Case Study – Supporting a Professional Motor Cyclist Overcome Injury and Regain Confidence

• Grounding exercises from Julie Di Joseph’s work were adapted to meet the client’s needs.  Where simple techniques based on neurobiological research, help to calm and centre individuals in the midst of stressful events, trauma, anxiety and mental chatter. These exercises help client’s to use the felt sense of their body to feel more relaxed, less stressed, be able to think more clearly, be less reactive to other people and events, have access to their innate creativity and make good decisions under pressure. 
• Visualisation exercises were taught to the rider and a series of audio’s were produced so that he could improve the vividness and controllability of images that he produced.  He saw himself when he was at his best, recovering from mistakes, riding when in complete control, interacting with his team, overcoming challenges from aggressive opponents, standing on the podium celebrating and much more. 
• We looked at a series of exercises linked to emotional intelligence so that he could gain more awareness of what he thought, felt and did in a variety of situations and make relevant adjustments.
• How he viewed different team members and got caught mind reading was explored.  We improved his communication as a result.

The Outcomes:

• The rider instantly felt better for taking about the challenges to a third party who had no relationship with the rest of his team.
• He began being more open and honest with his team and at home with his partner which helped him feel much “lighter” in his words.
• He now had a process before (the evening before and the day of ) races to be able to get in a relaxed state and trust his skills.
• He loved the visualisation exercises and found them hugely helpful boosting his confidence in his ability.  He also found he was able to put to one side the bad and traumatic images he had been experiencing of his crash last season.

The Conclusion

• The rider’s mental health was better where he now felt in control of his situation to turn around his season.
• His relationship with his partner improved significantly.
• He was able to switch off from racing.
• He improved his relationship with the team manager and recognised that the manager was a nice person underneath.
• As he was involved in each race he began feeling much more relaxed and in control of himself on the bike.
• His results were an improvement on how he had been performing where he finished. 8^th, 4^th, 5^th, and got on the podium finishing 3^rd in the final race before our brief support work came to a conclusion.

If you enjoyed reading this case study and would like to learn more about how I could help you in your motor cycling or motor racing why not get in touch or sign up to the Mental Edge for regular tips and advice.