Influences of the Mind and Body

Chapter 8


Influences of the Mind and Body




Objectives


After completing this chapter, the student will be able to perform the following:


1 Define sport psychology.


2 Identify qualified sport psychologists.


3 Explain how massage supports the sport psychologist.


4 List ways in which massage supports the zone experiences—mental toughness, ideal performance state, and peak performance.


5 Explain the importance of sport psychology during injury rehabilitation.


6 Identify the signs of mental and emotional strain requiring referral to the medical team or sport psychologist.


7 List the five stages of response to injury.


8 Define stress and explain stress coping strategies.


9 List factors that interfere with restorative sleep.


10 List behaviors that support restorative sleep.



Key Terms













Sport psychology is the study of psychological and mental factors that influence, and are influenced by, participation and performance in sport, exercise, and physical activity, and application of knowledge gained through this study to everyday settings.


Sport psychology professionals are interested in how participation in sport, exercise, and physical activity may enhance personal development and well-being throughout the life span.


Sport psychology involves several different components: mental training, performance enhancement, social interactions, learning, motivation, leadership, anxiety and stress management, cognitive rehearsal techniques (including hypnosis), intentional control training, injury treatment, cognitive intervention strategies, aggression management, and cohesion/congruency.


Sport psychology professionals may be trained primarily in the sport sciences, with additional training in counseling or clinical psychology, or they may be trained primarily in psychology, with supplemental training in the sport sciences.


The activities of a particular sport psychology professional will vary based on the practitioner’s specific interests and training. Some may primarily conduct research and educate others about sport psychology. These individuals teach at colleges and universities and, in some cases, also work with athletes, coaches, or athletic administrators. They provide education and develop and implement programs designed to maximize the overall well-being of sport, exercise, and physical activity participants.


Other professionals may focus primarily on applying sport psychology knowledge. These individuals are more interested in enhancement of sport, exercise, and physical activity performance or enjoyment. They may consult with a broader range of clients and may serve in an educational or counseling role.


Only those individuals with specialized training and, with certain limited exceptions, only those with appropriate certification and/or licensure may call themselves sport psychologists. A sport psychologist should be a member of a professional organization such as the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP) and/or the American Psychological Association (APA). A growing number of sport psychology professionals are certified by the AAASP. These professionals—who earn the designation Certified Consultant, AAASP (or CC, AAASP)—have met a minimum standard of education and training in the sport sciences and in psychology. They have also undergone an extensive review process. The AAASP certification process encourages sport psychology professionals who complete it to maintain high standards of professional conduct.


Some sport psychology professionals may be listed on the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) Sport Psychology Registry, meaning that they are approved to work with Olympic athletes and national teams. To be on the Registry, a professional must be a CC, AAASP and a member of the APA.



Why Sport Psychology?



Objectives




During the past two decades, sport psychology has received significant and increasing attention from athletes, coaches, parents, and the media. A growing number of elite, amateur, and professional athletes acknowledge working with sport psychology professionals.


Exercise specialists, athletic trainers, youth sport directors, corporations, and psychologists are using knowledge and techniques developed by sport psychology professionals to assist with improving exercise compliance, conducting rehabilitation programs, educating coaches, building self-esteem, teaching group dynamics, and increasing performance effectiveness.


Almost all sports are based on competition. Striving to reach peak performance is appropriate until athletes push themselves beyond their capacity. Exercise is very helpful in alleviating stress, releasing tensions, and producing a relaxing kind of fatigue. However, some people go far beyond this normal response and become overly dependent on daily exercise.


One of the by-products of exercise is the production of naturally occurring brain chemicals that influence mood. Endorphins are morphine-like substances that produce a sense of well-being and relaxation and are responsible for the “runner’s high.” Some people become addicted to daily exercise through production of these chemicals. If they don’t exercise, they become depressed and irritable, and they may actually have withdrawal symptoms. If they become injured, they will make life miserable for everyone around them until they can get back to exercising daily. Many athletes refuse to take time off because of their drive to keep pushing themselves. It can be difficult to get the message across that an injury, like a hamstring pull, may take 3 or more months to heal. This mental outlook often interferes with even the best treatment because the athlete will try to play before he or she is ready.


Muscles may be held in sustained tension owing to overuse, poor posture, and/or psychological or emotional stress. States of anxiety and anger, for example, can create sustained muscular hypertonicity. Emotional stress, such as depression, can also cause decreased muscular tone and loss of sensory motor communication (Figure 8-1).



