What is the Mental Game in Archery?

If I had to put the mental game of archery into words it would be Grace Under Pressure. It’s how we perform when we’re under pressure in a competitive situation.

Every sport has a mental component; some more than others. Archery is one of those sports. Some even say it’s 90% mental. 

The reason it feels that way is because when we start to learn how to shoot a bow it’s a conscious mind activity. We concentrate on steps and form. At this time, you are fully involved with your conscious mind. Once we get good enough, we don’t have to think about what we are doing, so we stop accessing our conscious mind. The process becomes more of a subconscious mind activity. Once the subconscious mind takes over, the majority of the process, whatever is stowed away in the subconscious bubbles to the surface. So if there are beliefs, emotions such as anxiety, anger, insecurities to name a few, or negative beliefs about competition, we begin to feel them, and they get in the way of our shooting.   In the archery world, we call this target panic. 

Target panic is the subconscious way to show your conscious mind or to bring to your attention what is wrong. It’s basically your subconscious saying “Fix this please. I don’t like these feelings. Can you get rid of them?”

Now this is where all the misconceptions about target panic begin. People think target panic naturally comes from shooting a bow. That is just not true;  you're simply accessing more of your subconscious than you normally do in your waking state. While these feelings, emotions and patterns of behavior seem to come out of nowhere, they are actually tied to your past experiences with other things in life.  But most individuals blame these feelings on the bow or think they just are not cut out to be an archer. This is sad.  But this is where the art of archery comes in. Archery is about self mastery.  Mastering the mental part is an aspect of it, and maybe, the most important part.

So how do we release these mental obstacles? Entering the trance state through hypnosis gives us the ability to enter the subconscious mind and locate and release these emotions, beliefs, and anxiety that are getting in the way of your performance. At the same time, you enrich your life because archery problems are life problems. The problems you struggle with behind the bow are the same insecurities and frustrations that affect your day today. Anxiety, negative emotions, and negative beliefs can often hold us back from achieving what we want in all aspects of our lives. So by cleaning up your mental archery obstacles, you're cleaning up life problems. For example, let’s say you have problems with competition. You may shoot great in practice but when it comes to competition you fall apart. This may also show up as having problems with test taking or speaking up on the job or in important moments with relationships. Solving the problem behind the bow may also take care of these other anxieties. 

If you are having symptoms of target panic and want to get rid of it for good, look into hypnosis and discover your hidden potential. 

Healing from Toxic Relationships

 Are some of you in a toxic relationship?  Or maybe you just have left a toxic relationship and you can’t get that person out of your mind. No matter how hard you want to forget or let go of this certain situation, it just won’t leave you alone.

This is very common. Let's say your last boyfriend or girlfriend had narcissistic tendencies.This person was mean or cruel or just took advantage of you in some way. Not only were they mean at times, they may have cheated on you, violating your trust. Now even though you broke it off, they're still renting space for free in your head. 

This is not that unusual. When this happens, we often jump to the conclusion that we’re suffering from some kind of trauma, which is partially true. We think that eventually we will stop thinking about the situation with that person. But there’s more to it than that. Even if we replace the old relationship with a new one, you're not gaining ground because the reasons why you chose that partnership in the first place are still unresolved, which leads us to repeat the same mistakes over and over. 

You see your subconscious mind chooses your partners. That’s why you may be attracted to someone, and you don’t know why; this is because our subconscious is making our choices for us.  What the subconscious is trying to do is to find someone that will shine light on what needs work in your mind. The point of this is to find someone that you can grow and develop together with. Through this process you become stronger and woven together. It allows you perspective to get to know yourself and your partner better.

One of the primary functions of  the subconscious is to keep you safe. Therefore, it’s constantly improving itself.  When it knows there’s a problem, it will try to bring it to your attention so you can work on it. The only way it can  do this is by bringing certain people or characters into your life that can show you what is out of balance in your mind. This is information that we cannot access on our own, so the subconscious will bring experiences and people into your life to show you  what the hidden problems are. At this point where we are supposed to fix and address them. Most of us ignore this part. We think it was just a random situation. Until it keeps happening over and over. Even then we make assumptions, we say to ourselves “all men are narcissistic, or all women are crazy,” which leaves us victims to this never ending cycle. 

