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The leading edge of golf improvement includes some very interesting programs and products. There is video analysis or swing analysis. Then there are new clubs, irons and putters, each guaranteed by their manufacturer to improve your game. One even more exciting is "Sports Hypnotherapy". As the name implies, there are therapeutic benefits derived from hypnosis to aid your ailing golf game.

Hypnosis has many applications in modern society. Dentistry without anesthesia, quitting smoking and weight loss. Enter Lucinda Hayden, M.A., a sports hypnotherapist who has developed a unique program, Inner Golf. Inner Golf uses mental rehearsal to focus on areas of improvement and also increases your ability to relax, concentrate and achieve consistency. Lucinda recommends a series of three sessions to derive maximum results from the program.

Each session consists of three aspects: 1) Relaxation- Letting go of accumulated tension in your body which interferes with your performance; 2) Mental rehearsal and developing a personalized mental routine to use on the course; 3) Focusing techniques designed to address your special needs. The relaxation alone brings tremendous benefits to other areas of your life as well, from the business place (many CEOs and high level executives use these techniques every day), to better health and happier relationships.

In a relaxed state, the next step is mental rehearsal. Research shows that during mental rehearsal your neurons react as if you were actually practicing with your body. The advantage is that you have more control over the results because you can visualize your perfect shot and your body memory records that shot as if you had actually made it. Therefore, you can practice greatness. "Golf is a microcosm of life itself," says Lucinda. "I see my role as helping people overcome the interfering part of the mind to achieve a higher level of mastery over themselves and ultimately to really enjoy the game of golf."

As Kim Larsen, Golf Pro with the San Bruno Golf Practice Center testifies: "After working with Lucinda, I am both more relaxed and more alert at the same time. I now manage myself and the course more effectively." Brenda Parnell, a longtime amateur, says "Using Inner Golf techniques, I have played the best golf of my life, taking an average of six strokes off my game. It's like magic!"

Reprinted by Permission