For the young gymnast, an ongoing injury can exclude them from their social environment. Some athletes feel sad returning to the gym (their second home), where they are now unable to perform. A feeling of being left behind, adds further to a lack of confidence. Recovery is when hypnosis can be a positive and powerful intervention. If an athlete's self-talk is the constant worry of a re-injury then the subconscious mind creates pictures of that happening. This negative pattern of thinking is what hypnosis alters. Look at the analogy of the brain and its likeness to a computer. The hypnotist can reprogram the subconscious mind to protect itself from injury, without focusing on the injury. Results can be dramatic and profound, and this sense of confidence can spread to other aspects of the athlete’s wellbeing. Self-doubt and fear can have an adverse effect on other aspects of the gymnast's life. The feeling of success or failure in the gym can become identified with everything else that they are doing. So it is important to make these changes ASAP. Allow me to use the above analogy – compare the brain to a computer. We can program new information as well as delete that information with the stroke of a key. The hard drive and brain have the capacity to store huge amounts of information. Problems occur when both the brain, aka the hard drive, take in too much information. The brain slows down. Without some assistance, the mind eventually quits on us. Now…let’s look at Chronic pain. Chronic pain is classified as pain that lasts longer than three to six months. Persistent signals from the injury to the brain, over time, cause the pain to become chronic. If this process is allowed to evolve, the pattern becomes instilled, encoded. The pain can become subdued, but it will always be there. The subconscious mind, thankfully, has more elasticity, but it is still susceptible to ongoing negativity. The sooner new positive suggestions are facilitated and practiced, the faster the athlete will progress to a higher level of wellbeing. Hypnosis is not a panacea, but it can have a profound effect on the gymnast's level of confidence. The athlete needs to build the technique into their daily practice, and this should be applied with the same enthusiasm as for any new skill that is learned. Integrated as a self-development tool, hypnosis creates greater focus in every aspect of the athlete's life. As a coach, I understand the necessity of getting the best out of each athlete. However, there is a healthy and constructive line that should not be crossed. Hypnosis is one tool that gives the athlete responsibility for their decisions, rather than categorically taking it away from them. This may not sit well with some coaching methodologies, but you get more from an individual by treating them with respect. If you want a confident athlete then you need a confident and caring coach who supports the athlete’s evolving self-possession.

1. Gymnastic Injuries: How Hypnosis Can
Help On The Road Of Recovery →
Go To My Facebook Page——-The gymnastic mind game
Contact me at barryj@barryjones.com
www.barryjones.com
I was more of a trampolinist than a gymnast, my only
claim to fame was being able to walk on my hands for
a couple hundred yards and to do a front and back
somersault.
Trampolining was both enthralling and terrifying at
the same time.
The loss of spatial awareness in the midst of a routine
was frightening and painful.
I loved the sport, but it was just one of many that I had
to master for my teaching degree in physical
education.
Later in my career, I became involved with the mental
conditioning of a University Division-1 gymnastic
team, and one of the top clubs in the USA, turning out
14 Olympians and 70 national team members.

2. How I became aware of the impact of sports
injury:
Playing rugby, I had my fair share of knocks and
bangs.
Overuse and fatigue primarily characterize injuries
sustained in ultra-endurance triathlons. But these
injuries pail next to injuries that are sustained within
the gymnastic community.
Fear of failure is as debilitating as the fear of injury. I
have personally experienced both.
Unable to regain form after an injury can be mentally
and physically exhausting.
I fell out of love with my triathlon dreams after
sustaining a severe neck injury.
After recovery, I tried to make up for the time lost by
training harder. Then I came to recognise that
overtraining is a recipe for further disappointment.

3. Staying healthy has always been a priority for me. So,
when overtraining no longer worked, I took a year off
from intense cardio conditioning and adopted a yoga
lifestyle.
This period of my life gave me time to self-re
fl
ect. I
missed my triathlon friends, but I adopted a new
family of like-minded individuals whose outlook on
life was more balanced. And these athletes
demonstrated a greater respect for their bodies. In
many ways, yoga gave me a far healthier social
identi
fi
cation.
My re
fl
ections on body-mind balance caused me to
recognise something important. Nobody else cared
about how I placed in races. They were too busy
dealing with their own mind games. When I let go of
my ego and started to train for endurance again, it was
because my focus had returned to my love of the
sport.
For the young gymnast, an ongoing injury can exclude
them from their social environment. Some athletes
feel sad returning to the gym (their second home),

4. where they are now unable to perform. A feeling of
being left behind, adds further to a lack of con
fi
dence.
Recovery is when hypnosis can be a positive and
powerful intervention. If an athlete's self-talk is the
constant worry of a re-injury then the subconscious
mind creates pictures of that happening. This negative
pattern of thinking is what hypnosis alters. Look at the
analogy of the brain and its likeness to a computer.
The hypnotist can reprogram the subconscious mind
to protect itself from injury, without focusing on the
injury. Results can be dramatic and profound, and this
sense of con
fi
dence can spread to other aspects of the
athlete’s wellbeing.
The Power of Positive Self-Talk

