Strategic promotion consultant Oksana Anatolyevna Budza. Psychologist of the Russian national swimming and figure skating teams Gennady Gorbunov: I work as a roofer - I put roofs in place Gennady Dmitrievich Gorbunov sports psychologist

Today our guest at the Express Real Estate newspaper is a psychologist with many years of experience in providing emergency services. psychological assistance» The USSR national teams in swimming, athletics, track cycling, athletes of the Zenit football club, which represented the USSR in the European Federation of Sports Psychologists for twelve years. Among his students there are many champions and prize-winners Olympic Games, World and European Championships. Today he will share with our readers recipes for psychological health, as well as some interesting cases from his extensive practice, accumulated over the years of work in various regions globe.
Meet Gennady Dmitrievich Gorbunov

"From the dossier":

Gorbunov Gennady Dmitrievich.
Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor, Academician of the International Academy of Psychological Sciences, Honorary Worker higher education Russia. Since 1971 combines teaching with the work of a practical psychologist in elite sports, and since the mid-90s with the work of a consulting psychologist in business (Personal Coach). On issues of self-knowledge, self-regulation, self-improvement and achieving the heights of professionalism, he conducted seminars and gave lectures in many cities of the USSR, Russia and more than 10 countries around the world. Head of the Department of Psychology at the Academy. Lesgaft (1991-1998). For fifteen years he has been a member of the scientific and methodological Council of the Knowledge Society. For a long time took part as a consultant in the television program “Musical Ring”.
In 1996, he was recognized as the best lecturer in his field at professorial readings at one of the All-Russian interuniversity festivals and is the author of the book “Psychopedagogy of Sports,” which received a gold medal as the best research work in the field of sports.
Now Gennady Dmitrievich teaches the training course “Psychological foundations of realtor professionalism” at Advex.

About faith, past lives, Filipino healers and more

For three years, Gennady Dmitrievich was a psychologist for the Philippine Olympic teams. While in the Philippines, he was not afraid to lie down on the table of a local healer and undergo a treatment session with him, which was recorded on camera. It is noteworthy that during the shooting the camera worked properly, but after development the film turned out to be exposed. The ear disease, which was the reason for contacting a healer, went away after the session. Gennady Dmitrievich is convinced that the mechanism of self-hypnosis, which often works in cases of sudden cures, as well as the patient’s belief that he will be cured, helped to cure her: “It’s not the healer who heals, it’s faith that heals.” At the same time, he is convinced that the phenomenon of real healers exists in the same way as other healers who use unconventional methods of treatment. Another thing is that there are not many real professionals, people gifted by God. Just like in any other field of activity, there are charlatans. But even in the case of turning to a false healer, the patient always has a chance to recover by turning on the self-healing mechanism, based on the deep belief that he will be cured.
Gradually the conversation moved into the direction of the “unknown and mystical” in the field of psychology. Gennady Dmitrievich adheres to the view that the more a scientist learns in his scientific field, the more real the existence of the Creator becomes for him. There is a certain limit in the study of the “unknown”, which is set by God himself. Exceeding this limit is dangerous for humans.
There were many amazing cases in his own practice. For example, a student of Gennady Dmitrievich, in a state of hypnosis (during the experiment, an audio recording of everything that happened), gradually, under his leadership, went through different ages; "on school stage“- demonstrated handwriting identical to her notes in a notebook in the first grade (a comparison was made); in the “kindergarten period” - the voice changed, and the one used lexicon became childish. But the most surprising thing was the “return” at 2-3 weeks of age. It was at this stage that the subject, while in a state of hypnotic trance, showed signs of severe anxiety, began to cry and began to complain of pain in her arm. As it turned out later when communicating with the girl’s parents, it was during this period that the child had a dislocated arm, which doctors were forced to set without using anesthesia due to the patient’s very young age. This fact serves as further confirmation that our nervous system “remembers” absolutely everything that happens and stores information somewhere “in the margins” of consciousness throughout a person’s entire life. An experienced specialist, using special practices, can help the patient remove it if this is necessary to normalize the mental state. Another unique episode of this experiment was that while going through the “before birth” stage, the girl suddenly spoke in a strange language. Subsequently, when listening to the audio recording, specialists discovered that she spoke a mixture of Estonian and Old Finnish. The subject herself lived in Tallinn and knew Estonian, but the language she spoke in a state of hypnotic trance was unfamiliar to her! What is this, inexplicable coincidence or a fact confirming the theory of the existence of past lives, as well as the possibility, under certain conditions, of “remembering” them? Gennady Dmitrievich suggests that in this case he witnessed how “the nervous system remembered past lives,” i.e. Genetic memory kicked in. As an example of other research in this area, he cites the work of C. G. Jung on the collective unconscious.
Subsequently, this case was studied and analyzed and even formed the basis of a master's thesis completed by a participant in this experience.
Gennady Dmitrievich repeatedly conducted experiments of “immersion” into a state of “psycho-bioenergetic trance” not only in our country, but also in Spain, Finland and the Philippines. Due to the language barrier, they took place without the use of speech instructions, and, nevertheless, the technique worked. A few energy passes with your hands are enough for a person to plunge into a special altered state. In some cases, while in a trance with eyes closed, a person can follow the movements of the hypnotist’s hands, feeling them 2-3 meters away. To put the patient into a trance, Gennady Dmitrievich developed a special soundtrack reminiscent of the meditative mantras of Buddhist monks.

