Empowerment and team building: an Ericksonian hypnotic approach

to a synchronised roller skating team

Natascia Bernardi, M.A.Sport Psychologist

Ericksonian Psychotherapist

SPASS - Lignano Sabbiadoro Sept. 8th 2010

Empowerment and team building: an Ericksonian hypnotic approach to a synchronized roller skating (precision) teamWhat is Synchronized roller Skating?(Wikipedia.com)Also called Precision Roller Skating, this is a large and fast-growing, yetlittle recognized discipline, consisting of 12-24 athletes skating on thefloor at one time moving as one flowing unit at high speeds. This discipline of Precision Skating is named because of the emphasison maintaining precise formations and timing of the group.

Teams may consist of men and women with Senior Teams having 12 -24 team members and Junior Teams having 8-16 team members.

Two scores are given, one for technical and one for artistic impression.

Empowerment and team building: an Ericksonian hypnotic approach to a synchronized roller skating (precision) team

Aim of a synchronized roller skating team:(Wikipedia.com)For a precision team to flow in unison, individual skaters must becompetent at a variety of skating skills, including speed, footworkand presentation. The team performs a program set to music, withrequired formations including circles, lines, blocks, wheels, andintersections. The teams are required to perform difficult step sequences involving a number of complicated turns.

Empowerment and team building: an Ericksonian hypnotic approach to a synchronised roller skating team

What is an Ericksonian Hypnotic Approach?

- Utilisation of any patient’s resources- Trance as an alterate state of mind which occurs during

daytime to everybody.- Hypnosis as one of the possible techniques.

Empowerment and team building: an Ericksonian hypnotic approach to a synchronized roller skating team

Sincro Roller Senior Team:- 24 + 3 female skaters (age >16 to <42 y.o.)- 2 coaches (1 male and 1 female)- Lack of medals since 2005

Empowerment and team building: an Ericksonian hypnotic approach to a synchronized roller skating team

Initial requests:- Learning to copy with anxiety before important

competitions.- Getting a sense of TEAM belonging.

Empowerment and team building: an Ericksonian hypnotic approach to a synchronized roller skating team

Sincro Roller Competitions:- Three main Competitions: (1) NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (March)

(2) EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP(May) (3) WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

(Oct./Nov.)

Other shows or private Competitions during the year.

Empowerment and team building: an Ericksonian hypnoticapproach to a synchronised roller skating team

Approach- Attending training sessions as pubblic and next to the coach

(special observation times);- Meeting the athletes in their changing room right after the training

sessions (intervention);- Discussion and taylored hypnosis (definition of group goals and

intervention on the team, with the team);- Observation of minimal cues in order to have a direct sensory-

motor feedback as well as some resources to personalise the hypnotic induction;

- Follow up on hypnosis sessions (feedbacks);- Giving tasks based on team aims and feedbacks in order to make

them working independently on these team tasks.

Empowerment and team building: an Ericksonian hypnoticapproach to a synchronised roller skating team

What have been used (taylored tools):- Changing room sociograms;- Personal athlete’s photos linked to skating- Movies (Any Given Sunday, The Gladiator and Invictus);- Special acronimus (A.I.C. = ALZATE IL CULO – Get your butt

up) or nicknames.- Music (Creation of a compilation with “pumping up” songs

suggested by each player together with the song used for the exercise);

- Big colored draws of goals;- Hypnosis.

Empowerment and team building: an Ericksonian hypnoticapproach to a synchronised roller skating team

Official Competitions (Objective Results):

Freiburg (GER) World Championship Nov. 2009: BRONZE MEDAL;

Conegliano V.to (I)National Championship Mar. 2010: SILVER MEDAL;

Nantes (FRA) European Championship May 2010: GOLD MEDAL;

Empowerment and team building: an Ericksonian hypnoticapproach to a synchronised roller skating team

Other seasonal results:

Winners of the International Synchronised Roller Skating Competition (Riccione, June 2010);

Michela Corticelli (Captain of Senior team) voted as BEST REGIONAL FEMALE ATHLETE OVER 23 by Regional Carlino Sport Newspaper (June 2010).

Empowerment and team building: an Ericksonian hypnoticapproach to a synchronised roller skating team

Conclusions:

- Ericksonian approach seems to work for empowerment and teambuilding in female synchronised roller skating teams.

BUT…

- 1 team results are NOT a proof of REAL EFFICACY- Is the Ericksonian Approach or the “rapport” between the team

and that particular psychologist?- What about standardisation of methods and results?

Thank you for your attention!!natascia.bernardi@gmail.com