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Relief from Show Nerves

Tim Horn, Certified Hypnotist

We all deal with issues in our lives that can be difficult to  address. In this article, I address the specific issue of performance  anxiety. Show nerves are no different from what happens before a test or  when you go to an important meeting. This is just one example of how  hypnosis can be utilized to improve the quality of your life. If you  have any questions about whether hypnosis can help you, e-mail  info@advancedhypnosisofamerica.com

You have worked a month for this moment. Being from Northern  Virginia, you have had access to excellent instructors. You spent a few  hundred dollars the past few months to have your horse’s muscles and  alignment inspected by an equestrian chiropractor. That abscess the vet  found has fully healed and your farrier has given him perfect feet. You  spent two hours the previous night thoroughly cleaning and oiling your  tack. Having your horse’s main braided was never your strength so you  had someone do it for you.

During the warm-up, your instructor was happy with your preparation  and you are off to the ring. Then it happens, the bell rings and your  supple hands become lobster claws. That calm confidence you had when  warming up disappears and the timing of your aids are a split second  off. Your horse feels your tenseness and reacts while you overcorrect.  Your fifteen meter circles become twenty meters and you feel like you  are losing the contact with the horse. As you leave the ring, the judge  kills you with the dreaded, “You have a beautiful horse there.” You have  just experienced a severe case of show nerves. It may even have  happened as you entered the show grounds, but it often happens to you.

Nerves are a natural occurrence for anyone involved in sports. With  the intricacies of riding however, the effect of this anxiety can be  magnified. You are partnering with a half-ton athlete that needs your  guidance. Good preparation can certainly off-set an attack of show  nerves, but they can still creep up on you. A recent thread on the  Chronicle Forum suggested using drugs to combat the problem.   

Drugs  certainly can offer temporary relief from show nerves. Prescribed by a  physician who is familiar with your entire medical history, the drugs  can work without diminishment to your riding skills.  However, the  greater long-term benefit could be achieved through the use of hypnosis.

Hypnosis is not some mystical state. Most people have been hypnotized  without knowing it. How many times have you driven home and all of the  sudden realized you could not remember most of the trip? Your mind has  bypassed the critical factor not unlike when your hypnotist guides you  into the trance state. People in a trance find it relaxing and  enjoyable.

On the unconscious level, we breathe, our hearts beat, we sweat, and  thousands of other genetically triggered events occur. We have the  conscious level which includes all the thought process that allows us to  survive during the day. You organize your day, deal with everyday  difficulties and make everyday decisions with your conscious rational  mind. Rationally you realize you have fully prepared for your ride, but  it is not the rational mind that causes your nerves.

Below the surface is the subconscious mind which breaks through when  emotions like nerves are involved. Think of the subconscious mind as the  programming for your rational mind. Previous events have caused you to  feel the anxiety that created your show nerves. Hypnosis can be used to  bypass the critical factor of the conscious mind helping you to deal  with the cause.

An initial hypnotic session can be used to increase a rider’s focus  during lessons and training. When a rider better incorporates their  lessons into their training, they condition the horse and themselves to  succeed in the show ring. Practice does not make perfect; practice makes  permanent. This initial session can also include suggestions for  working better and being more sensitive to your horse’s actions to  improve the connection between horse and rider. Finally a second session  a few days before the show can help the rider visualize success in the  ring on that specific day.

The mind is an incredible thing; the body cannot tell the difference  between physically completing a ride and imagining it. With perfected  practice and the use of hypnosis, show nerves can be greatly, if not  totally, relieved. Eventually a CD with the appropriate suggestions can  replace private sessions. With these steps, you may not make it to the Olympics, but you will maximize your enjoyment of this wonderful  activity