Training. Eyewitness impressions

In his classes, Gennady Dmitrievich likes to give examples of metaphors; he easily and happily quotes Eastern sages and Michel Montaigne. His classes are perceived not as study, but as a simple confidential conversation with a wise and empathetic interlocutor, as a result of which the listeners feel surprisingly light and calm in their souls. And it becomes clear that behind this ease lies the art and work of a true Master. At the end of the lesson there is a relaxation session. The lights are turned off, quiet music is heard from the tape recorder, and the words of Gennady Dmitrievich are heard: “The muscles of your arms relax, you feel warm, etc.” During the session, for some reason I “had a vision” of mountains and cherry blossoms while listening to the music. But then the “return” begins, the count of “five, four,... one” is heard... that’s it - the alluring landscape with mountains and trees has melted, everyone has returned to reality. Despite the short “immersion time”, you feel rested and feel an extraordinary amount of energy and tide performance. For those who have not yet attended classes, Gennady Dmitrievich offers advice on express self-control of stress and mood management, so:

Stress and mood. Guru Tips:

"By and large modern theory stress is nothing more than new clothes for old ideas about wisdom, meaning, strategy, life tactics. How to optimally structure the years of your life so that constant stress brings success, joy, happiness, and does not cripple your health? How to build your relationships with people so that they are joyful and do not cause excessive stress? How to spend your time, work and free? Endless efforts under stress can lead to success, but kill the joy of the worldview, and constant escape from stress into sybaritism and entertainment is often the path to frustration: to the “stress of dashed hopes”, to deep worries about aimlessly lived years. Lack of stress is just as harmful as too much stress.
What can be done when, in a particular situation, it becomes clear that stress may develop into distress (i.e., excessive stress, in translation in English this term means unhappiness, illness, exhaustion)? Here are some recommendations:
First of all, you need to take care of your physical condition and systematic muscle loads. They have the ability to return the onset of distress to the level of positive stress and provide relief from mental stress. Try to rush and fuss as little as possible. Get organized. Don't plan a lot of things for a short time. Give up all the little things. While waiting for a crucial moment of activity, switch to an extraneous, fascinating activity: humor, music, detective literature. Don't wait, even if you are expecting.
If the pace of life begins to overwhelm you, slow down for a while. Stress “engines”, after running at idle speed, will cool down and will continue to withstand an even greater load.
In a typical acute stressful situation, both before and after it, the following sequence of measures can be recommended:
1.Relieve tension: running, brisk walking, any other physical activity.
2. Reduce the pace of movements and speech. Externally and internally get rid of haste, at least for a short time.
3. Relax while walking slowly.
4.Sit in a chair so that your head rests comfortably on a support. Close your eyes and completely relax.
5. Clearly recreate some pleasant situation, get used to it.

Initially, these methods of self-regulation of stress require their conscious inclusion in activities. But with repeated use they become more and more automatic. Remember: happiness and success can only be achieved by alternating active work and active rest.”

"Wrestling SAMBO" (www.site)

Gennady Dmitrievich Gorbunov
PSYCHOPEDAGOGY OF SPORTS
M.: "Physical Education and Sports", 1986. - 208 p., ill.

