Mental Practice

Abstract

The use of mental imagery to enhance performance has been known for many years. Timothy Gallwey wrote The Inner Game of Tennis in 1974 (NY: Random House). It was revised in 1997 and details imagery and psychological techniques to improve performance and to deal with the pressure and stress of performing. Mental rehearsal is also well known in other sports and in martial arts. By mentally rehearsing techniques a “muscle memory” can be developed much like what occurs with physical practice. Recent research has demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach using stroke victims. Damage to the primary motor area of the cerebral cortex was addressed via traditional post-stroke rehabilitation techniques as well as using motor imagery training. The conclusion was, “ . . . motor imagery may provide a valuable tool to access the motor network and improve outcome after stroke” (Sharma, N., Pomeroy, V.M., Baron, J.C.: Motor Imagery A back door to the motor system after stroke?, Stroke. 2006:37:1941, American Heart Asso-