Appropriate massage can support the work of the sport psychologist by calming anxiety, reducing increased motor tone of muscles, and, to a lesser extent, addressing mild depression. Massage affects the same mood-altering neurochemicals as exercise.



What is the Zone?



Objective




Studies of athletes, artists, and others have shown that being “in the zone” generally means being in a state in which mind and body are working in harmony. When in the zone, an individual is calm yet energized, challenged yet confident, focused yet instinctive. Different parts of the brain are working together smoothly to automate the movement or skill. This is comparable with the massage practitioner’s being “centered.”


Training the mind is an important step toward getting in the zone. Aspects of mental training for some sports and positions include increasing concentration and focus, controlling emotions, feeling relaxed but energized, being calm and positive, and aiming to feel challenged and confident. A person who is in the zone is free of worries and is confident and relaxed, so that the best performance occurs automatically.


Getting in the zone combines physical and mental training. When the body is conditioned, skills are well practiced, or habituated, and mental conditioning is congruent; a zone experience is then possible.


The implications for massage supporting “zone” functions are vast. Physical sensations of relaxation can help relieve anxiety and tension and improve concentration and focus. Various progressive relaxation methods that involve contracting and releasing the tension in large muscles are used. Massage can induce deep relaxation and support zone functions.


Guided imagery can help reduce anxiety and increase concentration and confidence, and can serve as mental practice or rehearsal. Imagery techniques work well in conjunction with relaxation techniques such as massage because relaxation can help the client better imagine performing the skill required. During massage or other induced relaxation states, the athlete can mentally picture himself or herself performing a specific sport or activity. He or she can visualize being dressed, getting ready to perform, hearing the sounds and smells—feeling the muscles and emotions and envisioning doing the activity, practicing skills, running the race—whatever it might be.


Negative thoughts can get in the way of concentration and confidence. The massage therapist must not be negative during the massage and must support positive and productive thought processes.


Although training the mind and body can lead to more skillful and enjoyable play, it is important to understand that the athlete might not get in the zone all the time. The zone experience does not happen nearly as often as people like to think it does. Do not overfocus on the zone experience during the massage.


Several names may be used for states of being similar to the zone. Each is slightly different, but the basic concepts are the same.




Injury and Sport Psychology



Objectives




Whether the athlete is a competitive or a recreational exerciser, recovering from an injury can present a challenge. How the athlete understands and responds to pain and limitation is a very individual experience based on many factors. However, certain responses and psychological skills can help most people take an active role in their own recovery.


People often initially feel overwhelmed by an injury. The ability to cope will greatly improve if the athlete works closely with the doctor and other health care providers to develop a clear plan for recovery.


Successful rehabilitation begins with becoming informed about the injury. It’s important to know the extent of the injury and anticipated recovery time, and to understand the rehabilitation plan required to recover safely and effectively.


It is important that the injured person considers himself or herself as an active participant in rehabilitation planning and treatment. An individual may not understand the scientific aspects of recovery, but he or she is the expert on his or her own experience—a reality that may help or hinder rehabilitation.


How the athlete responds to the injury is also very important. Although certain sports or activities present greater risk for injury than others, an injury usually is not expected or planned for. Athletes are rarely prepared for the emotional response to an injury.


Injuries have very different meaning for different people. For some, an injury might be life-threatening or career-ending. For others, an injury might take them away from a team or social structure that gives them a sense of identity and community. An injury can also interfere with a job or responsibilities at home. It’s important, therefore, that the athlete acquire the coping skills required to help him or her through the loss—with professional help if necessary.


Athletes should try to maintain a sense of identity and importance through activities that help them feel good. They should express their needs and concerns to the health care team. It is helpful to identify any negative mental responses to injury, then to reframe them to promote a positive approach to healing: be aware of the current level of function and of what function is lost, and then move beyond those limitations to envision the future level of function.


The athlete needs to ask for and receive help and to be surrounded by emotionally and physically supportive people. Interaction with those who hinder the healing process should be eliminated or minimized.


Athletes in today’s society have many problems to deal with, including multiple personal and professional demands, increased stress, and injury. Some athletes know how to successfully deal with injury, and others have a hard time coping with it. The athlete may need professional help to get through the injury healing process, and the massage therapist needs to be supportive.


Injury can negatively impact the mind, emotions, and body. Rehabilitation is often a time of emotional distress.


