Mental Skills Training (MST) is a structured, evidence based approach used to strengthen psychological abilities that enhance performance, resilience, and well-being.
It’s widely used in sports, military, performing arts, medicine, and executive leadership.
What It Develops
MST focuses on trainable psychological capacities such as:
- Attention & concentration control
- Emotional regulation
- Stress tolerance
- Confidence & self-efficacy
- Motivation & goal clarity
- Imagery & mental rehearsal
- Self-talk regulation
- Arousal regulation (activation vs calm)
It’s essentially performance psychology in action.
Core Techniques
Common tools include:
1. Goal Setting
- Outcome goals (win, achieve X)
- Performance goals (improve metric)
- Process goals (specific behaviors)
Often structured using SMART frameworks.
2. Visualization / Imagery
Mental rehearsal activates similar neural pathways as physical execution.
Used extensively in Olympic training.
3. Self-Talk Training
Replacing automatic negative thoughts with task-focused cues.
Example:
- “Don’t mess up”: “Strong, steady, smooth.”
4. Breath & Arousal Regulation
- Box breathing
- Diaphragmatic breathing
- Pre-performance routines
Regulates sympathetic activation (fight-or-flight).
5. Attentional Control
Training narrow vs broad focus depending on task demands.
6. Resilience Training
Cognitive reframing, stress inoculation, adaptive attribution styles.
Theoretical Foundations
MST draws from:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Self-regulation theory
- Psychophysiology of stress
- Neuroplasticity research
- Peak performance research (e.g., flow states)
What Makes MST Different From Therapy?
| Therapy | Mental Skills Training |
|---|---|
| Focus on healing dysfunction | Focus on optimizing performance |
| Past-oriented | Future-oriented |
| Symptom reduction | Capacity building |
| Clinical population | High-functioning individuals |
That said, the two often overlap, especially when performance anxiety, trauma history, or identity instability affect execution.
Clinical & Applied Use
MST can be integrated into:
- Trauma-informed performance work
- Nervous system regulation training
- Executive function strengthening
- Identity consolidation under stress
It is especially powerful when paired with somatic regulation work, since cognitive skills fail under dysregulated autonomic states.
In Simple Terms
Mental Skills Training:
“Strength training for the mind under pressure.”
Shervan K Shahhian
LIBERTY PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 