Following on from yesterday’s blog entry, I am on a mission to use all of the skills and knowledge and resources at my disposal to facilitate my rehabilitation both physically and psychologically. (Please read my previous entry on this blog for more information on my own current injury)
Last year, I wrote about using observational learning (also known as modeling) for enhancing running performance and there is plenty of evidence to support the use of the same type of process when dealing with a sports injury of any kind.
Research and a number of applied articles tend to suggest that observational learning in the form of visual footage or real-life interaction with others who have experienced and successfully overcome injury is beneficial for the athlete, especially if the other athlete has overcome the same injury that you have (Flint, 1999; Weiss and Troxel, 1986).
A study conducted upon elite skiers found that a tenth of those in the study sought out social resources as part of their successful recovery plan; they used other injured athletes as models for overcoming their own injury and maintaining motivation Gould, Udry, Bridges and Beck, 1997).
A specific study that examined how effective observational learning helps deal with the psychological effects of sports injury was conducted by Flint (1991). In this study, female basketball players with anterior cruciate ligament surgery were put into a control group or the modeling group. Those that were exposed to video footage of several other female basketball players coping with and overcoming injury (the video footage had interviews and clips of various models going through rehabilitation and returning to successfully playing their sport) adopted a number of similar strategies and demonstrated outwardly that they believed in their ability to overcome the injury more than the control group. They were also notably more in control of their own experience.
Later, Flint (1999) went on to suggest that perhaps one reason observational learning helps with injury rehabilitation is because seeing others in similar situations that successfully rehabilitate helps to reduce anxiety and increases self-efficacy.
Now I am not one to attribute anything to a Noel Edmonds style of ‘cosmic ordering’ or that the universe was somehow tuning in to my needs, but following yesterday’s blog entry and announcement on my media channels about my injury, I got a lot of incredibly useful and inspiring stories from fellow runners about their own injuries and how they overcame them. I also read the lengthy threads on running forums about runners overcoming their injuries and going on to excel and thrive, and the notion of observational learning was under way for me!
My own negative thoughts and emotions I have had at the discovery of my injury are fairly common – particularly to those of us who are not used to being inactive and uninvolved from our sport. My exploration and research has led me to see that often coaches and teammates may contribute to the psychological problems of an injured athlete making them feel neglected or alone with their injury. However, I have been fortunate enough to receive lots of support and kindness from fellow runners and it has been a real tonic. Not only that, I have discovered that there are others who do understand what I am going through.
I have not directly met up with and seen these people, the research suggests that doing so would benefit me even more, however, knowing that and seeing that so many of my peers have overcome the same and similar injuries has been a great help. Upon further research then, I also discovered and examined the careers of lots of my running idols and heroes; which led me to see that virtually all of them have overcome some sort of injury at some stage in their career and successfully rehabilitated in order to go on and achieve more success. They all had a number of different coping strategies that I plan to explore in more depth and write about, but for now, the observational learning is working a treat.
This could be left there. I could research and adopt the strategies and derive benefit from that to capitalize upon the observational learning and model the efforts of my colleagues in addition to everything else I plan to do in coming weeks. However, my previous research (that contributed to my book on enhancing running performance) showed me that I can enhance the efficacy of modelling by using self-hypnosis and progressive autosuggestion, to advance the benefits of it, and I thought I’d share with you the technique I am employing.
6 Steps To Use Self-Hypnosis To Model Rehabilitation
Prior to starting this process, you may want to research and track down someone who has overcome the same injury you have, and see if you can read some accounts, view video footage of them before, during and after their injury, or explore whatever information you can about the rehabilitation that they went through. This information will be necessary later on in this process.
For this to be effective, you need to have someone to model. This can be a sporting star who overcame a similar injury to you. It could be someone you have met and know that had a similar injury to you. Or if you really can find no reference to utilise, you can invent an imagined character that dealt with the injury well and went on to succeed thereafter.
Then, get yourself into a comfortable seated position, where you will be undisturbed for the duration of this session, with your feet flat on the floor and your arms uncrossed.
Step One: Prior to starting, have the person you are going to model at the forefront of your mind and then move on to the next step.
