developed in early childhood or at any other stage in life. Common phobias developed during childhood are specific phobias such as spiders, mice, needles, heights etc. These phobias are born out of the child’s unconscious mind trying to protect that child from an object associated with a previous traumatic experience. The original trauma needn’t even have been caused by the eventual phobic object. The young subconscious mind will pick something to pin the fear on during a frightening experience and continue to attempt to keep the child/adult away from that object for the rest of their life. It does this by producing an intense feeling of fear in response to the object (or even the thought of it).

For example, a child is sitting on his mother’s lap when a mouse runs across the floor and causes his mother to jump up. The shock of his mother jumping up combined with the perception of fear coming from the most important person in the child’s life causes trauma. The subconscious then asks: “what caused that?”. Determining that the mouse was the cause of the unsettling experience, the child’s subconscious mind decides to keep that child away from all mice in order to avoid the same thing happening again. 

The Development Of A Phobia During Adulthood:

When a phobia is developed later in life it could be in response to a traumatic experience, or, it could have formed as a result of avoidance, association or generalisation of some other fear. Aviaphobia (fear or flying) is often developed later in life. I’ve seen a client who developed an intense fear of flying in her mid-twenties that she assumed was something to do with the September 11th attacks. However, via the use of hypnotic regression, the root of the fear was discovered to be related to a bungee jump she had once done. Other people develop a fear of flying simply because they flew in a particularly difficult period of their life when they were under considerable stress for completely unrelated reasons.

Hypnotic Treatment For Phobias

There are numerous ways to treat a phobia and I’ll usually choose to work with a selection of contrasting techniques with any one client. I will, however, almost certainly use some form of regression in all phobia sessions. Regression is something that people sometimes have reservations about. Occasionally I’ve seen clients who were worried that they’d regress back to a time from their childhood and start to remember a load of repressed traumatic experiences. This is highly unlikely. The regressed hypnotic subject remains in control at all times. Regression is a familiar experience for everyone; it’s just like remembering something more clearly or vividly than usual. Also, the regressive processes adopted for phobia sessions are usually “visual regressions” where the associated emotions are not experienced.

Few years ago I started to develop a fear of flying. It came suddenly with no particular reason. I started to get very anxious few days before a business trip or holidays. I became worse year after year and I was very apprehensive to take any plane, fearing any turbulences. It started to ruin my holidays.

In October 2011, I decided it was time to act as my honeymoon in Vietnam was approaching. My husband and I had 8 different planes to take and I did not want my fear to ruin this amazing trip. I tried different things in the past which never worked so I thought that I could try something new and decided to contact Hazel for Hypnotherapy. I did not know what to expect as I’m not familiar with hypnosis and to be perfectly honest, I was not expecting anything of a session. I was wrong!

Hazel really took the time to listen to me in order to better understand what I was feeling before, during and after flying. She also put a name on my fear: “aviaphobia”. After the session I realised how my behaviour was irrational. Hazel also gave me some exercises to practise few days before my long trip to Vietnam.

On the day we flew, I was feeling very relaxed before we took off. But what amazed me most was during the flight itself: it went all well and I was not apprehensive at all! I now use the relaxation method Hazel taught me for every flight I have to take and I feel very confident with flying. Hazel took the time to listen to me in order to provide a personalised session linked to my emotions and my fear. She has been very committed before, during and after the session. I cannot thanks Hazel enough for her help.

— Caroline Boccard Barichard, London [fear of flying]

Stress, Anxiety & Panic Attacks

There are a number of causative factors for panic attacks, anxiety and phobias (as covered above) but consistent stress over time is the typical cause for panic attacks and anxiety.

Stress

Stress has always existed but it’s more prevalent and problematic now than it ever has been. The way we, as humans, live our lives has changed more over the past 20 years than the 300 before that. Digital information technology has created dramatic change in the lives of modern man and the fast pace of life we live now leaves little time to relax, switch off, or adjust to these changes. We’re expected to be contactable 24/7, we’re expected to do things faster and better, many people are expected to continue working from home after they leave their job. All of these factors place a considerable amount of pressure on the average person every day. On top of that, we have a number of universal stressors such as global financial insecurity, climate change, and nuclear weapons etc hanging over our heads at all times.

