The Super Mental Training Book (4 page)

At this stage you may still be unsure that you have reattained the hypnotic state. If this is the case, it is all right to try, for example, the eye opening and closing drill. By the third or fourth self-hypnosis session, though, you should be able to dispense with such proofs and reassurances. Progress comes fast when you practice.

"Reawaken" yourself after regaining the hypnotic state of mind. It should be emphasized that you should have no trouble reawakening yourself. As Dr. Kroger observes, "Failures in self-dehypnotization are rare," adding that he personally "has never had a case."

Summary of First Self-hypnosis Session

The steps you can follow during your first self-hypnosis session can be summarized as:

1. Lie or sit in a quiet, comfortable place.

2. Stare at a point while telling yourself to relax. (Spend about 5 minutes.)

3. Allow your eyes to close. Then, give yourself the suggestion to open them. After your eyes open, give yourself the suggestion to close them. Keep repeating this process.

(Spend about 5 minutes.)

4. "Awake" yourself. ("On the count of three, I will awaken. One... two... three. I'm awake! ")

5. Put yourself back in the hypnotic state. Once you succeed, "reawaken" yourself.

It is important that you practice self-hypnosis as much as possible, for that is how you become proficient at the technique. "Autohypnosis," informs Dr. Kroger, "is a learned conditioned response; therefore, one must try to practice as much as possible every day."[14] How long should these practice sessions last, and how many should you do? Dr. Kroger suggests one perform "half a dozen sessions of 2 or 10 minutes each throughout the day," these being "more practical than lengthier sessions."[15] Dr. Kroger's recommendation to practice self-hypnosis frequently while keeping the sessions short is one well-suited for athletes. As an athlete, you desire the capability of entering and exiting the hypnotic state as quickly as possible. During competitions you usually do not have much time to collect your thoughts for the unexpected situations that often develop. So, you want to be able to give yourself appropriate hypnotic suggestions, if needed, during a time out or some break in the action. The 2-minute self-hypnosis practice session Dr. Kroger recommends is a good simulation, therefore, of an emergency self-hypnosis session you might

wish to conduct during a short break in the competition.

Of course, if you practice self-hypnosis diligently, you can also develop the advanced capability of entering the hypnotic state during the actual competition, and give yourself suggestions on the spot. As I have indicated, speed of entering the hypnotic state of mind is primarily a function of practice. The more you practice self-hypnosis, the faster you will be able to enter the hypnotic state, give yourself suggestions, and respond to those suggestions. But, even if you do not develop the ideal—the instant self-hypnosis capability—you can still use self-hypnosis to gain an enormous mental edge over your opponent. As the old saying by Voltaire goes, "Best is the enemy of the good enough." Knowing and faithfully applying self-hypnosis to your sports is good enough—good enough to improve your athletic performance substantially.

Acquiring the self-hypnosis capability, and employing it in areas of your life where you desire success, such as your sports, will place you head and shoulders above the crowd. For the crowd will not make the effort to learn self-hypnosis; they are too busy getting drunk or whatever, and do not care about self-improvement. Remember: You don't have to be best at something if you are the only one who's trying it at all !

Hypnotic Suggestions

The purpose of getting into the autohypnotic state is to give yourself hypnotic suggestions. It is the suggestions which allow you to overcome all those mental obstacles that often prevent you from achieving your full athletic potential. Let me present a hypothetical example showing how hypnotic suggestions can help you. (The outcome of this example is not so hypothetical when we examine the numerous success stories appearing later in this book; instead, it is a matter of course.)

You are a tennis player. You have a match lined up in the afternoon against an old-time rival of yours. Your matches are usually close. You know exactly what you have to do to win. Unfortunately, you have not been winning recently. Desiring therefore to end the frustrating losing streak, you put yourself in the hypnotic state, and give yourself the suggestions to "swing through on the backhand" and "play your game."