The book is devoted to the practical issue of influence psychology from the perspective of educational tasks of sports pedagogy. It reveals the content of psychological support for training an athlete according to the scheme: study - recommend - train - help. Options for relaxation, inspired rest, auto-training, hypnosis, verbal-musical and other types of psychoregulation, tested in sports practice, are given. Methods of self-regulation are described, texts of recommendations, suggestions and self-hypnosis are offered.
For athletes, coaches, practicing psychologists, students of physical education institutes.

3 .................... 5 ................................. 7

I had been in close contact with doctors, physiologists, and biochemists for quite some time, but I still could not see a specialist psychologist.

And in 1975, during the preparation of the national team of Leningrad swimmers for the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR in the village of Tsaghkadzor, fate brought me together with psychologist G.D. Gorbunov. (I was already familiar with his work in general terms.)

On the first day of the meeting at the general meeting, he briefly outlined the directions of his work. I took advantage of the opportunity and invited Gennady Dmitrievich to live with me.

Very soon I realized that this is a man who knows and deeply loves sports, passionately wanting to bring benefits with his subtle science. We quickly found a common language with him. By the end of our first joint training camp, my guys knew the basics of auto-training and enjoyed participating in sessions of inspired relaxation.

How many training camps are behind us, how many competitions! And the Olympic Games, and the World and European Championships, and the Universiade, and numerous international friendly matches. And everywhere Gennady Dmitrievich strived to be useful as a professional psychologist and teacher. The guys felt it after the first competition.

G.D. Gorbunov naturally joined the country's national swimming team, gradually involving more and more new athletes and coaches in the orbit of his work. The guys fell in love with him for his selfless help, human charm and kindness.

Gennady Dmitrievich’s work is distinguished by his constant search for perspective on ways and methods of influencing athletes and coaches. The systematic, active inclusion of new developments in already tested techniques led to the fact that within a short period of time his work reached a high level. Gradually he developed his own style, his own system, which are presented in this book.

I am sure that this book will be a good assistant for both a coach, an athlete, and a practicing psychologist.

I. Koshkin,
Honored Coach of the USSR,
honored worker physical culture RSFSR

On the way to high-class results, athletes today have to systematically withstand and overcome extreme physical and emotional stress, which determines the importance of the psychological factor in their preparation. Often during training that is large in volume and intensity, overwork occurs, fear of exertion occurs, severe irritability appears, sleep deteriorates, and appetite is lost. Cases of mental breakdowns during competitions are even more common when, due to excessive anxiety or apathy, athletes are unable to show results that correspond to their readiness. To avoid such phenomena in the practice of sports, constant monitoring and regulation of physical and mental state athletes.

In the recent past, psychologists in national teams were treated with skepticism. Currently, the role of a psychologist in training process increasingly more space is being allocated. But his work is not limited only to testing, conducting psychoregulation sessions, and correcting emotional tone. The functions of a psychologist also include participation in the education of emotional stability, in the formation and improvement of sports character. It is important that the psychologist naturally enters into the sports life of the team and carries out his pedagogical influence subtly and unobtrusively.

Many sports have become younger, often very young athletes participate in major competitions, and they are given serious tasks beyond their age. In these cases, help, support, and advice are especially needed. Even a short conversation with a psychologist can change your attitude towards training and set you up for a responsible start. Ten years ago, candidate of psychological sciences G.D. appeared on the USSR national swimming team. Gorbunov. The range of his activities was unusually wide. The basis of his work was a variety of psychoregulation sessions, which significantly help to recover from stress, develop self-confidence, and, at the necessary moments, mobilize for high sports results. Gennady Dmitrievich helped us endure the difficulties and hardships of sports life, preserve the accumulated neuropsychic energy until the right time, set us up for victory and, and most importantly, with his whole system, by his example, he cultivated in us personal qualities that were significant for sports, contributed to the formation of citizenship and patriotism.

During our rest hours, we discussed with him matters that interested us, our mistakes and achievements, books, studies, sports, music. It was part of our education, our common culture.

During his years in the national team G.D. Along with our maturation and success, Gorbunov also changed the forms of his work. But the most important thing was simple human communication with him, based on good relationships and deep mutual understanding.