Stress is probably related to 99% of the problems that a hypnotherapist will see in one form or another. Some people actually present with panic attacks, others will present with the need to stop smoking, for example, and realise that stress plays a major role in their addiction.

Hypnotic Treatment For Stress & Anxiety

There are hundreds of different ways to tackle these issues and every client will endure their own type of stress and respond to it in their own way. The first port of call is usually to teach the art of efficient and effective relaxation. The ability to relax is a skill that surprisingly few people possess. One of the most satisfying things that I get to do in this line of work is introduce people to proper relaxation. If, like me and many others, you have spent the majority of your life in a tense state, the first time you relax properly for even a few moments can be almost euphoric. Everyone has the ability to relax themselves, and teaching my clients to use relaxation techniques and self-hypnosis for maintenance of this important state is an integral part of what I offer.

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Confidence And Self-Image

First Session £120, subsequent sessions £90

It is not so much what we see as how we see that commands our feelings of self-worth, and if we have become habituated to seeing ourselves as bad or inadequate then we will perpetuate that perception of self and project it into the world with all the sorry consequences for our quality of life.

The inner image needs to be changed to one that is beneficial and cognisant of all that is good and positive, allowing us to project into the world a person who is confident and aware of his own attributes, capabilities and capacities. Expecting that all will go wrong or that people will not like us appears through our demeanour as an invitation for those things to happen.

Roger P. Allen – Scripts & Strategies in Hypnotherapy, The Complete Works

Using Hypnotherapy To Alter Beliefs

The hypnotherapist, via the hypnotic trance, is able to change the deep-routed subconscious belief systems of an individual. By re-coding the negative “truths” that a client holds about themselves, and implanting positive images into the subconscious, the therapist can enable the client to project a more positive self-image. The effect this has on the individual can make an enormous impact on what they get out of life.  

In this world we get what we think about. The man who believes himself to be unintelligent and uninteresting will interpret people’s actions and comments in a negative way and thus reinforce his negative beliefs. Consequently he will act so as to reinforce those beliefs and eventually be perceived by others as boring and stupid. However, the man who believes himself to be exciting and intelligent will interpret the same actions and comments of others in a much more positive way. As a result he will project a much more positive version of himself and consequently be perceived as exciting and insightful. It really is that simple.

The fantastic thing about working with the subconscious mind is that this process of change can be fast-tracked. Some people can create change in the way they feel about themselves over time, but with hypnotherapy, the change can be almost instantaneous in some cases.

Confidence, or lack thereof, is usually situation specific. During therapy, the specific times that the client feels unconfident are differentiated and then worked on separately to begin the processes of change.

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Other Applications

First Session £120, subsequent sessions £90

There are literally hundreds of other applications of hypnotherapy, these include all emotional problems, sleeping problems, habit removal, performance enhancement, exam/interview anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, the list goes on… Whatever your concern may be, please feel free to contact me via email or on +447870 180 548 for a free telephone consultation.

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Self-hypnosis & Relaxation

Learning Self-hypnosis

I first discovered hypnotherapy as a competing athlete (see “about hazel”). When my therapist taught me the skill of self-hypnosis I was amazed by the effects and couldn’t believe that it had taken me so long to discover it. Self-hypnosis, in my opinion, achieves all the effects of meditation but is infinitely easier to practice. I should mention that I do not discredit any kind of meditation at all, I simply understand that some people can find it difficult to practice, especially in the initial stages.

Read my two-part article on the uses self-hypnosis and an easy explanation of how to practice.

I teach self-hypnosis to all my clients. Again, the variety of applications is vast, from rehearsing a corporate presentation or building self-confidence to maintaining the effects of the change work done within a session of hypnotherapy. Once someone has learned this ability it becomes easier and easier to put themselves into the beneficial state of mental focus that is hypnosis, and many find that they continue to practice for the rest of their lives.

