What causes a gymnast to lose confidence and how hypnosis can remedy this:
1. Performance Anxiety
Every athlete goes through these emotions at some stage during their career. It typically gets easier as the gymnast matures and, like any other skill, learns how to integrate strategies to alleviate it If you under-perform in meets compared to how you perform in practice, then you most likely have performance anxiety. Fear of failure can cause many performance barriers for gymnasts. Gymnastics tends to be a perfectionist sport, so many gymnasts struggle with fear of failure. Instead of thinking about the actual performance, they become more focused on the outcome, and what score their performance will receive. To overcome performance anxiety, you want to first understand the underlying fear. Whether it’s a need for approval, perfectionism, or fear of embarrassment, you need to address that specific issue.
How Hypnosis Can Help
During hypnosis, the subconscious mind is open to accessing information. Defining the issue leads to developing the strategy to address it. The relaxation response created by hypnosis can be profound and replace anxiety with excitement and confidence. Not only can the gymnast feel this during the hypnotherapy session, but they can quickly learn how to induce this state rapidly prior to a performance.
2. Self-made limitations or blockages
A mental block on one skill can quickly spiral into a loss of confidence. It can create a fear that can spread to more than just the skill in question, but to an entire group of skills, such as any backwards skill, for example. Mental blocks are a type of fear that usually comes from one of two different causes – your brain keeping you safe from danger through a primitive response known as fight-or-flight, or your mind being afraid of the unknown or what might happen. Unfortunately, sometimes your brain cannot recognize when a threat poses a real danger versus when the threat can be used as a learning experience. For example, when you are trying to perform a skill in gymnastics that your body perceives as a threat, your fight-or-flight response might kick in. This is a prevalent emotion after coming back to practice from an injury. If the mental block is the result of the fight-or-flight response kicking into overdrive, how can we stop this response from happening? To get past a mental block and perform the skill in question, we make it clear to our brain that the threat is no longer there.
How Hypnosis Can Help
Using hypnosis/imagery techniques can “trick” your brain into believing your body can do something. When you feel stuck and are unable to perform a skill you once could perform, one of the best ways to get past this is to spend time re-imagining yourself performing the skill you’re struggling with. See yourself going through each of the motions of your skill in slow motion. Make it as realistic as possible. What sounds do you hear? What does the gym smell like? How do your muscles feel? The more details you can add to your imagery, the more likely you are to convince your brain that you can do the skill again. During hypnosis you can do your routine successfully as many times as you like. Not only are your neural pathways stimulated as though you are currently performing, but your limitations, blockages, and self-doubt dissolve. Hypnosis can have a profoundly positive effect on the gymnast’s general wellbeing. Hypnosis creates a conducive environment for suggestibility. The hypnotist creates a dialogue of suggestions, rich in positively embellished detail and emotion, for using during the suggestible state. For example, those suggestions may include memories of achieving short- and long-term goals or reflecting on prior challenges—and how the gymnast vanquished those difficult and seemingly unobtainable goals. My work is to constantly find small opportunities to build confidence. I build in the memories of the positive interaction with teammates and coaches, with an emphasis on self-focus, and not on comparison with others.
maintaining a positive attitude
Simone Biles, an Olympic gold medalist and one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, explicitly states the importance of mental training. She says, "The power of the mind is incredible. Through visualization, I can overcome any challenge and achieve greatness." She further elaborates, "Visualization is a crucial part of my training. I visualize my routines and see myself executing them flawlessly. Through visualization, I can overcome any challenge and achieve greatness". Beyond visualization, Biles discusses other mental aspects of her career. She tries "not to think about anything before I compete," aiming to "clear my mind and go." She has "learned to stay calm under pressure" and tries "to think of pressure more as a privilege. It's something that comes along with success." Biles also speaks openly about prioritizing her mental health, stating, "We also have to focus on ourselves, because at the end of the day, we’re human, too. So, we have to protect our mind and our body, rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do." She has sought professional help, noting, "For a while, I saw a psychologist once every two weeks. That helped me get in tune with myself so that I felt more comfortable and less anxious." She also addressed the stigma around therapy, initially thinking, "I’m not crazy. I don’t need to be here," but later realizing anyone can benefit and that it's a "safe space." Biles has also spoken about the mind-body connection, particularly experiencing the "twisties," where her "brain and her body movements were not in sync," describing it as "petrifying trying to do a skill but not having your mind & body in sync." She connects her emotional responses to past trauma, stating she was more emotional at trials "because of everything I've been through."
Other Olympic gymnasts also highlight the mental dimension of the sport. Olga Korbut, another Olympic champion, is quoted saying, "Visualize success, for the mind has the power to turn dreams into reality." She also advises, "Don’t be afraid if things seem difficult in the beginning. That’s only the initial impression. The important thing is not to retreat; you have to master yourself." Nadia Comaneci, an Olympic legend, also emphasizes visualization: "Visualize your goals with unwavering clarity, and your mind will pave the way to achieving them." She also speaks about facing fear mentally, stating, "I don’t run away from a challenge because I am afraid. Instead, I run toward it because the only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your feet."
Shawn Johnson, an Olympic gold medalist, mentions the role of nerves in competition: "I don’t think I’ve ever not gotten nervous. When you work so hard for one special day or routine, you want to perform it better than you ever have. We always say at our gym, If you lose the nerves, you lose the sport."Peter Vidmar, an Olympic medalist, advises, "Trust in your training, and make it happen."Jonathan Horton, an Olympic medalist, discusses consistency in training and managing pressure: "One of the things about my sport that’s important is consistency – being able to do your routines consistently and training consistently. If you change it up or try to make everything more intense because the Olympics is coming up, you tend to put too much pressure on your mind and your body." Ludmilla Tourischeva, an Olympic champion, stresses the need for "total concentration while competing. At such moments, one has to put everything else behind." Shannon Miller, an Olympic gold medalist, talks about competing with herself mentally: "When I go into compete, whether it’s gymnastics or anything else, I do my own thing. I compete with myself." She also highlights perseverance after setbacks: "Everyone gets scared, and everyone falls. The key is to get right back up and try again." Aly Raisman, an Olympic gold medalist, reflects on the mental strength gained from difficult times: "You have to remember that the hard days are what make you stronger. The bad days make you realize what a good day is. If you never had any bad days, you would never have that sense of accomplishment!" Gabby Douglas, an Olympic gold medalist, emphasizes self-belief and courage: "You just have to be yourself and go full with confidence and be courageous."Aliya Mustafina, an Olympic gold medalist, identifies a significant mental challenge: "The most difficult thing to overcome is yourself. It’s difficult to force oneself to get up and keep going when things are tough."
The content also generally notes that the "winning edge starts from within, long before performance begins" and that the "subconscious is the control center of peak performance." An audio resource is mentioned titled 'The Power of Visualization & Belief' by Craig Townsend, suggesting these are key mental components in performance.
motivational quotes / sports champions / simone biles
That solidified me being brave': Simone Biles' most powerful statements about mental health
gymnastic recovery, gymnastic Injuries, Hypnosis Education gymnastic confidence, imagery for the gymnast, visualization for the gymnast, hypnosis, hypnotherapy, sports performance, mental training