Star Athlete Shiffrin Discusses Overwhelming Lack of Command
Mikaela Shiffrin, the illustrious alpine skiing superstar, reveals she battled post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following a severe fall in November 2024. The athlete candidly shared her experiences in a piece published on The Players' Tribune.
The fall in Killington, which resulted in severe injuries and a dangerous abdominal wound, was a pivotal event, according to Shiffrin. "It felt as if I had lost control of my body," she recounts. Post-healing, she regained physical and mental fitness but acknowledged feeling disconnected, stating, "I wasn't myself."
During this period, Shiffrin grappled with dark thoughts and the sense of impending danger. These experiences, she confesses, were indeed "scary." She questioned her future and at times entertained thoughts of retirement, saying, "I didn't care if I ever skied again." Her therapist was the first to suspect the presence of PTSD.
Additional factors potentially contributing to Shiffrin's PTSD may have been the sudden demise of her father in 2020 and her fiancé Aleksander Aamodt Kilde's severe accident in Wengen in January 2024.
The path to recovery for Shiffrin involved persistent training and reminding herself that setbacks are not the norm. " Slowly, my body listened to me once again," she recalls. Her comeback in the latter part of the season was marked by a string of victories, including her 100th and 101st World Cup wins and the gold medal in the team combination at the World Championships in Saalbach. Currently, Shiffrin declares, "I feel like myself again."
While specific details about Shiffrin's PTSD treatment are sparse, athletes facing similar challenges may benefit from individualized therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Brainspotting, and group therapy. Lifestyle changes such as regular exercise, a balanced diet, and adequate sleep can also support mental health recovery. Embracing psychological flexibility, which encompasses acceptance, cognitive defusion, present-moment awareness, and committed action, can help athletes cope with stress and uncertainties.
"I'm not going to be able to do this" could have been a thought Mikaela Shiffrin had during her battle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition she developed following a severe fall in November 2024 and various other challenging experiences, such as the death of her father in 2020 and her fiancé's severe accident in Wengen in January 2024. In her quest for recovery, she might have found solace in practices like regular exercise, a balanced diet, and adequate sleep, all of which are integral to health-and-wellness, as well as therapy techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Brainspotting, and group therapy, which are particularly beneficial for mental-health recovery in athletes facing similar challenges.
