How your brain protects you after injury

Though an athlete physically recovers from an injury to the body, such as an elbow injury for a baseball player, the brain must heal as well. Without addressing the brains automatic response to keeping the, now healed, injury safe, muscles guarding occurs. Athletes notice limits power and mobility and causes inconsistency. Brainspotting stops muscle guarding, allowing for full range of motion and maximum power.

An injury to the body is an injury to the mind. After the physical injury heals, processing the injury out of the mind prevents the brains automatic response to tensing up the muscles around the injury site, also called muscle guarding. So what happens when an athlete experiences the dreaded freeze response or the opposite, a pounding heart, anxiety, fear, etc? The brain is doing what it’s supposed to do! A peel off the beam for a gymnast or a concussion for a soccer player can trigger the brain to automatically react in such a way as to protect the body by freezing, a response typical for a gymnast, cheerleader, diver or baseball pitcher. After an athlete experiences a concussion the brain isn’t sure where the next hit will come from, often triggering the body tensing, the eyes scanning, rapid heart rate, or anxiousness to keep the athlete safe. These responses affect strength, flexibility, range of motion, energy, focus and concentration.