In this episode, I share ways to help athletes connect with feedback systems that can help them improve...

In this episode, I share ways to help athletes find the right balance with how much they visualize their efforts...

In this episode, I review the relative benefits of working through a self-help book versus hiring a professional...

In this episode, I share ways to help athletes connect with the bigger picture during training challenges and setbacks...

In this episode, I share ways to work with a performer as they try to navigate the fallout of an unexpectedly poor performance...

In this episode, I take a unique interpretation on manifesting to turn a bait question into a discussion of when to learn and practice skills related to future...

In this episode, I address common misconceptions about meditation in sports. Instead of viewing it merely as a relaxation tool, I explore how meditation strengthens an athlete's ability to remain present and fully engaged...

...as if a fire has torn through your brain or heart and left only charred emotional remains.  The metaphor is apt for the experience across sport and performance domains.  Both athletes and employees have described burnout as causing feelings of loss, devaluing, resentment, and exhaustion...

...This practice—often called mindfulness or present moment awareness—trains the mind to stay focused on what’s happening right now, not on what went wrong earlier or what might happen next...

...By teaching your athletes how to focus on the present moment, you can give them a mental edge that complements their physical skills...

... whatever the name, the goal is the same: training your mind to stay in the "now." In sports, missing those fleeting opportunities because your mind is stuck in the past or worrying about the future can cost you big time...

Patrick Smith was recently a guest on The Empirical Cycling Podcast. Read on for more details and link to the show.

I also work in research on clinical methods and have work published in research journals from time to time. This is one of those times.

Patrick Smith was recently a guest on The Empirical Cycling Podcast. Read on for more details and link to the show.

Patrick Smith was recently a guest on The Empirical Cycling Podcast. Read on for more details and link to the show.

In collaboration with an international team of researchers and sport psychologists, we are attempting to address a service gap in accessing mental health services. This is a call for participants and individuals interested in helping us recruit participants via introductions.

Acceptance and Commitment Training builds the skill of distinguishing between the self-as-content (Self-stories), the self-as-process (Self-Story-Teller), and self-as-context (Where the story is told). Athletes and coaches can hook on the story as identity with catastrophic outcomes. I talk about how to notice the stories we tell ourselves so we can effectively navigate identity disrupting experiences such as injury or loss.

Mindfulness is becoming so ubiquitous it can be challenging to separate what the skill is and how to use it to an athlete’s advantage from the stereotypes of culturally appropriating hipsters and crunchy consumerism. Here are some trainable skills to build active and flexible attention in order to more easily induce broad present moment awareness experiences such as flow state.

Athletes experience anxiety more frequently than most. Here are some tools for coaches to work with their athletes during challenging experiences.