Clinical Hypnosis with a Little League Baseball Population: Performance Enhancement and Resolving Traumatic Experiences

Abstract

A model for the use of clinical hypnosis with a Little League population was proposed and outlined with dual emphasis: performance enhancement and resolving traumatic experiences. The Performance Enhancement Training Model was developed to enhance performance with this non-patient population. It employed clinical hypnosis to bring to fruition recommendations made by coaches to enhance players' batting proficiency. The second emphasis of the proposed model focused on the resolution of involuntary maladaptive habits secondary to a traumatic experience that impede or compromise optimum performance. Included in this category were detrimental defensive habits “at the plate” after a beaming by a pitch and detrimental defensive habits “on the field” after being hit by a batted ball.

Key Words:

• Hypnosis for performance enhancement
• baseball
• Little League
• hypnosis for sport injuries
• pediatric hypnosis
• hypnosis with non-patients
• maladaptive habits secondary to an injury
• the Performance Enhancement Training Model