Mindfulness- Acceptance- Comittment( MAC)protocol For Performance Enhancement of the athletes.pptx

MAC PROTOCOL IS EFFECTIVELY WORKING ON THE PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT OF THE SPORTS PERSON.IT SHOULD BE PROMOTED

1. Mindfulness- Acceptance- Commitment( MAC) For Performance Enhancement DR.SONIA KAPUR

2. The mindfulness-acceptance-commitment(MAC)approach to performance enhancement integrates and adapts acceptance and commitment therapy developed by Hayes et al(1999) and mindfulness based cognitive therapy developed by segal and colleagues(2002) The Mac approach also draws on the extensive research on rule governed behaviour. Hayes and colleagues suggest that when an individual has a negative emotional response to an external stimulus ( such as anxiety in response to skilled opponents) and then directly thinks about the stimulus ( such as I cant keep up), he will likely develop a negative emotional response directly to those thoughts. In the future , either the emotional response or the external stimulus triggers those same thoughts. As such both cognitive and emotional response become cues in and of themselves and often leads to forms of avoidance (overt task disengagement) or worry and concentration loss(covert task disengagement).

3. Such actions are frequently engaged in to avoid or escape from negative or uncomfortable internal experiences. for example , an individual may lose aggressiveness for task to be taken out of the game in response to the anxiety of facing a superior athlete . This process has been termed “experiential avoidance”. experiential avoidance can take as many forms and can be triggered in an instant if the individual wishes to avoid an uncomfortable or negative internal process. For example if an athlete experiences anxiety ,anger or frustration before practice and this experience leads to thoughts such as “ I m too stressed to practice” she may decide to skip practice. The experiential avoidance in this example is based on rule governed behaviour , as the cognitive response to the emotion ( a personal rule established by individual) directly governs the avoidant behavior .

4. The avoidant behaviour is not consistent with the valued goals of improving performance ,successfully competing and enjoying athletic performance. The distinction between rule-governed and values directed behaviour is particularly important. One of the hallmarks of the MAC approach is that it promotes both the competitive self regulation necessary for optimal competitive performance and the commitment to personal athletic values necessary for quality practice , intense training ,and long term skill development. For example , comments such as “I just cant play for him. He’s jerk” or “I didn’t take that shot because I wasn’t confident” are often made by those athletes using their internal process (cognitive-emotional response) to explain and guide behaviour rather than the environmental contingencies they most value. these may include contingencies that contextually require sport-specific behaviour , working to improve performance , and enjoying competing in their chosen sport.

5. . In contrast MAC promotes accepting internal experiences while at the same time focusing on the appropriate external contingencies and behavioral responses required to effectively navigate situations and achieve both immediate and long term valued outcomes. in this way, the MAC approach is consistent with the suggestion by Murphy and tammen(1998) that in addition to focusing on performance enhancement and regulation of internal experiences , sports psychologists should also promote pragmatic issues such as effective problem solving, decision making and sound practice behaviour of competitive athletes.

6. The basic component of MAC protocol are highlighted in following sections : Educational Phase: The educational phase addresses the athletes need to understand and collaboratively participate in the intervention. This includes the a discussion of athletic performance from a self regulatory perspective, the athlete’s personal experiences and contradiction of trying to control internal experiences such as thoughts,emotions.In this phase of MAC protocol,the athlete begins to recognize external events(early cue detection) related to performance difficulties and their relationship to internal experiences(thoughts and emotions) Mindfulness Phase : Appropriate use of mindfulness helps the athlete notice and then let go of negative or distressing internal events and simply experience them without avoidance.

7. In session, athlete learns specific mindfulness,attentional training, and situational attentional refocusing exercises that they practice in exercise session and competition. Values Identification and Commitment Phase: This component explores the distinction between goals and values. The purpose is to increase effective actions that serve individual values. The athletes are introduced to cognitive defusion,which is the process of disconnecting actions and behavioral choices from internal rules and experiences(known as rule governed behaviour) .The athlete learns to act in a manner consistent with valued goals, regardless of negative internal states. Acceptance Phase: In this component athlete further develops their abilities to recognize the connection between their thoughts,feelings,and behaviours.The focus is on accepting events and associated thoughts and emotions as opposed to controlling Intervention protocol

8. negative experiences. 5 ) Integration and Practice Phase: In the final component of MAC protocol, the athlete integrates, consolidates ad practices mindfulness, acceptance and commitment skills, integrating both in sports and everyday life. Special attention is given to continually using these new skills in practice and competition and as well as in relevant non athletic situation.

9. THANK YOU