‘Nobody can help you’ – World champion turned to hypnotherapist and got snooker epiphany
Kyren Wilson has revealed how he challenges the pressures of top-level snooker through work with a hypnotherapist. Wilson won the World Snooker Championship for the first time in 2024 with an 18-14 win over Jak Jones at the Crucible Theatre. Wilson became the world champion of snooker last yearGetty Snooker is a lonely sport though, and some players battle with their own thoughtsGetty The 33-year-old is ranked as the world no.2 in snooker, a sport where players must fend for themselves when they enter the playing arena. And in an appearance on talkSPORT Breakfast, Wilson reflected on what it takes to combat negative feelings before taking to the table. Co-host Dean Saunders spoke on the legendary Ronnie O’Sullivan, who called snooker a ‘horrible sport’, and his struggles with anxiety. “It’s been described as the bear pit,” Wilson said. “Once you get out into that arena, nobody can help you, you can’t turn to anyone, it’s just you and your mind really. “I think for us as top players, it’s such an addictive game because feeling like you can conquer your own mind out there is very, very pleasing. “I’ve certainly had it before [when] I’m about to go out for a match, but I feel like a lot of the time when you get onto the table, all of those nerves and pressure all goes because that’s what all the hours of preparation obviously gets you ready for. “So, I think Ronnie’s probably the same, I think when he gets out there it all goes and he can just play snooker and he can be free with playing snooker. I feel like I can get the same feeling.” Saunders then asked Wilson about what goes through his head before playing, using thoughts of losing the match as an example. “It can do,” he said, before admitting: “For me in particular, I’ve been working with a solution hypnotherapist. “So, we call it a stress bucket and if your stress bucket is full, and you go out there and you’re thinking all of those things, inevitably that’s going to happen. Wilson has spoken about how hypnotherapy has helped him before matchestalkSPORT He has been learning about how to combat any negative feelingsGetty “Because what you tell your brain… your brain doesn’t know the difference between what’s reality and what’s false so the more you tell it something, it’s going to react to that voice. “So you’ve got to try and keep things as positive as possible, it’s always good to back up your feelings with factual advice and a lot of the time you’re not going to miss those balls. “Because you put hours and hours of practice in and ten times out of ten in practice they go in, so why shouldn’t it in that arena?” Wilson returned to the World Championship this year as defending champion, but suffered a shock first round defeat to Lei Peifan. “It is really hard to take,” he said after. “I gave it my all and Lei came out extremely positive this evening and potted some incredible balls It really hurts to be honest. “As a debutant he held himself together incredibly well and I’d like to wish him all the best for the rest of the tournament. Wilson was unable to defend his world title this yearGetty “He seems like quite a cool character. He showed no emotion at all.” Meanwhile, seven-time world champion O’Sullivan looks set to exit at the semi-final stage against Zhao Xintong. Zhao won all eight frames in this morning’s session and has a 12-4 lead ahead of the resumption of play this evening.
Kyren Wilson has revealed how he challenges the pressures of top-level snooker through work with a hypnotherapist.
Wilson won the World Snooker Championship for the first time in 2024 with an 18-14 win over Jak Jones at the Crucible Theatre.
The 33-year-old is ranked as the world no.2 in snooker, a sport where players must fend for themselves when they enter the playing arena.
And in an appearance on talkSPORT Breakfast, Wilson reflected on what it takes to combat negative feelings before taking to the table.
Co-host Dean Saunders spoke on the legendary Ronnie O’Sullivan, who called snooker a ‘horrible sport’, and his struggles with anxiety.
“It’s been described as the bear pit,” Wilson said. “Once you get out into that arena, nobody can help you, you can’t turn to anyone, it’s just you and your mind really.
“I think for us as top players, it’s such an addictive game because feeling like you can conquer your own mind out there is very, very pleasing.
“I’ve certainly had it before [when] I’m about to go out for a match, but I feel like a lot of the time when you get onto the table, all of those nerves and pressure all goes because that’s what all the hours of preparation obviously gets you ready for.
“So, I think Ronnie’s probably the same, I think when he gets out there it all goes and he can just play snooker and he can be free with playing snooker. I feel like I can get the same feeling.”
Saunders then asked Wilson about what goes through his head before playing, using thoughts of losing the match as an example.
“It can do,” he said, before admitting: “For me in particular, I’ve been working with a solution hypnotherapist.
“So, we call it a stress bucket and if your stress bucket is full, and you go out there and you’re thinking all of those things, inevitably that’s going to happen.
“Because what you tell your brain… your brain doesn’t know the difference between what’s reality and what’s false so the more you tell it something, it’s going to react to that voice.
“So you’ve got to try and keep things as positive as possible, it’s always good to back up your feelings with factual advice and a lot of the time you’re not going to miss those balls.
“Because you put hours and hours of practice in and ten times out of ten in practice they go in, so why shouldn’t it in that arena?”
Wilson returned to the World Championship this year as defending champion, but suffered a shock first round defeat to Lei Peifan.
“It is really hard to take,” he said after. “I gave it my all and Lei came out extremely positive this evening and potted some incredible balls It really hurts to be honest.
“As a debutant he held himself together incredibly well and I’d like to wish him all the best for the rest of the tournament.
“He seems like quite a cool character. He showed no emotion at all.”
Meanwhile, seven-time world champion O’Sullivan looks set to exit at the semi-final stage against Zhao Xintong.
Zhao won all eight frames in this morning’s session and has a 12-4 lead ahead of the resumption of play this evening.