These events stem from early childhood situation’s and traumas. For example, if you had an alcoholic father/mother or an abusive father or mother, as any child would you naturally want to win that person's love and attention, even though he/she wasn’t capable of giving it. This kind of early childhood trauma makes us seek out a partner that can replicate this situation, in order to heal that old childhood wound. This is what keeps the person you're trying to forget or leave in a holding pattern in your mind.  Even if you don’t want them to be there. 

This type of issue can be rectified through hypnosis through letting go of these traumas from your past. Once they’re let go of you no longer need or require that problem character in your life.  This not only brings you to a place of indifference about the person, it also releases the need to recreate the situation. So the next partner you choose will not be the same. 

Hypnosis can free you of this baggage you desperately need to release. Helping you regain your confidence and personal power. This will help clear the way to the happiness you deserve.  Reach out today to see how hypnosis can help you.

Quit Today: Be a Non-Smoker Tomorrow

Are you tired of trying to quit smoking but always seem to fall back into the habit? Have you tried everything from nicotine patches to cold turkey and nothing seems to work? Well, have you ever considered hypnosis as a way to quit smoking?

Research has shown that hypnosis can be an effective tool in helping people quit smoking. According to a study published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, participants who received hypnosis were more likely to quit smoking than those who did not receive hypnosis.

Hypnosis works by accessing the subconscious mind and changing deeply ingrained patterns of behavior. Smoking is often a deeply ingrained habit, with smokers often associating smoking with certain emotions or situations. By accessing the subconscious mind, hypnosis can help break these associations and create new, healthier patterns of behavior.

There are significant health benefits when you quit. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, quitting smoking reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. Within just 20 minutes of quitting smoking, blood pressure and heart rate drop, and within 2-3 months, lung function improves.

By quitting smoking, you can also save a significant amount of money. This money can be put towards other important goals, such as paying off debt, saving for retirement, or taking a dream vacation.

Hypnosis is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It’s important to find a qualified hypnotherapist who specializes in smoking cessation. A skilled hypnotherapist can help you identify the root cause of your smoking habit and work with you to create a personalized plan to help you quit.

So, if you’re serious about quitting smoking, why not give hypnosis a try? With our help, you can break free from the grip of nicotine addiction, improve your health, save money, and improve the health of those around you. It’s a win-win situation that pays off in more ways than one. Reach out today for a free consultation: 732-406-3498

Hypnosis Helps Anxiety Go Away

Hypnosis is a technique that has been used for centuries to help individuals overcome various mental health issues. One area where hypnosis has been particularly effective is in the treatment of anxiety. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorder in the United States, affecting over 40 million adults each year. While traditional treatments such as medication and therapy can be helpful, they do not always work for everyone. Hypnosis offers an alternative approach that can be effective for many individuals struggling with anxiety.

Research has shown that hypnosis can be a useful tool in reducing anxiety symptoms. A study published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis found that hypnosis was effective in reducing anxiety levels in patients with generalized anxiety disorder. Another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis found that hypnosis was an effective treatment for patients with panic disorder.

Hypnosis works by helping individuals relax and focus their minds on positive thoughts and emotions. This can help to reduce anxiety and promote feelings of calm and relaxation. During a hypnosis session, the therapist will guide the individual into a state of deep relaxation, where they can access their subconscious mind and work through any underlying issues that may be contributing to their anxiety.

It is important to note that hypnosis should always be performed by a trained and licensed therapist. While hypnosis is generally considered safe, it is not recommended for individuals with certain mental health conditions such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

In conclusion, hypnosis can be an effective treatment for anxiety when performed by a trained professional. While more research is needed to fully understand its benefits and limitations, it is a promising alternative to traditional treatments for anxiety disorders. If you are struggling with anxiety, consider discussing the possibility of hypnosis with your healthcare provider.

Sources:

1. Hammond, D. C. (2010). Hypnosis for anxiety: A clinical review. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 58(2), 167-183.