Learning The Art Of Relaxation

Along with the skill of self-hypnosis, I teach clients proper diaphragmatic breathing and relaxation techniques. People need to be able to relax at times when they don’t have the luxury of ten free minutes to sit down, close their eyes and drift off into hypnosis. Throughout a course of hypnotherapy sessions correct breathing is anchored to relaxation anyway, so after a few practice sessions the client will be able to relax by simply taking a few deep breaths. I also install physical relaxation anchors for some clients so that a hand gesture, for example, can help them to begin to relax in an instant.

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General Performance Enhancement

 

Goal Setting

With every athlete, I will work towards improving their performance in general as well as tackling specific areas of difficulty or mental blocks. Emphasis is put on gaol setting – both long term and short term – and the athlete is helped through the completion of these goals gradually and sequentially. Of course, not every athlete will present with the same problems and even if they did, I would still approach each session differently. As far as I’m concerned, there is no template for success with any of the common issues a sportsperson may bring to my office. So I approach each session with an open mind. It’s exciting to work with athletes to discover what will work for them as unique people with individual minds. 

The Sports Trance State

Most athletes will tell you that they just know when they are “in the zone” or find their “flow”. We tune into, or happen across, this state from time to time: when everything just seems to click into place and the correct reactions happen automatically. It could be described as a relaxed state of supreme mental focus and is, in fact, a hypnotic state in itself. Often athletes report not being able to remember anything from their performance afterwards or may remember things happening as if in slow motion. These are established hypnotic phenomena that people experience while in a trance state. The truth is that we’re in some level of hypnotic trance most of the time anyway (this is why we are suggestible by adverts and subliminal messages etc) but the sports “trance” is a particularly powerful example.

With hypnotherapy, this successful state can be anchored and accessed whenever necessary. Athletes are taught to recognise and control their levels of focus and relaxation in order to perform to the best of their ability at key times.

Self-talk

Sports hypnosis puts the athlete back into a position of control over their bodily reactions to stress and anxiety by teaching the art of mental and physical relaxation. It also helps to develop and train the athlete’s choice of inner dialogue, which essentially amounts to a constant stream of self fulfilling prophesies. Which would you rather be told 100 times a day by the most influential voice in your life; “I am a champion” or “I am not good enough”?

Keeping A Training Log

Athletes in training are issued with, and taught how to keep, a training log and diary. This allows for the athlete to record and review their mental state and performance at each training session as well as their body weight and nutritional intake etc (where necessary). Long and short term goals are noted in the log so that the athlete can see their progress rather than falling into the typically human trap of writing off past successes and constantly feeling like they haven’t achieved anything.

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Dealing With Nerves & Developing Technique

 

Accessing Your IZOF (Individual Zone Of Optimal Functioning)

Control of physical arousal or anxiety is key in maximising the potential of an athlete. If an athlete is under aroused or can’t psych themselves up enough their performance may become distracted and sloppy. However, over-arousal (or too much anxiety) will be detrimental in other ways. If the athlete can’t relax, they may burn out early or freeze when they should be reacting. Anxiety effects the athlete’s ability to consider their options and to react instinctively. In short, if arousal levels aren’t controlled then performance can become clumsy and errors occur. The perfect level of arousal is sometimes referred to as the IZOF (Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning). See the diagram below.

Hypnotherapy can be used to identify the IZOF of an athlete and mentally file it in a way that can allow him/her to revisit that state of peak performance during competition or training. Through the installation of anchoring and breathing techniques, the athlete is taught how to control their individual levels of anxiety/arousal and to access their IZOF to maximise their performance potential.

Read more on this in my article on achieving the zone through hypnosis.

 

Developing Technique

Some athletes seek help with a specific technique or to get over a self-imposed mental block on a certain discipline or move. In these situations I would work with the athlete (and sometimes their coach) to discern exactly what they’re doing wrong, what they should be doing and why it is that they’re not currently able to do that.

It’s not necessary for me to have experience of training in the client’s chosen sport. As long as the client knows what needs to be improved or changed, then together we can work towards recoding the client’s belief systems and relearning any bad habits. Results are achieved through the use of mental rehearsal, post hypnotic suggestion and the creation of a visual language that can translate conscious desire to unconscious instinct while training or competing in their particular sport.