Everything in this book has been tested by the practice of sports life, everything that we, athletes, have experienced ourselves. The experience of Gennady Dmitrievich, deserving the highest praise and wide dissemination, will undoubtedly be received by physical education and sports specialists, coaches, and the athletes themselves with great interest.

V. Salnikov,
Honored Master of Sports,
three-time Olympic champion,
multiple world champion and record holder.

Port is an area of human activity where theory and practice, science and art are so closely intertwined that their separation during analysis often led to annoying misunderstandings. A one-sided consideration of a complex phenomenon is always wrong. This also applies to the analysis of sports results - an integrative and final indicator of the quality of all preparatory work and competitive activity. It is not always possible to provide a strict and definitive scientific explanation for a sporting achievement.

Of course, sports science is the basis of new records, but it is not the only one. And an exclusively scientific approach with its academicism and terminology is not always accessible and understandable to the coach and athlete. It is always desirable that science be able to use the categories and point of view of practitioners. Otherwise, scientists will continue to receive reproaches for being unclear and out of touch with the practice of sports. In turn, sports practitioners will have complaints about empiricism and insufficient use of scientific achievements until, in their professional development, they reach the requirements of the categorical apparatus of science. It is probably always better when science and practice meet each other halfway in order to achieve mutual understanding, and not in order to compete in mutual reproaches and claims. (This book, in content and style, is an attempt to achieve such a mutual understanding of science and practice.) This applies to all sciences serving sports, but, perhaps most of all, psychology.

The fact is that people with different views, education, life experience, sports assessments, etc. They all have one thing in common - they all believe that they know the psychology of an athlete and strive to find a psychological explanation for success and failure. Especially failures. Here psychology is traditionally assigned the role of a scapegoat. When the situation is amorphous, it is easy to make an unsubstantiated accusation, but difficult to refute it. Moreover, not every Scientific research is realized in practice, just as not every sporting success is the result of pure science. Very often this art, based on science and experience, is controversial, searching, making mistakes and suddenly penetrating deeply into the unknown and giving leaps in results. And the higher the sports result, the more place psychology occupies in the work of the coach and athlete. This is probably why the complaints against psychology and psychologists are so great.

The content of this book comes from the practice of many years of work on psychological preparation and management of the condition and behavior of athletes in training and competition conditions. Therefore, it is designed for practitioners. Each section could have been preceded by a theoretical lining of one thickness or another, but this was deliberately done in a minimal volume. The practical experience presented here was developed, used and systematized on the basis of strict theoretical concepts, numerous experimental data from Soviet and foreign researchers, and in the practical training of many psychologists.

This experience is 30 years old. They have ten years of their own sports experience, ten years of research and ten years of scientific and practical experience as a psychologist for the USSR national swimming team. For 20 years, from year to year, what science and practice provided was systematized by the author in the university courses “Psychology of Sports” and “Psychological Preparation of an Athlete” (later the course was called “Psychological Support for the Preparation of an Athlete”). The following is a synthesis of research, scientific, practical and didactic experience in this problem.

The informative aspect of this book is equally intended for coaches and athletes, as well as for professional psychologists and teachers. Undoubtedly, something for coaches will only be of an informational nature, so to speak. For example, information about the use of hypnosis in sports. After all, the trainer cannot conduct hypnosis sessions anyway. However, he should know as much as possible about its capabilities. This will allow the trainer to be a competent customer when contacting a specialist, and will give him the opportunity to correctly formulate a pedagogical task for him. However, sometimes a trainer needs a general understanding of the benefits of a particular specialist’s work, trust in him and provision of basic opportunities for work. And the further necessity and usefulness of its activities should be assessed by the effectiveness and quality of solving pedagogical, mainly educational problems. These tasks can only be depicted on a diagram that precedes a conversation about the psychopedagogy of sports and the psychology of influence:

The author expresses deep gratitude to the coaches, managers, and all those who contributed to his endeavors, encouraged him to work and helped him in it. We've been through a lot together happy days. This is primarily I.M. Koshkin, S.M. Vaitsekhovsky, T.M. Absalyamov. The experience presented here has been reviewed by formal and informal reviewers, to whom the author expresses deep gratitude. Their fundamental comments and friendly advice provided the author with great assistance in finalizing the manuscript and developing his views on the psycho-pedagogy of sports.

