Hypnotherapy and NLP for Sports Performance

In running, as any other sport or performance that you care to think about, thoughts matter!

Your thoughts, during training or competition, can mean the difference between a good day and one of self sabotage.

Many runners, especially during competition, spend a good deal of time thinking running related thoughts. These can be related to bodily feelings (how good, or bad you feel), endurance (how far is there to go, how near is the finish?), competitors, (can I beat him/her, or can they beat me?), and many others, as I am sure you are aware.
On a good day, any of these thought processes can be beneficial, provided you are in a frame of mind to see or feel the kick they can give.
On a less good day, with other emotions coming into consciousness, they can all add up towards an unwanted result!

Runners and other athletes tell me that a really good performance is accompanied by very few running related thoughts. Their perception of time has altered, and they feel on "automatic pilot".
This is, of course, what is known as "the flow" state.

This is what is sometimes known (in the trade) as a dissociated state. Your body is, of course, controlled by you, but it is almost as if it is controlled by someone else.

That someone else is, in fact, your own unconscious mind. The large part of your brain that isn't the conscious thinking part, but handles all your bodily functions, habits etc.
If you drive a car, you may notice sometimes driving a familiar route, and forgetting the last few miles, while your conscious mind has been thinking of something else.
Your unconscious has been in complete control.
When in "the flow" state, the unconscious take a bigger part in the running of things. (If you'll pardon the pun).

So where does Hypnotherapy fit in with all this?

Well, the "flow state" could be likened to a "trance" state. Nothing scary, you experience these states many times a day. Everyone does! Often when running.
Put simply, Hypnotherapy works with the "trance" state.

I mention above, the Dissociated state. Sometimes you need to be "associated", monitoring bodily sensations etc. especially on shorter distance high intensity running.
With a little mind training, and some tools you can gain to assist you, you can switch between these states at will. After a while, automatically!

This adds up to easier access to the "flow" state.
The best place for your mind to be, during any performance or training!

“During the Summer of 2007 I saw Martin for a series of sessions tailored to help me focus on performing in key races, to help with the natural feelings of apprehension before a big event and to give me the mental strength to push that little bit harder both in races and in hard training sessions. The techniques that Martin used and the mental “tools” that he equipped me with during the sessions (which soon became my “secret weapon”) undoubtedly helped me to success in 2007 – No 1 spot in the National Duathlon Rankings (35-39 Age Group), qualification for the 2007 European Duathlon Championships and qualification for the 2008 European Championships where I finished 4th in my age group and first Brit. In September 2008 I will go to the World Duathlon Championships in Rimini and will work with Martin in the run up to this event.”

Mark Shaw
Team GB Duathlon