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    Performance Counseling

    You and I will work together typically weekly, to help you learn, use, and develop specific mental strategies to help you perform at your very best. Sometimes barriers come up that get in our way of being our best. Being a Certified EMDR therapist, well versed in using somatic approaches as well, will help you get back on track as quickly as is possible. Just as in High Performance Coaching – Mindfulness is one of the techniques used which will promote your psychological growth and transformation.You and I will work together typically weekly to help you learn, use, and develop specific mental strategies to help you perform at your very best.

    Trauma

    What we know from a neurobiological point of view is that an injury is physiological trauma. Yep, an injury is a physiological trauma – and it is stored in the nervous system of the body. If left unresolved it may contribute to delayed healing, negative thoughts about self, difficult emotions, and difficulty returning to sport with the same tenacity you had before.

    This is where the body-based therapies such as EMDR, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and/or Brainspotting, I use go to work. We will help you release any stored trauma so when your doctor says you are ready to perform physiologically, you will be ready emotionally, too!

    Anxiety

    Anxiety is simply a dys-regulation of the nervous system (hyper-arousal). Doesn’t feel so simple, though does it?!

    For some, anxiety gets so bad they almost feel like they’re having a heart attack. For others, it may present only during competition–a case of the “butterflies” or “choking” under pressure.

    Learning techniques to re-frame nervousness or using the nervousness to help your performance will work wonders. However, when anxiety persists over time, it may be a bit more difficult to use the simple tools of Cognitive Behavior therapy. The power-tools I use can help restore a sense of balance so your performance can shine through!

    Tired of being a slave to stress and anxiety? Give me a call!

     Depression

    Depression is also a dys-regulation of the nervous system (hypo-arousal). This looks different for everyone. For some, it’s a feeling of being withdrawn, low energy, or irritability. Others may experience it as more “numb” or “shut down.”

    One athlete I worked with said it felt like she was dragging her body through mud all the time both emotionally and physically. Many performers manage depressive symptoms through performing only struggling during off-season, or it may really kick in when injured.

    I use strategies to help the nervous system regulate and also address the thinking distortions that go along with the feelings of depression. Contact me for more information.

    Self-Defeating Negative Behaviors

    A baseball player I was working with once was really disgusted with himself because he couldn’t seem to stop chewing tobacco and drinking too much. He knew he was a role-model for others younger, and he wanted to honor that role.

    We worked to find ways to help him balance his nervous system to help him get used to a “new normal” without using tobacco and/or alcohol.

    From a neuro-biological perspective, using substances in the beginning is about trying to manage either hypo- or hyper-aroused nervous system. Common statements I hear that confirm this: “just one drink to take the edge off,” “alcohol allows me to socialize,” “chewing tobacco helps me feel up,” “using PEDs gives me the edge I need.”

    What ends up happening, however, is the desired effect that is chemically induced by using (drugs, including PEDs and tobacco, alcohol, food, gambling, shopping) gets harder and harder to achieve. We begin using more or doing it more until one day we don’t know how to get through a day without it.

    If you’re ready to get your life back, contact me so we can get you started!