Parents Self Help Hypnosis for fears

[Gymnasticgrandkids]

Has anyone ever heard of this guy or used any of his self help training CD's? And has anyone had any success at all?

Gymnastics Self Hypnosis, Backhandsprings Tumbling Reverse Fear, Success Belief mp3 Free subliminal

My grandaughter is really struggling (as many gymnasts do) with her BHS's on the beam...She CAN do them, she just doesn't want to....and because of this her confidence level is sagging and she is falling a lot. Sometimes she just stands on the beam for what seems like forever, then jumps down and stares at it for a while. Her first meet is this weekend and I'm thinking if anything will work, I'm about ready to try it.

 

[JBS]

No...I have not heard of him. If you try it out, I would love to hear what you think.

 

[Gymnasticgrandkids]

I'm seriously thinking about it as she seems to have acquired a fear that she can't shake...She displaced two fingers last year doing BHS's but she says that is not what is stopping her...and she doesn't want to talk about it...but she gets teary eyed when anyone trys to discuss it with her. She really wants to please her coaches and I think she feels she is letting them down.

 

[bpatient]

I don’t have experience with hypnosis, but I can try to make a couple of related points regarding biofeedback as a technique that could help your daughter.

First, a psychologist who had been an assistant coach for a Division 1 team told me that he once slapped some heart rate monitors on his NCAA athletes and asked them to get up on the beam and visualize their routines. He watched as the heart rates of some of the girls instantly shot from baseline to about 140 bpm as they stood there—and these were mature, experienced competitors. He commented that some athletes seem to unconsciously dredge up all their fears and remember every time that they fell when it counted or a coach yelled at them, etc. Apparently some kids can carry a great burden on the beam.

I’m not a gymnast, but when I was psyched out by particularly nasty rock climbing fall years ago I sought help from a sports psychologist to help me regain my ability to enjoy the sport. I used a biofeedback device that measures skin conductivity rather than heart rate. (These are based on the premise that your hands perspire when you become nervous; however the cheaper devices, like the one that I used, also respond to increasing pressure on the sensors as the grip is nervously tightened, but they may be helpful even if imperfect. As an aside, these devices might be great fun at parties: I recall that one of my fellow students absolutely pegged the meter when she noticed the arrival of a guy who had been making rather unwelcome advances.) Here’s an example of the use of such devices in rhythmic gymnastics: http://www.bfe.org/protocol/pro12eng.htm (You can see the athlete holding the small, white GSR device in her left hand; that’s what I used. It’s available from http://www.thoughttechnology.com/hardware.htm )

In general, learning to relax when you’re in a stressful situation can be helpful, and not just in gymnastics. There are various ways to do this. Here’s one research-based book that clearly explains a very simple and effective technique that your daughter could use:
http://www.amazon.com/Relaxation-Response-Herbert-Benson/dp/0380006766

 

[B Gymnast]

A few of my teammates have used it, and they think it works well. One girl said it feels like you are sitting there for hours, but it only lasts a few minutes..

 

[Gymnasticgrandkids]

Thank you RBW, I will check into that...and B Gymnast, are you speaking of the biofeedback mechanism or that info I posted at the beginning?

 

[bpatient]

Gymnasticsgrandkids, apparently the new version of Benson's book that I recommended no longer includes detailed instructions on how to invoke the "relaxation response," but you should be able to find information via a quick web search. There are various other ways to achieve this, and the various techniques surely appeal to various people. Since I'm a scientist rather than, say, a new-age enthusiast or a yoga instructor, I found Benson's research-based method compelling, but your child can pretty much pick and choose. The essential feature, though, is that she will need to practice the technique she chooses so thoroughly that she can choose to invoke it almost instantly during stressful situations. Benson recommended twice-daily practice, with the ultimate goal of being able to achieve a calm state with only a few breaths. As I mentioned, I was able to use these techniques while climbing, for example while hanging from three fingers above a substantial drop. (I used to simply think,"Breathe, breathe!" in about the time it would take a kid to prepare for a back handspring on the beam.) The biofeedback devices simply make it easier to monitor your progress, but Benson's work with the Dalai Lama and others at Harvard suggests that any Tibetan monk could prove that they are not essential.

 

[standsonherhands]

All the techniques listed above and including hypnosis, biofeedback, visualization, and relaxation are all different routes to the same end = relaxation. In terms of your body, relaxation is the opposite of being afraid. So if you want to overcome a fear, a you can take away the physical sensation of feeling afraid by relaxing. Relaxation training starts with deep breathing and can include relaxing specific muscle groups, visualizing success etc. Biofeedback's active ingredient is relaxation training, but it measures physical responses on a meter so you can see when you are becoming relaxed (for instance you can see when your heart rate is high and when it is decreasing). Hypnosis by self or other is just deep relaxation with suggestion about desirable behaviors added. All of these tools are useful in overcoming fears because they produce relaxation. The bottom line is learning to relax when facing a difficult situation. If you want to know more specific info, feel free to keep reading.

These techniques all produce parasympathetic nervous system activation. Our autonomic nervous system controls functions like breathing and heart rate and the autonomic nervous system divides into sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions. The sympathetic nervous system activates the body under stress and causes a fight or flight response making us feel afraid. The parasympathetic division relaxes us and brings us back to normal. To make it easy the sympathetic nervous system is like the accelerator on a car revving us up, and the parasympathetic is like the brakes calming us down. The really good news is that both divisions cannot be active at the same time just like a light switch - the toggle switch is either on or off. We are either afraid or calm. Fear of anything including the beam and back tumbling starts the anxiety reaction that signals fear. Gymnasts struggling with fear issues want to avoid the scary skill to avoid feeling anxious. Getting rid of the physical part of fear helps a lot when working through a problem. If we can learn to relax, and specifically practice relaxing when we are in an anxiety provoking situation, then we can work on the problem with a clear head. Any of the techniques above can help learn relaxation. Hope the information helps. Good luck!

 

[Gymnasticgrandkids]

Thank you so much RBW and standsonherhands for the information. I have read all of it and, along with more research, I hope to be making a decision on something soon. I see that the core of the problem is to get to that relaxation point so that the fear does not take over. I will touch back once a decision is made and I can see if there is any progress.

 

[B Gymnast]

Thank you RBW, I will check into that...and B Gymnast, are you speaking of the biofeedback mechanism or that info I posted at the beginning?

The info you posted at the beginning.. Sorry didn't make that clear

 

[Gymnasticgrandkids]

I have purchased the information, but I have not had success in putting it onto her I-touch yet...she has listened to it a few times and says that when she walks in and looks at the beam, she still feels like she wants to throw up.....I suppose it will take some time before it "sinks" in and relaxes her or at least I hope it helps someday. In the meantime, we'll cross our fingers and hope she doesn't injure herself again this year.