2. Schoenberger, N. E., Kirsch, I., Gearan, P., Montgomery, G., & Pastyrnak, S. L. (1997). Hypnotic treatment for anxiety: Results of a randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 40(2), 109-120.

Hypnosis and Erectile Dysfunction (ED)

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common condition that affects millions of men worldwide. It is characterized by the inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse. While ED is often caused by physical factors such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes, it can also be linked to psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, or depression (1).

Hypnosis is a therapeutic technique that can help address the psychological factors associated with ED. By inducing a state of deep relaxation, hypnosis can help reduce anxiety and stress levels, which are known to be major contributors to ED (3). Furthermore, hypnosis can help men identify and address any negative thought patterns or beliefs that may be contributing to their ED (4).

In addition to addressing the psychological factors associated with ED, hypnosis can also help men improve their sexual confidence and performance. Through hypnotic suggestion, men can learn to visualize successful sexual encounters and develop a positive attitude towards sex (4).

While hypnosis is not a standalone treatment for ED, it can be a valuable complementary therapy for men looking to address the psychological factors that may be contributing to their condition. As always, it's important to consult with a qualified healthcare professional before trying any new therapies or treatments for ED (2).

Studies have shown that hypnosis can be effective in reducing anxiety and improving sexual function in men with ED (4). In one study, hypnosis was found to be as effective as medication in improving sexual function and satisfaction in men with ED (4). Another study found that hypnosis can help men overcome psychological barriers to sexual functioning, such as performance anxiety (4).

Overall, hypnosis can be a valuable tool for men looking to address the psychological factors associated with ED. By reducing anxiety and improving sexual confidence, hypnosis can help men achieve greater sexual satisfaction and improve their overall quality of life (5).

Sources:

1. Rosen RC, Cappelleri JC, Smith MD, et al. Development and evaluation of an abridged, 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) as a diagnostic tool for erectile dysfunction. Int J Impot Res. 1999;11(6):319-326. doi:10.1038/sj.ijir.3900472

2. Burnett AL. Erectile dysfunction. J Urol. 2006;175(3 Pt 2):S25-S31. doi:10.1016/s0022-5347(06)00300-5

3. Rhue JW, Lynn SJ, Kirsch I. Handbook of clinical hypnosis. American Psychological Association; 2010.

4. Coyle ME, Shergill SS. Erectile dysfunction and hypnosis. J Sex Med. 2014;11(4):1044-1051. doi:10.1111/jsm.12485

5. Brugnoli MP, Penati C, Calzà S, Villani R, Sacerdote P. Hypnosis as sole anaesthesia for skin tumour removal in a patient with multiple chemical sensitivity. Case Rep Med. 2013;2013:429081. doi:10.1155/2013/429081

Archery Talk 101 Podcast #74

Check out Joe’s latest podcast appearance and learn more about hypnosis can help you improve your archery game beyond just target panic.

Archery Talk 101 Podcast #74

Can’t Sleep?

Can’t Sleep?

Sleep! We all have enjoyed sleeping at some point in our lives. For a lot of us, however, this is not always the case . For some of us, sleep can be a very arduous experience. Just the thought of trying to fall asleep can throw you into a living nightmare. When we can’t sleep, we obsess over this fact. It causes panic in our minds dreading how you're going to feel the next day. A large part of the population have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep or just don’t get enough sleep. There are a wide range of sleeping problems. Some people can’t fall asleep because their minds won’t shut down. Others can’t stay asleep; they keep waking up over and over. Their sleep keeps getting disturbed by something they aren’t consciously aware of. Everyone is unique when it comes to this sleep phenomenon. 

Sleep Medicine

Out of desperation, many people that suffer from these types of issues usually take some kind of medication to help themselves sleep. Of course, once you go down that road it tends to throw your system out of balance and your body forgets how to go to sleep on its own. Left unchecked, this can grow into an even bigger problem.

Causes of Insomnia

To figure out what causes disordered sleep or insomnia, let’s consider what happens when your body goes to sleep. When you sleep, your subconscious becomes active resolving mental or emotional situations. Basically, your mind is processing the emotions and elements of your day and life. It’s hard at work trying to work out the unconscious stress in your system. This unconscious stress is often made up of a big trauma or a collection of smaller traumas that accumulated in your early days.

