Imagery focused on negative possibilities can support optimal physical response in suboptimal circumstance.

Imagery changes your brain, strengthening the neural networks you need for efficient, optimal performance.

Imagery helps you optimize emotional regulation when facing threats and challenges.

My husband drives cars. Fast. When I think about worst case scenarios he might encounter—well, I try not to, because I have no control over what happens in his car (let alone the cars around him). Fortunately, he does this driving on FIA-graded tracks (mostly). And he does think about worst case scenarios. And he plans for them, as in: here’s the net/ shrubbery/ cushioned wall/ gravel patch for when my brakes fail on Turn A/ B/ C/ straightaway.

Just recently he had a passenger (not me!) when his brakes failed. My husband’s passenger was not a performance driver but he was a paratrooper, and when the brakes failed in the straightaway, my husband’s passenger was just as calm as my husband was: he saw the gravel patch, he figured my husband would turn into the gravel and hockey stop. Which was exactly what happened. No sweat, no cussin’. Then off they went to fix the brakes. (In the particular case of my husband, it is during repairs and lost track time that sweat and cuss words flow).

Sometimes I get some pushback when I encourage athletes to consider oh sh*t moments. They worry that if they start thinking about undesirable possibilities, that possibility will become a........

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