How a top sports psychiatrist got inside the mind of CB39
Thu Apr 25, 2013 6:18 am
TOP sports psychiatrist Steve Peters has revealed how he got inside the mind of Craig Bellamy and helped set him on the road to delivering the promotion dream with Cardiff City.
Dr Peters, Liverpool’s in-house psychiatrist, may next be asked to use some of the measures he implemented with Bellamy to try to calm down Anfield hot-head Luis Suarez.
The Uruguay striker was yesterday banned by the Football Association for 10 matches for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic.
Peters already has a proven track record of dealing with top international stars, Bluebirds captain and talisman Bellamy on record as stating his change in attitude is down to the work he has done with the man dubbed “the mind mechanic.”
Bellamy turned to the high-profile consultant for help following the tragedy involving his former Wales manager and close friend Gary Speed.
The 34-year-old Bellamy, who left Liverpool to join Cardiff last summer, says he has become a changed person since being introduced to Dr Peters.
The upshot was him overcoming any personal difficulties and spearheading the Bluebirds to their Championship title triumph.
Cardiff boss Malky Mackay believes Bellamy has led by example, on and off the pitch, and proved to be an inspiration for the rest of his Championship-winning squad.
Saying he had been given permission by Bellamy to discuss his case, Peters told a London newspaper: “When Craig worked with me, he did so well.
“One of the things he was upset by was that he believed he had been misled for years into thinking that unless he was aggressive on the pitch he wouldn’t perform well.
“That was turned on its head when he learned to go in with a very different approach, being calm but very focused and driven.
“Because in my world calm doesn’t mean indifferent, calm means you are ready to do a full attack.
“Craig learned that and credit to him, he worked really hard with me and he succeeded in getting the skill.
“It is a skill which means that some days you are better than others.
“When Craig started doing that I got a visit from one of the staff at Liverpool asking what it was I had done with him, because he was performing even better when he was calm.
“To me that makes total sense and to Craig it did as well.
“That’s why he went public and told people that because he was calmer on the pitch, he was performing better.
“He thought he had been misled by this myth that you have to be hyped up and angry to perform.”
Dr Peters did not discuss Suarez, at the centre of fresh controversy following the incident with Ivanovic.
However, the highly-rated psychiatrist is made available to Liverpool’s players on a weekly basis and outlined his general strategy, the one which worked so well with Bellamy, before the weekend’s contentious events.
Dr Peters said: “My approach is to say ‘let’s look at the structure of your mind. Forget about the game for a moment, let’s look at the rules of how the mind functions.’
“Then let’s apply these so you get some insight of what the mind does and doesn’t do and then let’s apply it to you specifically.
“My expertise is working with a unique individual’s mind. Everyone is unique, so what works for you may not work for somebody else.
“We tend to act as human beings on belief systems that are hidden quite deep in us and we may not understand what they are or even recognise them.
“My job is to try and get that out of people and discover what they are.
“If they are destructive beliefs, then we can remove and replace them.”
Bellamy speaks highly of Peters, having said: “He introduced me to a new world about enjoying who I am and looking at the positive parts.
“It is better than beating yourself up and putting yourself into situations that you certainly end up regretting.
“So you have to look back and say, yeah, I’ve had a great career, I’ve worked so hard to get where I have, why obsess about injuries, about certain situations that you have no control
Dr Peters, Liverpool’s in-house psychiatrist, may next be asked to use some of the measures he implemented with Bellamy to try to calm down Anfield hot-head Luis Suarez.
The Uruguay striker was yesterday banned by the Football Association for 10 matches for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic.
Peters already has a proven track record of dealing with top international stars, Bluebirds captain and talisman Bellamy on record as stating his change in attitude is down to the work he has done with the man dubbed “the mind mechanic.”
Bellamy turned to the high-profile consultant for help following the tragedy involving his former Wales manager and close friend Gary Speed.
The 34-year-old Bellamy, who left Liverpool to join Cardiff last summer, says he has become a changed person since being introduced to Dr Peters.
The upshot was him overcoming any personal difficulties and spearheading the Bluebirds to their Championship title triumph.
Cardiff boss Malky Mackay believes Bellamy has led by example, on and off the pitch, and proved to be an inspiration for the rest of his Championship-winning squad.