Stress and Sleep

These stresses are what wakes you up at night, disrupting your sleep cycles. These same stresses also cause teeth grinding and clenching. This is just your mind and body trying to process the stress in your system. This is why sleep is so critical for your health. If we can’t sleep, stress and emotion accumulate, which creates other problems. 

Hypnosis and Sleep

Fortunately, hypnosis can release the accumulated stress or forgotten memories that keep you up at night. This accumulated stress can be a big trauma like: a child waking up to find their house is on fire or many small less dramatic events like: being woken up by listening to your parents fighting. Simple unprocessed events like these, with enough emotional charge, can be played out over and over again as your subconscious mind is trying to let them go. This in itself is enough to disrupt your sleep cycles. 

Through hypnosis, these stored memories or traumas can be released once and for all and your quality of sleep you had when we’re young can be restored.

If you want to get back on track and sleeping well, give us as call.

Does your mind get in the way of your archery goals?

To answer this question, we have to think about what exactly is happening. People view the mind as something that gets in the way, and truthfully this is not the case. The mental aspect of shooting is not there to get in your way; it's there to help you. What occurs in your mind is just trying to clear the path for you to perform at your peak. How it does this is by bringing up the problems that exist within your mind because you don’t know they’re there. For example, let's say you have some anxiety that is lingering in your subconscious, you may know it’s there, or you may not. It may only show  up only in certain situations like behind your bow, as one form of target panic. 

We experience this as a problem because it gets in our way, but this is a good problem. Your mind places the obstacle in your way of creating the perfect shot, so that you can finally deal with it. It's showing you what’s in your way, so you have an opportunity to grow and be stronger. Working on your mental game is not an obstacle, it's a path to perfection. 

So let’s look at it in that light. Addressing the mental side of archery shouldn’t be avoided or suppressed; it is a natural tool to help us get better at our passion. So instead of ignoring the mental aspects of shooting, we should pay attention to what it is showing us and start the work there.

Personalized Solutions to Target Panic

Why is Target Panic so mysterious? I see a lot of people that are trying to help others, with their systems to help get rid of target panic. The problem with this is target panic is different for everyone. You may have a similar problem like holding low, or you can’t get to full draw or maybe you can’t hold long enough to get a good sight picture. While the form of target panic may be the same, everyone has different underlying reason why this is happening. This is why one size doesn’t fit all. 

A system will work for some and help in the short term; however, you usually end up with a lifetime struggle with this problem. You need to fix the problem where it lives in the mind–you need to remedy that underlying reason. Laying a system over a problem only works as long as the system is maintained or as long as your brain doesn’t catch on. Once the brain catches on, all bets are off.

Target panic has to be addressed on an individual basis. Remember your brain is trying to help you fix a problem that has been in your mind long before you picked up your bow.  For instance, maybe you had an anxious moment that happened a long time ago. This  feeling is now hidden in your subconscious. Now when you shoot your bow that feeling of anxiety is brought to the surface because It stands in the way of your shot being perfect. This is your personal  form of target panic. The way this feeling was brought to life is personal to you. This is the situation that needs to be fixed or let go of. Once in hypnosis this moment can be resolved, the anxiety goes away and the target panic disappears for good.

On a subconscious level, you picked this sport in order to better yourself. Archery is about self mastery; you master the bow, then the physical aspects of your shot, and then the mental aspect of shooting and competition. And most people agree that the mental aspects of archery are 95% of the challenge. 

Do yourself a favor and stop looking for answers outside of yourself. Changing equipment and or method won’t give you what you are looking for. If you want to stop this problem, change your mind!  The mind is not such a mystery once you understand how it works. Hypnosis is one of the fastest ways to bring peace to the conflicts we all carry within ourselves. So unlock the mystery of your personal target panic with hypnosis. 

