How would you like to run a faster 40 yard dash, increase your bench press,
or cut a few seconds off your mile? If you’re looking to do any of these
things, consistent hard work and discipline will be an essential part of your
regimen. Research suggests that there may be another weapon in your
arsenal – hypnosis.
Confidence and positive thinking play a huge role in your success as an
athlete – it makes all the difference at the margins of your performance.
Whether it’s pushing out an extra rep in the weight room or somehow
managing to keep your legs moving at the end of a grueling football game,
it’s confidence that gives you the fuel to keep going. This is where hypnosis
comes in.
When most people think about hypnosis, they immediately conjure up the
image of a stage hypnotist making people dance or bark like dogs. This is
one of the cruder ways to use the increased suggestibility of a hypnotic
subject, with short-term suggestions and triggers. When properly applied,
hypnosis is a tool that helps you to create a new map or set of rules for your
subconscious mind.
Think about it this way – in your everyday life, you are
always operating on a set of subconscious assumptions. These
assumptions can be as benign as “if I find a penny that’s heads-up, I’ll have
good luck” or as destructive and negative as “I’ll always fail at anything I try.”
These assumptions shape our perceptions, and can sometimes cloud our
assessment of situations. Hypnosis can help you to clear out the
clutter of your subconscious, and willfully set up some new,
positive “scripts”.
These “scripts” can be as simple as “I’m a successful person, and
I’m good at what I do” to help with general confidence, or more
complex and goal- oriented visualizations, such as picturing
oneself finishing a race ahead of the rest of the pack or pinning
someone else to the mat at the end of a wrestling match. As time
passes and these images or scripts become the background of
your daily life, it becomes easier and easier to see the success
that springs up around you.
The subconscious mind is a powerful ally in achieving your goals.
As an athlete, it makes sense to use all the weapons at one’s
disposal. Just like diet and exercise, visualization and goal-setting
(with the help of hypnosis) can work for you and help you to attain
the success you work so hard for.
Until then…
Peak Into Your Future,
Coach Jim Guerci
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