Mental Imagery and Self Hypnosis in Sports Performance

Abstract

Self hypnosis and mental imagery are two sides of a coin, specially in case of modern sports. Hypnosis of oneself and mental imagery are totally immersive multi-sensory procedure that associates with numerous senses to create as a mental image and process it in absent of external stimuli. In the sport situation, imagery has been with a state in which person imagine while effecting abilities to deal with the future duty or improve performance capacity. Scientific analyses have stated that imagery increases performance in motor stimuli. Routines mental practice play an important role in sports and games, not only for the acquisition of motor skills, but also for preparation and sport injuries rehabilitation. Imagery techniques in sport are used for different purposes, as outlined by the process of self hypnosis and Model of Imagery Use in Sports, to improve skill acquisition, motivation, and sport confidence and to reduce anxiety.. Clinical sport hypnosis can help athletes acquire certain cognitive, psychological, behavioral and affective qualities so that their physical and mental capabilities are improved. According Wikipedia, sports hypnosis is defined as the use of hypnotherapy with athletes in order to improve sporting performance. Others define sport hypnosis as a form of mental training which can contribute to enhancing athletic performance. . It has been shown that different forms and functions of imagery prove to be effective for the above-mentioned functions depending on the characteristics of different sports and the expertise level of athletes. The present study reviews systematically the findings of other reports on various aspects of mental imagery and self hypnosis in the field of sports.