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Former professional darts champion Kevin Painter has thrown arrows almost every day for 40 years. Throughout his career he thrived under pressure, playing in the most prestigious competitions and taking home more than £900,000 in prize money. But earlier this year, he went to throw a dart and it physically would not leave his hand.
Kevin was suffering from dartitis, a mental condition where the brain stops a player from being able to release a dart. Finding a cure would become the 57-year-old’s latest challenge.
Every case is different, and there is no one single cause, but lots of players report it comes from a fear of missing. “It’s brought on by anxiety and stress,” Kevin said. “Where others have panic attacks, for me it manifested as dartitis.”
After he first experienced the condition, Kevin was introduced to a hypnotherapist. Chris O’Connor runs Eccleston Park Hypnotherapy, the official hypnotherapy partner of the Professional Darts Players Association (PDPA). During his sessions, the patient lies on a sofa and is guided into a trance where they are then “hit with all the confidence work and the motivation work”, Mr O’Connor said.
Unlike Kevin, Jack has managed to shake his dartitis and with lasting results. In January, the 31-year-old decided to start throwing with his left hand. “[It was] the biggest decision of my entire life playing darts,” he said. But it worked, and within three months he was winning matches at amateur tournaments.
To help aid his recovery, Kevin has also started to drink less. “It’s no secret everyone likes a drink when they play,” he said. “But you have to put the effort [into the treatment]. I like to go for a walk in the mornings to clear my head.”
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