| Whether you are a professional athlete, or simply | | | | to, but only by relaxing the mind until the desired |
| want to achieve your own personal best at your | | | | brain waves were attained. |
| chosen sport, neurotherapy can help you reach | | | | The importance of performing in a relaxed state |
| new levels of performance, not just for a few | | | | can be especially obvious during a major event |
| fleeting moments, but more often, and for longer | | | | such as the Olympic games. Athletes who are not |
| periods, than you have ever experienced before. | | | | expected to win a medal and are just happy to |
| The Italian soccer team recently discovered this | | | | be there will happily tell interviewers that they just |
| when they focused on retraining their thinking by | | | | plan to enjoy the experience and do their best. |
| using neurofeedback, along with guided imagery | | | | Often, these performers will surprise everyone by |
| and other cognitive restructuring techniques, in a | | | | winning a spot on the podium. |
| glassed-in room that became known as the "mind | | | | Conversely, when the pressure is on to bring |
| room." Their use of these training methods drew | | | | home the gold, athletes will frequently disappoint |
| much media attention when they won the World | | | | themselves by making unexpected mistakes that |
| Cup in 2006, largely, it is believed, due to | | | | cost them the medal they dream of. Such was |
| neurofeedback therapy. | | | | the heartbreaking case for figure skater Michelle |
| Neurofeedback was instrumental in helping these | | | | Kwan in 2002, when everyone's hopes seemed to |
| athletes to free themselves from the stress and | | | | rest on her to win the gold in the long program, |
| anxiety produced by self-criticism and by replaying | | | | but it went, instead, to relative newcomer Sarah |
| past failures. Many athletes use positive imagery | | | | Hughes, and Michelle won the bronze. But during |
| and visualization to center their focus on the | | | | the closing exhibition, when the pressure was off, |
| desired outcome. Still, it can be a struggle to keep | | | | Michelle delivered an exquisite and flawless |
| the mind from going over mistakes, in effect | | | | performance of the same routine. Few who |
| reinforcing them, and possibly causing a repetition | | | | watched her skate so elegantly to the song |
| of the regretted performance. | | | | "Fields of Gold" will ever forget it. |
| Neurofeedback therapy goes even further than | | | | Neurofeedback helps performers gain control over |
| positive imagery. A device receives feedback | | | | the emotions that cause this type of frustrating |
| from the athlete's brain waves and "rewards" the | | | | scenario, and to reach that state of heightened |
| brain for optimal performance, and removes the | | | | intuition, creativity, and energy known as "flow" |
| reward when the brain wave readings show an | | | | when they need it the most. |
| increased stress level (which might be caused by | | | | Neurofeedback has been used in clinical situations |
| pondering past failures). | | | | for over 30 years, but, as with any new |
| In the "mind room," the soccer players chose the | | | | development, it has taken time to overcome |
| reward of making an animated robot on the | | | | prejudices against it. Real life experiences such as |
| computer monitor run, using only their brain | | | | the Italian soccer team's famous win have helped |
| waves. After this exercise, the players would | | | | to remove doubts and open the way for not only |
| compare the speeds they had each achieved with | | | | athletes, but also musicians, artists, and others to |
| the robot. They learned that it was impossible to | | | | reach new heights of creativity and power in their |
| make the robot run faster by consciously trying | | | | performances. |