mistermasetti

| home | blog | the book | info | download |

The Power of Thought - Part Two

Adapted from "Competitive Sport Shooting - Practical Sport Psychology"
by Dr. Heinz Losel M.D. - 2nd Edition 1999 - ISSF Munich

(The So-Called Russian Sleep Machine...continue)
On the second day after arrival, one of our shooters came to me and said, "I didn't catch a wink of sleep last night, doctor. And now I'm dead tired early in the morning. The damned time change has really got me down. Could you try out your sleep machine on me?" "Why certainly, just stop by my room later this evening." Round about the time to sleep, he laid down on the examination bed. I placed the special glasses over his closed eyes and asked him to completely relax. "Let your muscles relax, fully relax and breathe calmly in and out, in and out.
Listen to me carefully. I am now going to turn on the unit and increase the intensity of the current very slowly. When you feel a light tingling sensation in your eyelids, do not speak but indicate this to me by moving the forefinger of your left hand. If the effect is too strong, then clench your hand into a fist." The intensity regulator was subdivided into 9 bands. Somewhere around position 3, the shooter moved his forefinger. He therefore felt something. I then turned the device up a little more, whereupon he moved his finger more vigorously, probably because of the increased intensity.
To test this, I then told him that I was going to increase the current even more. If it becomes unpleasant, then make a fist, as we discussed. Several seconds later, he made a fist, and I turned the regulating knob back down a little.
It was now pleasant and just right. The shooter breathed calmly and evenly. His head tilted somewhat to the side. His breathing became deeper and he began to snore. About 15 minutes later, I carefully wakened him and removed the glasses from his eyes. "That's really a fantastic thing" he said, "I actually fell asleep". The news of this success not only circulated among the shooters but also among the functionaries. I therefore had a lot to do on the following days. Back in my practice, I told my assistants of the great success with the Russian Sleep Machine. The power unit was then unpacked. And after all the patients had left the prac-tice, my assistant in charge of this unit asked,
"did I understand you correctly, doctor, when you reported that the sleep machine was a success in South Korea?" "Why of course, it was a complete success. Why do you ask?" "Very strange, very strange indeed", she said and shook her head pensively, "almost incomprehensible for me. You namely neglected to put the batteries in their compartment, which I couldn't help but to notice when I unpacked the unit."
"I find that fantastic, simply fantastic. That' just another astonishing proof of the power of thoughts and ideas and the effect they have on the function of our psychological and physical systems."
Nevertheless, this placebo effect says absolutely nothing about the effective influence of the so-called Russian Sleep Machine, since effective as well as ineffective measures and methods are subject to suggestive and auto-suggestive mechanisms. The Russian Sleep Machine was undoubtedly beneficial for our team, even if it was only used as a placebo.

(Go to Part One)

(to the blog)

Sitemap

  home
  blog
  the book
  info
  download

The contents of this site have the sole purpose of illustrating my experiences as an Olympic Shooting Coach. The information contained therein does not intend to constitute a "manifesto" or even a new "theorem" on Target Shooting.

If there are drawings or images or writings in which it could be identified a violation of copyright, it is requested to have adequate communication (any gaps could be due to the impossibility of tracing the respective authors). When such violations become known, the Author immediately makes himself available to comply with the law.

This site does not use any type of cookies