hypnosis to improve your swimming techniques

How does hypnosis work to improve performance? In this case, I am looking at one of its uses for improving swimming technique. Generally, hypnosis can be applied to any focus in which one feels that re-programming our brain would be beneficial to performance.

I swam from an early age, and like many kids, I never really learned how to swim correctly. Only when I took up triathlons did I realize how inefficient my swimming was.

Triathlons were in their infancy when I began competing. My first race was a sprint; my second was the Ironman in Hawaii.

So, let's look at where hypnosis and visualization helped me.

One of my many problems was a nonexistent streamlined body position. Technically this was due to lack of rotation around my central axis, which led to a myriad of other mechanical problems. I powered my way through the water to make up for it.

I had an extensive teaching/coaching background in swimming and was very good at helping everybody else; however, I could not see the issue with my own technique. I hired a coach. Video analysis of my stroke revealed all.

Mechanically, I understood what my body should be doing, streamlined as illustrated in the photo. Mine was flat! Not completely flat, but not far from it!

Hypnosis to help improve swimming techniques

Hypnosis to help improve swimming techniques

Do you remember the idiom, ‘Practice makes perfect?’ Like many athletes, I recognised that I had been taught/coached incorrectly. My incorrect motor patterns became entrenched in my memory banks. I am not saying that you cannot change them… but the longer you spend practicing anything incorrectly, the harder it is going to be for you to undo those mistakes.

Without realising the inefficiency of my stroke, I opted for ‘practice makes perfect’ by putting in many perfectly incorrect miles. I developed great muscular and cardiovascular endurance. Unfortunately, the incorrect technique was counterproductive; contributing to further muscle imbalance.
Counting how many strokes it took for me to swim one length, was one of my coach’s earliest lessons. The number wasn’t impressive! After just one coaching session, that included exhausting drills, I reduced that number by a third. Quite a dramatic change but I could only do it for one length. The signals from my brain to my muscle were getting confused. “Wait a minute now. We spent hours and hours doing it this way and now you want us to CHANGE?” my unhappy motor nerves complained.

Making them happy meant changing deeply embedded motor signals. Now this is where the self-hypnosis/visualisation comes into play.

During self-hypnosis, you can replicate the mechanics of the movement BY VISUALIZING THE DRILLS. In turn, this ‘practice’ re-educates the muscles at an accelerated rate …without even getting in the water. Sounds too good to be true, but all hypnosis does is create a point of focus. Imagine how a magnifying glass focuses the sun’s rays to intensify its heat. Your attention is the focus physically intensifying the new behaviour into your neuronal pathways.

For review, or for greater understanding, see the links below.

A Review of the Development of Sport Hypnosis as a Performance Enhancement Method for Athletes

Improving Sports Performance using Hypnosis, Mental Imagery and Self-talk

Like any skill development, the process of self-hypnosis receptiveness is a personal journey. Some people must work a little harder than others, but everybody can experience profound accelerated change with practice.

Barry Jones MSc

Hypnosis Slows Impact of Dementia

The University of Liverpool has published a study which demonstrates that hypnosis can slow the symptoms of dementia. As you may know, dementia is a neurological condition which can result in people losing their memories- they can forget where they live, they forget people they love, and tend to become more withdrawn and less social as the disease progresses.

In this study, dementia patients were treated with hypnosis, and showed improvements in memory, concentration, and levels of social interaction compared to a group who did not undergo hypnosis. In addition, for the hypnosis dementia group, relaxation, interest, and motivation also improved, as did participation in the activities of daily living (ADL's). Activities of daily living would include behaviors such as taking a shower, fixing a meal, and so on.

This research suggests that hypnosis can improve the quality of life for people with dementia, helping them soothe the anxiety and depression that often occurs with the disease.

Evidence suggests that hypnosis is a useful tool in helping slow the impact of dementia, and should be added to the treatment regiment for those suffering from the disease.

Source: "Alternative Approaches to Supporting Individuals With Dementia: Enhancing Quality of Life Through Hypnosis," Alzheimer's Care Today 2007, volume 8, number 4, pages 321-331.

Tagged as: hypnosis dementia, managing dementia, university of liverpool

Hypnosis Improves Alopecia Areata

Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune disorder which leads to hair loss. Initially, the disease is characterized by rapid hair loss, usually on the scalp, but it can also lead to hair loss on other parts of the body. Alopecia Areata may lead to complete loss of hair, creating bald patches on the scalp or body, or it may be more diffuse, where the hair becomes thinner and more fragile.

Typically, Alopecia Areata is diagnosed when there is rapid hair loss, patchiness, and a more significant loss of hair on one side of the head compared to the other. It is believed to be caused by an immune disorder in which the body's own cells attack the hair follicles and disrupt normal hair growth and formation. Alopecia Areata is often associated with other autoimmune disorders such as lupus, ulcerative colitis and rheumatoid arthritis. Typically, the condition is diagnosed by the presence of so-called "exclamation point hairs", which are short, close to the scalp, and are broken off.

Treatment for this condition typically includes injections, steroid creams and other medications. The longer the time between hair loss and treatment, the less likely the hair is to regrow. Hypnosis has been tested as an adjunctive treatment, and has produced interesting results. The mechanism for this effect is related to the fact that Alopecia Areata symptoms worsen under stress.

The International Journal of Clinical Experimental Hypnosis (July 2008) has published research suggesting that hypnosis can improve hair growth in patients with alopecia areata, as well as significantly reduce the anxiety and depression associated with the disorder.

Based on this finding, those suffering from Alopecia Areata should seek ways to actively reduce their stress, as an adjunct to ongoing medical treatment. Stress reduction, such as that provided by hypnotic suggestions, can go a long way to reducing the impact and progression of this type of autoimmune disorder.

Tagged as: autoimmune disorders, exclamation point hairs, hypnosis alopecia areata, hypnosis hair loss