5. Self-doubt and fear can have an adverse effect on
other aspects of the gymnast's life. The feeling of
success or failure in the gym can become identi
fi
ed
with everything else that they are doing. So it is
important to make these changes ASAP.
Allow me to use the above analogy – compare the
brain to a computer. We can program new information
as well as delete that information with the stroke of a
key.
The hard drive and brain have the capacity to store
huge amounts of information.
Problems occur when both the brain, aka the hard
drive, take in too much information. The brain slows

6. down. Without some assistance, the mind eventually
quits on us.
Replace negative thoughts with positive and constructive thoughts
Now…let’s look at Chronic pain.
Chronic pain is classi
fi
ed as pain that lasts longer than
three to six months. Persistent signals from the injury
to the brain, over time, cause the pain to become
chronic. If this process is allowed to evolve, the
pattern becomes instilled, encoded. The pain can
become subdued, but it will always be there.
The subconscious mind, thankfully, has more
elasticity, but it is still susceptible to ongoing
negativity. The sooner new positive suggestions are
facilitated and practiced, the faster the athlete will
progress to a higher level of wellbeing.
Hypnosis is not a panacea, but it can have a profound
effect on the gymnast's level of con
fi
dence. The
athlete needs to build the technique into their daily
practice, and this should be applied with the same
enthusiasm as for any new skill that is learned.

7. Integrated as a self-development tool, hypnosis
creates greater focus in every aspect of the athlete's
life. As a coach, I understand the necessity of getting
the best out of each athlete. However, there is a
healthy and constructive line that should not be
crossed. Hypnosis is one tool that gives the athlete
responsibility for their decisions, rather than
categorically taking it away from them. This may not
sit well with some coaching methodologies, but you
get more from an individual by treating them with
respect. If you want a con
fi
dent athlete then you need
a con
fi
dent and caring coach who supports the
athlete’s evolving self-possession.
The Hypnotherapy Session
I offer a free Zoom consult to make sure we are a
fi
t
for one another.
The
fi
rst session is a discussion of how hypnosis
works and how the hypnosis is to be integrated.
Following the introductory session, the subsequent
scheduled Zoom appointments last for about 50
minutes and the number of sessions depends on the

8. individual. I can typically cover what I need to do in 3
to 4 meetings.
The following are quotes from research studies and
analyses that speci
fi
cally address gymnastics, the
mental challenges of the sport, and the bene
fi
ts of
hypnosis in recovery:
Gymnastics: the courage, poise, tenacity of spirit,
and fearlessness
Seven sports medicine professionals were asked to
name the hardest summer Olympic sports. Four of the
seven experts named gymnastics the most demanding
sport in at least one of the categories: physical,
technical, and mental strength.
"There is a high level of risk with the elements, and
gymnasts are required to master balance, strength,
fl
exibility, and endurance of both upper and lower
extremities in order to achieve Olympic-level
greatness. They need an extreme level of focus to
perform dangerous stunts, even after a crushing fall,”
explains Dr. Kathleen Davenport, Director of
Physiatry at the Hospital for Special Surgery: Florida.

9. (Medaris, 2021)
Fear is a common feeling in gymnastics. Fear is
both expected and appropriate at times. In fact, as
gymnasts progress through the levels of their sport,
fear helps to keep a gymnast safe. Without a healthy
amount of fear, gymnasts may be attempting skills
that they are not physically, mentally or emotionally
ready to do safely.
However, fear becomes frustrating when it prevents a
gymnast from moving forward in the learning process.
Fear can develop after a fall or witnessing another
athlete fall. Fear can also develop when a gymnast is
not ready for the skill.

10. Needing to get UNSTUCK
Arguably, the most important step in fear prevention is
that the gymnast must feel emotionally safe
throughout the process. This means that the gymnast
needs to have a support system. Teammates, coaches,
parents and the gymnast themselves must be
supportive of their performance goals. The gymnast
needs to understand that they are not going to be
punished for making a mistake.
(Duarte, Carbinatto and Nunomura, 2015)
Gymnastics has one of the highest injury rates among
girls' sports, with almost 100,000 gymnasts injured
each year. Compared to 20 years ago, young athletes:
• Begin at earlier ages
• Spend more time practicing
• Perform more dif
fi
cult skills
Statistics on Common Gymnastics Injuries