Saying he had been given permission by Bellamy to discuss his case, Peters told a London newspaper: “When Craig worked with me, he did so well.
“One of the things he was upset by was that he believed he had been misled for years into thinking that unless he was aggressive on the pitch he wouldn’t perform well.
“That was turned on its head when he learned to go in with a very different approach, being calm but very focused and driven.
“Because in my world calm doesn’t mean indifferent, calm means you are ready to do a full attack.
“Craig learned that and credit to him, he worked really hard with me and he succeeded in getting the skill.
“It is a skill which means that some days you are better than others.
“When Craig started doing that I got a visit from one of the staff at Liverpool asking what it was I had done with him, because he was performing even better when he was calm.
“To me that makes total sense and to Craig it did as well.
“That’s why he went public and told people that because he was calmer on the pitch, he was performing better.
“He thought he had been misled by this myth that you have to be hyped up and angry to perform.”
Dr Peters did not discuss Suarez, at the centre of fresh controversy following the incident with Ivanovic.
However, the highly-rated psychiatrist is made available to Liverpool’s players on a weekly basis and outlined his general strategy, the one which worked so well with Bellamy, before the weekend’s contentious events.
Dr Peters said: “My approach is to say ‘let’s look at the structure of your mind. Forget about the game for a moment, let’s look at the rules of how the mind functions.’
“Then let’s apply these so you get some insight of what the mind does and doesn’t do and then let’s apply it to you specifically.
“My expertise is working with a unique individual’s mind. Everyone is unique, so what works for you may not work for somebody else.
“We tend to act as human beings on belief systems that are hidden quite deep in us and we may not understand what they are or even recognise them.
“My job is to try and get that out of people and discover what they are.
“If they are destructive beliefs, then we can remove and replace them.”
Bellamy speaks highly of Peters, having said: “He introduced me to a new world about enjoying who I am and looking at the positive parts.
“It is better than beating yourself up and putting yourself into situations that you certainly end up regretting.
“So you have to look back and say, yeah, I’ve had a great career, I’ve worked so hard to get where I have, why obsess about injuries, about certain situations that you have no control
Re: How a top sports psychiatrist got inside the mind of CB3
Thu Apr 25, 2013 8:39 am
Great article
Re: How a top sports psychiatrist got inside the mind of CB3
Thu Apr 25, 2013 8:49 am
Gavin wrote:“So you have to look back and say, yeah, I’ve had a great career, I’ve worked so hard to get where I have, why obsess about injuries, about certain situations that you have no control"
There you have it Mr Chuckle, now get Steve Peters number and go and seek the help you need.
I'm sure most on this forum will chip in to help pay the fees.
Re: How a top sports psychiatrist got inside the mind of CB3
Thu Apr 25, 2013 8:58 am
TheHangedMan wrote:Gavin wrote:“So you have to look back and say, yeah, I’ve had a great career, I’ve worked so hard to get where I have, why obsess about injuries, about certain situations that you have no control"
There you have it Mr Chuckle, now get Steve Peters number and go and seek the help you need.
I'm sure most on this forum will chip in to help pay the fees.
He may be good, but he ain't that f*cking good.
Re: How a top sports psychiatrist got inside the mind of CB3
Thu Apr 25, 2013 10:05 am
BigGwynram wrote:TheHangedMan wrote:Gavin wrote:“So you have to look back and say, yeah, I’ve had a great career, I’ve worked so hard to get where I have, why obsess about injuries, about certain situations that you have no control"
There you have it Mr Chuckle, now get Steve Peters number and go and seek the help you need.
I'm sure most on this forum will chip in to help pay the fees.
He may be good, but he ain't that f*cking good.
Absolutely brilliant!
Re: How a top sports psychiatrist got inside the mind of CB3
Thu Apr 25, 2013 10:44 am
TheHangedMan wrote:Gavin wrote:“So you have to look back and say, yeah, I’ve had a great career, I’ve worked so hard to get where I have, why obsess about injuries, about certain situations that you have no control"
There you have it Mr Chuckle, now get Steve Peters number and go and seek the help you need.
I'm sure most on this forum will chip in to help pay the fees.