Step Two: Induce hypnosis.
You can do so by any means you desire or know of.
You can use the process in my self-hypnosis book, use the free audio at my main hypnosis website to practice or have a look at the following articles as and when you need them; they are basic processes to help you simply open the door of your mind:
Heavy Arm Self-Hypnosis Induction Method.
Using Eye Fixation for Self-Hypnosis.
The Betty Erickson Self-Hypnosis Method video clip.
Hand to Face Self-Hypnosis Induction.
Using Magnetic Hands for Self-Hypnosis.
The Coin Drop Self-Hypnosis Induction.
Once you have induced hypnosis, move on to step three.
Step Three: Think about the person you chose in step one. See that person out there, notice how they hold their body, how they look, what they are wearing and just accept that as you look at and identify that person, know that they overcame a similar injury to you and went on to succeed thereafter.
Once you have accepted that image of them and what you know of them, start to play clips of that person at various stages of their rehabilitation. Play clips of them prior to injury, then during injury and then rehabilitating, and then afterwards when they are competing or performing again. Make them as vivid as you can in your mind.
As you watch, be inspired by that person. Be motivated by that person. Feel reassured by watching them. Let the motivation build up inside of you and imagine going deeper into hypnosis all the time.
Learn lessons as you observe, watch what they did, what they do, watch how they rehabilitate, based upon what you know of them. Start thinking about how what you are seeing could be useful to you, what you can also adopt. Note the attitude they have and how they approach things.
Take all the time you need. When you feel good watching this and feel that you have learned from it, move on to the next step.
Step Four: Now bring back the image of the person, and hold it there in fornt of you. Start to move closer to that person and look deep into the eyes of the person. Imagine reaching out and taking that person’s hand….
Now step inside that person’s shoes. Become them for a few moments. See through those eyes, hear through those ears, feel with that heart, and think with that mind. Immerse yourself in being that person and get as vivid an experience as you possibly can. Imagine being that person in every way.
Notice how that person moves in their body, become aware of the attitude they have, notice the cognitions and thoughts they think and feel how it feels to approach rehabilitation in this way. Note the emotions and engage with this person on as many levels as possible.
Learn all that you can and imagine your own mind soaking up these strategies and this information for you to adopt and benefit from. Move in this body for a while and learn from it.
Once you have learned all you can step back out of that body, and move on to the next step.
Step Five: Start to mentally rehearse your rehabilitation process. See yourself in the coming days and weeks being positive, being motivated and inspired. Notice yourself adopting what strategies you can to advance your rehabilitation and feel more in control of your own destiny.
Once you have mentally rehearsed a couple of future scenarios of your life, then assure yourself that this is going to happen, and while retaining an appropriate level of realism, tell yourself about your positive expectation for your rehabilitation. Then move on to the final step.
Step Six: Exit hypnosis. Take a couple of deeper breaths, get energized, wiggle your fingers and toes and open your eyes.
Then you start to use the same kind of internal dialogue, adopt similar attitudes and approach your rehabilitation in this beneficial and inspired way, thinking progressively about your ability to deal with the injury.
Then there you have it, my first step, metaphorically speaking, towards coming out at the other end of this injury with my sanity in check and my belief in myself advanced as someone who can go on to run well again.
I can’t wait to stop having to wear the special shoe I currently have on my left foot – it is indeed one of Herman Munsters hand-me-downs.
In contrast to the start of this week, I feel that I am on the right pathway…. And I’ll be back with more soon. In the meantime, what better tune to leave you with considering the title and theme here today:
References:
Flint, F. A. (1991). The psychological effects of modeling in athletic injury rehabilitation. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Oregon, Eugene.
Flint, F. A. (1999). Seeing helps believing: Modeling in injury rehabilitation. In D. Pragman (Ed.), Psychological bases of sport injuries (2nd ed., pp. 221-234). Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology.
Gould, D., Udry, E., Bridges, D., & Beck, L. (1997). Coping with season-ending injuries. The Sport Psychologist, 11, 379-399.
Weiss, M. R., & Troxel, R. K. (1986) Psychology of the injured athlete. Athletic Training, 21, 104-109, 154.
