“I’m a hypnotherapist who helps the world’s snooker stars – this is how they improve their game.”

The World Snooker Championship is a marathon tournament.

To win the event, seeded players must score at least 70 frames. It’s quite a task to keep your mind focused on the game. But then Zoe Cruise comes into the picture.

Zoe is one of the UK’s leading hypnotherapists and, along with her work with the general public, is one of the go-to experts for sports stars.

Read more: Snooker chiefs announce new prize money for World Snooker Championship

Read more: Purchase the Ultimate World Snooker Championship Guide publication here

She often works with the world’s best snooker players, who cannot be named due to confidentiality agreements, as well as stars from other sports such as darts and golf.

A session with Zoe is very different from the razzmatazz you see on stage or what most people associate with hypnosis.

However, the results are proven even for those who do not necessarily believe in the method.

“Many people who come to my clinic are skeptical, but at the same time, they really want to change whatever their subconscious problem is,” Cruz explains.

“People have seen things like stage hypnosis and seen all these fancy things. So people’s perception of hypnosis is that they see all these crazy things. But while it’s using hypnosis for entertainment, in this situation we’re using it for therapeutic reasons.

“It’s common for people to be skeptical about hypnosis, but the great thing about hypnosis is that you don’t have to believe in it for it to work, you just have to follow my instructions. That’s it.

“There are a lot of people who come in who don’t believe in this at all, but they still get great results. That’s the great thing.”

Hypnosis is used to clear doubts in your mind.

In snooker, for example, if a player finds himself beating himself up on a long pot and fidgeting with the nerves of the shot, Zoe’s method can help calm that reaction.

“Someone will come in and say what the specific trigger is,” Cruz explains.

“For example, your hands are shaking, and in professional snooker you have to sit in the chair and watch your opponent play a really good game, and you can’t do anything about it, but you have to stay positive and mentally. It can be really taxing.

“You start thinking very negative things and then when it’s your turn to play you lose confidence and as soon as you lose confidence your performance drops.

“If a snooker player finds themselves in a situation like that, what you have to do is give them a lot of suggestions in their mind and fix a lot of states. If you’re watching a good play, you need to maintain that positive mental attitude.

“They observe and observe without falling into despair, anguish, and what I call a state of comparison and despair. Their thought is, “They’re doing really well, what effect will this have on me?” and then their confidence starts to erode.

“The key is to find the right balance of mental agility. Of course, this is a game, so you have to be aware of what others are doing, but you also have to be aware of what other people are doing, but you can’t be completely self-aware in the game.” Not so much that you lose it.

“You have to observe and witness without arousing your nervous system and sending it into a fight-or-flight state. That’s what we’re looking for.”

But how exactly does our mind work? And why is hypnotherapy the answer?

“Perhaps the simplest way to explain it is that we have a subconscious mind and a conscious mind,” says Zoe.

“Our conscious mind is a logical, rational mind. If someone goes to play soccer and knows people are heckling them, they want to hear it. Their conscious mind will tell them not to worry about it, because they know that there is no, and that they may be affected by it.

“But if their subconscious is the dominant part, it’s focused on keeping us safe. If it’s a danger to us or something negative, it’s focused on keeping us safe. It overrides conscious desires.

“Even if you think, ‘I’m going to play soccer today, I don’t care what anyone says, I’m going to move forward with all my might,’ your subconscious thinks that what people are saying is a threat. , and then that override.

“So what I do in hypnotherapy is talk to your subconscious mind. In that case, I would fixate a state of apathy.”

Although hypnotherapy is not the answer for everyone, there are practical approaches that people can adopt without going through specific sessions.

“It’s all self-talk,” Zoe says. “What we’re doing with hypnosis is we’re putting in a new self-talk. One of the best self-interventions you can do is to talk yourself out.

“People tend to imagine the worst, disaster strikes, and then they get stuck in what’s called a cycle of judgment and anxiety. For example, because a game is important to you, they start feeling anxious about it. There’s a lot of pressure because I don’t want to let my teammates down or let down the people who support me.

“We start saying, ‘I have to do well,’ or ‘I can’t be anxious.’ When we tell ourselves we have to do something, the opposite happens. It’s called insomnia. It’s a bit like someone saying, “I need to sleep.” That won’t happen.

“What you want to do is encourage yourself. It may sound a little selfish, but this is a little bit of self-parenting.

“This is something people can do without hypnosis. It’s all about self-talk, getting your nervous system in order and knowing that you’re doing your best, that you know you can play well enough on your own, that you’re doing well.” I want to remind myself that I trust myself even if it doesn’t work, so I can focus on the important recovery rate.

“No matter how good you are at your chosen sport, we all make mistakes, but the key is to get back on the horse as quickly as possible.”

Zoe helps change the fortunes of Britain’s worst football team

Zoe Crews spoke on behalf of Specsavers and its Best Worst Teams campaign.

With the help of superstar coaches like Harry Redknapp and Garry Monk and specialists like Zoe, the Specsavers hope to turn around the fortunes of struggling Welsh side CWM Albion.

Follow their journey on YouTube.