Addressing the readers, I would like to note that the author will accept any comments and suggestions aimed at improving these materials with great gratitude.

Gorbunov Gennady Dmitrievich (1938) - Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, professor, academician of the International Academy of Psychological Sciences, honorary worker of higher education in Russia. For 12 years he was elected as a member of the Directorate of the European Federation of Sports Psychologists. Has been working for more than 40 years practical psychologist in elite sports.

In 1960 he graduated from Lvov state institute physical education, master of sports in swimming.

In 1966, he graduated from the graduate school of the Department of Psychology of the GDOIPC named after. P.F. Lesgaft, defended his PhD thesis on sports psychology.

From 1970 to 1995, he successfully combined teaching psychology with work as a practical sports psychologist in the USSR national swimming, athletics, and cycling teams. He developed his own theory and method of psychoregulation of the states of highly qualified athletes using hypnosis and bioenergetics methods.

From 1992 to 1998, he headed the Department of Psychology at St. Petersburg State Academy of Physical Culture. P.F. Lesgafta.

1994 successfully defended doctoral dissertation on the topic: “Psychopedagogy of physical education and sports.”

In 1995 he was elected a corresponding member, in 2004 - a full member of the BPA in the section of intensive teaching methods (SIMO). From 1995 to 1999, he was the head of the psychopedagogy department of the Baltic Pedagogical Academy, created on his initiative.

In 1996, he was recognized as the best lecturer in his field at professorial readings at one of the All-Russian interuniversity festivals and is the author of the book “Psychopedagogy of Sports,” which received a gold medal as the best research work in the field of sports.

For many years he represented our country in the European Federation of Sports Psychology (FEPSAK), and successfully worked abroad as a sports psychologist for national teams of many countries. For fifteen years he was a member of the scientific and methodological Council of the Knowledge Society. For a long time he took part as a consultant in the television program “Musical Ring”.

Books (2)

Psychopedagogy of sports

The book represents the didactically processed experience of a specialist who has worked half his life as a practical psychologist in elite sports, and half his life in a university classroom.

It is devoted to practical issues of influence psychology from the perspective of educational tasks of sports pedagogy. It reveals the content of psychological support for training an athlete according to the scheme: study - recommend - train - help. The features of sports character and ways of its improvement are considered.

Options for relaxation, inspired rest, auto-training, trance, hypnosis, verbal-musical and other types of psychoregulation, tested in sports practice, are given.

Numerous methods of self-regulation are described, texts of recommendations, suggestions and self-hypnosis are offered in the form of specific practical guidelines.

Rejoice in a fair victory

The harm and danger of drug use, as well as doping, is a well-known fact. But, as experience shows, some people still resort to such behavior, even knowing full well about its negative consequences.

Why is this happening? What vulnerable aspects of our psyche are affected when a person begins to act to harm himself, what is the reason for trying such drugs, why do they cause an intractable addiction, what can be counteracted? Understanding such mechanisms - important condition, allowing you to protect yourself and others from the risk of addictive behavior.

The book is addressed to teenagers and young people; it will also be of interest to specialists involved in the issues of anti-drug and anti-doping prevention.

Psychologist of the Russian swimming and figure skating teams Gennady Gorbunov: I work as a roofer - I put roofs in place

“Treat the boy’s head,” Tatyana Tarasova said to the coach of figure skater Konstantin Menshov after his failure at the last Russian Grand Prix. A couple of months later, Menshov became the national champion. Psychology professor Gennady Gorbunov had a hand in this and many other sports miracles.

SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY
TALKING ABOUT THE MAIN THINGS

In a month it will be 40 years since Gennady Gorbunov has been working with athletes: he first went to the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR in 1971. And since 1975 he has been working with national teams. I started with swimming, and all our champions and medalists of the Moscow Olympics went through it. Then he worked with cyclists, track and field athletes, and football players. By his own admission, he began collaborating with figure skaters because the St. Petersburg Figure Skating Academy is located a few minutes walk from home. Age matters.

"GET A BIG FROM RENTING"

At the World Championships in Moscow I worked with Ksyusha Makarova And Alena Leonova, - says Gennady Dmitrievich. - After the short program, Alena came up to me and asked me to conduct a session in the evening. I arrived at the hotel, the session was short. I told her: “You will fall asleep, but fight sleep, be drowsy, swim.” I conducted a recovery session for 30 minutes in a trance state.

