Does Hypnosis Work For Sports?
Peter Andrew Sacco, Ph.D.
February 05, 2007
Does hypnosis work in sports? I have been asked this question many times by athletes and lay people who want to know if they can really improve their game by using hypnosis.
Let me start out by telling you what hypnosis is not: Magic! Many people believe hypnosis is some magical occurrence which makes people do things for or against their will. Not true! Many people see the stage hypnotist on television or in pubs and they believe them to be able to control people and make them do whatever they want them to do. Not true!
What is hypnosis? The best way to describe hypnosis is tunnel vision. What is tunnel vision? I heightened state of awareness which helps you pinpoint your concentration. The way I usually describe it to my clients is to tell them they will be able to better focus their attention on what they want to achieve most in their conscious awareness.
Even though the results of the hypnosis encounter are best seen in conscious, daily living, the effects are directed at the unconscious mind. Hypnosis taps into the unconscious mind. What is the unconscious mind? The largest part of our mind, kind of like comparing the whole universe to a star, our unconscious mind being the universe and our conscious mind being the star. Hypnosis helps undo or redo thoughts and beliefs in the unconscious mind to better influence the conscious mind.
Can all people be hypnotized? Yes! Will all let themselves be hypnotized? No! For those who tell me “you can’t hypnotize me” you are one hundred percent right. One cannot be hypnotized unless they are open to the power of suggestion.
Does hypnosis work in sports and if so how? Well, it must work in sport because many athletes have their own personal sports psychologists and many are improving their athletic performances. How hypnosis works in sports is increasing the focal point for awareness. Hypnosis helps develop, facilitate and master the athlete’s tunnel vision. Mind you, not all sports require the same level of skill or abilities because of the diverse nature of the sport. Hypnosis would work best in sports like golf, free-throws in basketball, snooker, pitching/hitting in baseball, field goal kicking in football, and other activities requiring precision. Many athletes use meditation to relax before, during or after a game. Meditation is very much like hypnosis where it produces feelings of calm and relaxation and helps the athlete to focus.
Let’s use for example the basketball player who goes to the free-throw line. If you’ve ever watched an NCAA Final Four game, you can imagine the noise, distractions and bedlam which greet the opposing shooter as he looks straight ahead. Opposing fans scream, shout and wave banners to try and distract him. He takes a couple deep breaths, shoots and most times “swish”, nothing but net! How does he make the shot time after time and not get distracted? Tunnel vision! He is able to block out all irrelevant distractions, like the fans and opposing players and just focus on the basket. He achieves this feat through hypnosis, either taught to him by someone or self-taught.
There is nothing magical or scary about hypnosis. If you want to improve your golf game or your eight ball, give it a try. It really does work and it doesn’t hurt. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis. If you want to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, sleep better or improve self-confidence, hypnosis works. It’s safe, effective, painless and all natural. And under hypnosis, you wouldn’t do anything you normally wouldn’t do. If I hypnotized someone and told them to take off their clothes, most would open their eyes immediately and say “no way”! Well, that is unless they are an exhibitionist or an exotic dancer which I don’t know about!
Let me start out by telling you what hypnosis is not: Magic! Many people believe hypnosis is some magical occurrence which makes people do things for or against their will. Not true! Many people see the stage hypnotist on television or in pubs and they believe them to be able to control people and make them do whatever they want them to do. Not true!
What is hypnosis? The best way to describe hypnosis is tunnel vision. What is tunnel vision? I heightened state of awareness which helps you pinpoint your concentration. The way I usually describe it to my clients is to tell them they will be able to better focus their attention on what they want to achieve most in their conscious awareness.
Even though the results of the hypnosis encounter are best seen in conscious, daily living, the effects are directed at the unconscious mind. Hypnosis taps into the unconscious mind. What is the unconscious mind? The largest part of our mind, kind of like comparing the whole universe to a star, our unconscious mind being the universe and our conscious mind being the star. Hypnosis helps undo or redo thoughts and beliefs in the unconscious mind to better influence the conscious mind.
Can all people be hypnotized? Yes! Will all let themselves be hypnotized? No! For those who tell me “you can’t hypnotize me” you are one hundred percent right. One cannot be hypnotized unless they are open to the power of suggestion.
Does hypnosis work in sports and if so how? Well, it must work in sport because many athletes have their own personal sports psychologists and many are improving their athletic performances. How hypnosis works in sports is increasing the focal point for awareness. Hypnosis helps develop, facilitate and master the athlete’s tunnel vision. Mind you, not all sports require the same level of skill or abilities because of the diverse nature of the sport. Hypnosis would work best in sports like golf, free-throws in basketball, snooker, pitching/hitting in baseball, field goal kicking in football, and other activities requiring precision. Many athletes use meditation to relax before, during or after a game. Meditation is very much like hypnosis where it produces feelings of calm and relaxation and helps the athlete to focus.
Let’s use for example the basketball player who goes to the free-throw line. If you’ve ever watched an NCAA Final Four game, you can imagine the noise, distractions and bedlam which greet the opposing shooter as he looks straight ahead. Opposing fans scream, shout and wave banners to try and distract him. He takes a couple deep breaths, shoots and most times “swish”, nothing but net! How does he make the shot time after time and not get distracted? Tunnel vision! He is able to block out all irrelevant distractions, like the fans and opposing players and just focus on the basket. He achieves this feat through hypnosis, either taught to him by someone or self-taught.
There is nothing magical or scary about hypnosis. If you want to improve your golf game or your eight ball, give it a try. It really does work and it doesn’t hurt. All hypnosis is self-hypnosis. If you want to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, sleep better or improve self-confidence, hypnosis works. It’s safe, effective, painless and all natural. And under hypnosis, you wouldn’t do anything you normally wouldn’t do. If I hypnotized someone and told them to take off their clothes, most would open their eyes immediately and say “no way”! Well, that is unless they are an exhibitionist or an exotic dancer which I don’t know about!
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