Little Billy, Motocross and The Hypnotherapist

By Jack D. Rhodes, PhD

If you are new to the sport it won't take you long to learn that amateur motocross is not only an adult activity, but also a kids sport. And like other little-league types of events the parents get very involved in their kids racing. In fact the little-league syndrome is alive and well in youth motocross. The parents seem to covet the win more than do the kids. So much so that many of the moms and dads spend enormous sums of money to insure that their little one has the very best equipment and training. They all seem to have the dream that their child will grow up to be a National Champion and that will certainly be worth all of the time, effort and expense.

Training is a must if the kiddo is to be competitive. There are riding schools, private racing lessons and even mental training for these miniature, motorized speedsters.

Billy Junior was one such eight year old and his parents were typical. He had attended the very best riding schools and had taken countless private lessons, but his progress was slow to say the least. The next step was the mental training.

A surprisingly high percentage of motorcycle racers have ADD or ADHD. The loud noise along with the extreme action and high excitement seem to have a special appear to people with these conditions. Little Billy, as his family called him, had been diagnosed as having ADHA during his first grade year. His condition was so extreme that without medication he was a disruptive force in the classroom.

Since the physical approach had failed to bring out Little Billy's potential, his folks decided it was time to work on the mental aspects of motocross. It was time to visit me.

When he and his dad came in for his first mental training (hypnosis) session Billy Junior had not taken his medication. He never took it when he raced and since this was about racing his parents figured it best to present him as he would be on race day. Maybe this was a good idea because I did get to observe Little Billy's condition.

But, observing was all I did.. Putting it mildly “He was wild”. He was so hyper I couldn't get him into hypnosis. This is rare. Usually pre-teens and even teenagers are great hypnosis subjects.

After a few attempts I told Big Billy, Billy Junior's dad, to bring him back in a few days and be sure that the youngster had taken his medicine before hand.

Three days later they returned. This time Little Billy was very laid-back. The medicine had done it's job. He went into hypnosis very easily. The session went very well, as expected. After an hour and a half or so the two left my office with feeling that nothing had changed.

That was on a Wednesday afternoon and their next race was on the following Saturday night. When Billy Junior and his family arrived at the track it was apparent to everyone that something was different about Little Billy. He was laughing and playing with the other kids a usual, but his attitude had changed. Big Billy said he couldn't put his finger on it, but Little Billy seemed calmer and more confident. Later that evening that clam, self-confidence translated into Billy Junior's best motocross performance ever.

Two weeks after his first hypnosis session Little Billy returned for session number two. Once again he had not taken his medication, but in stark contrast to the first attempt this time he was calm. With Big Billy watching Billy Junior went into hypnosis quickly and the session went as I had planned.

The next two Saturday nights saw Little Billy's performance steadily improve. He was finally showing the skill that his parents had always felt was there. He was running toward the front of every race and even winning once in a while.

Four weeks after his first hypnosis session Billy and his dad came to me for the third and final hypnosis session. Billy had not taken his medication. As a mater of fact he was no longer taking any medicine for ADHD because he was no longer demonstrating any symptoms of the condition. Once again the session went very well.

It was another two weeks before I got any report from Billy Junior's family. When word finally came it was an emotional personal visit from his mother. She suddenly appeared in my waiting room unannounced one afternoon. She was all choked up. When she tried to talk her message came through her tears. That message was a profound “THANK YOU”.

It seems that not only had little Billy's racing reached the point of being a consistent winner, but also his whole life had changed. His teacher reported that he was a model student (without taking any medication) and she wished all of her students would undergo hypnotherapy.

It's important to note that throughout the entire process I never gave any direct suggestions concerning the ADHD or any other healthcare condition. All of the therapy was focused on Billy Junior's racing.

The question remains: “Did the hypnosis somehow indirectly cure the ADHD condition? Or had Little Billy been misdiagnosed? Had his hyperactivity been the result of a medical condition or rather, fear-based stress that the hypnotherapy eliminated?”

Perhaps in time medical science will discover the answer, but Little Billy was not the only one with a similar diagnosis to have experienced the same positive result from hypnotherapy. From all across the United States , The UK and Australia stories of this nature keep appearing in the journals.

There's got to be something to it. Jack Rhodes is a sports clinical hypnotherapist and youth motivation coach in private practice in Galveston , Texas

For more information you may call him at (405) 397-6690

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For more from Jack Rhodes visit MotocrossUniversity.com