Why are athletes experiencing anxiety, and what can they can do about it? – Dr Patricia Worby

Ever since the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics, held during the times of Covid 19 restrictions, anxiety in sport has become an evident problem for many athletes. The most publicised case at the time was the highly medalled American gymnast Simone Biles, who withdrew from the women’s gymnastics team competition, suffering from anxiety.

But what is causing these anxiety problems in sport, and why does it seem so prevalent now? And what can highly focussed sports people do to maintain mental and emotional steadiness? These are just some of the questions that Ian will pose to his guest Dr Patricia Worby during this deeply applied and insightful mindbody discussion.

With the goal of consistent training and improved performances, mindbody resonance is of fundamental importance to overcome anxiety in sport, and according to Patricia, to achieve this we must lead life with our heart more than our (over) analytical mind. Tune in to learn more.

About Patricia

Dr Patricia Worby PhD is a therapist, educator and author who uses somatic trauma therapy to release trapped emotional energy in the autonomic nervous system, which can cause symptoms of anxiety, fatigue and pain. A former university and NHS scientist and researcher, Patricia has developed her unique protocol to release childhood imprints of chronic stress, leading to recovery from chronic conditions such as anxiety, ME/CFS and fibromyalgia. She is the author of seven books on natural medicine and psychology (the Mindbody Collection), including the ground-breaking The Scar That Won’t Heal which focusses on chronic stress and the creation of disease. Patricia is currently writing her opus Emotional Alchemy, about the practice of creating altered states to release unconscious imprints.

Therapy, courses and group programmes: www.alchemytherapies.co.uk 

Books and education: www.patriciaworby.com 

Relevant research links and resources for this podcast

Below are a list of research articles and areas of academic enquiry within the field of immunity, mentioned by Patricia and Ian during their interview:

Patricia’s book most relevant to this podcast

The Scar That Won’t Heal – Dr Patricia Worby

The Havening Institute

www.havening.org

The Heart Math Institute

www.heartmath.org

A review of anxiety in sport

Sport-related anxiety: current insights – Ford et al (2017)

A study of athlete’s stress responses to supporters

Sport anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, stress and coping as predictors of athlete’s sensitivity to the behavior of supporters – Gabrys and Wontorczyk (2023)