- Did you give instructions for the free program?

Which almost brought Alena a bronze medal? But of course! The point of the session was for her to perform equally well in both programs. It happens all the time: in the short program the skater is first, in the free skate - tenth. Or vice versa. It is clear that this is not a problem of preparation, but of mental management.

- Would you mind revealing the secret of what exactly you are saying?

- How long have you been working with Leonova?

We started collaborating with Alena three years ago. I told her about the ritual of pre-competition behavior and explained the basic techniques. I started with a gentle immersion, relaxation, then began to deepen it, putting me into a trance state. Eventually he switched to hypnosis. In a deep dive, she perceives everything differently.

World and European champion in swimming Stanislav Donets said that your goal is not to win medals, but to do your job well.

That's right, I say the same thing to skaters. There are, of course, nuances. In swimming there is no need to be distracted by the aesthetic component, which you have to do in figure skating. Therefore, I direct skaters to one thing: “Get a thrill from skating. If you have fun, then everyone will get it: the audience, the judges, mom and dad.”

When skaters come to me and write their last name, first name, year of birth, who they train with, I immediately provoke them: “Describe the start where you had the most fun.” Regardless of the result. Delight is remembered not so much by the head as by the body. If you remember it, then you will properly prepare your body for another start.

I have an approach that I use everywhere, especially with skaters. No worries, I say. There is not even such a word. The excitement was removed. We have inspiration, encouragement and delight. Thus, instead of one “in” we get three others.

- As an eyewitness, I can say that delight is exactly what Leonova experienced after the skates.

Certainly! The main thing is to evoke the appropriate reaction in her. But it is important that emotions do not overwhelm her, otherwise she may lose control, especially in jumping. Delight is an energy boost. She managed to make sure that she nourished herself from beginning to end.

“I WAS SERIOUSLY MISTAKEN WITH MAKAROVA”

- Makarova’s short program was also a success. What happened in the free program?

We discussed this in detail with her coach. Evgeny Rukavitsyn. But I can’t voice it. I think I made a serious mistake in one place. Ksenia had to be restored in the evening after a short one, but she showed no desire. I talked on the phone with my mother for a long time. I waited, didn't insist. In vain. Of course, I have less contact with Ksyusha; she has only been living in Russia for a few months. I did not take risks because I did not know what my intervention would lead to.

There was, however, another option to help her: if I could talk to her right before going on the ice. After all, 55 minutes between warm-up and start is a lot. But I couldn’t get into the area where the skaters are before the skate. Therefore, my task for the near future is to create a recording with instructions for skaters so that they can listen to it before the performance.

- What is the secret of Leonova’s success?

Everything is built on several basic positions. First, any person, when you work with him, must be ready for changes. You cannot force an athlete to go to a psychologist. If he doesn’t want to, there’s no need, such work will be useless anyway. The second is a continuation of the first: the task of a specialist involved in the psychology of influence is to create faith and a sense of miracle in his ward. If this is the case, then any further action will be useful.

Even the language barrier doesn’t matter: in the Philippines, a trainer brought a guy to me with the words: “He’s completely untrained, do something.” I spent only one session of suggestion with him, and he became the champion of Asia. The coach was shocked: “What did you do to him?” “Nothing,” I answer. “He just believed in me.”

"FEAR SIT IN THE SUBCONSCIOUS"

- Does your working method change depending on the type of sport?

When I started working with cyclists, I didn’t know the specifics of the sport and didn’t understand what I needed to tell them. Collected information from coaches and athletes. I wrote the necessary words, then went to Alexander Kuznetsov(to the head coach of the USSR national team. – Note ed.) and checked with him. Only after this did he begin to write an “instrument of influence.” Work on 5-7 lines lasts a week, sometimes two. Moreover, this phrase should contain words that athletes use. Once the tool has been developed, you can begin to influence.

I did the same thing in figure skating: I described the state of an athlete who is preparing to jump. After Tamara Nikolaevna Moskvina, Evgeny Rukavitsyn made adjustments. I asked and Mishina. But we were never able to meet with him and discuss everything. Showed it to the skaters - Sasha Smirnov, Kostya Menshov. When the “tool” was ready, he began to sharpen it under hypnosis. This does not mean, of course, that everyone will jump flawlessly. The technique is aimed at reducing the likelihood of falling or landing poorly.