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Recordings & Self-hypnosis

 

Placing The Athlete In A Position Of Control

The fantastic thing about working with athletes is that they are always prepared to put in some extra work. Athletes are used to repetition and recognise it’s necessity in relation to their level of performance. I always give athletes (and most other clients for that matter) a recording to take home from each session. These might be their tailor made scripted sessions focussing on a particular issue, or they may be relaxation techniques or goal setting programmes. Every client and every session is different. Together we break down and analyse the clients relationship with their sport and their physical and mental strengths and weaknesses. From there I build a structure of sessions to overcome obstacles and maximise the individual’s ability.

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Recovering From Injury

 

Taking Control Of The Healing Process

The body heals itself but some people heal much faster than others (regardless of the severity of injury). Psychologists postulate that attitude and desire have an effect on the efficiency of our body’s healing processes. Therefore, the mental state of the athlete is paramount in overcoming injury quickly. Also, a relaxed and positive frame of mind can help prevent the occurrence of secondary psychological symptoms such as anger, frustration, depression and concern (often over whether the athlete will be able to compete again etc).

 

Secondary Gains

We’re all well aware of the body’s ability to create illnesses or injuries at times when that dis-ease may serve a purpose. The (often hidden) motivation for the creation of that illness/injury is called a “secondary gain”. An example of this could be the student who gets ill before an exam or the soldier who falls ill before going into battle. I myself used to be a singer and in my first few months of performing I’d frequently develop a sore throat and lose my voice before a gig. Athletes can develop symptoms in a similar way. Pain must never be ignored, it’s a signal from the body (or the mind) that’s meant to be responded to. Hypnotherapy can help assess whether a lingering injury has some kind of secondary gain that needs to be addressed before that athlete can continue with their training. Once this has been defined, various treatment options are available to the athlete in order to make a full recovery.

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Pain Control

 

Lowering Subjective Pain

First of all I must stress that in dealing with pain management I insist that the athlete has been diagnosed by a qualified medical practitioner and I may communicate with the client’s GP, osteopath or chiropractor etc during treatment.

Pain is subjective. In many cases a niggling injury or pain comes and goes depending on how much fun the client is having, or how interested they are in what they are doing etc (see above section on “secondary gains” as well). In these cases, with the permission from a professional health care practitioner, the levels of subjective pain can be lowered with hypnotic suggestion and the athlete can continue in their training with much greater comfort.

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Boxing, Kickboxing and MMA

 

The Self-belief Of A Fighter

Combat sport is something that I am extremely passionate about. It’s also a genre of sport where mental fortitude is paramount. The self-belief of a fighter can very realistically mean the difference between winning a bout or getting knocked out. As well as performance anxiety, fighters have to overcome a very natural and primal fear of combat. So although fighters will present with many of the same issues as people training in any other sport, a special emphasis is placed on the pre-fight build up, control of anxiety levels and self-belief.

Post-hypnotic Commands & Recovery Anchors

Often with fighters, a post hypnotic command can be utilised, either internally or from the fighter’s corner, which prompts the athlete to go into a certain mode or role during a bout. Another fight specific technique that I use is the installation of a “recovery anchor” for use between rounds. During that time (usually only one minute) the fighter needs to be able to relax immediately, catch his/her breath, take in water and absorb the information offered by their corner. I believe it’s a frequently overlooked aspect of fighting that hypnosis can enhance with suggestion, anchoring and mental rehearsal.

For a more in-depth look at hypnosis for combat sports see my blog entry on this topic.

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Running & Endurance Sports

“The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win.”  

— Roger Bannister, Cameron, 1993

Roger Bannister’s four-minute mile is a much-cited story for the topic of mental strength and belief in endurance sports. Before Bannister broke the four-minute barrier, specialists had concluded that the human body would never be capable of running a mile in less than this amount of time. However, not only did Bannister manage this, he also inspired a considerable number of other runners to break the “impossible” barrier shortly afterwards.

