MINDBODY FUSION

FAQ’s

MTP addresses the following: 

  • Lost movement syndrome
  • Performance anxiety
  • Injury recovery and re-entry
  • Mental blocks

Athletes know these as yips, frozen, hiccups or a slump, They may feel that they are out of control or not themselves, and may experience these both somatically (physical feeling), and psychologically (emotional feeling).

Somatic experiences may include: stomach tightness, grip uncertainty (too loose or tight), hesitation or freezing up, as well as increased heart rate or excessive perspiration. These often come on quickly and out of nowhere.

Psychological experiences may include: feelings such as performance anxiety, constant worry that they will again fail to perform to their expectations, self-doubt that they can actually be successful again, loss of confidence, and fear of embarrassment or judgement. These self perpetuating feelings may lead to sleep issues or nightmares, constant reliving of the negative experience, lack of trust in self, and an inner dialogue of unworthiness. The athlete often copes by denial, avoidance or even isolation. 

Mental Performance Training can be broken down into three distinct levels: the Foundations, the Principles, and the Practices.

  • At the Foundational Level, athletes must be of general good health and in good physical condition. This involves getting enough sleep, eating well, and exercising regularly. In the same way that you wouldn’t start an intensive squat routine if you had just gotten off of crutches, you shouldn’t expect to jump into a mental training practice without a baseline of mental and physical health.
  • At the Principle Level, mental performance training involves addressing limiting beliefs and adapting athlete attitudes to remove performance obstacles. In other words, mental performance training works through knowledge. This mirrors physical training to an extent – before you get good at a skill (like, say free-throw shooting), you have to learn how to do it, and then, once you start, be able to recognize what needs improvement. 
  • At the Practice Level, mental performance training involves the implementation of various exercises until these become habit and part of every day preparation. When most athletes think of mental training, this is what they think of – but it’s very important to gain proficiency in the prior two levels, too.

Training plans are built individually for each athlete. Following the initial consultation, I will develop a training plan with an estimate of how many sessions / meetings that will be needed to achieve each athletes individual goals. Training plans are based on specified goals, information given, and motivation. Training plans are subject to change based on revised goals, injury, engagement, and other factors. Revisions or extensions of the training plan will be discussed with the client prior to implementation.

Most of our work together can be done virtually. However, face to face meetings provide a unique opportunity to include on site observation of you participating in your sport, whether in a competitive or practice situation. These observations will help provide an assessment of the issues impacting your performance, as well as a measure of your improvement as the training advances. 

During our initial session, I will begin a comprehensive assessment of your sports, personal, medical, and social history. It is important that we explore all aspects of your life as it is often an experience outside of sports that is getting in the way of your performance. We will discuss your goals and what successful work together will look like for you. 

Mental Performance Training is a unique combination of traditional therapy and proven performance based methods. 

As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor I often use therapeutic modalities in our work together. Impaired performance can often be tied back to injury, trauma or significant life experiences, and we will address those as appropriate. 

 

While MPT has a proven track record of success, individual MPT results cannot be guaranteed. Each client enters into the training process with the full understanding that they are responsible for creating their own results. Success requires commitment to the training process and the outcomes that result from it. You will be required to be open and honest about your identified areas for development and your needs. You are required to keep agreements and stay committed to the goals identified by you, which will help ensure the best possible outcome from your training plan.