- Why do you need to put a person into a trance state, hypnotize?

Very often in psychology influences are oriented towards the rational intellect, towards consciousness. But, if a person experiences anxiety, fear, especially before competitions, you can tell him a hundred times “Finish it, don’t worry!” What's the point? Anxiety sits in the subconscious.

My work is based on the fact that I first tell something - but this is only a quarter of the story. Then I immerse him in the appropriate state and repeat the same thing. Sometimes I improvise, sometimes I say prepared phrases. Like poetry - one and the same, one and the same. I’m laying down a deep installation that will pop up when needed. This can be either calm and confidence, or composure and mobilization - in different types sports in different ways.

“GACHINSKY IS NOT READY FOR CHANGE”

- Which other skaters do you work with?

We met with Sasha Smirnov several times. I gave him a book and a recording of autogenic training. And he said that this was enough for him. Listens to the recording before performances. With Yuko (Kawaguchi. – Note ed.) I do more: she calls, I come to the skating rink, and we communicate.

I had it about a year ago Arthur Gachinsky. But this is the case when a person is not yet ready for change. He didn't feel me. Mishin makes people self-sufficient. Arthur can come to me only if Alexey Nikolaevich says that something needs to be corrected. But now, after his success, he is unlikely to come. After all, there is such a misconception that if an athlete needs a psychologist, then this is a weak athlete.

- As far as we know, this phrase belongs to the famous swimming coach Sergei Vaitsekhovsky.

We have known Vaitsekhovsky since the 60s, when he was still involved in pentathlon. And he told me: “Gena, I had all sorts of psychologists. I don’t trust you charlatans.” But time passed, he saw the results of my work and changed his point of view. “Why are you scolding psychologists,” they told him, “but Gorbunov has been working for you for how many years.” “Don’t be confused,” he answered, “Gorbunov is a completely different matter.”

- Is it true that the Olympic champion Salnikov was close to sleep during a long swim?

No, he wasn't sleeping. It was a trance state, that is, extreme looseness and emancipation, combined with maximum concentration and mobilization. This is a variant of somnambulism, when a person becomes as agile as a monkey. But God forbid you wake him up, fear immediately arises. Often, deep positive things - inspiration, creative inspiration - arise precisely in a state of trance. At a distance, when a person enters this state, especially in cyclic sports, the muscles work extremely economically and amazing coordination of movements appears.

They say that 14-time Olympic champion Michael Phelps listens to the same recordings before swims that you gave to Alexander Smirnov?

Nobody can tell you for sure. Americans, and many others, hide not only their methods, but often also the people who work. There were times when I saw a person at competitions, knew him from other matters, knew that he was a psychologist. I asked the Americans what he did, and they said that he was a coach. I don’t have the facts, but if we proceed from the principles by which Americans work, then there is definitely a psychologist there. Because when a person reaches such a level, it is impossible for him to do without special training.

“IT’S EASIER TO WORK WITH WOMEN”

- Were there any cases when you were unable to help?

Certainly. But, even if a person gained half a point or half a second during our work, I think that the work was successful.

- Are there people who are completely hypnotizable?

As much as you like. About 15 percent of people in the world are hypnotizable. But everyone is capable of going into trance. When a person enters a trance five, seven, ten times during sessions, his suggestibility increases. And then I start using hypnosis.

- Who is easier to work with - women or men?

It's easier for me with women. My character of communication and personal characteristics appeal more to women. Men too, but of a special type: if he is a tough guy, then he is unlikely to come to me, I work more with people of an intelligent type.

Boris Spassky told Rudolf Zagainov that a psychologist is forced to be a mental prostitute: constantly adapt to the personality of an athlete or coach. Do you agree?

Why don’t journalists attach this label to, say, doctors and psychotherapists? Of course, whether you want it or not, sometimes you twist a person’s brains just to relieve the tension. We have to, let’s say, be cunning. Sometimes they ask me: “What do you do?”, I say: “Roofer, I put roofs in place.”

Regarding Zagainov. Do you think the story of the death of Yulia Arustamova has hit the reputation of sports psychologists hard?