11. 1. Most Olympic gymnastics injuries happen within
the lower limbs(63%) and trunk region(23%). The
more common injury types among Olympic
athletes include sprains(35%), tendon injuries or
overuse(17%), bruises(10%), and fractures(7%).
2. Nearly 61% of young gymnast injuries impact the
lower extremities, as compared to almost 23% of
injuries that target the upper body.
3. Among rhythmic gymnasts, common sports
injuries are more likely to occur within the
foot(38.3%), knees and lower legs(19.1%), and
the back(17%).
4. In NCAA gymnasts, the ankles(17.9%), Achilles
tendon and lower leg(13.6%), the trunk(13.4%),
and the foot(12.4%) are the most common injury
locations.
5. Trampoline gymnasts experience the most injuries
within their lower extremities(49.1%),
spine(32.3%), and upper extremities(18.6%).
More speci
fi
cally, the knee(19.9%), lower
back(16.8%), and ankle(15.5%) are most injured.
(University of Pittsburgh Medical Center(UPMC),
2022)

12. What Are Some of the Most Common Gymnastic
Injuries?
Because the upper body is used as a weight-bearing
joint in gymnastics, injuries to the shoulder, elbow,
and wrist are common and may include:
• Superior Labrum, Anterior-Posterior(SLAP)
Lesions in the Shoulder
• Elbow Dislocation
• Wrist Sprains
The most common gymnastics injuries to the lower
body involve the knee and ankle. Lower extremity
injuries usually result from the landing and dismount
activities and may include:
• Anterior Cruciate Ligament(ACL) Injury
• Achilles Tendon Injury
• Lower Back Injuries
(Jones and Wolf, 2022)

13. Hypnosis Can Reduce the Fears of Athletes
In gymnastics, fears are an obstacle to athletes’
training and competitions. At the same time, the fears
of an individual athlete may develop into a group
effect that makes it challenging to continue group
training. What is more, fears may lead to athletes’
thinking disorder, inability to concentrate, related
muscle tension, increased heart rate and breathing,
weakness of the limbs and even collapse(Xu and Cao,
2013).
These phenomena can cause distortions in the athletes’
movements, cause boredom for athletes in gymnastics,
and, in severe cases, accidents and injuries.
Fortunately, Dr. Reid’s study has shown that hypnosis
can relieve fear, stress, anxiety and can be used to help
in coping with panic disorder(Reid, 2017). This is
because hypnosis makes athletes relaxed and
hypnotists will use calming words to encourage them.
For instance, “you are safe despite your discomfort,”
and “you can control your mind.” The hypnotist will
also suggest ways for athletes to cope with their fears,
such as “taking deep breaths when you are afraid of
training makes you feel calmer.” In this way, hypnosis

14. provides athletes an ideal chance to learn how to
remain relaxed while facing these fears and
performing at the competitions.
(Li and Li, 2022), (Xu, and Cao, 2013), and (Reid,
2017)
Psychological Aspects of Injury In Gymnastics
Psychological interventions, such as mental skills
interventions, can both prevent injury and enhance
injury rehabilitation and return to sport. When
emotional disturbances and clinical issues (e.g., major
depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse,
trauma) are present, sports medicine professionals
should refer athletes to a quali
fi
ed mental health
professional. Dr. Shapiro’s book, Gymnastics
Medicine, addresses (a) psychological and
sociocultural antecedents of injury; (b) psychological
responses to injury; (c) psychological interventions
during rehabilitation; and (d) psychological aspects of
returning to gymnastics following injury. The referral
process to mental health professionals and
multidisciplinary treatment of the injured athlete are
also discussed.

15. (Shapiro, Bartlett, and Lomonte, 2019)
The Young Injured Gymnast: A Literature Review
and Discussion
Gymnastics is a sport requiring grace, strength, and
fl
exibility, resulting in a wide variety of injuries. This
journal article is an overview of the sport of
gymnastics and associated injury trends in the artistic
gymnastics population. Injury rates in gymnastics
range from 1.08 to 50.3 per 1000 hours of exposure.
More injuries occur in competition versus practice.
Fewer injuries occur in recreational gymnastics than
competitive gymnastics. The most common injury in
gymnastics occurs in the lower extremity, and is an
ankle sprain, followed by knee internal derangement.
However, in men’s Psychological Aspects of Injury In
Gymnastics, the most common gymnastics injury
occurs in the upper body, speci
fi
cally the shoulder.
The most common skills causing injury to a gymnast
are front/back handsprings and saltos/
fl
ips. Unique
injuries commonly seen when caring for the young
gymnast include— spondylolysis, osteochondritis
dissecans of the capitellum and talus, Gymnast wrist,
Grip lock, Osgood
‐
Schlatter, patellofemoral

