Sports psychology?

[bip]

I’m hoping some of you have used a sports psychologist and might be willing to answer some questions. How did you find the practitioner? Was the person an actual psychologist, or a trainer with that specialty? And if they were a psychologist, did they specialize in equine sports, or were they a general sports psychologist? Were they local, or did you do over the phone/video visits? And how often did you work with them and for how many sessions? Did you get out of it what you were hoping to get? And is there something you would do differently next time?

I’m having some obnoxious fear issues that are getting in the way of my achieving some very modest goals, or at least making the path more scary than it needs to be. I’ve gone about as far as I can with books and CDs and now I’m thinking I need more personalized help.

[Joan_from_Flatlands]

I absolutely LOVE Andrea Waldo / Stress-less Riding presentations and sports psych coaching. She has a book too - Brain Training for Riders. What I really appreciate about her approach is that she is an eventer / active competitor and coach. We had her speak to our students a couple times and was really useful - not just from a competitve standpoint but also dealing w real life crap outside riding!

[CHT]

I really like the book “Rein in your Brain”. At the end of each section there are a list of questions and activities to work on.

I like it because as well as helping on its own, it also touches on different modalities to further address anxiety, so it might help you better understand what you feel will help you so you can better find a practitioner to further help. Further it addresses things I would have never considered to be a reason for anxiety.

[Hilary]

Another vote for Andrea. She was a therapist before changing careers to work with horses full time. She helped me with some fear issues developed after riding some snotty horses.

[Blugal]

Yes I would recommend this! You have identified a very real issue and talking to a sports psych would definitely help!

I found one through word of mouth. Initially I did a Skype meeting because he wasn’t local. But there is likely someone local you can find too, and it shouldn’t matter if they have equine experience. They will have tools to work through fear and setbacks regardless.

I have also worked over the phone with someone I knew and trusted. I would not do that for a first session if I had a choice though.

Ask around for a recommendation. If you have trouble try Abigail Lufkin who is a former upper level evented. Also Daniel Stewart is always sending emails through USEA.

Lastly I have subscribed to Rezone Coaching on Facebook. She has a book with a forward by Carlotte Dujardin so that was a good reference! She does weekly videos which you can replay, and addresses a few topics each time. I know there was a fear topic recently.

Best to you, you will figure this out!

[Viva]

Hi, I’m Andrea, who Joan and Hilary recommended. I’m happy to help if you like–you can find me at stresslessriding.com–but regardless of who you choose, I’d encourage you to work with someone who is actually trained as a therapist or psychologist (it doesn’t have to be a sports psych degree specifically). Some performance coaches who are quite popular aren’t actually formally trained in psychology. That’s fine when you’re just working on enhancing performance, but if you’re dealing with genuine fear issues, some popular techniques such as “affirmations” can actually damage rather than improve your confidence. It helps if the person understands horses, but it’s more important that they understand how anxiety and fear operate in the brain and the body. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions.

[bip]

Thanks, Viva. I will be in touch soon!

[Foxtrot_s]

^^^ditto - I definitely recommend getting help from a sports psychologist. They do not need to be specifically for your sport. First clinician I went to was the sports psychogist for the Canadian men’s tennis team and I got a lot of help from him. While my physical ability did not necessarily change much, my confidence in myself did and my scores went up considerably when nerves and other issues improved.

[RizenPhoenix09]

@bip I am currently pursuing my PsyD and plan to specialize in sports psychology for equestrians. I spent the better part of 30 years teaching and training and that passion turned me on to becoming a psychologist. I agree with @Viva that you should find someone who is trained specifically as a counselor. Working in person or not is something that is a personal preference. Some individuals are more comfortable when they can interact face to face and receive immediate feedback visually, etc. Others are fine simply talking through issues without the need to meet in person. Whatever you prefer is what will be best for you. I do think finding someone with a background in horses will help you move through your fears or issues in a way that makes sense. My experience is that it can be hard for some laymen to translate non-horse world ideas into concepts that feel relevant or useful when you are at the barn.

Good luck and kick on!