Physicians, coaches and athletes are amazed and hopeful. Steve Elias, M.D., medial director – Schwan’s USA Soccer Cup, was amazed at the results achieved in the training room. He calls these techniques a "new standard" of care.

     Matt Blair, a former NFL pro bowler, Minnesota Vikings, exclaimed, "It was amazing. In 15-20 minutes, I was without any pain in my right knee… I been very active… and I am still pain free."

     Kitty Frazier, US Women Archer of the Year, 1990, exclaimed that, ""In just 7 minutes… I was able to enjoy full range of motion with my right arm."

     Has the medical and sports community been missing something all these years? Raymond Petras, Ph.D. a pain-management and sports-performance specialist in Scottsdale, thinks so. He has made a splash with the results he is getting.

     In 1987, Petras had been specializing in weight management, smoking cessation and performance enhancement.

     Because of his successes, he was invited to appear on, "Good Company," a popular daytime TV program in Minneapolis, MN. Call it fate. An oncologist happened to view the program. He contacted Petras, to see if his techniques could help reduce the pain in his patients, so he could reduce the amount of medication he was giving them. The techniques worked.

     In 1989, Petras was hired to work with the University of St. Thomas, MN football team for performance. Early in the season, Vic Wallace, Head Football Coach, called Petras. "I told him," Wallace said, "Your mental techniques (for performance) are great for performance. Can you use them to help ease my athletes’ pain or speed their healing process?"

     Petras mentioned that he had worked on pain with cancer patients. "I told him that I had two fullback’s and a middle linebacker hurt. One fullback had a partial shoulder separation, the other had a partial shoulder separation and meniscus damage and the linebacker had a grade two-ankle sprain. They had seen the team doctor and trainer and were not expected to be able to play. They are pretty important to the team. See what you can do."

     "Petras worked with the athletes for roughly 20 minutes each," Wallace continued. "When he was done, they had full strength, full range-of-motion and no pain.

I sent them to the team physician and trainer and they were cleared to play. All played very well, without any pain. Their pain never returned."

     "We had another situation," Wallace added. "Our quarterback [Steve Metzel, at St. Thomas] had injured his shoulder and couldn’t lift his throwing arm. We sent Steve to one or two orthopedic doctors and our training room was treating him with conventional methods. Dr. Petras worked with him for twenty minutes or so on Thursday. On Saturday, he threw five touchdowns. The injury never recurred."

     "Later I moved to Lambuth University, TN," said Wallace. "I called Petras."

     It was prior to the eighth game of our ‘94 season. Lambuth was two wins away from a conference crown and national playoffs.

     We had an all-America tight end [Justin Taylor] who was on crutches and unable to put weight on his ankle. We had him X-rayed by an orthopedic doctor who said he wouldn’t be able to play," said Wallace.

     "I called Petras on a Thursday and asked him if he could work, over the phone, on our All-American tight end, who was on crutches. I put Justin in my office and Petras talked with him for 40 minutes. Justin walked out of the room carrying his crutches. His pain was gone and he played on Saturday. We went on to win the conference and made the national playoffs."

     "It was amazing," said Coach Wallace. "I had never seen or heard of anything like it before. Nor had ours docs or trainer."

     Bart Schouten, 2002 USA Olympic Speed Skating Coach, talks about Petras’ work with two of his athletes. "In just a few minutes, her pain was totally gone. He also worked, one individual session, with a male skater, for hip pain. Again, in a few minutes, the pain was gone. I spoke with both skaters in the days following and for up to a month. The pain never returned. The possibilities for this type of treatment are..."

     John Gagliardi, Winningest Football Coach in History, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, MN says, " It was amazing and dramatic to see how effective and immediate the results were." One of my football players said, "It is like a miracle."

     "It is a technique that offers hope for enhanced health by engaging the conscious mind in interesting, focused, neutral or positive self-talk while the mind-body automatically improves in the quickest, most efficient, and healthful way possible," says Petras.

     Petras continues, "After a history and any necessary testing has taken place, there are four steps involved. The first is to define pain. The second is to show the individual how to control pain. The third is to determine if it is okay for the pain to be reduced or eliminated. The final step is to deal with any stress the individual may be experiencing due to the pain/injury.

     The technique helps the body relax by focusing the conscious mind on interesting, neutral or fun things. Physiologically, when relaxed, injured muscles accept greater blood flow and thus may heal more rapidly. The physician, chiropractor, trainer, and/or coach still needs to determine the readiness of the individual to return to previous levels of functioning, work or the playing field.

     Individuals are taught various methods to engage the technique themselves, in the future. However, if reinjured or if a new injury occurs, it is suggested that the individual return for instruction on how to deal with this new situation. Just as a strained back and a broken bone are treated in a different manner, so too are the ways of dealing with them from the psychological perspective."

     "It would be hard to generalize differences," said Petras. "The technique is actually a combination of well-known performance enhancement techniques utilizing positive emotion, too. Most mental, psychological techniques are being used to treat anxiety and depression due to pain and injury. This technique tends to deal with the cause of the pain itself. Thus results can be quick and permanent. Positive emotions appear to be the key."

     It appears that Petras is really on to something.

The clinical observation, as well, as two research studies, one at the University of Ottawa and one with the City of St. Paul, MN, workers’ compensation division, seem to indicate that these psychological techniques are safe, quick, effective, long lasting and cost effective.

Although clients are ecstatic, Petras concedes that for conventional, standard medicine (CSM) to accept these results, more research is needed.

     For elite, professional and Olympic athletes, however, first hand results is good enough.

 The article is factual, written to disseminate important information—Dr. Petras