BUNTING CREDITS HYPNOSIS FOR CAREER TURNAROUND

By Aaron Nijjar

STEPHEN BUNTING has credited hypnosis with helping turn his career around.

World No.9 Bunting worked with the same mind coach who aided UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and snooker world champion Kyren Wilson in reaching the top of their respective sports.

Bunting, 41, admitted he sought advice after struggling badly with his form and the impact it was having on his life away from the oche just a couple of years ago.

He told talkSPORT: "I've been seeing a hypnotist and sports psychologists to try and get the best out of my game and find that extra percentage to be able to compete with these guys.

"I can't speak for everyone, but in my scenario it was an important thing to look at.

"A few years ago I was down on form and I was going home, taking it out on my family and locking myself away. I needed to change some things.

"Seeing a hypnotist got me thinking really positively, which was unbelievable.

"He changed my career, to be honest.

"We did a lot of visualisation as well, lifting trophies and things like that.

"Two weeks after starting with him, I went on to win the Masters.

"He worked with Kyren Wilson before he won the World Snooker Championship, and he also worked with Tom Aspinall before he became UFC heavyweight champion.

"Like you said, with dartitis as well, my hypnotist deals with things like that.

"I know people who've had dartitis and he's really helped them.”

Bunting then explained the unusual theory his hypnotist uses to describe how negative thoughts can affect performance.

He added: "The way he describes it is that you've got a bucket in your brain and every negative thought goes into that bucket.

"Eventually it overflows, like any normal bucket would, and that's where your stress, anxiety and dartitis come from.

"The only way of dealing with that is through the REM state.

"A 40-minute session with my hypnotist is the equivalent of about four-and-a-half hours of sleep, which helps empty the bucket and get rid of those issues."

The Bullet is still searching for his first title of the season after a difficult start to the campaign.

The former Masters champ will return to action on Thursday night when he takes on Alex Spellman at the US Masters.

Bunting suffered a first-round exit on his debut at Madison Square Garden last year but is relishing the opportunity to make amends on his return to New York.

He continued: “It was great to be a part of it and obviously to play in Madison Square Garden is a dream come true, to be honest. It's such an iconic venue.

"The walk-on was a bit strange because it was a zig-zag walk-on and there were no barriers, so it's a bit different to the UK, but we all enjoyed it as players and the crowd certainly got behind it.

"They were all bouncing up and down when the 180s were going in and when the doubles were being hit, which is great.

"That's what we like to see. I think it's so important that we get to show our skills across the globe, and to come to New York City, one of the best cities in the world, is amazing for us as players as well.”

Image by Taylor Lanning.