So, what happens? Your opponent plays his usual good game, but, somewhat surprisingly, you prevail. And wonder of wonders: you swung through on every backhand—something you have not done in months! Skeptics would pass this incident off as coincidence. Meanwhile, you might simply say, "Well, I finally put it together." While your statement contains more factuality than the skeptics' claim of coincidence, it is not too enlightening. In reality, the hypnotic suggestions to "swing through on the backhand" and "play your game" brought out the best in you, which made it possible for you to win the match.

Realize this: hypnotic suggestions act on the subconscious —that great stock of knowledge which, while often forgotten and submerged, is capable of being recalled. This means that, in our example of the frustrated tennis player, you resurrect all those astonishing shots that once upon a time carried you to glory—topspin backhands, swinging volleys, and the like. Keep in mind that the degree to which hypnotic suggestions can help you implement good tennis shots, or whatever, depends upon the current state of your athletic potential. If you are out of practice and not in the best physical condition, obviously your athletic potential is not as great as it could be. It limits the extent to which you can be helped by hypnotic suggestions.

Another important point to know is that hypnotic suggestions possess an impelling force. It is as if you must carry out the suggestions. It would not be unusual if you did not carry out the suggestions; nothing is foolproof. But, it would be most unlikely.

By giving yourself appropriate hypnotic suggestions, you should perform well despite the

strongest efforts of your conscious self to make you do otherwise. You will do well because, essentially, your subconscious is in charge. The hypnotic suggestions will not work as intended all the time—they cannot guarantee victory or super performances; but, assuming you persist in practicing self-hypnosis, the suggestions will work often enough and impressively enough for you to notice a substantial improvement in your athletic performance and won/loss record. As Dr. Kroger observes of self-hypnosis, it "makes available a tremendous reservoir of unrecognized potential strength—the 'forgotten assets.' Diligent practice, however, generally is necessary"[16] for this to occur.

Types of Suggestions

Athletes new to self-hypnosis often wonder what types of hypnotic suggestions they should give themselves. The choice is between suggestions of a general nature or those of a technical, specific nature. A general suggestion would be "I will concentrate on every point" or "I will play as hard as I can, and win!" In contrast, a technical suggestion might be "I will keep my arms up on defense" or "I will step into the volley." Both types of suggestions are valuable. Which type is more valuable for you depends upon your own particular needs.

Personally, I prefer general suggestions. When you give yourself a general suggestion, such as "play hard and win," the technical matters tend to take care of themselves. Also, you can lose sight of your overall objective if you emphasize technical suggestions. The bottom line—which is to improve your athletic performance and/or to win—is top priority. Take care of it first; then, if you want, you can concern yourself with technical matters.

Emil Coue, an eminent hypnotist of the early 1900s, also advocated general suggestions. To him the end result was the only thing that counted. Dr. Kroger relates that Coue "emphasized that a general, nonspecific suggestion was best, since it would be received uncritically. He became famous for a phrase he urged his patients to say to themselves several times a day, 'Everyday, in every way, I am getting better and better.'"[17] Note that Coue's phrase does not enter into details about how the person will get better and better—just that he will. Does the phrase work, though? In many instances, yes. Coue enjoyed enormous success with his patients, who responded most favorably to the general autosuggestions they gave themselves. This was no accident, for clinical studies by psychiatrist John Hartland and associates of his confirm the effectiveness of the general autosuggestion approach. [18] From this it should follow that what works for people in the area of health most certainly will work for them in the area of sports.

When to Give Yourself Suggestions

Probably the most convenient time to give yourself autosuggestions is on the same day you compete. Obviously, you do this minutes or hours before the competition begins. By waiting until the day you compete: 1) you should know who your opponent will be, and perhaps have a chance to gather intelligence about his strengths and weaknesses, and 2) you should know what the weather will be like, whether or not you will be playing before a hostile crowd—in short, better understand the playing conditions that might affect your performance. Knowing these variables, you will be able to give yourself tailor-made autosuggestions. For example, if you know the crowd will be against you, you can give yourself the suggestion, "During the entire game I will play with total concentration no matter what!" This kind of suggestion will go a long way toward eliminating the crowd as a factor.

