Simone Biles Takes the Gold for Mental Health Awareness

When four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles withdrew from the Olympic team finals in Tokyo on Tuesday, July 27, at first, it was reported as a “medical issue,” but a day later, it was deemed a “mental health issue.” She said in a recent Instagram post that her "mind and body are simply not in sync" since arriving in Tokyo for the Olympic games. That announcement came after she completed a vault where she seemed to get lost in the air, known as the “twisties.”

What Are the "Twisties"?

The “twisties” is a term that describes a sense of confusion or disorientation of the body’s position in space. Studies show our awareness of the position or movements of the body (proprioception) is negatively impacted by stress, overwhelm, and anxiety.¹ As a result of the “twisties,” athletes can blank out on where they are at in their series of movements and how much time they have before landing. As you can imagine, this can be frightening, negatively impacting performance with the potential to cause serious risk of injury.

As the world watched Biles' performance on the vault in Tokyo, many wondered how that feels to be in midair and not be able to regain focus.

What's the Role of Mental Health in the "Twisties"?

While we can’t know exactly what Biles' experience was, our brains are like sophisticated operating systems. When they are overwhelmed, like computers, they experience glitches and temporarily shut down. We’ve all experienced these types of cognitive glitches. For example, it might be forgetting what we are saying mid-sentence or entering a room and wondering what we came there to do or retrieve.

Stress, anxiety, and overwhelm from expectations, perfectionism, and pressures from others can trigger loss of awareness. It can also be a trauma symptom which is a temporary dissociation or separation from the here and now. For example, most of us have driven past our exit without even remember driving by it. That’s a mild form of dissociation.

Olympic athletes often face extreme pressure to perform. While they are in the most remarkable shape of their lives physically, it can take its toll mentally.

Is Prioritizing Mental Health a Strength or a Weakness?

Biles' decision to put her mental health first has created quite a stir. One camp applauds her for doing so. The other camp criticizes her as they want her to “do her job.” The critics have a lot to learn about mental health awareness and how to be compassionate mental health advocates. We put so much pressure on athletes, celebrities, musicians, and other people we admire. We forget they are human beings. It’s no wonder suicide is a leading cause of death in the U.S.² We need to dial back on the expectations of others, including famous people, and learn to practice empathy and compassion.

The pandemic is a global trauma that has increased depression, anxiety, substance abuse, relationship conflict, domestic violence, child abuse, and PTSD. Our mental health is just as vital as our physical health. Seeking counseling or therapy doesn’t mean we are crazy. We don’t have to be in crisis mode to see a therapist. View it as routine, preventative health care just like going to the dentist or doctor.

Simone Biles Is a Hero for Promoting Mental Health Awareness and Self-Care

Biles is brave and a shining example of somebody prioritizing her mental well-being. We live in a culture that is so achievement-oriented and does not always promote physical or mental health or work-life balance. Biles is a hero and a positive example for many of us who need to move past the shame and stigma, share openly about our mental health challenges, prioritize our well-being, and access support. We can learn from her the importance of setting healthy limits with our workplaces, families, or other groups that apply pressure that is unhealthy for our well-being.

As a psychotherapist who has practiced for 25 years, I know we all deal with mental health issues as part of the human condition. We will all experience grief and loss, traumas, stress, relationship issues, depression, or anxiety during our lifetimes. There will be times of stressful transition or life change. Seeking my own personal therapy for my own anxiety disorder has transformed my life personally and professionally.

Recovery From Mental Health Challenges Is Possible

For Biles, her supporters are wondering if she’ll ever recover. I absolutely believe in the recovery and resilience of the human spirit. The recovery timeframe is unique for each person. It depends on their trauma history, mental health issues, coping skills, lifestyle, and support system. Many people can experience relief from mental health challenges in about eight to 12 therapy sessions. For others, it may take a year or more of psychotherapy and possibly mental health medications such as antidepressants, anti-anxiety, mood stabilizers, and others.

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Managing our mental health is a lifelong responsibility, just like taking care of our physical health. There needs to be a greater focus on prevention and early intervention. With athletes, having routine support from sports psychologists or counselors could help teach mental fitness and prevent episodes that cause loss and distress.

Athletes have a lot of pressure to perform not only from their team, their coach, and their fans, but especially themselves. There are empirically supported tools and techniques from psychology that could assist Biles and others with similar struggles recover. These include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps to silence self-sabotage and shift fear-based, negative, or catastrophic thinking to positive thinking. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has been found to help trauma survivors even in a few sessions. I’m a big believer in mindfulness practices like meditation, deep breathing, and yoga to foster mental and physical calmness and grounding to cultivate self-compassion.

It’s important for Biles and others who are struggling with mental health issues to know they are not alone or crazy, broken, weak, and this is not their fault. They are having a normal response to life experiences. Effective help is available and affordable. It’s time to remove the shame and stigma, practice self-compassion, and seek professional support.

To find a therapist, please visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.