Free Sport Psychology E-Zine

FROM BRAIN TO MUSCLE WITHOUT ANY TUSSLE
The On-Line E-Zine of the Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Volume VII, Number 7 - July 2003*

Welcome to the fifty-fifth issue of the free Newsletter of Applied Sport Psychology.

The name of the winner of the drawing for the free Personalized Subliminal CD can be found at the end of this article.

PLAYING MIND GAMES THAT HELP YOU WIN:
Enhancing Your Functional Thinking Skills
Part VII: A Case Study
by Gary A. Beale, Ph.D.

Assisting athletes to develop and maintain a habit of process thinking can often take several weeks of training and multiple sessions of Telephone Coaching and follow up. In those cases where the athlete has developed a pattern of negative and unproductive thinking, establishing a more productive tendency can take even longer.

Just prior to the beginning of the Major League Baseball Season this year I received an email and telephone call from the agent of a major league player. The agent felt that I might be able to help his client. The agent explained that his client, who was about to begin his second year in the majors, seemed nervous and apprehensive each time his turn at the plate drew near. Both the agent and the athlete, who will be called "Joe" in this and subsequent articles, felt that he would be more productive at the plate if he could simply learn to relax.

During the initial interview and information gathering sessions with Joe it became clear that one of the main sources of his tightness at the plate was a persistent habit of Outcome Thinking and an abundance of negative, inappropriate and unproductive self-talk. Joe reported while on the bench in the dugout he would often think about such things as "having to get a hit" or "being sent down if he didn't get on base" or needing to "show everyone that he really belonged in the Majors". Joe reported that he was much more relaxed, rarely had the same kinds of thoughts and hit "way better" in practice than in games. Although he did not use the same terminology, Joe also reported that his pattern of negative thinking extended beyond the dugout and the batter's box. He stated, for example, that when his parents and family talked about coming to see him play at a park near their hometown later in the season, he suggested that they not make too many plans since "he might not be with the team" at that time in the future. All athletes who enroll in the program are required to set Process Goals as a part of the diagnostic process. Some of Joe's goals are as follows:

Joe listed his major challenges as "myself and self doubt" and stated that he wanted the training to result in a new found ability to consistently perform at his "highest level regardless of the situation.

Joe's story will be continued in my next article which is to be published in November.

I would enjoy producing a personalized training program for you like the one that was produced for Joe. You don't have to be a Major League player to benefit and you don't have to pay Major League bucks! Email me here if you're interested in learning the skills that will help you more consistently bring out your best.

The winner of the drawing for the free Personalized Subliminal CD for this time period is Linda Minto.

FROM BRAIN TO MUSCLE WITHOUT ANY TUSSLE
The On-Line E-Zine of the Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Volume VII, Number 8 - August 2003*

Welcome to the fifty-sixth issue of the free Newsletter of Applied Sport Psychology.

The name of the winner of the drawing for the free Personalized Subliminal CD can be found at the end of this article.

PLAYING MIND GAMES THAT HELP YOU WIN:
Enhancing Your Functional Thinking Skills
Part VIII: A Case Study
by Gary A. Beale, Ph.D.

Joe is a Major League player. He has developed a habit of negative thinking about his abilities and his career. Joe stated that in games he experienced excessive tension at the plate, which interfered with his performance.

As a part of his enrollment in the program, Joe completed the Goals and Action Steps Form at http://www.drrelax.com/affformO.htm. Here are some of his key responses:

The "Goals" (1-4) are Joe's stated goals for the 2003 season. The "Steps" (1-4) are the corresponding steps that he feels he must take to reach each goal. The most significant barrier to his success in reaching his goals is listed as the "Challenge". The "Feelings" (1-3) are what Joe experiences when he is performing at his best and "Improve" represents the results Joe wanted to achieve as a result of the training. The Admire (1-3) category represents the persons/athletes that Joe admires.

The affirmations that were produced for Joe, based on the information above, will be presented in the next article, which is to be published in December.

The winner of the drawing for the free Personalized Subliminal CD for this time period is Kevin Darago.

Kevin has 72 hours to claim the Personalized Subliminal CD.

FROM BRAIN TO MUSCLE WITHOUT ANY TUSSLE
The On-Line E-Zine of the Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Volume VII, Number 9 - September 2003*

Welcome to the fifty-seventh issue of the free Newsletter of Applied Sport Psychology.

The name of the winner of the drawing for the free Personalized Subliminal CD can be found at the end of this article.

PLAYING MIND GAMES THAT HELP YOU WIN:
Enhancing Your Functional Thinking Skills
Part IX: A Case Study
by Gary A. Beale, Ph.D.

A set of Personal Affirmations was developed for Joe. Those affirmations were based upon the information that Joe provided in interviews and via the Goals and Action Steps Form. The following is a listing of some of those affirmations:

I EXPAND MY POTENTIAL WITH PROPER NUTRITION AND CONSISTENT PHYSICAL AND MENTAL TRAINING.

At the plate I FEEL CONFIDENT, RELAXED, OPTIMISTIC, HAPPY, FOCUSED AND IN THE ZONE!

Michael Jordan and I are one! Barry bonds and I are one!
I am one with my father!

Joe's story will be continued in my next article, which is will also be published in December.

The winner of the drawing for the free Personalized Subliminal CD for this time period is Ivy Coffee.