Don't Shoot Junk: Protect Your Archery Mental Game

Do you believe that practice makes perfect?  Well, it’s true; the more we do something the better we get at it–our brain programs itself to the activity.  So the more you do something, the more your brain builds the neural network that supports that activity. This is why over time we don’t have to try to remember the correct  way to shoot; it just happens. 

The problem is that the networks we make are very friendly.  They make friends with any network that’s in the neighborhood. This can be a good thing or bad. It all depends on whether or not you use this knowledge to your advantage.

How Many Arrows a Day Should You Shoot?

Imagine your average practice session; right now, you can make 50 great shots before you get tired or your mind starts to wander. But instead of stopping, you keep going–shooting 100 arrows to finish the session as planned. 

But what did you just program your brain to do? Instead of stopping with the 50 good arrows, you over-rode the good arrow programming the last 50 arrows shot when you were tired or distracted.  

How to Practice Archery

If you only can shoot 50 good shots and then your shot starts to break down, you need to stop there. If you think in order to be competitive, you need to shoot 100-150 a day to get better, even if you aren’t at that level of quantity and quality yet, you will end up polluting your neural network with tired, weak, or distracted shots. You will be teaching your brain to accept less than stellar arrows.

Program Your Archery Mindset

This bad arrow programming corrupts your shot and slows your learning process down or over complicates it. Once there, then it takes effort to sort it out. 

The goal here is to develop a strong neural network.  The stronger network the less effort it takes to access it. The shot becomes more and more effortless. 

Protect Your Archery Mental Game

This is why it is so important to stay positive and practice only your best shooting. You don’t want to damage your established network. You want to keep it simple. It’s just about keeping integrity with yourself. Know your limits. Push them but don’t over do it, be kind to yourself and release self- judgment. This will make your practice more enjoyable and accelerate your development.  So keep your shots good and don't shoot junk.

What is Target Panic?

Understanding Target Panic

In today’s video, we go over the roots causes of target panic in archery.

Want to win? Or Need to Win?

When we are getting ready to compete in archery, we all have an intention to win or at least to better our score. You don’t go to an archery competition to lose. You don’t wake up that day saying to yourself, I think I will come in dead last today. No, we wake up with the intention that we want to shoot our best. That in itself is enough energy to take you to the podium. Wanting it more than that only gets in the way. A good archer's mind needs to maintain a state of balance or equilibrium, and needing something in itself is an imbalanced state to begin with. 

This is the difference between wanting to win and needing to win. When you want to win, you're just embracing the nature of competition. That's what makes it fun. When you need to win, you are being driven by an unknown reason.  This reason pulls you out of that critical and necessary balance we need to execute a clean shot. This reason is not part of your true nature. Sometimes this reason can simply come from just being part of a big family, where you had to fight for attention at a young age. It also can come from insecurity or always feeling left out. Whatever the reason, you weren’t born competitive; you learned it somewhere. A very small percentage of people can make this work for them. For most of you, needing to win gets in the way. 

Archery only requires 100% effort. If you give it 101%, you're trying too hard, and your shot will be forced. The way to get the balance restored is to give up the need to win. 

Fortunately, this can be achieved through hypnosis.  Finding the hidden reason why the need to win is not as hard as you think it is. Once in the hypnotic state, the subconscious opens which allows you to access the stories or stored information that your mind is built on. This information is what drives all of your behaviors and spontaneous emotional reactions to your world. Once there, the information is easily found. Now adjustments can be made, and the behaviors and emotional reactions disappear. You are left with one less obstacle to deal with and more control over your life. Now that you don’t need to win you can easily maintain mental composure. Coming from this new place of greater control and focus, competition becomes graceful, making your journey to your position on the podium much more enjoyable.  

If you would like to return to only wanting to win, reach out today to see how we can work together to make that happen.

No More Nerves: Make Archery Easy

We all feel nerves when we go into a competition. But did you ever ask yourself where this feeling comes from? Where does the feeling of pressure come from? It’s not like they have special machines that make it. The truth is that we each create our own nerves and pressure at archery competitions. It is not some kind of mythical phenomenon. We do it to ourselves; it's just a societally expected occurrence. But the sad thing is that we feel like we just have to deal with it. 

