Elite Sports Hypnosis 813-586-4795




  • Home
  • About Us
  • About Sports Hypnosis
  • Work With Us
    • For Individuals and Teams
    • For Coaches and Trainers
    • What to Expect
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Products
  • Media
  • Contact Us

What is Hypnosis?

11/30/2023

 
The word hypnosis is derived from the Greek word for sleep. However hypnosis is not at all the same as sleep.  Hypnosis is a deeply relaxed, trance-like state, where awareness and focus are acutely enhanced. In this state the conscious mind is suppressed and the subconscious mind is revealed.

What does hypnosis feel like?
During hypnosis, the body is released from conscious control.  Breathing becomes slower and deeper, the pulse rate slows down, and the metabolic rate falls. The body may feel very heavy or unusually light, and the awareness of physical pain and unpleasant symptoms tends to alleviate.  Some people report that hypnosis feels very similar to the first five minutes upon falling asleep.

How does hypnosis work?
During hypnosis, the conscious mind is on the back burner, and the subconscious is at the forefront.  The subconscious governs our habits, perceptions, beliefs, and deeply rooted thought patterns.  The hypnotist is thus able to suggest concepts and lifestyle adaptations, the seeds of which become firmly planted in the subconscious.  The conscious mind allows us to analyze, problem-solve and get through the day, but it’s the subconscious that is ultimately in control.  Most people go through each day entirely unaware of their inner programming, and come to believe they are out of control of making important changes in their lives.  This is because the conscious and subconscious speak different languages.  To make lasting change, the subconscious must be directly accessed, and hypnosis is one of the best known ways to achieve this. For example, have you ever tried to talk yourself out of a habit or an irrational fear, and this only makes it seem worse? You may really want to get over it, however you will continue to fail as long as your fear or behavior is held at the subconscious level, preventing you from succeeding.  The more you think about it on a conscious level, the bigger it will seem in your mind.  Progress is only possible through reprogramming the subconscious so that unhelpful thought patterns, beliefs, and habits are eliminated or altered, and new, beneficial ones are created.

What problems can be treated with hypnosis?
People typically seek hypnosis to reprogram subconscious patterns, which leads to overcoming irrational fears, phobias, addictions, anxiety, negative thoughts and suppressed emotions.  Hypnosis can be applied to many psychological, emotional and physical disorders.  It is also helpful in relieving pain and recovering from injury or surgery.

Can everybody be hypnotized?
Hypnosis is a natural state that you go in and out of through each day, so the answer to this question is yes. Common examples of a hypnotic state are daydreaming, and "highway hypnosis", which is when you are driving and find yourself suddenly at your exit without remembering getting there.

Can a hypnotist make you do silly things?
Absolutely not.  During hypnosis, you are in complete control, awake and relaxed.  Nobody, including a hypnotist, is able to make you do something you do not want to do.  This may not seem true if you have ever been to a stage hypnosis show.  The truth is that people do silly things for a stage hypnotist because they have volunteered to go on stage, and they expect the hypnotist to ask them to do these things.  If they really do not want to do something the hypnotist suggests (hit another person, for example), they would reject the suggestion.  During hypnosis used for therapeutic purposes, the client has the same choice and free will to reject suggestions they do not want.
 
How long does hypnosis last?
Most changes made as a result of hypnosis are permanent.  There are times when the work needs to be reinforced at a later time, which is easily done.

How do you choose a hypnotist?
Some people are referred to hypnotists, but if not, then an internet search in your area will help you find your options. Hypnosis is very personal work, so it is important to choose a hypnotist with whom you feel comfortable.  It is also important that whomever you choose has legitimate qualifications and professional training in hypnosis.


The Ten Percent Rule

9/1/2023

 
Have you ever wanted to make a change or accomplish something,  but gave up because it seems too overwhelming?  You may feel that is unique to you, however the truth is that most people go through this  from time to time, and sometimes quite regularly.  This often happens when we think of accomplishments in a black and white, or all or nothing way.

​We use a technique that we call the Ten Percent Rule. With this, instead of thinking of a change, accomplishment or goal as all or nothing, we help our clients think of improvement in ten percent segments. This can be done in hypnosis, or in a conscious state. So rather than perceiving 100% improvement as the only option for success, they shift their definition of success to be a ten percent improvement. What follows is another ten percent, and another, so there is always continuous improvement.

​So, the next time you are feeling overwhelmed with completing a task or making a change, ask yourself "how can I make a ten percent improvement right now?", and notice what answers your mind comes up with. 

How Does Hypnosis Help Athletic Performance?

3/10/2023

 
Have you ever felt frustrated because your athletic performance just doesn’t measure up to what you are capable of?  At other times do things just flow and fall into place?  Why is it sometimes impossible to stay consistent?  Your mind is a wondrous instrument, and it has many facets that determine how you show up in your life each day.  These facets are beliefs, habits, emotional states, self-talk, memories, and more, that create the program that is, quite literally, determining your experience of life.  Unfortunately most people are unaware of what’s happening in their own minds.  They are on auto-pilot, while under the surface their program is running their lives.  It may seem that if you know the inner workings of your program, you can alter it to work to your advantage. That is possible, however your program lives and breathes in your subconscious, beyond conscious awareness. Unless you are practiced in accessing your subconscious, you are likely unaware of its existence, let alone able to change it.

