Effects of voice enhancement technology and relaxing music on the frequency of imagery among break dancers.

A device was developed in 2008 by Hypnoke International Ltd. for use by performance consultants and hypnotherapists. It enhances a practitioner's voice and blocks out auditory distractions while delivering imagery inductions, thereby increasing their effectiveness. This study examined the impact of voice-enhancement technology and relaxing music on the frequency of imagery experienced by a sample of elite British break dancers (N = 20; mean age = 26.5 years, SD = 1.5 years). An imagery script was administered to participants under four conditions: voice enhancement with music, voice enhancement only, a music-only control, and a no-voice-enhancement-and-no-music control. Frequency of imagery was assessed using the Sport Imagery Questionnaire. There was a higher incidence of imagery in the voice enhancement with music, voice enhancement only, and music-only conditions when compared to the no-voice-enhancement-and-no-music control. The key finding was that imagery was most frequent when voice enhancement was combined with music in a complementary manner. Thus, it is concluded that the use of voice enhancement technology can improve the efficacy of relaxation and imagery training for break dancers, and potentially, dancers in general.