Another important foundation within the field of hypnosis is creating a positive expectation. Expectation is a strong component in human behaviour and motivation. Whatever the outcome, negative or positive, people are always looking to fulfil expectations. An example: if you go on a blind date and expect your behaviour to be awkward, you greatly increase your chances of the experience being far from joyous. However, were you to go on the same date with the belief that you will have a playful and enjoyable chat, you will most likely find that you have a lot more fun. The expectation is like a photo frame and people are continually aiming to shoot the right photo to place in that frame.

This can have a very powerful physical effect also. Take the dating example: you have had the event on your mind for the entire day. You go home and get ready only to receive a message that it has been cancelled just as your leaving your house. You might be familiar with how incredibly annoying and physically bothersome that can be. When a person begins the process of expectation, the result is a dopamine release, the hormone connected to motivation. The fulfilment of an expectation brings on a release of serotonin, the hormone that that is synonymous with satisfaction. In the context of a sporting event, dopamine is what makes a fighter want to connect a knockout combination, while serotonin is the sensation of winning the fight.

The use of hypnosis in sport is directed at eliciting a desired expectation and directing dopamine with laser precision. An example of this is when a sports player works with a hypnotherapist to build a positive expectation for their next big g match. Once set into action, the player is compelled both mentally and physically to chase satisfaction and fulfilment, giving them an exponentially greater chance to realize their goal and achieve their desired result.

There is a negative side to the aforementioned expectation theory too. It is possible for a person to mentally rehearse failure and build negative intention. This may be the repercussion of an undesired outcome or an accumulation of many other unfavourable events historically. It has the potential to create a negative feedback loop. When an individual or team builds a picture in their minds of poor performance and then perform poorly, they in turn fortify their likelihood of a bad outcome. Hypnosis does a great job of eradicating this type of negative feedback loop because it works with the unconscious mind, the part of the brain that is in charge of creating and running both good and bad habits.  If you would like to know more about The Mind-Body Connection in Sports Hypnosis and NLP, please go ahead and read the next blog post.

Why not begin to build positive expectation with the process of hypnotic relaxation.  You can get your free hypnosis relaxation MP3 audio bu clicking the button below.