by Jeff Belyea, PhD

Golf is a mind game. Two or three good shots in a row and your mind starts entertaining a round in the low 80s or better. The pro tour, the senior tour, admiration from all your friends, golf buddies and family, and all the money in the world seem within your grasp. But then the next shot goes into the woods and your dreams go pop, pop, pop. You're back to reality.

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OBJECTIVE: To assess effect of acupuncture combined with massage of sole on sleeping quality of the patient with insomnia. METHODS: Fifty-eight cases of insomnia were randomly divided into an observation group (n = 32) and a control group (n = 26). The observation group were treated with oral administration of Alprazolam, massage of sole, and acupuncture at Zhongwan (CV 12), Guanyuan (CV 4), Qihai (CV 6), etc. on the abdomen as main points; the control group were treated with Alprazolam. Clinical therapeutic effects, and scores for Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) were assessed before and after treatment in the two groups. RESULTS: The effective rate was 93.75 in the observation group and 88.46% in the control group with no significant difference between the two groups; after treatment, there were significant or very significant differences in scores for various factors in the PSQI, SAS and SDS (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Abdominal acupuncture as main combined with massage of sole can obviously improve sleeping quality of the patient with insomnia.

Zhong ZG, Cai H, Li XL, Lü D. Department of TCM, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College, Zhanjiang 524001, China. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2008 Jun;28(6):411-3.

A study out of The University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, looked at whether a combination of biofeedback and relaxation could decrease oxygen consumption in long distance runners and thus improve their running economy and performance. Seven long distance runners were tested for running economy, peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak), peak running velocity, and stretch-shortening cycle efficiency.

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Researchers at the School of Kinesiology at The University of Western Ontario in London, Canada, investigated the effects of imagery on the soccer playing of both skilled and novice players. An initial assessment of performance on a specific soccer task was undertaken, and then 22 skilled and 22 novice players were randomly assigned to either a control or an experimental group.

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by Tom Nicoli, BCH, CI

Westwood, Massachusetts High School running back, Amadeus Guerrero, had all the skills and natural assets a football star is made of. But after injuring an ankle, he learned what every athlete knows. The game begins in the mind.

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At the Centre for Sport and Exercise Science, Sheffield Hallam University, researchers examined the effects of hypnotic intervention on flow states and golf-chipping performance of 3 participants.

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By Tenley Woodman Monday, September 27, 2004 (An article printed in The Boston Herald)

When Swampscott teen Craig Lewin needed to shave seconds off his race time in the pool, he opted for an alternative training method: hypnotism.

"My problem was that I had all the skills to swim, but I needed to cut 9 or 10 seconds off my time. I had the ability to do it, but I'd get in to swim and I couldn't get any faster," said the 18-year-old Boston College freshman. That's when he turned to Tom Nicoli, a board certified hypnotist in Woburn. "The hypnotism was more to not be self-conscious so I wouldn't have to think about it. It helped me relax and have confidence," Lewin said. Lewin not only beat his own high school record, but he is now a member of BC's Division I swim team.

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