I do pro bono coaching at my local rugby club. This is not only a pleasure but also good practice and a chance to give back to current and emerging players in the game, the benefits of what I have learnt about performance since I ceased to be a player myself.
The ongoing problems are (a) not enough training time to be able to even talk about mental preparation even at a medium level, (b) the side that actually plays matches contains probably a third of people who did not attend the previous training session. Its no surprise that the players who make the greatest number of errors are the ones not at training. Its no surprise that the players with (arguably) the weakest levels of emotional intelligence are the ones not at training.
The argument should be "then drop them".... but we are hamstrung by being in a very strong league and less conditioned or technical players would be just swept away by the opposition. So - a dilemma that is being compounded week in week out.
For this week's training session I have asked all players from Saturday's 1st XV to come to the session with some thought as to what they want to work on at the session, rather than I impose my pre-planned session upon them. Time will tell!!
The Wright Way
Monday, November 2, 2009
Resurrection
At last I've finally been able to get round to getting the Blog going once more.
Much has changed for me over the last 18 months, both in circumstances, daily routines and (above all) experience and knowledge.
The hope is now that I can post regular comments, thoughts, findings and updates.
All I need is the bearwithal from everyone!
PW
Much has changed for me over the last 18 months, both in circumstances, daily routines and (above all) experience and knowledge.
The hope is now that I can post regular comments, thoughts, findings and updates.
All I need is the bearwithal from everyone!
PW
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Parts Integration and Unconscious Communication
Sometimes, you don't have opportunities to enter into a specific and formal use of parts integration to resolve issues, and with these two examples I found that just through conversation the subjects were able to deal with matters that had become mental blocks for them.
Often our unconscious drives certain actions or thoughts and emotions that we would like to overcome but find hard to surmount. In these cases while the conversation was noticeably on a level with their conscious, there was a level of sufficient unconscious communication to be suitably therapeutic. We often don't realise how much we are doing in terms of unconscious dialogue and become agreeably surpised at the outcomes. Parts Integration is a powerful and very useful technique, and for these two cases the mere acknowledgement of a part of them that was truly valid, was being protective and had their best interests at heart, was sufficient to allow their OWN inner resources to clear a path for them to go forward.
1. Prior to my mother having a stroke over a year ago, she was a very active and accomplished artist. Although she recovered the use of her dominant hand to be able to write letters etc she felt unable to return to painting. This was a mixture of perfectionism (the quality of output would never be as good as pre-stroke), pain in parts of the affected hand, level of feeling or numbness in the affected fingers, physical and mental stamina to sit for periods at the easel. Weeks and months went by and the in-built resistance was always there. To be fair, even I began to feel that she would never lift a brush again - although I always maintained a belief that she would be able to carry on. We often have lengthy conversations and I'm mindful of taking these opportunities for "subtle therapy"; there is no way I could manage formal therapy with her due to skepticism and resistance! Very recently I alluded to that part of her that was resistant and not yet ready to make the changes and allow her to start painting again, and that it was understood that it was very important to that part of her to continue to protect her from the consequences of all those reasons. And that there would come a time when that part of her would be ready to allow all the changes to take place, and that all the parts of her would know and recognise when that time had come. Within a few days of this conversation she rang to say she had done some painting, and when I saw later what she had done I was amazed at how good it was, given that she had not held a paintbrush for over a year.
2. I was working with a regular client - a young cricketer - whose feet suddenly started backing away from deliveries from a bowling machine that were swinging in to him. This was half way through a session, and these were movements he had not done for well over 9 months regular work with me. After about 5 minutes of this, and some obvious frustration, he eventually missed a ball and was struck on the leg in an unprotected area. It was painful for him. Once recovered sufficiently I talked with him about adjustments I might make on the machine - but I also said there was clearly a part of him today that was now taking centre stage and, for protective reasons, was making him (or driving his foot movements) back away from the ball. This part of him clearly felt it had valid reasons for doing this and that it would carry on resisting for as long as it felt was necessary. I'm happy to say that with minor changes on the machine - which were subsequently cancelled out - he immediately returned to being the player he had developed into and that part of him that was in conflict with the rest was suitably "put to bed once more". He was as happy as a sand-boy at having put the gremlins behind him as quickly as they had become manifest, and I pointed out that the mind is sometimes as resistive or as co-operative as it wants to be, and that this is all part of what he was, is and will be. The secret is respecting all those parts and making them function as a whole as often as is possible.
I was delighted at this outcome, and the instant eradication of the presenting problem. I often use conversational means of facilitating unconscious communication as I know how well it works. I've had great success with a variety of reframes for players who have been plagued by negative movements that blight their techniques and sometimes they can't really believe what's happening to them.
As far as Parts Integration is concerned, I'm always amazed at the ability of the unconscious mind to effect changes and that quite often all one needs to do is acknowledge the integrity of the unconscious.
Gouroux
Often our unconscious drives certain actions or thoughts and emotions that we would like to overcome but find hard to surmount. In these cases while the conversation was noticeably on a level with their conscious, there was a level of sufficient unconscious communication to be suitably therapeutic. We often don't realise how much we are doing in terms of unconscious dialogue and become agreeably surpised at the outcomes. Parts Integration is a powerful and very useful technique, and for these two cases the mere acknowledgement of a part of them that was truly valid, was being protective and had their best interests at heart, was sufficient to allow their OWN inner resources to clear a path for them to go forward.
