Outside influences on your sports performance

When things are going great in your game keep doing what you’re doing! However if things have taken a turn you would prefer to have avoided then it may be time to reappraise what is going on.  Usually sports professionals look towards new techniques, perhaps new equipment, new ways of approaching their game at a psychological level etc. but sometimes fail to incorporate the wider picture.

All therapists in the MindFully Well network look at the individual holistically not just within their game, in fact our focus and interest is on what is going on outside your game that may be influencing your performance.  When we work with sports professionals we do a thorough audit of how your innate psychological needs and resources are being met and used both inside and outside the sporting environment.  We assess overall mental well being and target behaviours and belief systems that  while not directly linked to your game influence how the emotional brain impacts our logical thinking brain.

Based on organising ideas by Psychologist Joe Griffin and Psychotherapist Ivan Tyrell and informed by Psychiatrists, Psychologists & Neuroscientists such as Dr Milton H. Erikson; Martin Seligman Ph.D and Professor Joseph Le Doux, as well as many other leaders in the  field , we always work on the premise ‘it’s what’s right with you that fixes what’s wrong’.

Working to improve your game with MindFully Well starts with an initial assessment session, auditing psychological needs and exploring how your innate psychological resources are being applied to your game.  This session will also include an introduction to deep relaxation techniques aimed at bypassing any psychological scripts that do not serve you well and may inhibit performance.  Subsequent sessions are designed around what has initially been identified as in need of change.

We also work with coaches and managers to help them better understand how performance can be improved at a team level. In team sports, however good the individuals, the team dynamic is also vital to success!We expect you to notice a difference after you first session and usually work in blocks of 3 – 4 sessions, before taking a break to allow new learning to be absorbed.

By Ann Walsh, MindFully Well team member based in Arklow.

If you would like to improve your performance as an individual, all therapists in the MindFully Well network are fully trained in these methods & able to help. If you are looking for help as a team, please, in the first instance contact Ann Walsh or Richard Cavaliero below, either of whom will be happy to help:

Contacts for Teams