International Hypnosis Research Institute - Sports and Athletics

Being a Bodybuilder is a Way of Thinking

Thu, 05 May 2011 11:42:00 -0500

by Tim Brunson, PhD No great achievement in life is ever realized without first creating a firm vision of the desired results in your mind. Whether you are considering building the next great pyramid, creating the next billion-dollar Internet business, or growing and shaping your muscles for your next bodybuilding competition, without focusing on your results, it most likely will never be achieved. Why is this true? [More]

Change your Mind, Change your Body Image

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 11:44:00 -0500

by Tim Brunson, PhD When I work with bodybuilders, I teach them the relationship between how they conceive the shape of their body and how it actually is. Going further, I show them how by changing their mental image of their body, they can actually accelerate improving their strength, building up muscle mass, and burning off fat. Even though most people are more concerned about losing a few pounds and improving their physical fitness and not winning a bodybuilding competition, these lessons may very well apply to them as well. [More]

Assessing the immediate and maintained effects of hypnosis on self-efficacy and soccer

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 13:19:00 -0500

Full Title: Assessing the immediate and maintained effects of hypnosis on self-efficacy and soccer wall-volley performance. This study evaluated the effects of hypnosis on self-efficacy and soccer performance. Fifty-nine collegiate soccer players were randomly allocated to either a hypnosis (n = 30) or video attention-control group (n = 29). A pretest-posttest design with an additional 4-week follow-up was used. Self-efficacy was measured via a task-specific questionnaire comprising 10 items relating to good performance on a soccer wall-volley task. The hypnotic intervention comprised three sessions using ego-strengthening suggestions. The control group watched edited videos of professional soccer games. Results indicated that, following the intervention, the hypnosis group were more efficacious and performed better than the control group. These differences were also seen at the 4-week follow-up stage. Although changes in self-efficacy were associated with changes in performance, the effect of hypnosis on performance was not mediated by changes in self-efficacy. The study demonstrates that hypnosis can be used to enhance and maintain self-efficacy and soccer wall-volley performance. J Sport Exerc Psychol. 2010 Apr;32(2):243-52. Barker J, Jones M, Greenlees I. Department of Sport and Exercise, Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs, United Kingdom.

Assessing the immediate and maintained effects of hypnosis on self-efficacy...

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:15:00 -0500

Full Title: Assessing the immediate and maintained effects of hypnosis on self-efficacy and soccer wall-volley performance This study evaluated the effects of hypnosis on self-efficacy and soccer performance. Fifty-nine collegiate soccer players were randomly allocated to either a hypnosis (n = 30) or video attention-control group (n = 29). A pretest-posttest design with an additional 4-week follow-up was used. Self-efficacy was measured via a task-specific questionnaire comprising 10 items relating to good performance on a soccer wall-volley task. The hypnotic intervention comprised three sessions using ego-strengthening suggestions. The control group watched edited videos of professional soccer games. Results indicated that, following the intervention, the hypnosis group were more efficacious and performed better than the control group. These differences were also seen at the 4-week follow-up stage. Although changes in self-efficacy were associated with changes in performance, the effect of hypnosis on performance was not mediated by changes in self-efficacy. The study demonstrates that hypnosis can be used to enhance and maintain self-efficacy and soccer wall-volley performance. J Sport Exerc Psychol. 2010 Apr;32(2):243-52. Barker J, Jones M, Greenlees I. Department of Sport and Exercise, Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs, United Kingdom.

Ask anybody who plays

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:39:00 -0500

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. [More]

Effect of acupuncture combined with massage of sole on sleeping quality of the patient with insomnia

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 03:39:00 -0500

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.

Biofeedback and Relaxation Techniques Improves Running Economy in Sub-Elite Long Distance Runners

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 05:26:00 -0500

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. [More]

Imagery Effects on the Performance of Skilled and Novice Soccer Players

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 05:24:00 -0500

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. [More]

Run Amadeus, Run!

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 00:16:00 -0500

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. [More]

Effects of Hypnosis on Flow States and Golf Performance

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 05:27:00 -0500

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. [More]

'You're getting very speedy': Woburn hypnotist helps teen swimmer cut his time

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 00:07:00 -0500

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. [More]

The use of relaxation, hypnosis, and imagery in sport psychiatry

Mon, 03 Oct 2005 16:51:00 -0500

Hypnosis is a procedure during which a mental health professional suggests that a patient experience changes in sensations, perceptions, thoughts, or behavior. The purpose of this article is to briefly describe the use of various methods of relaxation, hypnosis, and imagery techniques available to enhance athletic performance. The characteristics that these techniques have in common include relaxation, suggestibility, concentration, imaginative ability, reality testing, brain function, autonomic control, and placebo effect. Case studies are provided for illustration. Division of Psychology, Cooper University Hospital, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Camden, NJ 08103, USA. newmark-thomas@cooperhealth.edu