(IN SPANISH)
Abstract:
For athletes competing in all level of sport, focus and the ability to regulate emotions, cognitions and physical responses is an important skill to achieving personal goals, enhancing performance and overall success. Athletes and their coaches are incorporating the use of sports psychologists and counselors on a regular basis as a means of reducing mental barriers to performance as well as learning skills to intensify sports performance during competition. The development of a strong mindset and resilient attitude will give an athlete the edge during the moments of competition where they are physically pushed to their limit. The use of neurofeedback in training and in the therapeutic process is being researched as an effective means increasing efficiency in sports performance (Mirifar, 2017). The ability to incorporate new thinking patterns in addition to increasing awareness of the mind-body connection, can help an athlete advance their training level at record paces. There is increasing awareness of the benefits and effectiveness of neurofeedback as a treatment option for athletes, however it’s use is has not reached the full potential within the field (Strack, B.W. 2011). Combining neurofeedback with other techniques such as mindfulness can greatly increase performance of individual athletes by increasing neurocognitive processing and efficiency (Crivelli, D. 2019). The development of specific protocols which can strengthen mindset, assist in the reduction of ineffective cognitive patterns and increase an athlete’s composure during challenging training weeks as well as competition is part of a current opportunity in this area of study and practice. This workshop provides an overview of the current literature and discusses implications for additional research into the integration of the fields of neuroregulation and sports sciences. This workshop will also include discussion of how the research of neurofeedback and mindfulness can be evaluated and incorporated into active treatment plans for practical application for individuals as well as teams.
Presented by: Lisa Beavers