So if we make this up, we can turn it off. The reason this happens is because we learned how to do it at some point. As a young child, you didn’t know what performance pressure and nerves were. At some point in your early developmental stages, you experienced it, and it imprinted.  That memory is still alive in your subconscious. This is why you feel it now. 

Through hypnosis, we can revisit these early critical childhood moments and make some changes, re-creating the moment without the pressure or nerves. By recreating this process with a new outcome, the recorded information is revised. So now when you go to a competition, the recorded information that tells you how to be nervous doesn’t exist. So now you are free to focus on your shooting and to enjoy the experience. 

Hypnosis can help you at every stage of your archery game; give us a call if you want to talk about how it can work for you.

Get Your Head Out of Your Game!

We all know a noisy mind is problematic when trying to create the perfect archery shot . A popular way of trying to remedy this is to say some kind of phrase or mantra while executing your shot. This is designed to give your mind something to focus on so it’s not so out of control. This is true if you focus on one thing it will minimize some of the noises for a little while. The problem is you’re using effort and mental energy that you could be applying to your shot.

Most people think a quiet mind is a difficult thing to achieve if not impossible. This is mostly because how often do you come across a situation when you need to do this. We never give ourselves the opportunity to stop long enough to even think about this happening. When you live in a world where your conscious mind/thinking mind never turns off, you can’t expect it to shut off on demand. 

So what can we do? One simple technique is to switch your mind's focus from a thinking state to a feeling state.  A thinking state is when you are thinking, and your mind is very active, filled with dialogue, what I call self-talk. A feeling state is when you engage in a physical sensation (but only feel), without judgment or evaluation. This may appear hard at first. But it is a very natural occurrence. It happens all the time. When we feel or touch something in that moment our mind gets quiet for a quick second. Then we evaluate what we touched. This is where the thinking mind comes back on line. So all you have to do is hangout in the feeling part. This is the moment before the evaluation starts. 

How to apply this is simple once you slip into the shot execution part of your process you just feel the sensation of the push pull of your bow. As long as you just feel it and not judge it, your mind will turn off. This happens because your mind cannot be in a feeling state and a thinking state at the same time. 

Seeing how this is something you do all the time even though you don’t notice it. You can master it quickly and stop the noisy chatter cold. 

If you have questions about this don’t hesitate to reach out to me at 732-406-3498.

Stop Managing Target Panic. Fix it!

Why is the mental game so challenging? The mental game is challenging because we don’t understand it. We think we’re limited in correcting the mental challenges that we have and believe we have to live with them. A good example of this is when you find yourself beginning to punch your release. Then you change your release out for a backup with different timing. It’s common for archers that do this to have several releases in their release bag. In our minds, we think this is just the way I shoot and it’s our only option. This is far from the truth. Through hypnosis, we can reach the source of these problems finding out where the anxiety or inpatients comes from. 

Archery is a Mental Game

A big part of the problem is that we don’t know why or where the conflict comes from. What I mean by this is let’s say you know you have some kind of target panic. You're finding that you're getting more and more jumpy behind the arrow. The first thing you ask yourself is why is this happening, or where is this coming from? This wasn’t happening last week. As the emotion builds, it takes your focus away from what you are trying to accomplish. Now your arrows spray all over the target. What do you do? Not knowing where to start leaves you with an impossible task: how do I fix something if I don’t know what it is? Your only option is to manage it in some way. 

Fix your Brain, Fix your Game

The problem is the archery Industry has many ways to attempt to fix this phenomenon. But the approach out there is executed in a physical way, and we all know only a small percentage of archery is physical. The problem with this type of approach is that target panic is a mental problem!  It needs to be addressed in the mind. The proof is that the archers that say they have dealt with it in the physical manner will admit that they still have to deal with it from time to time when it shows back up. Even some of the top Pros that offer advice on methods to help with this look at it as something that comes and goes. If it still keeps popping up, if  it is not dealt with. 

