Sports Improvement

Percept Mot Skills. 1994 Oct;79(2):963-73.

Hypnosis in sport: an Isomorphic Model.

Robazza C, Bortoli L.

Istituto Italiano Studi di Ipnosi Clinica e Psicoterapia H. Bernheim Scuola di ricerca e formazione, Verona, Italia.

Hypnosis in sport can be applied according to an Isomorphic Model. Active-alert hypnosis is induced before or during practice whereas traditional hypnosis is induced after practice to establish connections between the two experiences. The fundamental goals are to (a) develop mental skills important to both motor and hypnotic performance, (b) supply a wide range of motor and hypnotic bodily experiences important to performance, and (c) induce alert hypnosis before or during performance. The model is based on the assumption that hypnosis and motor performance share common skills modifiable through training. Similarities between hypnosis and peak performance in the model are also considered. Some predictions are important from theoretical and practical points of view.

Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1992 Apr;24(4):475-82.

Psychological state and running economy.

Crews DJ.

University of North Carolina, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, Greensboro 27412-5001.

The primary purpose of the present review was to critique studies that examined the influence of psychological state (i.e., affect, perception, and cognition) on running economy (RE). However, only six studies included measures of oxygen consumption at a given workload (i.e., economy) and used running as the mode of exercise. Two of the six studies indicated that increased tension was highly correlated (r = 0.81) with increased oxygen cost and that reductions in tension, using stress management techniques, improved RE. Because of the sparsity of studies in this area, a secondary purpose of this review was to examine the influence of psychological state on the physiological and behavioral response to varying modes of exercise. Affect, induced through hypnosis and imagery, was effective in changing the response to exercise (i.e., heart rate, performance). Altered perception through the use of hypnosis or through personality characteristics did not alter the physiological response to exercise, perhaps because of the passive role of the exerciser in these situations. Lastly, cognition (i.e., mental strategy, coping, and biofeedback) elicited changes in the physiological and behavioral responses to exercise. Despite these physiological alterations, there were not changes in oxygen consumption in the majority of the studies. It is possible that changes in selected physiological responses (i.e., respiratory frequency) may be altered (e.g., biofeedback) without changes in oxygen consumption because of accommodation in other areas of the body (i.e., a-VO2 difference). Changes in economy possibly occur when these accommodation effects are overridden by the physiological adaptations resulting from longer training periods. In conclusion, psychological state can influence the physiological and behavioral response to exercise. Furthermore, this review supports the use of a multidisciplinary approach to examine the interactional effects of physiology, biomechanics, psychology, and neurophysiology to adequately determine mechanisms underlying changes in RE.

J Appl Physiol. 2001 Apr;90(4):1392-9

Hypnotic manipulation of effort sense during dynamic exercise: cardiovascular responses and brain activation.

Williamson JW, McColl R, Mathews D, Mitchell JH, Raven PB, Morgan WP.

Department of Physical Therapy, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-8876, USA. jon.williamson@utsouthwestern.edu

The purpose of this investigation was to hypnotically manipulate effort sense during dynamic exercise and determine whether cerebral cortical structures previously implicated in the central modulation of cardiovascular responses were activated. Six healthy volunteers (4 women, 2 men) screened for high hypnotizability were studied on 3 separate days during constant-load exercise under three hypnotic conditions involving cycling on a 1) perceived level grade, 2) perceived downhill grade, and 3) perceived uphill grade. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) distributions for several sites were compared across conditions using an analysis of variance. The suggestion of downhill cycling decreased both the RPE [from 13 +/- 2 to 11 +/- 2 (SD) units; P < 0.05] and rCBF in the left insular cortex and anterior cingulate cortex, but it did not alter exercise HR or BP responses. Perceived uphill cycling elicited significant increases in RPE (from 13 +/- 2 to 14 +/- 1 units), HR (+16 beats/min), mean BP (+7 mmHg), right insular activation (+7.7 +/- 4%), and right thalamus activation (+9.2 +/- 5%). There were no differences in rCBF for leg sensorimotor regions across conditions. These findings show that an increase in effort sense during constant-load exercise can activate both insular and thalamic regions and elevate cardiovascular responses but that decreases in effort sense do not reduce cardiovascular responses below the level required to sustain metabolic needs.

J Appl Physiol. 2002 Mar;92(3):1317-24.

Brain activation by central command during actual and imagined handgrip under hypnosis.

Williamson JW, McColl R, Mathews D, Mitchell JH, Raven PB, Morgan WP.

Department of Physical Therapy, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-8876, USA. jon.williamson@utsouthwestern.edu

The purpose was to compare patterns of brain activation during imagined handgrip exercise and identify cerebral cortical structures participating in "central" cardiovascular regulation. Subjects screened for hypnotizability, five with higher (HH) and four with lower hypnotizability (LH) scores, were tested under two conditions involving 3 min of 1) static handgrip exercise (HG) at 30% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) and 2) imagined HG (I-HG) at 30% MVC. Force (kg), forearm integrated electromyography, rating of perceived exertion, heart rate (HR), mean blood pressure (MBP), and differences in regional cerebral blood flow distributions were compared using an ANOVA. During HG, both groups showed similar increases in HR (+13 +/- 5 beats/min) and MBP (+17 +/- 3 mmHg) after 3 min. However, during I-HG, only the HH group showed increases in HR (+10 +/- 2 beats/min; P < 0.05) and MBP (+12 +/- 2 mmHg; P < 0.05). There were no significant increases or differences in force or integrated electromyographic activity between groups during I-HG. The rating of perceived exertion was significantly increased for the HH group during I-HG, but not for the LH group. In comparison of regional cerebral blood flow, the LH showed significantly lower activity in the anterior cingulate (-6 +/- 2%) and insular cortexes (-9 +/- 4%) during I-HG. These findings suggest that cardiovascular responses elicited during imagined exercise involve central activation of insular and anterior cingulate cortexes, independent of muscle afferent feedback; these structures appear to have key roles in the central modulation of cardiovascular responses.

Am J Clin Hypn. 1993 Jan;35(3):190-7.

Enhancing the visualization of gymnasts.

Liggett DR, Hamada S.

Stanford University.

Visualizations under hypnosis enabled nationally ranked Stanford male gymnasts to execute for the first time several complex tricks that they had been working on for over a year. The gymnasts were able to eliminate timing errors in the tricks, to increase flexibility, and, possibly, to concentrate strength. The rationale for the effectiveness of trance visualizations, the induction and deepening strategies used, and the effects are described. Also included is an example of the use of a translator for the induction of a subject with a minimal fluency in English. Implications for further use of hypnosis with athletes are suggested.

North American Journal of Psychology 2007 Vol 9(1) pp. 189-200

Mind Over Matter: Mental Training Increases Physical Strength

Sheckell, E.

This study tested whether mental training alone can produce a gain in muscular strength. Thirty male university athletes, including football, basketball and rugby players, were randomly assigned to perform mental training of their hip flexor muscles, to use weight machines to physically exercise their hip flexors, or to form a control group, which received neither mental nor physical training. The hip strength of each group was measured before and after training. Physical strength was increased by 24% through mental practice (p= .008). Strength was increased with physical training by 28%, but did not change significantly in the control group. The strength gain was greatest among football players given mental training. Mental and physical training produced similar decreases in heart rate, and both yielded a marginal reduction in systolic blood pressure. The results support the related findings of Ranganathan, Siemionow, Liu, Sahgal, and Yue (2004).