Hypnotherapy for Performance

Hypnotherapy has a strong and growing track record in helping with performance, in sports and in the workplace. Many top performers have a hypnotherapist on their team, and I'm fortunate enough to be on the team for several of them, at adult and also youth level.

​​It's estimated that a high percentage of success is down to the mental game. At elite level this can be as high as 95%. Working with hypnosis and applying powerful tools to the mental game can lead to success in competition and at work.
"95% of performance is the mental game."

Is Hypnotherapy like Sports Psychology?

The field of Sports Psychology, as with Executive Coaching, has produced some really good research, and really good results. It has taught us a lot, and there are are several things in common between hypnosis and sports psychology. Both draw on the power of visualisation, positive thinking. flow states and other positive psychology techniques.

​One major difference is that hypnosis works at a subconscious level, and often works indirectly - we might talk about things other than sports. Indirect methods can have a powerful effect - sometimes even more so than direct methods. Together, they can be a really powerful combination.
"My instructor said 'What has happened to you - it's like someone else is riding your horse!'"

What are the common issues in Sports Performance?

The human mind is a marvellous thing, but under pressure it can have a tendency to get in its own way. When performing at a high level, how we manage these tendencies really matters! It's now recognised that a large part of sports performance is "the mental game'.

In individual games like tennis, horse-riding and surfing, where there are fine margins, technicalities, uncertainties, points or waves which can go both ways, and plenty of time in between to think about things, it's estimated that up to 95% of performance is the mental game. This makes it an essential area for attention, although most players do not spend 95% of their time working on it.

How does hypnotherapy work for Sports Performance?

It's when we are most relaxed that we are most effective. Peak performances, flow states, and easy execution of technique can all happen when we are calm and focused.

​Hypnosis is the practice of getting into and making good use of these states. It's a natural thing to do - we all go into trance in different ways throughout the  day and night, sometimes positive trances, sometimes less so. It's a skill we all have, and one we can all improve.

Meet Adam Pearson, your hypnotherapist
I'm Adam Pearson. I trained with the Clifton Practice Hypnotherapy College in Bristol and I am accredited by the National Council for Hypnotherapy and the Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy. My background is in management and youth development.
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​I also volunteer with The Wave Project, a brilliant charity helping young people to reduce anxiety and develop confidence through surfing. And I run various local community health groups. You can see more on linkedin.