1. Prior to my mother having a stroke over a year ago, she was a very active and accomplished artist. Although she recovered the use of her dominant hand to be able to write letters etc she felt unable to return to painting. This was a mixture of perfectionism (the quality of output would never be as good as pre-stroke), pain in parts of the affected hand, level of feeling or numbness in the affected fingers, physical and mental stamina to sit for periods at the easel. Weeks and months went by and the in-built resistance was always there. To be fair, even I began to feel that she would never lift a brush again - although I always maintained a belief that she would be able to carry on. We often have lengthy conversations and I'm mindful of taking these opportunities for "subtle therapy"; there is no way I could manage formal therapy with her due to skepticism and resistance! Very recently I alluded to that part of her that was resistant and not yet ready to make the changes and allow her to start painting again, and that it was understood that it was very important to that part of her to continue to protect her from the consequences of all those reasons. And that there would come a time when that part of her would be ready to allow all the changes to take place, and that all the parts of her would know and recognise when that time had come. Within a few days of this conversation she rang to say she had done some painting, and when I saw later what she had done I was amazed at how good it was, given that she had not held a paintbrush for over a year.
2. I was working with a regular client - a young cricketer - whose feet suddenly started backing away from deliveries from a bowling machine that were swinging in to him. This was half way through a session, and these were movements he had not done for well over 9 months regular work with me. After about 5 minutes of this, and some obvious frustration, he eventually missed a ball and was struck on the leg in an unprotected area. It was painful for him. Once recovered sufficiently I talked with him about adjustments I might make on the machine - but I also said there was clearly a part of him today that was now taking centre stage and, for protective reasons, was making him (or driving his foot movements) back away from the ball. This part of him clearly felt it had valid reasons for doing this and that it would carry on resisting for as long as it felt was necessary. I'm happy to say that with minor changes on the machine - which were subsequently cancelled out - he immediately returned to being the player he had developed into and that part of him that was in conflict with the rest was suitably "put to bed once more". He was as happy as a sand-boy at having put the gremlins behind him as quickly as they had become manifest, and I pointed out that the mind is sometimes as resistive or as co-operative as it wants to be, and that this is all part of what he was, is and will be. The secret is respecting all those parts and making them function as a whole as often as is possible.
I was delighted at this outcome, and the instant eradication of the presenting problem. I often use conversational means of facilitating unconscious communication as I know how well it works. I've had great success with a variety of reframes for players who have been plagued by negative movements that blight their techniques and sometimes they can't really believe what's happening to them.
As far as Parts Integration is concerned, I'm always amazed at the ability of the unconscious mind to effect changes and that quite often all one needs to do is acknowledge the integrity of the unconscious.
Gouroux
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Alternative Therapies - BBC2
I missed Monday 17th March transmission of Prof. Kathy Sykes' programme on Hypnotherapy, but I was able to catch up with it here.....
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/page/item/b009jcrj.shtml?q=alternative&start=1&scope=iplayersearch&go=Find+Programmes&version_pid=b009jclh
It is available until 24th March to watch.
Having read in advance a mixture of positive and adverse criticisms and reviews I knew I would need to be especially watchful of nuances within the programme.
For me the really interesting meat in the programme sandwich came with Kathy Sykes' discussions with a number of other Professors. Irving Kirsch, Amir Raz, Peter Whorwell and Pierre Rainville, in their separate ways, illuminated for me a interesting level of research that is going on "out there".
I have been working a lot this winter and spring studying the effects of visual field enhancement on skills outcomes for young cricketers - this includes enhancing both actual visual activity as well as using visualizations. Professor Kirsch's work in particular I found fascinating in this regard and I will follow this up with interest as I continue with my case studies in this area.
Another interesting and revealing part of the programme was the lady in Glasgow who underwent complex dental surgery using the analgaesic effects of hypnosis. I was filled with admiration for her dentist (also her hypnotherapist) who kept up a dialogue with her unconscious as he performed the procedures on 2 of her front teeth. The person most stunned was Prof Sykes - who by this stage in her "journey" to find out more about hypnotherapy was clearly warming to the whole subject.
My overall impression of the programme was of one that started out at quite a basic almost street level but finished by being reasonably scientifically based.
For most people outside therapy and science I surmise the programme would not be that interesting......which means we must commend the BBC and Kathy Sykes for some further illumination for the rest of us really interested parties!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/page/item/b009jcrj.shtml?q=alternative&start=1&scope=iplayersearch&go=Find+Programmes&version_pid=b009jclh
It is available until 24th March to watch.
Having read in advance a mixture of positive and adverse criticisms and reviews I knew I would need to be especially watchful of nuances within the programme.
For me the really interesting meat in the programme sandwich came with Kathy Sykes' discussions with a number of other Professors. Irving Kirsch, Amir Raz, Peter Whorwell and Pierre Rainville, in their separate ways, illuminated for me a interesting level of research that is going on "out there".
I have been working a lot this winter and spring studying the effects of visual field enhancement on skills outcomes for young cricketers - this includes enhancing both actual visual activity as well as using visualizations. Professor Kirsch's work in particular I found fascinating in this regard and I will follow this up with interest as I continue with my case studies in this area.
Another interesting and revealing part of the programme was the lady in Glasgow who underwent complex dental surgery using the analgaesic effects of hypnosis. I was filled with admiration for her dentist (also her hypnotherapist) who kept up a dialogue with her unconscious as he performed the procedures on 2 of her front teeth. The person most stunned was Prof Sykes - who by this stage in her "journey" to find out more about hypnotherapy was clearly warming to the whole subject.
My overall impression of the programme was of one that started out at quite a basic almost street level but finished by being reasonably scientifically based.
For most people outside therapy and science I surmise the programme would not be that interesting......which means we must commend the BBC and Kathy Sykes for some further illumination for the rest of us really interested parties!
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