This Is Your Brain on Sports: Beating Blocks, Slumps and Performance Anxiety for Good! Paperback – Illustrated, February 18, 2020

My interest in this book was piqued after hearing it discussed by sports-minded friends. Though I am personally not immersed in the world of sports (never was) I was quickly hooked. The poignant stories of talented and highly motivated young people who excel at the sports they love and then inexplicably find themselves waylaid by stubborn performance issues gave me a window onto the athlete's world and empathy for their struggles. Drs. Goldberg and Grand's explanation of the roots of such performance problems and their innovative approach to resolving them should be of much interest to sports enthusiasts. I'd definitely also recommend this satisfying read to any couch potato like myself who has ever shaken her head in disbelief when watching a favorite athlete repeatedly blunder.There is a cautionary message for parents and had I read this book when my own children participated in recreational sports, I would have paid closer attention to the teaching climate set by their coaches. In fact, it should be required reading for all coaches, many of whom could use a hefty dose of understanding as to which training techniques work and which do not. Humiliation never does, according to the authors, and worse, can contribute to performance difficulties not experienced until years later. Probably (since they never know who they are) not a bad idea to gift this book to well-meaning but over-invested parents. Our son-in-law recently told us with pride that our grandson has a great pitching arm. Our grandson just turned two and a half. I think I shall give his dad a copy.

At last someone has finally come up with a method that gets to the roots of sports performance problems. David Grand and Alan Goldberg have created a seminal work of explaining why typical psychotherapy does not work for the deeper issues of unresolved sports traumas. They also make a strong case as to why sports psychologists have previously been unsuccessful in dealing with these deeper problems based mostly on the authors personal experience along with their research. The authors point out that the focus has always been on the actual performance problem, and not the deeper problems that the athlete brings to the field of competition, including many non-athletic related issues. Grand and Goldberg do an excellent job of researching why it is so critical to take into account the athlete's complete life history in order to heal the athlete as a person in order to treat the performance problem properly. In the treatment of sports performance, they make a strong argument for why Sports Traumatic Stress Disorder (STSD) exists and creates Repetitive Sports Performance Problems (RSPP's)! For anyone who is a coach or an athlete, this book needs to be your starting point for increased performance! For the fan, it will help you to understand why a top athlete like Tiger Woods can suddenly fall from the top of competition.

This book was an easy read and logically organized with many examples and explanations of the basis of their approach and the supporting concepts. Real life examples are presented in a manner easily understood and comprehended by literally anyone. Any parent or coach that is honestly concerned with better understanding how to assist their children and players navigate the psychological aspects of participating in higher level sports should find the book very useful, and for many possibly a source of relief. Personally as an athlete of sorts most of my life, 15 years of coaching experience in two different sports and the father of four athletic children, the applicability and value of the information and "self help chapter" are enormous and appreciated. Well done, thank you!

Having been frustrated using traditional cognitive-behavioral approaches with athletes experiencing freezing, choking or the yips, I was absolutely thrilled to read David Grand & Alan Goldberg's `This is Your Brain on Sports.' This book packs in all of the information you need to make a wonderful impact with athletes suffering from these recurrent sports performance issues. After reading the book, I was able to put the breakthrough therapy of `brainspotting' to immediate use with my clients and the results were spectacular! I would highly recommend this book and its' techniques to all practitioners who work with athletes. You will be thrilled with your results.But that's not all. The authors wrote this book so that athletes could also benefit. They carefully put together treatment strategies that athletes can employ even without a therapist. Therefore, I recommend this not just for therapists who work with atheletes, but for athletes themselves!Jack Singer, Ph.D.Professional and Licensed Sport Psychologist

Fantastic book describing the benefits of Brainspotting with athletes. This book opens up a new perspective on how to treat the mental aspect of clients with performance issues. Brainspotting has changed my life and my counseling practice in a profound way!!! 5++++

Any parent with childrdn in sports and all coaches need to read this book. Great insight on how our words and actions can affect children. It is also a great book for past athletes who have anxiety issues.

Purchased this book for my husband and once he started reading the book, he couldn't put it down. He said it was fascinating and so "spot on".My husband played professional ball and my son is currently at a Div I college playing ball. My husband said that if he knew what this book speaks of back when he played pro ball, he would have had a longer pro career. Every athlete, coach, and parent (especially father) of an athlete will benefit from reading this book.Would really like the price to come down so I can purchase multiple books and give them to all the coaches and athletes we know.