Golf Psychology Newsletter - April 2007 ------------------------------------------------ By Dr. Karl Morris www.golf-brain.com

THINKING ABOUT THINKING!

I saw a recent article by a sports psychologist which had the introduction detailing the importance of ‘correct thinking’. The article went on to mention how important it was to go through certain ‘procedural steps’ to become a more confident and efficient golfer.

Now, without wishing to completely dismiss the ‘art of thinking’ it has been my experience with some of the players I have worked with, that great golf is usually the result of an absence of thought, as opposed to excessive mental manipulation.

I am becoming more and more aware with the ever expanding popularity of sports psychology, of the dangers inherent in ‘thinking about our thinking’!!!

This situation is just another form of paralysis to be suffered by a new generation of golfers as opposed to the previous generation who were mostly ‘thinking about their swinging’!

Great art, great sport, great literature all has at its heart an element of inspiration and spontaneity and the ability to allow and trust our unconscious processes. In the seminars I hold around the country I often ask ‘what % of golf is mental?’ Answers fly back at me with numbers ranging from 20% to 95% and then with a touch of irony, I inform people that they are ALL WRONG!! Golf is not a mental game at all! It is a physical game played with a physical ball and a physical club.

HOWEVER, the mind does have the capability to GET IN THE WAY.

If you are working on your mental game or you feel now would be a good time to start, then be aware that you don’t fall into the trap of ‘over thinking’. Your mental routines should lead you in the direction of a game which is actually easier and more enjoyable. It is probably the game you played as a child but unfortunately as you became ‘more intelligent’ and adult, you began to think more and more. Connect back with that person inside you that used to play what I call ‘Nike Golf’….Just do it!

HYPNOSIS AND YOUR GOLF

The very word hypnosis often creates images of people clucking like chickens and believing that they can sing like Elvis Presley! It is unfortunate such a useful and practical tool has been given such a misrepresentation. My own personal interpretation of hypnosis is that it is a ‘communication with your unconscious mind’ or an ‘altered state’.

I firmly believe when Tiger is at his best, or anyone for that matter, they are in an altered state. If you haven’t experienced the power and practical application for sport of such a powerful tool then feel free to contact me by e-mail on info@golf-brain.com

In a fascinating recent study, researchers recruited 12 people with broken ankles who did not require surgery and who received the usual treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Half of the subjects received hypnosis afterwards - while the other half did not.

In order to achieve proper controls, "The same doctor applied the casts and other care, and the same radiologists took regular X-rays to monitor how well they healed. A radiologist who evaluated the X-rays did not know which patients underwent hypnosis."

"The result stood out like a sore ankle. Those who were hypnotized healed faster than those who were not. Six weeks after the fracture, those in the hypnosis group showed the equivalent of eight and a half weeks of healing." A full two weeks ahead of ‘normal’ schedules.

Proving that hypnosis can be useful in terms of injury recovery in sport as well as performance enhancement.

Over the coming weeks I will share with you some of the latest discoveries from the world of hypnosis along with new products and the opportunity to gain a Diploma in Sports Hypnosis in a 4 day course held in central Manchester, November 2007.

Visit www.golf-brain.com for further information on products and services by Dr Karl Morris.