Many people know Dan Vitchoff as the President of PA Hypnosis Center but you may not realize, he is also a Mental Training and Performance Coach to US Olympic Athletes including Two Gold Medalists. We put together a quick question and answer session to help you get to know Dan Vitchoff.
First, how did you get started doing hypnosis?
I had an undiagnosed learning disorder growing up – ADD. I loved playing sports but hated school. My father was heavily invested in me going to college and graduating. It was an issue between us. When he suffered his second heart attack I went back and worked in a memory program at school with a Bulgarian professor and jumped in with both feet ever since.
How did you get involved working with athletes?
I started off working with a couple of Olympic shooters. After I had success with them I was contracted to work with the whole team.
A while later, I was introduced to “someone who knew someone”. I got a call from a sports agent who had an NFL player he wanted me to work with. Filled out the forms and had success, so I picked up more clients from the NFL and it’s simply grown from there.
What specifically did you work on for your professional athletes?
Well, to take a step back, I some time ago patented the “Original Mind Gym” which is literally a system to facilitate relaxation and the 33 Method Mental Training Programs. The “Original Mind Gym” gives athletes a place where they can go to train their brains. We actually previewed the Original Mind Gym at 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where my athletes were able to break away from the hustle and bustle of the Olympics to re-focus and prepare for competition. The “Original Mind Gym” allows athletes to relax in a zero gravity position, which basically means that their feet are elevated above their hearts which increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain. The position is the ultimate position for relaxation because it takes all the stress and pressure off the head, neck, shoulders, back and knees. The athletes then experience a completely individualized session that includes hypnosis, visualization, imagery and brain wave technology to help them mentally prepare their minds for competition. The effects are a lower heart rate while competing, less anxiety, more focus, more confidence and most importantly an intense ability to perform flawlessly under pressure.
Is this physical as well as psychological?
Yes, of course there is a physical element but when you’re competing on a world stage such as the Olympics, you are competing against to top 1/2 of 1% of athletes in your sport in the world. That is a very close margin; the main variable is how mentally prepared each athlete is for competition. My ultimate goal is to have my athletes compete just like it’s second nature.
How do you know when your methods are successful?
I have a very close relationship with my athletes, we talk about where they’re at and what their goals are and I individualize a program specifically for them. We communicate consistently about what’s going on in their lives, their sport and their training routines. Any adjustments that need to be made will be made almost immediately. Our goal is to always be on the podium, my athletes have dominated numerous competitions both national and international. I also work with a lot of young athletes from the Pittsburgh including gymnasts who can develop a mental block for a skill that they’ve been doing for years, we can help them break through that mental block so that they can execute the skill comfortably and confidently. I work with baseball players on pitching and hitting, runners on beating their current times, college football kickers who get psyched out when the game is on the line, we can help them become more consistent and kick more field goals. We have seen dramatic results with our athletes and I truly believe that is a result of the type of mental training that we do.
What’s next?
Training the brain is the next frontier. With a functional MRI we can watch the brain build connections and increase skill level. We’re re-wiring the brain to function at a higher level. It’s function and theory working together, We’re already seeing this with our younger athletes – athletes are excelling in their sport because they have the extra advantage of mental training. As science and technology continues to advance, we will continue to learn more about how the brain works and how to stimulate the brain in a positive and dynamic way. I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds and what we will be able to accomplish over the next 5 or 10 years.