You don’t Have to Manage Target

The good news is that this does not have to be a lifelong problem. The reason you are having this kind of problem is because there is something in your subconscious that is causing it and your subconscious wants to get rid of it. Through hypnosis, we can find out why and what that is and get rid of it once and for all. The end result is that the mental challenges go away forever. There is no need for endless hours of repetition. After all, archery is all about self mastery.  This means mastering the physical as well as the mental aspects of yourself. 

Hypnosis Helps All Archers

These are just some examples of problems that can show up in your mental game. From my perspective the best way to master the mental game is to eliminate it, or decrease its size. Fortunately, hypnosis can unlock these mental mysteries and eliminate the unknown distractions that are hardwired in your subconscious.  Restoring the precious focus needed to be a successful archer.

It's Time to Quit Smoking

Determined to Quit Smoking

Let’s face it.  It's hard to quit smoking. If it were easy, most  people would have kicked it by now. Many of you that have already made up your mind to quit smoking in 2021.  If your  efforts have led you to a point of frustration, and you're still determined to quit, don't give up. There is another way. 

Hypnosis Helps People Quit Smoking

Hypnosis can help you quit, sometimes in  one afternoon. The process is not as mysterious as you think. We are led to believe that quitting the chemical pull of nicotine is really hard. But the truth is, all the chemicals leave your body within 24 hours of stopping.  

The hard part about quitting is giving up the reason why you smoke. The reason you started smoking is the real reason you are still smoking. Through hypnosis, we can find the reason you smoke, the reason why you started all that time ago. In most cases, the reason you started was you were just trying to fit in, you were bored, or you were just trying to be cool. That reason may mean nothing to you now.  But that reason is still alive in your mind.

Letting Go of Cigarettes For Good

Once we have illuminated the reason, we can make the necessary changes to let that reason go. Once that reason is gone, there is no need to smoke anymore.  This comes with no withdrawals and no physical discomfort. You simply are indifferent about smoking. You could care less. 

With hypnosis, you can finally give up the struggle to quit and just stop.  Reach out today to see how hypnosis can work for you.

A Natural Way to Heal Anxiety

Cures for Anxiety?

Anxiety is one of those things that we are taught is something that is not easily gotten rid of. We are led to believe that it’s an arduous mystery that needs to be unraveled. Most of the time, doctors and therapists present medication as the only option to help us cope/manage the feelings. But when you think about this, the medication only masks the anxiety and never fixes the problem. So you end up never getting real help and carrying the problem for too long.

Alternative Treatment for Anxiety

So what’s the alternative? Hypnosis provides a method to remove anxiety from the mind once and for all. This is possible because anxiety isn’t something that comes out of nowhere; it's a learned behavior that was acquired sometime in your early days when your mind was just developing. For example, when you’re young and experience the first day of school, filled with anxiety about meeting new people and the unknown. Spontaneously in that moment, this  experience is recorded in the subconscious with an anxious feeling. Now that it’s stored there, your adult mind keeps referring to it as a useful piece of information: new experiences equal anxiety. Subsequently, when a similar situation shows up, like meeting new people or doing something for the first time, you feel anxious about it, and you don’t know why. 

A Natural Way to Stop Anxiety

What’s happening is your adult mind is just referring to its stored information, and if that information has an anxiety component, you will respond anxiously.   But with hypnosis you can shift your initial perception of that experience from your youth and release that piece of programming your brain held on to. In trance during hypnosis, we can go back to the moment that you learned the behavior and change your perception of it taking the anxious feeling out of it. The result is when you meet new people or find yourself in a new situation you will no longer feel anxious.

This works for a variety of anxiety triggers that you may not even know your brain picked up along the way.  Discovering the starting point, and removing the negative emotional charge associated with them, helps you live anxiety free.

Reach out today if you want to know more and to find out if you are a good candidate for this life changing process. Safe, socially distant in-person or online appointments available.

Three Reasons Why You Punch--And How to Fix it

Using a mechanical release can be challenging; sometimes those challenges have nothing to do with the actual release or body mechanics. Certain personality traits may contribute to a release going off prematurely. 

The first one would be anxiety. If you are an anxious person, you may find yourself so distracted by the uncomfortable anxious feeling that you can’t hold the shot long enough to properly aim and settle in. Even if you don’t suffer from anxiety in your day to day, you can have anxiety about competition or performance that will produce  the same effect. 