16. syndrome, Sever’s disease, and ankle sprains. (Hart, et
al, 2018)
Fear of injury in gymnastics: self-ef
fi
cacy and
psychological strategies to keep on tumbling
The aim of this study was to examine female
gymnasts' fear of injury, their sources of self-ef
fi
cacy
and the psychological strategies used to overcome
their fears. The participants were 10 female gymnasts
aged 12 - 17 years. They had all taken part in
competitive gymnastics and had experienced some
type of injury during their careers. Individual
interviews were conducted using a structured
interview guide. Data were analysed using an
inductive content analysis. The results indicated that
gymnasts were most fearful of injuries because of the
dif
fi
culty in returning from an injury and being unable
to participate in practices and competitions while
injured. Gymnasts described aspects of their past
performance experience, such as success, consistency
and communication with signi
fi
cant others, as
important sources of self-ef
fi
cacy. Some examples of
psychological strategies used to overcome their fear of
injury were mental preparation(e.g. imagery,

17. relaxation), just "going for a skill," and the coaches'
in
fl
uence.
(Chase, Magyar, and Drake, 2005)
Enhancing the Visualization of Gymnasts
Visualizations under hypnosis enabled nationally
ranked Stanford male gymnasts to execute for the
fi
rst
time several complex tricks that they had been
working on for over a year. The gymnasts were able to
eliminate timing errors in the tricks, to increase
fl
exibility, and, possibly, to concentrate strength. The
rationale for the effectiveness of trance visualizations,
the induction and deepening strategies used, and the
effects are described. Also included is an example of
the use of a translator for the induction of a subject
with a minimal
fl
uency in English. Implications for
further use of hypnosis with athletes are suggested.
(Liggett and Hamada, 1993)
In closing, I am continuously amazed how these
young athletes pour their heart and soul into their

18. sport, day in and day out, 4 - 5 hours a day. Training
as hard as full-time professional athletes, with the
degree of dif
fi
culty increasing at each level of
achievement, the sport imposes a constant demand for
perfection.
It is also hard for parents watching their child
experiencing ongoing crippling fear about performing
reverse or backwards tumbling movements, such as,
back handsprings and back tucks on the
fl
oor or on the
beam.
When no form of encouragement, motivation, or pep
talks seem to work, hypnotherapy can be a positive
and productive intervention.
You can make an appointment by contacting me at
barryj@barryjones.com
References
Anbar, R. D. (2021). Changing children’s lives with
hypnosis: A journey to the center. Lanham, MD:
Rowman and Little
fi
eld.

19. Chase, M. A., Magyar, T. M., and Drake, B. M.
(2005). Fear of injury in gymnastics: self-ef
fi
cacy and
psychological strategies to keep on tumbling, Journal
of Sports Sciences(23)5: 465-475. Retrieved from:
DOI: 10.1080/02640410400021427
Duarte L.H., Carbinatto M.V., and Nunomura M.
(2015). Artistic gymnastics and fear: Re
fl
ections on
its causes, Science of Gymnastic Journal(7)3: 7-21.
Hart, E., Meehan, W. P., Bae, D.S., d’Hemecourt, P.,
and Stracciolini, A. (2018). The young injured
gymnast: A literature review and discussion, Current
Sports Medicine Reports(17)11: 366-375. Retrieved
from: doi: 10.1249/JSR.0000000000000536
Jones, G. L. and Wolf, B. R. (2022). Most common
gymnastic injuries, in University of Rochester
Medical Center, Sports Injury Medicine Department.
Society for Sports Medicine - American Orthopaedic
Society for Sports Medicine.
Li, S. X. and Li, Z. (2022). The application of
hypnosis in sports, Frontiers in Psychology(24).

20. Retrieved from: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/
10.3389/fpsyg.2021.771162/full
Liggett, D. R. and Hamada, S. (1993). Enhancing the
visualization of gymnasts, American Journal of
Clinical Hypnosis(35)3: 190-197. Retrieved from:
Taylor and Francis Online (2020) at: https://
www.tandfonline.com/author/
Liggett%2C+Donald+R: Original document at: DOI:
10.1080/00029157.1993.10403003
Medaris, A. (2021). The 3 hardest Olympics sports,
according to sports medicine experts, Health, Home,
Insider Incorporated. Retrieved from: https://
www.insider.com/the-3-hardest-olympic-sports-
according-to-experts-2021-7
Reid, D. B. (2017). Treating Panic Disorder
Hypnotically. American Journal of Clinical
Hypnosis(60): 137–148. Retrieved from: doi:
10.1080/00029157.2017.1288608
Shapiro, J. L., Bartlett, M. L., and Lomonte, L. E.
(2019). Psychological aspects of injury in gymnastics,
Gymnastics Medicine: Springer.

21. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center(UPMC),
(2022). Common gymnastics injuries: Treatment and
prevention, UMPC Sports Medicine. Retrieved 8 July
2022 from: https://www.upmc.com/services/sports-
medicine/for-athletes/gymnastics
Xu, Q. P. and Cao, B. J. (2013). An analysis of the
causes of low self-esteem and fear among athletes and
its countermeasures. Sports Time: 141.
The Gymnastic Mind Game