A young profession that needs to be better regulated: mental trainer

A sporting event, in the run-up to the Paralympic Games, to discuss the mental preparation of champions. A practice not really supervised on a professional level.

Without mental preparation, Léon Marchand might not have won all his Olympic medals. This support for athletes, before the events, can sometimes raise questions. The point with Doctor Martin Ducret, doctor and journalist at Doctor’s Daily.

franceinfo: How does mental preparation work?

In practice, the athlete calls upon a mental trainer who can also be called a mental coach. Over the course of several sessions, the latter will, in a way, strengthen the athlete’s brain to increase his mental strength. He will allow him to better manage his stress, improve his self-confidence and concentration. To do this, he uses different tools such as meditation, hypnosis, relaxation or mental imagery, a technique which consists of creating or recreating in the thoughts an experience, a situation or a sporting gesture.

Are there any special techniques?

Sometimes, yes. Some mental trainers like Frédéric Chevalier – also a former high-level rower – use apnea and cold water immersion with their patients. He explains that “Immersing yourself in ice water is one way to learn to let go”. It is particularly effective for people who are in hyper control and inhibition of their emotions, such as certain athletes or business leaders.

Is a mental trainer necessarily a sports psychologist?

No, not necessarily. The title of mental trainer is not protected, which means that anyone can call themselves a mental coach without having undergone training. This lack of a professional framework leaves the door open to sorcerer’s apprentices, and this is damaging to this new specialty, which has existed in France for about ten years. According to Régis Scotté, a clinical psychologist in Boulogne sur Mer specializing in sport and currently working at the Olympic Village, “A mental trainer aims to make an athlete more efficient, but above all he must take into account his general well-being and know how to detect any underlying psychological suffering”This which then requires support from a mental health professional, such as a psychologist for example.

So the ideal is to consult a psychologist specializing in mental preparation?

Yes, it is a plus, “This provides a training guarantee” explains Lise Anhoury, sports psychologist in La Rochelle and formerly at INSEP. But it is not essential either. There are competent non-psychologist mental trainers who have followed recognized training and who refer the athlete to a mental health professional when necessary. But for an athlete, it is not always easy to find the right mental trainer who has had solid training and who knows his limits. This is why this young profession requires a regulatory framework in order to guarantee patients care with a minimum of abuse.