Hypnotist says Rio experience golden
MARSHALL TWP, Allegheny County — The stakes are high for the athletes in the Olympic Games.
“It’s the most anxiety-producing sporting event in the world. They have four years to train and they get one shot at it,” said Dan Vitchoff, owner of the Pennsylvania Hypnosis Center.
The athletes who qualify to compete in the games are among the best in the world at their sport, but to take home a medal they need to perform at a high level.
To make sure they are ready to do so under that intense pressure, some athletes have enlisted hypnotists like Vitchoff.
He recently returned from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he was the mental training coach for the U.S. Olympic Shooting Team in the Olympic Games, which ended Sunday.
He served in the same role in the two previous summer games: Beijing, in 2008 and London in 2012.
Though hypnosis is not as common in other countries, athletes in a variety of sports have had positive results from it, he said.
His work includes traveling around the country to work with athletes for months before the games. His hypnosis, or brain training, helps the athletes relax, focus and be confident.
Vitchoff is the creator of “The 33 Method,” a technique that combines aspects of psychology, hypnosis, nutrition and physical training.
As the games get close the athletes typically do two or three sessions of brain training per day.
Vitchoff does not necessarily have to administer each session, thanks to a portable hypnosis system he invented called the Original Mind Gym.
But, if an athlete suffers from anxiety or wants extra attention, the team has him available during the two-week long games.
This year, the shooting team consisted of 20 men and women. They took home one gold and two bronze medals, all of which were won by the women.
Past winners that he worked with include Glenn Elder, who won gold in double trap in 2008, and Vincent Hancock, who has two gold medals in skeet shooting.
Vitchoff said Rio was his favorite of the three Olympic host cities he’s visited.
“It was the most beautiful Olympic venue that I have been to. The people were tremendous, friendly, outgoing and hard working. And the country is beautiful too,” he said.
He also said he saw the pressure that athletes in other countries, like China, are put under by their government-sponsored coaches. The U.S., which does not have government run programs, collected 121 medals, the most of any nation.
“We’re funded by donation. The U.S. is all nonprofit. It makes you proud when you look at that medal count,” he said.
Vitchoff, who works for the shooting team under a contract, said he plans to return to that role and accompany the team in four years when the summer games will be in Tokyo.
