
5 minute read
InShape withChemmy
ChemmyAlcottchatstoBrittTajet-Foxell-thepsychologist whohelpedheremergefrominjurystrongerthaneverbefore
In her final column celebrating the experts who help keep her in shape, Chemmy Alcott introduces Britt Tajet-Foxell, an elite performance psychologist. Born in Norway, Britt developed an interest in the psychological aspect of rehabilitation while working as a physiotherapist for the Royal Ballet Company. After retraining as a psychologist, she became the first consultant psychologist for the Royal Ballet -where one of her first clients was a 22-year-old Darcey Bussell -and has subsequently worked with numerous members of the Norwegian Olympic Team and the British Olympic Association.
Chemmy says: before going on a ski holiday, we usually consider our physical needs -how to get fitter and stronger -but rarely think about how to bring out the best in ourselves mentally. In the world of elite sports, working with a psychologist, within rehab in particular, is now recognised as being as valuable as working with a physio -not least because the pursuit of excellence can make athletes particularly susceptible to performance anxiety, self-doubt and perfectionism. Add to that the likelihood of injuries, and the mental trauma they can cause, and it's no wonder so many athletes, including me, have turned to Britt for support.
CA:What memories do you have of our time working together? I remember coming to you post-injury, when you helped me replace the negative memories and fear of crashing with positive thoughts. BTF: When we first met, as I would expect after a serious injury like yours, the traumatic event and after-effects you suffered were huge and complex; comparable to a Post-Traumatic Stress Response (PTSR).My aim after this event was not just to get you back, but to get you back a stronger and faster skier. An injury can be viewed as a tremendous shortcut to what's happening in an athlete's mind. If you can use it as a springboard, actually using the pain and trauma of your experience to underpin your physical and technical abilities, it can be a positive thing, ultimately making you stronger. We had to first separate the physical pain from the psychological pain, which would enable you to rebuild physically and technically -without the erosive effect of fear and anxiety. Acknowledging the profound psychological effects of an injury is an important step towards building a robust recovery and reducing the chances ofre-injury. Atthe same time, we focused on building mental resilience, gradually empowering you to once again trust your instincts, qualities and strengths. In simple terms, we had to clear out the debris left from the injury to break through the barriers that were preventing you from fulfilling your potential.
CA:Do you have any tips for Members who might have sustained an injury, while skiing or not, that's creating a mental block about returning to the slopes?

BTF:I often compare injury to an iceberg -the emotional undertow lurks out of sight. Everything you do physically and technically is supported by what happens psychologically. If you have psychological control, and can create a language to define the emotions around a situation, it is easier to get through it.
First, try to pull out on your mental screen the specific memory files or mental programme of skiing. It's likely that it's been corrupted by memories of your injury.
Once you recognise that it's your memory files that are faulty, and start to differentiate between what's a real response to your injury and what is a memory response, you can start to use it as a tool to facilitate your rehabilitation, replacing the distorted programme with a more appropriate one.
Also, try to leave any feelings of perfectionism behind when you're returning to skiing after injury, or simply after a few months away from the snow.
Perfectionism is very common in the world of elite sports and performance, but it can be so damaging, trapping individuals in their own anxiety. I promote the idea of pursuing excellence: taking small, smart steps towards always being better.
The emotion around that is a sense of freedom -a freedom to develop. It gives you a map with lots of different possible directions towards improvement.
CA:You've worked with the world's best, from Olympic medallists to performers at the Royal Ballet -what are your top tips for helping people to be at their very best?

BTF:I usually work with performers over long periods of time, often precipitated by an injury. For example, I worked with the Norwegian cross-country skier Marit Bj0rgen for 12years, during which time she became the Olympic athlete with the most medals! I don't always have the luxury of time though: when I first started working with the Olympic rower James Cracknell, it was just three months before the 2004 Athens Olympics, and he had a stress fracture in his rib. When I asked him to imagine his muscles and ribs, he pictured the broken rib as welded together. By carrying that image of weakness in his subconscious mind, he perceived a devalued performance, meaning he was less likely to win a gold medal. We worked on changing his mental picture of a rib that was welded together to one that looked just like the healthy rib on the other side. He went on to clinch the gold medal.
So, ifl was to give one tip only, it would be to pay extra attention to developing your ability to focus and learn to use visualisation techniques to help address issues that are clogging your subconscious.
CA:Can you help with the following scenario: I'm standing at the top of a black run. I know I can do it, I did it yesterday. But today my heart is pounding and my legs are aching. My family have zoomed off down and are waiting for me at the bottom, but as I look down the slope I freeze ...
BTF:If you're a skier with no experience or training in performance psychology or stress control, I would suggest you do a quick reality check and remind yourself you are NOT standing there totally naked having never done this before.
If you're still feeling naked, retrieve positive memories from every time you've skied down a piste before. You can go right back to the very first baby run you took on a family holiday, to blue runs you mastered at ski school, any strengthening programmes you've undertaken to improve your ski skills ... Importantly, recall the joy and sense of fun you have felt while skiing. And, with each memory, put on an item of clothing. The growing feeling of security from this list of evidence to back up your experience, and being (mentally and physically) dressed in your smart ski gear, will get you safely down!
To build confidence to help you deal with panic at the top of a hill, it is useful to mentally prepare your descent first. The better prepared you are, the easier it will be to control your fear and the more you will enjoy your sport. If this is something you want to continue, book up one or two sessions with a performance psychologist to help you learn to control your stress response.
.6.EvenOlympic skierslike Chemmyhaveto steelthemselves mentallytotake theplunge
FINDOUTMORE
Ifyou're interestedin workingwith apsychologist, a greatplaceto startistheBritish Psychological Society,which offerslists anddirectories ofqualified psychologists invarious specialistareas, includingsports (bps.org.uk).
SkiClub Repsselecttheir highlightsof what hasfelt to many likethe first fantastically"normal" winter sincethe world ground to a halt in 2020



.&."While the rest of the Alps was short of snow, Andermatt was blessed with lovely fluffy stuff!"
"Fun social skiing with our group taking in the views ofZell am See."


.&."An exercise in skiing what's in front of you: we were traversing a relatively flat back bowl one morning planning to head to a well-known face to bootpack up. En-route we skied over some very nice untouched powder, so we changed plans and did several very enjoyable bootpack laps of the powder face!"
