Performance and Hypnosis Research Finding
There is a large body of research supporting the effectiveness of hypnotic techniques with performance issues, particularly from a sports perspective. Here is a sample of that research:
Human Potential: Exploring Techniques Used to Enhance Human Performance.
Vernon, David. (2009). New York, NY:
Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
This book examines a range of techniques that are intended to help improve some
aspect of performance, and examines how well they are able to achieve this. The
various performance-enhancing techniques available can be divided into those
where the individual remains passive (receiving a message, suggestion or stimulus)
and those where the individual needs to take a more active approach. The book
looks at a range of techniques within each of these categories to provide the reader
with a sense of the traditional as well as the more contemporary approaches used to
enhance human performance. The techniques covered include hypnosis, sleep
learning, subliminal training and audio and visual cortical entrainment, as well as
meditation, mnemonics, speed reading, biofeedback, neurofeedback and mental
imagery practice. This is the first time such a broad range of techniques has been
brought together to be assessed in terms of effectiveness.
Hypnosis in Sport: Cases, Techniques and Issues.
Morgan, William P.; Stegner, Aaron J. (2008). In Nash, Michael R. (Ed); Barnier,
Amanda J. (Ed), The Oxford Handbook of Hypnosis: Theory, Research,
and Practice, (pp. 681-696). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
This chapter focuses on professional consultation with emphasis on key points
derived from selected cases, along with techniques and issues involving the use of
hypnosis in exercise and sport settings. Athletes, coaches and sports medicine
physicians sometimes request hypnosis for performance enhancement, as well as for
the restoration of previous levels of performance following compromise. The
guidelines to be advanced will go beyond the speculative level to include actual
empirical data gathered in case studies, as well as results from other case studies
reported in the literature.
Sport Psychology Consultants’ Experience of Using Hypnosis in Their Practice: An
Exploratory Investigation.
Grindstaff, Jason S.; Fisher, Leslee A. (Sep 2006). The Sport Psychologist, Vol 20(3), 368-
386.
The purpose of this study was to explore sport psychology consultants’ experiences
of using hypnosis in their practice. Specifically a better understanding of hypnosis
utilization as a performance enhancement technique in applied sport psychology
was sought. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with six sport
psychology consultants (all PhDs) who each possessed training and experience
related to hypnosis. Analysis of the interview data revealed a variety of major
themes and subthemes related to the guiding interview questions: (a) hypnosis
training and experience, (b) stereotypes and misconceptions related to hypnosis, (c)
utilizing hypnosis as a performance enhancement technique, (d) advantages and
disadvantages of using hypnosis with athletes, and (e) cultural considerations
related to using hypnosis.
The Hypnotic Belay in Alpine Mountaineering: The Use of Self-Hypnosis for the Resolution of
Sports Injuries and for Performance Enhancement.
Morton, Priscilla A. (Jul 2003). American
Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, Vol 46(1), 45-51.
The author, an experienced alpine mountaineer, sustained several traumatic
climbing injuries over a two-year period. This article describes her multiple uses of
self-hypnosis to deal with several challenges related to her returning to successful
mountain climbing. She describes her use of ego strengthening, mental rehearsal, age progression, and “Inner Strength” as well as
active-alert trance states. Her successful summitting of Ecuador’s Cotopaxi at
19,380 feet was facilitated by “The Hypnotic Belay” which permitted her to secure
herself by self-hypnosis in addition to the rope used to secure climbers.
Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy in Sports Counseling.
Wooten, H. Ray; St. Germain, Noelle R. (2001). Journal of Heart-Centered
Therapies, Vol. 4(1), 57-65.
The use of hypnosis with athletes is well-represented in the literature. However,
much of the existing functionality of hypnotherapy in sports is geared toward
performance enhancement or aspects of performance. The use of hypnosis in
dealing with developmental and identity issues of athletes has been minimally
represented in the existing literature. Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy (HCH) is a
model which utilizes the hypnotic process while expanding the focus to address the
growth, healing, and transformation of mind, body, emotion, and spirit. This article
demonstrates the effectiveness of utilizing the Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy
(HCH) modality when counseling athletes.
Learning, Remembering, Believing: Enhancing Human Performance.
Druckman, Daniel (Ed); Bjork, Robert A. (Ed). (1994). In
National Research Council, Commission on Behavioral & Social
Sciences & Education, Committee on Techniques for the Enhancement
of Human Performance. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
[This book builds] upon the latest psychological research, it considers how learning
and performance can be enhanced and through what means. Specific issues are
examined, such as how people confuse familiarity with mastery; what are the most
effective ways of developing team performance; and how self-esteem affects
performance. Of particular interest is the section on the impact of mental and
emotional states upon learning, remembering and believing, in which the techniques
of sleep learning, hypnosis, and restricted environmental stimulation are analyzed.
The Use of Hypnosis in Applied Sport Psychology.
Taylor, Jim; Horevitz, Richard; Balague, Gloria. (Mar 1993). The Sport Psychologist,
Vol 7(1), 58-78.
Examines the value of hypnosis in applied sport psychology. The following topics
are addressed: (1) the nature of hypnosis, (2) theoretical perspectives on hypnosis,
(3) hypnotizability, (4) factors influencing the effectiveness of hypnosis, (5)
misconceptions and concerns about hypnosis, (6) the hypnotic process, (7) research
on hypnosis and athletic performance, (8) uses in applied sport psychology, and (9)
training in hypnosis.