The second one is impatience. Some people are more patient than others;  those of you who don’t seem to have a lot of patience will find that shooting mechanical release may be difficult. Because we all know the proper way to execute a mechanical release is to wait for it to go off. If you are always in a hurry, this may be challenging.  

The third one is control. If you're that person that always needs to govern over every moment of your life, you may not get to the level of accuracy that is needed to be competitive through command shooting the release. Although there are some people who have seemed to master this technique, they do it because they have no choice the only way they can execute the releases is by a method of complete control. They’ve adapted to their lack of options. 

So what do we do? Everything I’ve mentioned above seems unfixable. People seem to accept these types of behaviors by saying that's just how I shoot and then go on to manage it in all types of different ways. A quick example of this is having four releases in your pouch just to manage an anxiety problem.

Everything I have mentioned can be changed through hypnosis. The three examples I mentioned are learned behavior not part of your personality. Somewhere along the way, you adopted these behaviors for one reason or another. We are not born inpatient, anxious or needing to control everything. These are byproducts of experiences from the past. Most of these concepts are adopted in your early days. This is why you think it’s part of your personality because you’ve always been that way as long as you can remember.

Reasons for these behaviors are usually different for everyone. All it takes is an anxious moment during the early stages of a child’s development, when the subconscious is being built between the ages of 1 to 10. A simple moment like the first day of school, the first time at bat--these don’t seem like big events, but in a young mind, they can seem like the end of the world if they don’t go according to plan. It’s moments like this where a young person cultivates a feeling that may dictate their behavior for the rest of their lives. Through hypnosis, we can revisit these moments and make adjustments that neutralize anxiety, find the reasons for the impatience, and let go of the need to control. 

The outcome is only having one release in your pouch an no longer having to manage emotion that pulls your attention away from your shot. This frees up your mind which gives you the opportunity to tap more of your potential and rediscover the joy that you experienced when you first started shooting archery.

Slow X Podcast

Joe had the pleasure of talking with Nikki Haverstock on the Slow X Podcast about archery and hypnosis.

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A 90% Mental Game--How Will You Train?

The majority of people out there have some form of limiting beliefs.  These are ideas like “I am not good enough,”“ I never win,” or “I am good in qualifications but I never win eliminations.” Basically, they are any type of idea that puts you in a box with a statement that has a negative outcome. Saying I never win is pretty much you telling yourself not to win. These negative thoughts are usually wrapped around something you care about or take personally. The problem with these negative thoughts or limiting beliefs is that we start to  believe them. The more you repeat these thoughts and sayings, the more they get integrated into your mind. 

This is why all books on the mental game say you must stay positive. The problem is if you don’t want to think these thoughts, and you still do, how do you stop? 

This is where hypnosis comes in. If you keep hearing this type of dialogue in your head, it has to come from somewhere. It usually comes from an event or circumstance that happened a long time ago, typically an experience that you have forgotten about probably because you were very young at the time. These types of situations are very common. We all have had experiences and bumps in the road when we were little. It just depends on the circumstances and emotional charge the event held at the time. This time in our lives that I speak of is before the age of 10. Before the age of 10, our subconscious is under construction and we have not developed our conscious mind yet. This is that time when the young children take everything in. They are like little sponges; they just suck everything up. After the age of 10 the conscious mind begins to be developed. This is when you notice your children begin to have opinions.

Through hypnosis we can rework the framework of the subconscious changing the beliefs and ideas that are stored there. It is as simple as revisiting the moment that you experienced when you were young  and then look at it in a more rational way.  This is easily done when an individual is in a hypnotic state.

You may wonder how we find the problem ideas or thoughts. These ideas and thoughts are actually tied to the thoughts that you’re struggling with. So beginning with the negative thought forms is a great place to start. Once these thoughts are cleaned up the noise in your mind quiets down and you go from limitations to limitless. 

This is how hypnosis can give you a great advantage in a sport like archery. If you ask anyone they will tell you that archery is 90% mental so by conquering the mental side of this sport you are way ahead of your competition.