Can Hypnotherapy Boost Athletic Performance?
YES. I went from falling off my surfboard to riding the face of the wave, within two months.
How I got to this…
So What Exactly Did I Do?
I was using the same board, on the same break, working with the same coach. Once I managed to get up on the board, and had something to work with, I focused on two performance aspects: Lightness and Ease in the Ocean.
I created a suggestion and repeated it in hypnosis:
“I am light as a feather on every wave I catch.”
Firstly, my surf coach pointed out that I was too heavy on my back foot. I was ‘anchoring’ myself out of the wave and losing pace. Or as my friend likes to say… I was ‘un-catching’ the wave! Every night and every morning, I would go into the hypnotic state (it feels much like a meditative relaxed state). Then I would program my mind with what I desired, feeling, it, seeing it, rehearsing it, loving it!
From this…
Secondly, on bigger days, when the surf was overhead. I used hypnotherapy to bring ease into my nervous system— to stay present, not brace. Or as another friend of mine would say, the courage to just ‘paddle hard, close your eyes and get up!’. I prefer the eyes open version of this. My hypnotic mantra for this became ‘I AM SAFE…, I AM SAFE…, I AM SAFE…. [You can read more about my journey on recalibrating my nervous system here.]
To this…
These were not casual affirmations. They were embedded deeply into my subconscious using hypnotic techniques I’ve trained and believe in. Hypnotherapy gave me a safe, repeatable way to rehearse success.
Why Hypnotherapy Supports Performance
A major part of hypnotherapy is being willing to accept suggestions—and visualising the new behaviour or habit you want to embody. This is why athletes visualise. And why performance-based hypnotherapy works. They’re not imagining casually. They’re rehearsing with precision. So that when it’s time to act, their minds and bodies already know what to do.
Tennis legend Serena Williams used hypnosis and visualisation to manage performance pressure and enhance her focus.
“Imagery and execution share neural substrates.”
– Jeannerod, M.,, The representing brain: Neural correlates of motor intention and imagery.
In other words, the mind doesn’t know the difference between real and imagined experiences. That’s not an opinion - it’s science.
Top athletes don’t wait to feel confident.
They build it, on purpose.
Research shows that when we vividly imagine an action, our brain activates many of the same areas as when we actually perform the action—particularly in the motor cortex, which is responsible for movement planning and execution. This means mental rehearsal can strengthen neural pathways in the same way physical practice does, making visualisation and hypnotherapy powerful tools for improving real-world performance.
Kobe Bryant
Basket ballers Kobe Bryant to Michael Jordan used hypnotherapy for helping them visualise goals, stay calm on the court and drop into flow states with the team. Kobe is said to have been hypnotised before every game.
Performance Isn’t Just Physical
Whether you’re surfing, speaking, pitching, or parenting—performance is not just about what you do. It’s about what you believe you can do. Hypnotherapy gives you the tools to shift:
fear into focus
doubt into clarity
tension into trust
And that shift is the difference between falling and flowing.
“Mental rehearsal—visualizing a specific skill—activates the same neural circuits that are involved in the actual performance.”
- Dr. Andrew Huberman, hubermanlab.com
Michael Phelps
And Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps mentally rehearsed every stroke, every wall push, every breath—before getting in the water.
What Performance Edge Do You Want?
Close your eyes. See it. Imagine what could happen if you believed it.
What’s the version of you that moves with ease and confidence?
What performance moment - big or small - would you like to meet differently?
This is your moment to start now
“The mind is the most powerful tool we have. Learn to use it, and you can go beyond what you thought was possible.” - Wim Hof Method Blog
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