FROM BRAIN TO MUSCLE WITHOUT ANY TUSSLE
The On-Line E-Zine of the Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Volume VII, Number 10 - October 2003*

Welcome to the fifty-eight issue of the free Newsletter of Applied Sport Psychology.

The name of the winner of the drawing for the free Personalized Subliminal CD can be found at the end of this article.

As the New Year draws near, I would like to state my appreciation to all of you who have made the success of this Newsletter and both drrelax.com and doctorrelax.com possible in 2003.

In my work, nothing is more valuable to me than the trust, confidence and participation of my friends, subscribers and clients. Your continued patronage is my most treasured asset. That's why I make this New Year's Resolution to continue to strive to exceed your expectations and preserve this most precious of blessings.

As a very good friend and auto mechanic once told me, "The work may not always be that hot but the guarantee is always excellent!" If I haven't meet your expectations, for any reason, I promise to continue to work with you at least until I do.

So as I wish you the best in the coming year, I also want you to know how much I appreciate you!

I am offering a 30% discount to every person who enrolls within the next 5 days and emails me here.

Best wishes for a prosperous and successful New Year in which you will find yourself :

The winner of the drawing for the free Personalized Subliminal CD for this time period is Justin Cooper.

*Published in December 2003 ("Catching up in 2004 is easy for me because I dedicate myself to doing it.!")

Sierra Center for Peak Perfromance

FROM BRAIN TO MUSCLE WITHOUT ANY TUSSLE
The On-Line E-Zine of the Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Volume VII, Number 11 - November 2003*

Welcome to the fifty-ninth issue of the free Newsletter of Applied Sport Psychology.

PLAYING MIND GAMES THAT HELP YOU WIN:
Enhancing Your Functional Thinking Skills
Part X: A Case Study
by Gary A. Beale, Ph.D.

Joe is a Major League baseball player. He has developed a habit of negative thinking and he experiences excessive tension at the plate. As a part of his enrollment in the program, Joe completed the Goals and Action Steps Form at http://www.drrelax.com/affformO.htm and a set of draft affirmations were created for his approval or modification. Here is a copy of the email message that Joe received:

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Dear Joe,

Congratulations on taking the second step towards becoming a consistent Peak Performer! Your Personalized Mental Training Program formally began when you completed your Goals and Action Steps Form.

Now take the next step by reading and doing the following:

Please review the following draft affirmations. These are the messages that will be on your subliminal CD. The subliminal CD is the music CD (CD Two). If you are not sure how these affirmations can help you see: http://www.drrelax.com/ezine1.htm#3

Please make any changes or additions that you would like. Some of the affirmations may seem odd because you have not yet begun to use CD One.

CD One will teach you how to relax deeply and place yourself in "The Zone" when playing. If you have any questions please contact me as soon as possible.

If these affirmations are acceptable as they are please print them out and begin to say your affirmations aloud at least once every day.

Please send me a CD of your favorite music or environmental sounds. Please make sure the CD contains at least 78 minutes of sound that you would be willing to listen to often. Repetition is the power that makes affirmations effective.

Please send your music in packaging that can be used to return your program to you. This request is my attempt to encourage and act in ways that support recycling and enhance the probability of damage free shipping. Send the CD(s) to me at:

PO Box 715 Kailua

HI 96734-0715

If you have not already done so, as soon as you can please go to: http://www.drrelax.com/ezine1.htm# 7 read the instructions and begin to use Thought-Stopping whenever negative, unwanted or unproductive thoughts or self-talk occur.

Go to: http://www.drrelax.com/ezine3.htm#36 and http://www.drrelax.com/ezine3.htm#37 and begin to practice Concentration Drills every other day.

Gary

PS Please let me know if you approve of these affirmations.

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Joe's story will be continued in my next article, which is will be published in February.

The winner of the drawing for the free Personalized Subliminal CD for this time period is Virgil Bowles.

Virgil has 72 hours to claim the Personalized Subliminal CD.

*Published in January 2004

TOP

Goal1	To be mentally stronger

Goal2	To become more focused

Goal3	To be more confident

Goal4	To achieve at a level that i am capable of

Step1	To find drills or steps to improve mentally

Step2	Mental drills and practice

Step3	To be solid in my technique and production which will hopefully lead to higher confidence

Step4	Achieve the above goals to realize my full potential

Challenge	Myself and self doubt

Feelings 1	Confidence

Feelings2	Relaxation

Feelings3	No doubt in my mind in my ability or in what I was supposed to do

Improve	I hope that they will enable me to perform at my highest level regardless of the situation

Amire1	Michael Jordan

Amire2	Barry Bonds

Amire3	My Father

Goal1	To be mentally stronger

Goal2	To become more focused

Goal3	To be more confident

Goal4	To achieve at a level that I am capable of

Step1	To find drills or steps to improve mentally

Step2	Mental drills and practice

Step3	To be solid in my technique and production which will hopefully lead to higher confidence

Step4	Achieve the above goals to realize my full potential

Challenge	Myself and self doubt

Feelings 1	Confidence

Feelings2	Relaxation

Feelings3	No doubt in my mind in my ability or in what I was supposed to do

Improve	I hope that they will enable me to perform at my highest level regardless of the situation

Amire1	Michael Jordan

Amire2	Barry Bonds

Amire2	My Father