Injury rehabilitation affects a person in many ways, including the following:



Signs that an athlete is having some problems include these:



When these issues are recognized by the massage therapist, a referral is necessary. Avoid the tendency to try to fix them. Ultimately, therapeutic massage is secondary to, although supportive of, the medical team, including the sport psychologist. Respect for professional boundaries and honoring scope of practice are essential. However, because of the time that massage therapists spend with athletes and the compassionate quality of the professional interaction, we may be the first to notice difficulties. Athletes may share information with massage professionals that was not provided to others working with them.


As massage professionals interested in the sports massage career specialty, we want to understand and help an athlete through an injury. We need to understand the demands placed on the whole person while addressing the injury.


Sport psychology interventions can minimize negative experiences and maximize recovery from injury. Mental training enhances performance in rehabilitation and sport, improving the ability to return to play. Outcome of an injury, degree of pain, and expected performance are important factors in determining how fast rehabilitation should occur.


When coaches or trainers adopt an attitude that injured athletes are worthless, they create an environment in which athletes will continue to participate while hiding their injury, increasing the likelihood of further injury. Similarly, coaches who emphasize a strong will to compete and win, no matter what the athlete’s physical status, promote the idea of sacrificing one’s body for the team, which can cause players to take unhealthy risks and become injured.


All athletes should understand that the nature of participation in sports dictates that at some time, pain and injury are very likely to occur. However, instead of stressing the inherent risks associated with sport, the focus should be on doing those things that can minimize the chances of injury, such as making certain that the athlete is fit, is practicing safe sport techniques, and is learning to recognize when his or her body is saying that something is wrong. If athletes are confident that they have done as much as they can to reduce the likelihood of injury, perhaps their risk of injury will indeed be minimized. Teaching athletes how to distinguish between the “normal” pain and discomfort associated with training and “injury” pain is of vital importance. Athletes who do not learn to make this distinction often become seriously injured because they do not recognize the onset of minor injuries and do not modify their training regimens accordingly.


The individual’s current medical status must also be addressed. Conditions such as diabetes, asthma, and high blood pressure, as well as orthopedic concerns, must be factored into the exercise prescription for rehabilitation or fitness-based programs for performance.


Learning stress management skills is important for athletes—both for enhancing performance and for reducing injury risk. Psychological stress has been shown to predict increases in injury. Stress is thought to increase the risk of injury because of the unwanted disruption in concentration or attention and the increased muscle tension associated with heightened stress. Athletes especially prone to injury seem to be those who experience considerable life stress. They have little social support from others, possess few psychological coping skills, and are apprehensive, detached, and overly sensitive.


Sport massage therapists should learn to treat the whole athlete, not just the injury. They must communicate effectively and factually without instilling fear or unrealistic expectations and with concern for the athlete’s feelings.


No one can work closely with human beings without becoming involved with their emotions and, at times, their personal problems. The sport massage therapist is placed in numerous daily situations in which close interpersonal relationships are important. Understanding an athlete’s fears, frustrations, and daily crises is essential, along with knowing when to refer individuals with emotional problems to the proper professionals. Injury prevention includes dealing with both psychological and physiologic attributes of the athlete. The athlete who competes while angry, frustrated, or discouraged, or while suffering from some other emotional disturbance, is more prone to injury than one who is better adjusted emotionally. Because of the emotional intensity surrounding competing athletes, the massage therapist working with this population needs to attend to his or her own mental health.



In My Experience


I remember working with a rookie football player who was extremely homesick. He came from a large family and was the “baby.” It was unclear if he really wanted to play football at a professional level. The transition from the college game to the demands of “going to work” seemed to overwhelm him.


He had a turf toe injury that just would not heal to his satisfaction. The pain and functional limitations exceeded the typical time usually indicated for being excused from practice. The coach became impatient with him, and the athletic trainer was unable to provide further treatment.


I was working with the young man for the turf toe injury and for general massage. He became attached to me and began saying things like, “You remind me of my mom.” Eventually, I talked with the trainer about this, who then talked with the coach.


Intervention was provided. Voluntarily, the young man’s mom began to schedule more frequent visits, and the situation improved. He did play professional football and was moderately successful, lasting for about 5 years in the league. When the constant moving around and separation from his family became too difficult, he left the league. He is currently teaching and coaching football at a high school near his family and is married and has a family of his own.

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Jun 22, 2016 | Posted by in MANUAL THERAPIST | Comments Off on Influences of the Mind and Body

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