García, R. F., Villa, R. S., & Cepeda, N. T. (2004). Effect of hypnosis and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on physical performance in canoeists. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 4(3), 481-493.
The aim of this study was to assess the differential effectiveness of two psychological intervention techniques, hypnosis and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), for improving physical performance. Participants were 16 high-level canoeists. All subjects' degree of suggestibility was assessed. The athletes treated with hypnosis were first administered a brief relaxation exercise, which was followed by an induction phase, the introduction of post-hypnotic suggestion and a phase of exit from the hypnotic state. The intervention with ACT was aimed mainly at the acceptance of certain private events and bodily states, focusing participants' behaviours in the direction of their values. The results indicated significant improvements in both intervention groups in the number of repetitions in the inclined rowing exercise. Further research is necessary to verify the usefulness of these techniques for improving performance in sport.