How do you access the subconscious? First of all, to gain access to your subconscious, your conscious mind must first get out of the way.  This happens naturally throughout each of our days, and at particular times such as when you are just about to drift into sleep. However there are ways to get into a subconscious state intentionally. One of the best ways is through hypnosis. Hypnosis is a subconscious state that can be facilitated by a professional hypnotist.  Self-hypnosis can also work, but it takes skilled practice to make it effective. Some mental skills coaches and sports psychologists incorporate hypnosis into their work.

Why does this matter to athletes? Accessing the subconscious mind helps both unblock and reprogram perceptions surrounding training, performance, and self-ability. This helps the athlete achieve the results he/she wants.

Here are some examples of methods used while the athlete is in a hypnotic state are:

- Experiencing the perfect outcome before it happens in real life
- Creating positive expectation
- Getting into the flow state on command

No matter what your sport is, hypnosis can help you achieve higher levels and improve athletic performance. This can be done by working with a hypnotist who specializes in sports hypnosis, by listening to hypnosis audio recordings, or by learning self-hypnosis techniques.  You may find your athletic performance reaching a level higher than you ever thought possible!




Change Your Mind for Better Athletic Performance

12/11/2022

 
There is something special about the morning.  Do something different tomorrow you wake up. notice that it
takes a few moments for your thinking to kick in.
  In this brief period of time you are in a subconscious state and soon will shift into wakeful consciousness.  As this happens, observe what thoughts are entering your mind, and how you feel as a result.  Some people feel anxious due to thoughts of the days’ activities and obligations that lie ahead. Other people feel lethargic and overwhelmed, and want to stay in bed despite having slept for eight hours.  Yet others feel energized and excited to get on with their day. Why such a difference among people?

Our habits determine our life experience. As human beings, we operate habitually, and our habits determine how we feel and act.  Our habits are formed through repetition over time, and get memorized in our subconscious. This means we often operate automatically without much awareness of what’s happening subconsciously.  We may know how we tend to act and feel on a daily basis, but there is much more beneath the surface that we generally don’t pay attention to.

You can change your experience of life. If you find that how you feel in the morning is not ideal, then it’s time to explore your habits of thought.  Thinking precedes feeling and action.  When you have a thought, your mind goes through a translation process and attaches meaning to the thought, which subsequently creates a feeling, and then a reaction or action.  All of this happens in a split second, without you knowing it’s going on.  Usually all you know is how you feel, but you have no idea why.

There are a few ways you can find out what your habitual thought patterns are.  All of these involve observing your thoughts from a distance, without identifying with them, as though they are not a part of you. One way is to observe your thoughts upon waking.  As you awaken, notice when you start to think.  As that happens, identify the thoughts that are coming in and what messages they carry.  A second method for doing this is meditation, which involves focusing your mind on a single point of attention, which creates distance between you and your thoughts, allowing you to ‘see’ them more objectively.  A third method is through hypnosis, which is a similar state to meditation.

Once you know your thoughts, then what?  Once you know what your thoughts are, it’s time to decide which ones support your best interest and which you can do without.  This is where subconscious reprogramming comes in.  When you identify a thought that is not serving you, choose a new thought to replace it.  For example, if you find the thought ‘I am not strong enough for this’ frequently enters your mind, you can replace it with ‘I have all the strength I need for this’. 

When is the best time to replace your thoughts?  In the morning during the moments before thinking arrives, your mind is in a subconscious state. The same is true when you are in meditation or hypnosis. These are opportune times to replace your thoughts because your thought patterns are stored on the subconscious level, which means you must be in a subconscious state to replace them.

Why is this important to athletes? There are times when athletes experience mental obstacles that impact their performance.  These show up in negative ways such as ruts, self-doubt, anxiety, low confidence, lack of motivation, etc.  These negative states can be routed back to disempowering thought patterns. Once an athlete identifies the thoughts that lead to these feelings, he/she can change the thoughts to ones that are empowering.

Decide and do!  Start tomorrow morning and begin to observe your thoughts. Take your time with this.  With practice, you will become more in tune with your inner landscape. You may find it helpful to write down your observations. Seeing your thoughts on paper helps you decide which ones you want to replace with more helpful thoughts. With repetition the new thoughts get stored in your subconscious, and you will notice the effects on your life more and more.  With practice you will be able to identify your thoughts throughout the day. Have fun with this. Your inner world is a fascinating place.

We would love to know how this goes for you so please let us know!


    Author

    Lynne
    Founder, Elite Sports Hypnosis

    Archives

    November 2023
    September 2023
    March 2023
    December 2022

    Categories

    All
    How Hypnosis Helps Athletes
    Hypnosis
    Sports Hypnosis

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.