Enhancing Sports Performance With Hypnosis: An Ode for Tiger Woods

We present a comprehensive methodological review of controlled and single-case design studies of the effectiveness of hypnosis for enhancing sports performance. To be included in the review, controlled studies were required to use a between-subjects or mixed model design in which hypnosis was compared with a control condition or alternative intervention to improve sports performance. Single case-design studies were required to incorporate baseline and intervention phases, with multiple assessment points during the baseline phase to establish a stable trend for the target behavior. An exhaustive search of the PsycINFO database identified 17 studies satisfying these criteria. Hypnosis was shown to be effective for improving performance in a variety of sports, with the strongest support for enhancement of basketball, golf, soccer, and badminton skills. Common methodological limitations in the reviewed studies included a failure to fully specify the demographic characteristics of samples, to utilize a treatment manual, and to assess relations between hypnotic suggestibility and outcome. Two hypnotic interventions met criteria as possibly efficacious empirically supported therapies, thereby indicating that hypnosis can be a way of engaging in evidence-based practice in sports psychology. Practitioners who work with athletes may wish to consider the potential of hypnosis for enhancing sports performance.