A professional vegan footballer (Part 2) – Gerard Finnemore

In part 2 of this article, we now gain the perspective from clinical psychologist, Gerard Finnemore, who used qEEG assessment and neurofeedback and biofeedback strategies to support the professional footballer client.

Overwhelm is like a computer with too many windows open; it presents as anxiety but doesn’t easily respond well to conventional anxiety treatments”

Elite athletes experience the same traumas, hurts, anxieties, family issues and stressors as the rest of us, but somehow they are expected to be immune from the effects of this – mind over matter.

From a young age, Sello knew he wanted to become a professional football player. In the early years, he overcame asthma and an allergy to grass to chase his dream. Looking forwards, whilst at university, he was practising twice a day, playing simultaneously for two clubs and coached for schools.

During this time, Sello came to see me for a session. He presented with a sense of discontent about his professional career, which, given his talent, was not progressing as anticipated. A month later, Sello’s team doctor expressed concern about nervous exhaustion and insisted he be admitted to a local hospital.

He had stayed in the hospital for about three weeks and did not enjoy the experience. On discharge, he had travelled back to his family in Johannesburg. At our next session, he informed me that he had stopped the medication he had been given at the hospital as he felt it drained his energy and compromised his football.

I emphasised that stopping medication is never a decision to be taken lightly. I suggested he booked an appointment with Ian Craig to review his training and adopt a functional medicine approach to optimise both his psychological and physical health (see Part 1).

Insight from previous treatments

Dr. John Sullivan, a prominent clinical and sports psychologist, emphasises that while an athlete may be well prepared for their sport, they may not be completely ready for the challenge. He argues for a series of interventions and assessments that fully prepare (and protect) the athlete in order to build resilience (1). Interventions such as Brainspotting, biofeedback and neurofeedback can be used to reach the source of the trauma and facilitate physiological renewal and resilience.

Further, Dr Leslie Sherlin decribes the critical nature of understanding the unique culture and pressures of professional sport. He aims to help elite sportsmen get into an effective brain state when needed. He extensively uses neurofeedback and biofeedback in his work (2).

Carlos Quentin reports his experience working with Sherlin: “Prior to doing this training, I was using Ritalin to improve my focus endurance. One of the biggest things that has helped me from this training was getting me off that medication. I didn’t realise how negatively the medication affected me until I was able to get off it – diet, health, and my emotional state. Not only has this training given me a tool to improve my focus endurance, it has allowed me to get rid of a crutch. Now I can eat better, feel better, and improve my health overall… so my health and emotional state have been dramatically improved (3).”

Using qEEG Assessment with Sello

A qEEG (quantitative electroencephalogram) is a neurometric assessment. The data is analysed using spectral analysis and a comparison with a normative database. Recent advances using LORETA (Low-Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography) allow application to Brodmann areas inside the brain to reflect the function of networks responsible for cortical processing.

The results revealed evidence of poor sleep quality: possibly short, deep sleep bursts, anxious dreams – all occuring more frequently manifesting before matches. This indicated a strong possibility of inflammation. There was also evidence of attentional difficulties during waking hours, going ‘offline’ at times, with less than ideal communication between sensory nodes in the parietal and decision-making frontal regions. He may not have been performing at his best on the field tactically, with compromised mental and physical stamina. Inflammation would most probably have manifested from a non-optimal diet, excessive stress and impaired sleep.

Furthermore, we conducted a genetic profile and ordered DNA Sport, Health, and Mind reports. Sello’s results displayed quite a few inflammatory indicators, as well as some issues around detoxification. I focused on psychological support, while Ian took care of Sello’s biochemistry and diet.

After treatment…

Sello has since completed his honours degree in psychology and has been accepted for a master’s programme in sports psychology. This opens a wide avenue of future possibilities, such as being a coach or sports psychologist after he retires from professional football.

To continue learning about Integrative Sports Nutrition, where health feeds performance, click here to access CISN’s library of articles.

Click to listen to Ian Craig’s ‘The Science and Strategy of Personalizing Nutrition‘ interview on the Nutra-preneur podcast.