Case Study of the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Application in 400m Performance Enhancement in Pre-Competition Anxiety Athlete

Abstract

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is identified as a cognitive-based technique applied to a wide range of psychological treatments. Presently, it is practicing in the Sports psychology field to assist the psychological anxiety drops in athletes. But CBT has rarely been practiced in sports performance enhancement in Sports psychology in Sri Lanka. This study aimed to provide the use of exposure in sports and present an incident of how openness can be used to optimize athletes' performances with revels their anxiety without losing their performances. The athlete was 19-year-old female 400m athlete with a moderate level of performance anxiety. Firstly, conducted the behavioural analysis to identify the athlete's present anxiety level and rapport buildup, and secondly psychoeducation was conducted to realize the issues with her incident. Thirdly, applied the exposure to physical sensations and gradual appreciation of the training with deep breath muscle relaxation technique. Then she was moved from being exposed to Vivio to exploring schema and showed there was nothing to fear. Lastly, an evaluation, 3- month direct intervention and continuous follow-up of the athlete to ensure that the athletic performance level was not reduced and identify the mindset. With this therapy, the athlete's attitude can be set up and back to normal sports performances. So according to the study, we can recommend following up on this study, can use this methodology for sport performance enhancement of the performance anxiety athletes.