What is the effect on athletic performance?

The practice of hypnosis has fully evolved in recent years, moving from a controversial field to a practice widely appreciated for the positive effects it brings.

Scientists, curious about the extent of the brain's capabilities, have also intensified research on this topic.

But many myths and false stories still persist about this practice which has however seen amazing growth in a very short time.

In sports, it often comes down to mental and psychological issues. Unlike the physical, which is trained regularly, the mental is associated with a skill that can never be changed.

However, just like the body, it trains, learns and improves. Therefore, mental abilities are not innate, but can develop with time and training.

This idea is beginning to generate more and more buzz among professional staff, who sometimes enlist the help of hypnotherapists, hypnotherapists, coaches or mental coaches.

Through these lines, we will explain what hypnosis is in order to better understand how it works, and how this practice can become an essential tool for athletes’ performance.

What is Hypnosis?

Hypnosis, long defined as a unique state of consciousness, represents much more than that today.

According to Kevin Fennell (Director of the Academy of Research and Knowledge in Ericksonian Hypnosis), it is a very broad topic that allows us to better understand our inner workings.

By focusing on our subjectivity, that is, the way we organize our view of the world, hypnosis allows us to understand how an individual works and what tools will work on him to change or modify his perception of things.

Thus, there is not a single state of hypnosis, but rather several unique states of consciousness depending on the individuals and their personal experiences.

The work of the hypnotherapist therefore consists of knowledge of human performance and the various tools that will allow change to be brought about on a more subconscious level.

The intervention will then be implemented mainly at the emotional or behavioral level, but more and more practitioners are mobilized for optimal work (business, sports), pedagogy (education) and negotiation (couple, family life).

In short, hypnosis will allow the exploration of different states of consciousness, thus improving self-knowledge.

The more a person knows about himself, the more tools he has to change. She will know how to manage, increase or decrease her emotions. She will modify some of her behaviors depending on the situation so that it is as enjoyable as possible for her.

No more falling asleep, falling asleep or losing control. Entering a different state of consciousness means above all being more awake, having the possibility of seeing further, and understanding better.

This is the opportunity to ask the pros and cons, to find out what could be creating an internal blockage and change it. It is also an opportunity to learn about the role of our emotions.

Is everyone susceptible to hypnotism?

This is the question a lot of people ask themselves and it's the question I get asked most often.

Everyone is hypnotizable, just as everyone has already been absorbed in a book, film, music or work of art.

We can say that we experience hypnotic states several times a day without even realizing it. Simply when we are immersed in our memories, or when we are lost in our thoughts.

States of consciousness constantly fluctuate in our daily lives, and ultimately we spend very little time fully aware of our actions.

Hypnosis for the benefit of athletic performance

During a performance, whether athletic or of another nature, we are naturally immersed in a different state of consciousness.

An athlete who is focused on his event in the middle of a competition will not have the same thoughts and the same way of behaving as in his daily life.

Performance can sometimes depend on this. The athlete's goal is to naturally place himself in an ideally modified state of consciousness to create the conditions for his success and to approach a state of “flow,” the state of fluidity that many athletes seek. I will talk about it later in another article.

But let us take the example of Pierre Ambroise Bosse. During his 2017 world champion title in the 800 meters in athletics, he declared: “I can't even explain it. I had the impression of being a 15-year-old kid during that race, with more desire and skill than performance. Really it was… “Crazy… In the last stage, I didn't understand, I was living a dream. I told myself this is not possible, I'm not the one running now. When I crossed the line, I couldn't believe it.”

During this interview, he surprisingly made it clear that he had a feeling that it wasn't him who was running. So who was he? Perhaps another part of him, expressing itself in a different state of consciousness.

The goal of hypnosis is to give the athlete the tools necessary to enhance performance.

In fact, thanks to certain techniques, he will be able to influence his emotions, stress, self-esteem or energy. He will therefore improve his concentration, be more motivated and therefore more efficient.

We also find techniques that allow us to work on recovery, sleep or even rehabilitation after injury.

Ultimately, there is a fairly wide range of possibilities thanks to the use Mental preparation among athletes. This will complement the tools he already has thanks to his experience and practice.

But hypnosis or self-hypnosis is by no means a magical method.

An athlete will only be able to perform if his physical, technical and tactical abilities are combined with different mental tools.

Athletes, athletes, amateurs or professionals, you are in for a new tool from now on.

So what are you waiting for to try it?