Athletes and Equestrians
Utilizing Brainspotting to Expand and Enhance Your Performance

Watch this short video about it – Brainspotting for Performance.

During a show or even a training ride, an equestrian while moving confidently forward (whether performing a complex or simple movement) suddenly takes a bad fall (or maybe they don't fall and are just unexpectantly startled) after their horse spooks, bolts, or bucks in a corner of the area. Or maybe a rider witnesses a horse related accident or injury.  Now, the rider struggles to remain relaxed and forward whenever approaching corners or performing certain movements due to the rider experiencing a sudden "withdrawal" reaction.  This hesitancy  (or riding backwards/against the horse) could be a result of number of things that come up for the rider subcortically - increase of fear or anxiety, or decrease in self assurance and confidence in their skills.  Inevitably this causes the rider to have a subcortical "withdrawal" reaction (form of fight, flight, freeze response) by tensing their body, potentially bracing and riding against the horse in turn causing the horse to tense and potentially buck, rear or bolt or simply not perform the desired movement to the best of both the rider's and horse's abilities. This is where Brainspotting session(s) can help. Bilateral stimulation and a focused eye position(s) stimulate the brain and nervous system to process through targeted experiences or memories (including preverbal) associated with the client's "withdrawal" reaction in order to release the “fear, anxious, or frozen emotion” stuck inside. Once released, the athlete can return to their previous state of athletic performance and functioning or move to a desire state of performance.