How Wodonga hypnotist Mat Shirley is helping athletes perform at their best

Henri's Bakery's pastry cook Mat Shirley, who first learned about self-hypnosis on YouTube, said he had been contacted by many clubs in the region to help players recover from injury and find form.

Mr Shirley explained that hypnosis is nothing new and in fact, we experience it every day.

"Before a game, the coach comes in and he starts speaking in a certain tone, hypnotising the players - he's getting them all pumped up," he said.

"So with his words, our unconscious mind will listen to those tones and those subtle meanings that we pick up on. It's not so much what he says, it's how he says it."

Amid the challenges of welcoming his second child and working a 2am shift at Henri's Bakery in Wodonga, Mr Shirley found himself overwhelmed with stress.

So he began learning about self-hypnosis on YouTube and after seeing the results, took a course and became a qualified hypnotherapist.

"We have a conscious and an unconscious mind, and through hypnotherapy, we are trying to get the unconscious mind to override the conscious," Mr Shirley said.

Hypnosis is a state of focused attention and heightened suggestibility, he explained.

During hypnosis, the mind is in a relaxed state, making it more receptive to positive changes, behavior modification or therapeutic interventions.

The exact mechanisms are still debated, but it's thought to involve altering brain activity and bypassing the critical conscious mind, allowing direct communication with the subconscious.

"The main command is 'sleep', but when I say the word 'sleep', the unconscious mind doesn't actually put them to sleep but puts them in a trance," Mr Shirley said.

"When they're in that trance, they're susceptible for suggestions.

"I'll then say 'when you wake up, you will cluck like a chicken'. And they will absolutely believe they're a chicken.

"And when I say sleep again, they'll go back to sleep and they'll forget that last suggestion."

After getting his qualification, Mr Shirley began hosting hypnotist nights for several footy clubs in the Ovens and Murray league.

Some players were so impressed, they approached him afterwards to ask if he could help with injuries, confidence, mind-set and stress.

"I use hypnosis to transport them back in time to when they were confident, allowing them to reconnect with those feelings," Mr Shirley said.

"There was one instance where a player with a broken jaw requested help. Through hypnosis, I guided him through the experience of his injury, removing the emotional impact.

"By the end, he could hardly remember his broken jaw."

Beyond footy players, Mr Shirley aids people in quitting smoking and breaking other bad habits.

He said that a person is the sum of their thoughts and habits, and through hypnosis, we can reprogram our minds to introduce new patterns of behavior.

"I firmly believe that nothing is set in stone and improvement is always possible," Mr Shirley said.

"Our questions and thoughts wield significant power, shaping our habits.

"Hypnosis has the power to rewire the brain, introducing positive thoughts that permeate our character, and with the right character, habits and thoughts, action ensues, leading to increased success."

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