Junior researcher M.P. Gavrilova¹
PhD, Head of department Y.V. Golub¹
Senior Researcher L.V. Safonov^2
1Saint-Petersburg Research institute for Physical Culture, Saint-Petersburg
²Federal Science Center for Physical Culture and Sport, Moscow

Corresponding author: 6121536@gmail.com

Abstract

Objective of the study was to test benefits of a negative mindsets correction method to control the sports-specific regressive psychoemotional experiences and conditions.

Methods and structure of the study. The study was run at the Saint-Petersburg Research institute for Physical Culture’s Sports Physiology Department. We sampled for the study the 28±5 year-old elite athletes (n=10, Masters of Sport and World Class Masters of Sports, 4 males and 6 females) diagnosed with ‘unstable psycho-emotional health issues’ detrimental to their competitive progress in spite of hard trainings and progress-verifying tests. The method was used to cure/ mitigate the sports-related mental traumas (n=6) and high anxiety and emotional instability (n=4), on an informed written consent of the subjects. Individual progress was rated in the experiment on a 10-point scale with 1 point meaning no complaints; and 10 points high pains, anxiety, fears, apathy, etc., complemented by the galvanic skin response tests. Every negative mindset correction session took 40-90 minutes.

Results and conclusion. The new negative mindset correction method was tested to successfully desensitize the traumatizing experiences and reduce the related reported psychoemotional discomfort by 78% on average. Since the method is fairly simple, accessible and proved beneficial, we have good grounds to recommend it for application in the individual and team sports for psychoemotional issues correction purposes, particularly in cases of traumatizing experiences (including losses). The group negative mindset correction service to activate the "mechanism of mirror neurons" with the associating growths of empathy – was tested to effectively cure or mitigate a variety of mental issues triggered by the traumatizing experiences to develop fair psychoemotional control and teamwork skills.

Keywords: express method, psychoemotional control, bilateral stimulation, galvanic skin response, negative mindsets.

Background. Modern sports expose athletes to many traumatizing situations, with such hurting experiences giving rise to negative mindsets with fears of strong rivalry, injuries, etc.) that may seriously hamper progress in the individual and team sports. The negative mindsets imply a range of traumatizing emotions with avoidance of traumatic reminders, growing anxiety, emotional failures and negative expectations which manifest themselves automatically when the similar situation occurs [3]. The traumatizing memories include multisensory images, negative sentiments and experiences with the associating unhealthy physical conditions that tend to evolve into destructive behavior in everyday life. Health services geared to mitigate the traumatizing experiences are normally designed to: identify the negative emotions and mindsets triggered by the traumatizing events; and offer a mental control method to correct the mindset and mobilize healthy individual resource for recovery [1, 2, 4, 5].

Objective of the study was to test benefits of a negative mindsets correction method to control the sports-specific regressive psychoemotional experiences and conditions.

Methods and structure of the study. The study was run at the Saint-Petersburg Research institute for Physical Culture’s Sports Physiology Department. We sampled for the study the 28±5-year-old elite athletes (n=10, Masters of Sport and World Class Masters of Sports, 4 males and 6 females) diagnosed with ‘unstable psycho-emotional health issues’ detrimental to their competitive progress in spite of hard trainings and progress-verifying tests. The method was used to cure/ mitigate the sports-related mental traumas (n=6) and high anxiety and emotional instability (n=4), on an informed written consent of the subjects. Individual progress was rated in the experiment on a 10-point scale with 1 point meaning no complaints; and 10 points high pains, anxiety, fears, apathy, etc., complemented by the galvanic skin response tests. Every negative mindset correction session took 40-90 minutes.

Results and discussion. The Table hereunder gives the individual progress test data in the negative mindsets therapy course indicative of the group progress averaging 78%.

Table 1. Pre- versus post experimental negative mindset test rates: discomfort on a 10-point scale (1- no discomfort, 10 – high discomfort)

Figure 1. Individual galvanic skin response test data in a negative mindset correction session

The galvanic skin response variation curve (Fig. 1) shows a 230 kOhm peak attained for 6 min indicative of the full relaxation (AB interval) followed by stabilization around the 3-min point (BC interval). The trigger words related to traumatizing situation were responded with phased varied-intensity reactions to every stimulus i.e. varied-severity emotional responses (CD interval). The tonic component showed the resistance falling for about 9 minutes indicative of activation and general emotional sensitivity to the pool of negative stimuli.

Then goes a tonic response stabilization interval indicative of adaptation to the negative stimuli and fitness for the next stage with constructive verbal background (words pool, interval EF) to expand the semantic field of the traumatizing situation and mobilize alternative responses to counter and undermine the dominant stereotypes. In this stage the galvanic skin response was tested to grow by 120 kOhm and stay at this level for 10 min till the end. The final psycho-emotional state was tested to come back to the initial level.

The M’s individual progress record (female athlete) reports the prior precompetitive panic and high anxiety. After the first negative mindset correction session, she reported “absolute calm, empty head, pleasant relaxation all over the body; and it was a pleasure for me to dive in the training for the first time in seven years”. The post-therapy report reads: “I’ve got euphoric feeling no more fears and no more need for sedatives; no more uncontrollable panic”.

Phase response variations with the stimuli (trigger words) show the negative mindset severity falling. The pre-experimental subjective negative psychoemotional condition rated by 9 points was tested to fall to 3 points in the post-experimental test to make the athlete fit for competitions that ended up by winning a medal.

Figure 2. Individual (athlete A) galvanic skin response variation in the negative mindset correction session

The individual (athlete A) galvanic skin response variation in the negative mindset correction session shows a 34 kOhm growth indicative of relaxation in 4 minutes (AB interval), followed by stabilization around the 1-min point (BC interval). The curve shows responses to the trigger words related to the traumatizing situation (CD interval). The tonic component shows the resistance falling for 9 minutes – indicative of activation with the high emotional response to the negative trigger words. Then the curve shows stabilization of the tonic responses (DE interval) followed by a new pool of triggers (EF interval).

After the first sessions, athlete A reported responses to the traumatizing situation by muscle sensations and psycho-emotional feelings well known in trainings and competitions, that totally disappeared by the end of the negative mindset correction session associated with calmness and drowsiness. At the end of the course (4th session), athlete A reported the muscles being free of pains; he reported feeling healthy for the first time, calm, confident and fit for competition – that he won as a result.

The individual emotional discomfort was rated by 10 points in the pre-experimental test on a ten-point scale, versus only 2 points in the post-experimental test – and this progress helped balance the mental health, get fit for and calm in the precompetitive period and even improve the personal best. In response to the triggers, the athletes reported minor sentiments related to the traumatic experiences countered by positive emotional feeds from the past competitive successes to the upcoming events.

Conclusion. The new negative mindset correction method was tested to successfully desensitize the traumatizing experiences and reduce the related reported psychoemotional discomfort by 78% on average. Since the method is fairly simple, accessible and proved beneficial, we have good grounds to recommend it for application in the individual and team sports for psychoemotional issues correction purposes, particularly in cases of traumatizing experiences (including losses). The group negative mindset correction service to activate the "mechanism of mirror neurons" with the associating growth of empathy – was tested to effectively cure or mitigate a variety of mental issues triggered by the traumatizing experiences to develop fair psychoemotional control and teamwork skills.

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