I have known Zagainov for more than 40 years. He is a very good psychologist. But I don’t answer questions about him.

- To what extent, in your assessment, are Russian national teams currently provided with psychologists?

If I give such an assessment, they will beat me,” Gorbunov laughs. – The specialty “Sports Psychologist” has been preserved at the University of St. Petersburg. I don't know how many issues there were. Ten, fifteen... But these people are not visible in sports.

Recently, people from the Medical Department contacted me and were given the task of preparing each national team with a psychologist for the Games in London, and then for Sochi. The point was that I would train psychologists in sports. They asked how much I wanted to earn, but then everything calmed down. But there are no personnel. More precisely, there are good psychologists, but such people immediately end up in business and receive a decent salary there. But average and especially weak psychologists are not needed in sports.

- That is, in the near future we will not reach the level of the United States or China in terms of psychological preparation?

You come to competitions, for example, in swimming. There, along the sides, along with doctors and massage therapists, people walk with the inscription “Psychologist” on their backs. And here, try to find a place for a psychologist in the delegation. At one time I was offered the chair of a psychologist at the USSR Sports Committee. I said: “No way, because now the leader understands the importance of psychology, but what will happen tomorrow?”

It is known what to do: introduce the position of a full-time psychologist in all national teams, give people a good salary. But this is not even close!..

PRIVATE BUSSINESS

Gennady GORBUNOV

Master of sports in swimming. Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor, Academician of the International Academy of Psychological Sciences.

He worked with the USSR and Russian national teams in swimming, athletics, cycling, and figure skating.

WHAT ABOUT THEM?

WE ARE EVEN BEHIND THE NIGERIANS

The Chinese team brought 60 psychologists to the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, and the United States team brought 30. The British brought eight specialists, the Germans six, the French five. Even the Nigerians had their own psychologist, although he was an American. There was not a single psychologist on the Russian Olympic team.

AND THERE WAS A CASE

THE KARPOV-KORCHNOI MATCH TURNED INTO A WAR OF HYPNOTIZERS

Scandals often erupt around the work of a psychologist, and the chess match for the world title in 1978 between Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi, held in Baguio, Philippines, resulted in a real psychological war. In Karpov’s team, Vladimir Zukhar was responsible for psychological preparation. He constantly came to the games, sat in the same place in the front rows and, according to Korchnoi, hypnotized him.

At first, people from Korchnoi’s team sat in front of Zukhar, trying to block the chess player from the “hypnotist’s” gaze, then Karpov’s opponent demanded that the psychologist be moved to the back rows. Nothing helped: in the best-of-six match, Karpov led 5:2, and Korchnoi blamed Zukhar for all his mistakes. And then two parapsychologists, Harvard graduates, came from America to help the dissident Korchnoi and began neutralizing Zukhar.

“Honestly,” Korchnoi later said, “I never believed in devilry, but there was something in it!” With psychological support, he won two games in a row, then there was a draw and another victory for Korchnoi. With a score of 5:5, the Soviet delegation managed to achieve the expulsion of the American parapsychologists from the Philippines, and in the very first game that followed, Karpov won a decisive victory.

TRAINER'S OPINION

Tamara MOSKVINA, coach Yuko Kawaguchi and Alexandra Smirnova:

– The role of a psychologist in sports is very important. While still a student at the Lesgaft Institute, I learned many psychological techniques that I still use in my work. Gennady Dmitrievich Gorbunov worked a lot and actively with Yuko and Sasha. During preparations for the World Championships in Moscow, I also turned to him for help. I wanted the techniques that I was going to convey to them to be said by a third person and, perhaps, in different words.

OPINION OF AN ATHLETE

Larisa ILCHENKO, Olympic swimming champion:

– We met Gennady Dmitrievich in 2006. The team was preparing for the World Championships, and Gorbunov had to help cope with the heaviest loads. Honestly, like most, I treated the psychologist with distrust. Gennady Dmitrievich felt this and was the first to ask: “You don’t believe me?” And then he told a story about how one athlete didn’t believe him either. And then he put him to sleep, took him out onto the stairs and woke him up at the very edge. It was the same with me: Gorbunov sat me on the edge of the bed and put me to sleep. I woke up only when the alarm rang for the second training session. And then I immediately believed him.