222 How To Help Athletes Who Freeze Under Pressure #BITESIZE

Hypoarousal – what is it in a performance context? It is our freeze response, when our mind and body shuts down when we are faced with significant pressure, at least in our own minds. In today’s episode I discuss with Ruth Chiles, author of The Focal Dystonia Cure how athletes and performers who experience this freeze response can help themselves.  Ruth goes on to share some practical tips that can hugely benefit many people. Key Learnings Brainspotting an approach developed by a New York psychologist called David Grand helps to rewire parts of the brain so that people can respond differently in specific situations. In a performance context, we spend a lot of time in survival mode which can impede fluidity, enlarge muscles and inhibit your fine motor skills. Practicing interoceptive awareness exercises can be very helpful for self-regulation. Centering practices can calm our nervous system. Connect with David Charlton Sign Up to The Mental Edge Join David @ The Sports Psychology Hub Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Connect with Ruth Chiles Website Book: The Focal Dystonia Cure: Powerful and Definitive Practices to Completely Heal Yourself Ruth Chiles on Facebook Ruth Chiles on YouTube Relevant Podcast Episodes Ep014: Alessia Bruno – The Yips, Crashes, Trauma in Sport there is hope for Athletes Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness Ep131 David Charlton – How to Deal with Self-Criticism using Self Compassion – FINAL PART Ep142: Alessia Bruno - Is Striving for Perfection a Good Thing in Gymnastics? Ep156: Ruth Chiles – There is Hope: How to Overcome Focal Dystonia Relevant Blogs Blog: Helping a Critical Child When You’re a Parent Blog: How to Support an Angry Young Athlete Using ACT and Mindfulness to Improve Your Sporting Performances Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance? Guided Mindfulness Meditation Practices with Jon Kabat-Zinn