Sports and the Mind

It's More Than Just Game

Performance Stress

Sport Psychology and Performance Stress

Should I feel like a failure if I need to see a sport psychologist?

Last week I choked on a key play in a hockey game and ever since then I keep trying to push the memory out of my mind. Practices have been stressful and my coach just says to move on and practice, practice, practice.  I know my coach is trying to help me but I feel even more stressed out about being in the situation again-the one in which I choked.  My heart rate goes up when we do one on one breakaways and I just seem to lose all my skills in that moment. These are skills that I have worked on all my life!  I just don’t know what to do and I don’t understand why this is so difficult. My captain recommended I see a sport psychologist, but I feel like a loser for not being able to handle this on my own.

Sport Psychologist and Performance

This is a common and very normal thought process for athletes of all levels.  A sport psychologist is akin to a coach for your thoughts.  Look at it this way-thoughts lead to actions, actions lead to outcomes.  If that process is not efficient then an athlete will have mental stumbling blocks.  A sport psychologist wants to work with your thoughts directly and provide mental tools for you to access at the right moment in order to work through mental blocks.

FootballRecently, Minnesota State University opened the Center for Sport and Performance Psychology and the interim football coach, Aaron Keen, attributes some of his team’s success to the work they did with Cindra Kamphoff, a sport psychologist at the new Center. Keen began work with Kamphoff not knowing what to expect in regards to sport psychology, but Kamphoff showed him and his players new ways to think about performance. The biggest challenge, he said, was getting his athletes to stay in the moment. For example, many players were focused on the record or on being champions, but Kamphoff taught them ways to focus on getting better at completing the immediate task at hand or staying in the present moment. Keen was clear that the skills his players learned through Sport Psychology helped them to reach other goals, too.  Click here for the link to the article about Minnesota State University.

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About Colleen Hathaway, DC

Dr. Colleen Hathaway is a licensed chiropractor in the state of Wisconsin. Dr. Colleen is a native of Madison, WI and did her undergraduate work at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota obtaining a B.S. in Corporate Fitness Science and Athletic Training. She played basketball for St. Thomas for four years and was the starting point guard on their 1991 NCAA Championship team.
Dr. Colleen completed her chiropractic degree at the Northwestern College of Chiropractic from 1993-1997. She has been in private practice for over 20 years and adores working with people of all walks of life. Her philosophy is grounded in the principles of wellness, balance, support and human performance. She utilizes gentle chiropractic and cranio-sacral techniques, including light touch energy work. Essentially, she works with the body’s innate wisdom by helping to remove blockages of the nerve system. Patient education and home exercise routines are an important part of most care plans. Dr. Colleen also refers and coordinate care with multiple practitioners (massage, medical doctors, etc.) in an effort to accommodate individual needs.
Dr. Colleen is active in numerous chiropractic ventures and her most notable experience was a humanitarian mission trip to Fortelaza, Brazil where she was able to provide chiropractic adjustments to hundreds of people. She is a member of SOTO, a Reiki Master and trained Cranio-sacral therapist through the Upledger Institute.
On a personal note, Dr. Colleen enjoys participating in the American Birkebeiner cross country ski race, rollerblading, hiking, yoga, golfing and all things nature. She was inducted into the Edgewood High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.

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