I then began to ask him a series of questions while maintaining constant rapport.

"What do you like about wrestling?" I asked.

"I like the feeling and rush I get when I'm wrestling. I also like executing technical take downs on the mat," he responded.

"Where do you want to take your skills, to what level?" I asked.

"I want to be really fast and precise in my moves, no hesitation. I would love to win the state next year as a senior!" he responded.

"What is holding you back from doing this?" I asked.

"I feel like I'm out of control when I execute too fast. I've got the speed, power and reflexes, but the moves don't flow like second nature. I guess I need to really learn the moves perfectly" he responded.

"So, what's holding you back from really learning the moves?" I asked.

"It's really a matter of this being new to me and I haven't had enough practice, but my coach said I have great instincts, speed and power. I just need to really get the technicals down pat." He responded.

"Are there any role models you admire in wrestling, " I asked.

He responded, "Definitely! I look up to my older brother's best friend. He got me into wrestling last year and he was state champion his senior year, three years ago. He is an awesome wrestler and very technical, great moves and he's been doing it since he was a little kid. He ahs taught me a lot"

"How much of the sport do you think is mental?" I asked.

"A lot, definitely! You can have all the talent in the world, but if ou don't have your mind in the game, tight and focused, you can get pinned real fast if you aren't completely there mentally," he responded.

"I agree with you 100%," I said.

I then went on to review what hypnosis is and isn't. I told him he would feel relaxed and comfortable and would hear everything I was saying. He didn't appear to be apprehensive. He seemed eager to try it. I then asked him if he had ever been in the zone when he wrestled. He immediately lit up and said, "Oh I wish I could always be there when I wrestle, that's when everything just flows and I'm so in control, no hesitation, awesome feeling!" he exclaimed. I then asked him to think of a fundamental truth that he absolutely believed to be true, such as the sun will rise tomorrow, for example. He closed his eyes and thought of one. I asked color, texture, feeling, sound, etc…and had him point to it in his mind's eyes. It was straight in front of him.

I proceeded to ask him about a positive truth he believed about himself and where that represented itself in his mind's eye, how that looked, felt, sounded and how it differed in location, color, distance, etc. form the fundamental truth. This truth, about himself, was lower and to his right. I then asked him to shake that off and think of a time when he experienced time flying. I had him describe all the submodalities and what color, for him, represented time flying. "It's definitely bright red," he said.

I asked him to shake that off and think of time dragging. I accessed the submodalities and asked what color, for you, represents time dragging. "It's a hazy dark gray," he responded.

I then asked him to close his eyes and make himself fast, red, on the inside and everything around him slow, hazy dark gray, on the outside.

I then set an anchor a few times by having him make a quick fist, fast on the inside and slow on the outside. We did this a few times so he could really feel the difference and associate the two. When I had him open his eyes and come back he thought that was really cool and really liked that exercise. I explained that this experience is a lot like being in the zone, that many athletes describe it as feeling fast on the inside and everything around them is in slow motion. I told him we would use this later. He was excited about this technique, as he called it, and said, "Yep, that's what it feels like to be in the zone. I just couldn't describe it. That is really cool!" I enthusiastically agreed. I then asked him to close his eyes and relax, to focus on his eyes and feel them just go heavy and relaxed. I told him this warm sensation of relaxation is spreading throughout your entire body. I did the Dave Elman technique, having him open and close his eyes a few times and to go deeper down into relaxation each time he closed his eyes. I explained that this is what it feels like to be physically relaxed and we would now do a mental relaxation.

I asked him to count down from 100 and with each count down to say in his mind, I relax and let go. I relax and let go. "Beginning now, 76, 64, 48, 32 just let go of all the numbers. Don't even count, as you mentally relax all the way down, now." I said.

I then asked him to imagine the part of him that wants to improve his wrestling game. I had him get fully associated with colors, sounds, feelings and I anchored this part, with a touch. Next, I had him access the part that was holding him back form making this change, fully associated, I anchored this part.

I told him both parts have a higher purpose for his greater good and I asked that he allow both parts to turn and face each other. I asked that both parts, the part that wants to make this change and the part that's holding him back, anchoring each other. I asked that both parts, the part that wants to make this change and the part that holds him back, anchoring each, begin to work out their differences: all the nuances, both consciously and unconsciously, all the details so he could accomplish his goals easily and effortlessly. I asked him to allow both parts to move together, closer, forming a new stronger part and to look at this new part and how it feels with all its talents and abilities.

I then proceeded with the Sermon Script and read it once it once in entirety then reiterated certain key phrases. Next, I had him visualize his wrestling role model in his mind's eye, on a big movie screen, and to notice all the nuances. See his aura, the electrical magnetic charge around him, that makes him unique. Then I asked him to watch the movie again, but to remove his role model, leaving the aura or life force, and put himself inside this aura. I asked him to watch this movie and see himself absorbing the life force and gaining all the talent and experience that his role model possessed . Finally I told him to take a deep breath and step into the movie so he could actually experience what it's like to really be there and how easily he could step into that reality. "Really see, hear, and feel everything, absorb all their talent and experience and lock it all in," I said. I then read the Sermon Script again. After reading the script, I asked him to imagine a great big picture of himself as the perfect wrestler, and to make it colorful and crystal clear. Then I asked him to place a picture, in front of that big picture, of something that holds him back and make that picture much smaller. "Now, like a slingshot you pull back and smash through that smaller picture, as it shatters, and you fly full force into that big picture of you, the perfect wrestler," I said.

I proceeded to do this a few times. "Now, you can try in vain to bring up the picture that holds you back, but automatically that big picture comes up, the way you really want to be! I said.

I then read the Sermon Script. I told him to relax even deeper and I read the Caterpillar metaphor story. Finally, I told him to take all these new talents, skills, and experience and put them where that absolute truth is that he believed about himself and to align it with that universal truth and lock it in. As I did that, I grabbed his hand and had him make a fist to anchor it, we did this a few times, as I repeated the above and told him to lock it in. I explained that form now on all these talents, skills, and experience are part of him and every time he makes that fist, before a match, it will bring him to that undeniable truth and he'll automatically lock into the zone.

Finally, I told him, "take a moment of clock time, all the time in the world and let it all settle in, NOW." I repeated this again. I then told him I would count from one to five and on the count of ive he would open his eyes, fully refreshed and naturally realizing he is automatically becoming a perfect wrestler. I brough him back up and he was really pumped with the whole experience. He practiced doing the fist and I could immediately see his physiology change. He breathed deeper and he came to attention with a focus in his eyes. We both knew we were dealing with a powerful technology for change!

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