Another excellent reason to give yourself autosuggestions on the same day on which you compete is that the suggestions will be fresh. Studies indicate that the more recent the autosuggestion, the more likely it is that you will carry it out completely. Reports Dr. Kroger, "A

posthypnotic suggestion may last for months to years. It is agreed, however, that it may remain effective for several months. During this period, decrement occurs in the quality of the posthypnotic performance."[19] There is nothing wrong with giving yourself autosuggestions a couple of weeks or months before a big game or match; in fact, it is highly commendable that you do this. To be on the safe side, though, give yourself reinforcing autosuggestions on the day of competition. [20] You want to do this in case the effects of your earlier suggestions have waned.

Ideally, for a major upcoming competition, you should give yourself autosuggestions every day in the days or weeks preceding the contest, as well as on the day you perform. If you do this, about the only way you can lose is if your opponent is physically and/or technically superior to you. (You try to be sure that such is not the case by working on your physical fitness and the technical aspects required in your sport.) Some people believe constant reinforcement will render an autosuggestion "stale" and ineffective; actually, the opposite is true. Dr. Kroger notes: "Periodic reinforcement tends to increase its effectiveness; repeated elicitation does not weaken it."[21] Therefore one should not worry about too much reinforcement.

So, the answer to the question, "When do you give yourself autosuggestions?" is (1) especially on the day you compete, and (2) preferably on the days and weeks preceding the competition as well.

Giving Yourself Autosuggestions during Competition without Anyone Noticing

Having developed the ability to instantly enter and exit the hypnotic state, you quickly can give yourself suggestions and "awaken" yourself, thereby wrapping up the session without making it some sort of grand production.

I have also mentioned that you can develop the capability of playing your sport while in the hypnotic state (this is something I have done occasionally). By giving yourself the suggestion to "act normal but still remain under hypnosis," you can compete in your sport, carry on a conversation, and so on without others being the wiser. Perfecting this capability takes a little extra practice, and one's first attempt sometimes betrays a lack of spontaneity and monotone-sounding speech.

In any event, competing while in the hypnotic state has no great advantage over giving yourself autosuggestions beforehand, and during breaks and time outs. But, you wonder, how can I give myself suggestions during breaks and time outs? Obviously, quickness—developed from practice —is the key. And quickness is imperative because the rules do not permit you much time during breaks and time outs. In a tennis match, for example, you are allowed but one minute to rest and towel off between the change of sides. So, to use self-hypnosis during competition you must be able to rapidly enter the hypnotic state, give yourself suggestions, and "awaken" yourself; all this must take place in a minute or less. Once again, though, this capability is not that difficult to develop. Many athletes acquire the necessary speed after just a couple of self-hypnosis practice sessions.

By giving yourself autosuggestions quickly, you escape attention and do not attract stares. This is an important point because most of us are self-conscious to some degree. Your opponent and the spectators really will not look at you twice as you sit on the bench during a break with your eyes closed (or however else you appear while giving yourself autosuggestions). At most they will say, "Oh, he's resting" or "He's concentrating." Even if there is an expert on self-hypnosis in the crowd, he will not know for sure what you are doing. He would have to ask you afterwards if you were using self-hypnosis or meditation during the breaks to confirm his suspicions. Despite outward appearances, you are not "resting" or merely "concentrating."

Through self-hypnosis you are actually laying the groundwork for your victory and your opponent's downfall. Of course, your opponent does not know that. In fact, afterwards he will probably wonder what hit him, what kind of dynamo he just ran up against.

Sometimes your opponent or the spectators will be too gregarious. During breaks you might be unable to give yourself autosuggestions because of people, or your opponent, talking to you; or, some other interruptions might arise. There is little you can do about this. Just make sure that before you arrive for the competition you have already given yourself suggestions.