“You have no control over your body, it’s a crazy feeling” – time.news

by time news
from Laura Cuppini

The athlete described in an Instagram post the disorder that forced her to retire: a mental block in which spatial reference points are lost. Beltrami, sports doctor: “It can be triggered by traumas, even after years”

Twisties, difficult to translate into Italian. The idea is something that intertwines, twists around itself. But what are the “demons in the head” of Simone Biles? She is not the first to suffer from it: the disorder is described, among sportsmen, as a sudden one dissolution of the sense of space, a loss of awareness of one’s presence. If the athlete is unleashed during a vault or a somersault, he can risk his life. The five-time world champion, 24, is locked in a gym in Tokyo. He tries to recover his physical and mental form, but it is not known if he will participate in the final races, between Sunday and Tuesday. “You literally can’t tell the top from the bottom – wrote Biles on Instagram, describing what happened -. It’s the craziest feeling I’ve ever experienced. You no longer have any control over your body. ‘ Talks about “disconnection between mind and body»And clarifies:« It has already happened to me, during a vault or exercises on the ground. This time, however, it concerned all the individual passages ». A frightening loss of spatial reference points and, perhaps, beyond.

The body detached from the ground

Biles, with his team of trainers, would like to return to a normal physical state, taking small steps and regaining self-confidence. But time is running out. On Instagram she wrote that the “mental block” appeared on Monday, after the qualification, and became more evident during the team finals, from which she withdrew. He does not know how long it will take to recover, but in the past – he writes – “it took me two or more weeks”. Now every moment is precious: “I evaluate myself day by day, I vault after vault“. Simone must regain the ability to perceive his body detached from the ground, a fundamental and vital characteristic for gymnasts. She is not the only one to suffer from “twisties”: after her declaration, other athletes said they had to face the same, profound discomfort during some training sessions.

Professor Gianfranco Beltrami, sports doctor and lecturer at the University of Parma, what do we know about the ailment that struck Simone Biles?
«We speak of“ loss of figure ”, in practice it is the absence of reference points in space. What is lacking is what is a natural gift for athletes, which must also be kept in constant training because if it is lacking, especially in some sports, there is the risk of very serious injuries ».

What can be the causes?
“We don’t know for sure, but we can make a hypothesis: the so-called ‘depersonalization and derealization disorder’. It consists of a disconnection between body and mind, which leads the person to observe their life from the outside (depersonalization) and in a dissociation from the surrounding environment (derealization). In many cases this problem arises from severe emotional trauma, bereavement, sexual abuse or abandonment in childhood. It can also manifest itself years after the events ». In 2018 Simone Biles said she was sexually abused by former US national team doctor Larry Nassar (later convicted). “It is very difficult to relive these experiences – were his words – and it breaks my heart to think that, if I have to work to achieve my dream of participating in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, then I will have to continually return to that structure where I suffered the abuse. “.

Professor Beltrami, how do you recover from the syndrome of depersonalization and derealization, if Biles suffers from it?
“If this were to be the diagnosis, I would stress that at the moment it is only a hypothesis, to overcome the problem we need psychotherapy and possibly drugs, even for prolonged periods. However, it depends on the patient’s response to treatment: in some cases the recovery can be quick, even more so if we are talking about a young person ».

I twisties do they also exist in other sports?
“Yes, the disorder has also been described by athletes from other disciplines.”

Does the syndrome only affect athletes or can it affect anyone?
“It is not related to sport, it usually concerns people who have suffered heavy trauma or who have used drugs. Let’s say that the stress and psychological pressure that an athlete is subjected to, especially during an Olympics, can act as a trigger (trigger) for the onset of the disorder. To my knowledge, however, what happened to Simone is unprecedented in the Olympic Games ».

What would you do if you were your trainer?
“I wouldn’t let her compete in Tokyo again, first of all for her personal safety. Having said that, I believe that Biles has great potential for a quick recovery ».

July 30, 2021 (change July 30, 2021 | 18:13)

You may also like

Leave a Comment