This tale proves that what we expect that we are capable of directly determines what we are actually able to achieve.

 

Getting In The Zone & Self-talk

As any endurance sportsperson will tell you, a good performance comes from entering a trance-like state during the race to enable you to lower your experience of subjective pain, continue to push forward and most importantly stay positive. Long distance races leave a large amount of time for the athlete to either talk themselves into winning or talk themselves out of finishing in a good time. Positive self-talk is a skill that can be taught and reinforced through hypnosis and accessing this particularly successful state is often the focus of hypnosis for endurance sportspeople.

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Golf & Tennis

 

Exclusive Focus

For golfers and tennis players (along with all other sports of this kind) the main benefits of sports hypnosis come from achieving a state of exclusive focus and mental relaxation. With something teeing off in golf, or serving in tennis, the player must take into consideration a large number of variables like wind speed and direction, power, grip and bounce, not to mention the hundreds of muscles that must fire in the perfect order, and in a particular way to create a successful shot. For the experienced athlete, these variables are all assessed and reacted to in an instant on a subconscious level. Unnecessary tension or over-concentration on a single element can easily ruin the shot.

Owning Success & Discarding Failure

With most sports (especially sports like golf and tennis) the pressure is continuous and builds throughout the game or match. It’s easy to let your previous errors (or successes) effect the rest of your performance. So often when you see someone “on a roll” they start out well and continue to get better and better. Their continuing success is producing confidence and relaxation that leads to further success. On the other hand, when a golfer or tennis player gets stuck in a “rut” their poor shots effect their mental state, they start to believe that they’re on a losing streak and so that manifests in reality. Something that works well for athletes of this kind is a method that allows the player to mentally lock in or discard good and bad shots respectively. By taking ownership of a good shot (locking it in) the player can intentionally create a winning streak or good game, and by discarding the errors he/she can avoid getting stuck in a mental rutt.

Trusting Your Instincts

Golfers and tennis players (as well as other sports in this category such as throwing sports, snooker, the footballer taking a penalty or the cricket batsman) must learn to trust their instincts, block out distractions, overcome the pressure of important shots and relax when they play. Sports hypnosis can greatly assist the accessing of this mental state as well as correcting known errors in technique or other issues concerned with the sport.

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Other Sports

 

Mental State

I included a specific mention of the sports above because they are probably the most frequently seen by sports hypnotherapists, but these techniques can be applied to absolutely any sport. The focus may change from sport to sport and from athlete to athlete, but the basis of achieving the correct mental state, learning to overcome performance anxiety and removing mental blocks is basically the same for every sport.

Gymnasts & Acrobats

Other frequently addressed issues include mental blocks created by acrobats or gymnasts having fallen or injured themselves on a particular piece of equipment or during a particular move. Once an gymnast has injured him/herself on the beam for example, they are likely to develop a fear of attempting the same move again. They may find they make errors on the problem technique due to being over-cautious, or they may not be able to attempt it without their coach spotting them etc… With processes like hypnotic exposure and mental rehearsal the fear can be reduced or removed completely, allowing for the athlete to return to the state of confidence they had before the accident. 

Extreme Conditions

Hypnosis can also be used for sports that involve extreme conditions, such as a swimmer dealing with the relentlessly cold temperatures when crossing the channel. I know of a swimmer who did just this by learning to visualise a symbol during swimming that his body associated with warmth. During his successful swim across the channel he was able to conjure this warming image every time he felt the cold water effecting his swim.

Athletes frequently involve themselves in hypnotic techniques such as visualisation of success and mental rehearsal without even knowing that that’s what they are doing. I believe that any athlete can benefit from applying structure and purpose to such activities, and the opportunity to actively participate in and control their mental functioning is rarely turned down.

Finally, as mentioned above, the therapist does not need to have played the sport to help the athlete (just as a therapist does not need to have suffered from clinical depression in order to treat that successfully). The athlete presents with all the relevant knowledge and where necessary the coach or trainer can be consulted for specific technical suggestions for the individual athlete.

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