Human Potential: Exploring Techniques Used to Enhance Human Performance.
Vernon, David. (2009). New York, NY:
Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
This book examines a range of techniques that are intended to help improve some
aspect of performance, and examines how well they are able to achieve this. The
various performance-enhancing techniques available can be divided into those
where the individual remains passive (receiving a message, suggestion or stimulus)
and those where the individual needs to take a more active approach. The book
looks at a range of techniques within each of these categories to provide the reader
with a sense of the traditional as well as the more contemporary approaches used to
enhance human performance. The techniques covered include hypnosis, sleep
learning, subliminal training and audio and visual cortical entrainment, as well as
meditation, mnemonics, speed reading, biofeedback, neurofeedback and mental
imagery practice. This is the first time such a broad range of techniques has been
brought together to be assessed in terms of effectiveness.
Hypnosis in Sport: Cases, Techniques and Issues.
Morgan, William P.; Stegner, Aaron J. (2008). In Nash, Michael R. (Ed); Barnier,
Amanda J. (Ed), The Oxford Handbook of Hypnosis: Theory, Research,
and Practice, (pp. 681-696). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
This chapter focuses on professional consultation with emphasis on key points
derived from selected cases, along with techniques and issues involving the use of
hypnosis in exercise and sport settings. Athletes, coaches and sports medicine
physicians sometimes request hypnosis for performance enhancement, as well as for
the restoration of previous levels of performance following compromise. The
guidelines to be advanced will go beyond the speculative level to include actual
empirical data gathered in case studies, as well as results from other case studies
reported in the literature.
Sport Psychology Consultants’ Experience of Using Hypnosis in Their Practice: An
Exploratory Investigation.
Grindstaff, Jason S.; Fisher, Leslee A. (Sep 2006). The Sport Psychologist, Vol 20(3), 368-
386.
The purpose of this study was to explore sport psychology consultants’ experiences
of using hypnosis in their practice. Specifically a better understanding of hypnosis
utilization as a performance enhancement technique in applied sport psychology
was sought. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with six sport
psychology consultants (all PhDs) who each possessed training and experience
related to hypnosis. Analysis of the interview data revealed a variety of major
themes and subthemes related to the guiding interview questions: (a) hypnosis
training and experience, (b) stereotypes and misconceptions related to hypnosis, (c)
utilizing hypnosis as a performance enhancement technique, (d) advantages and
disadvantages of using hypnosis with athletes, and (e) cultural considerations
related to using hypnosis.
The Hypnotic Belay in Alpine Mountaineering: The Use of Self-Hypnosis for the Resolution of
Sports Injuries and for Performance Enhancement.
Morton, Priscilla A. (Jul 2003). American
Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, Vol 46(1), 45-51.
The author, an experienced alpine mountaineer, sustained several traumatic
climbing injuries over a two-year period. This article describes her multiple uses of
self-hypnosis to deal with several challenges related to her returning to successful
mountain climbing. She describes her use of ego strengthening, mental rehearsal, age progression, and “Inner Strength” as well as
active-alert trance states. Her successful summitting of Ecuador’s Cotopaxi at
19,380 feet was facilitated by “The Hypnotic Belay” which permitted her to secure
herself by self-hypnosis in addition to the rope used to secure climbers.
Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy in Sports Counseling.
Wooten, H. Ray; St. Germain, Noelle R. (2001). Journal of Heart-Centered
Therapies, Vol. 4(1), 57-65.
The use of hypnosis with athletes is well-represented in the literature. However,
much of the existing functionality of hypnotherapy in sports is geared toward
performance enhancement or aspects of performance. The use of hypnosis in
dealing with developmental and identity issues of athletes has been minimally
represented in the existing literature. Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy (HCH) is a
model which utilizes the hypnotic process while expanding the focus to address the
growth, healing, and transformation of mind, body, emotion, and spirit. This article
demonstrates the effectiveness of utilizing the Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy
(HCH) modality when counseling athletes.
Learning, Remembering, Believing: Enhancing Human Performance.
Druckman, Daniel (Ed); Bjork, Robert A. (Ed). (1994). In
National Research Council, Commission on Behavioral & Social
Sciences & Education, Committee on Techniques for the Enhancement
of Human Performance. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
[This book builds] upon the latest psychological research, it considers how learning
and performance can be enhanced and through what means. Specific issues are
examined, such as how people confuse familiarity with mastery; what are the most
effective ways of developing team performance; and how self-esteem affects
performance. Of particular interest is the section on the impact of mental and
emotional states upon learning, remembering and believing, in which the techniques
of sleep learning, hypnosis, and restricted environmental stimulation are analyzed.
The Use of Hypnosis in Applied Sport Psychology.
Taylor, Jim; Horevitz, Richard; Balague, Gloria. (Mar 1993). The Sport Psychologist,
Vol 7(1), 58-78.
Examines the value of hypnosis in applied sport psychology. The following topics
are addressed: (1) the nature of hypnosis, (2) theoretical perspectives on hypnosis,
(3) hypnotizability, (4) factors influencing the effectiveness of hypnosis, (5)
misconceptions and concerns about hypnosis, (6) the hypnotic process, (7) research
on hypnosis and athletic performance, (8) uses in applied sport psychology, and (9)
training in hypnosis.
