Returning From Injury Psychology

Overview → The Maverick → Session Notes
Session Notes The Maverick
Addressing:

Identity Crisis

The existential disruption when sport has defined who you are, and injury removes that identity. Many athletes experience negative cognitive appraisals about their worth and future during extended rehabilitation phases.

How The Maverick Can Overcome Identity Crisis in Returning From Injury

Posted on December 13, 2025 ~ min read
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For: The Maverick athletes in Returning From Injury
Focus: Session Notes - Identity Crisis
Read Time: ~10 min
Session Notes December 13, 2025
Profile: The Maverick
Sport: Returning From Injury
Challenge: Identity Crisis

In returning from injury, identity crisis occurs when an athlete's sense of self becomes destabilized because their primary source of meaning and purpose has been temporarily removed. For intrinsically motivated, autonomous performers like The Maverick, this disruption cuts deeper than most realize. Their sport is not what they do. It is who they are.

The Maverick derives psychological stability from internal sources. Training provides meditative focus. Competition offers tactical engagement that activates their reactive processing. When injury eliminates these outlets, something fundamental fractures. The internal fire that burned without external fuel suddenly has nowhere to direct its energy.

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Vladimir Novkov

M.A. Social Psychology | ISSA Elite Trainer | Expert in Sport Psychology for Athlete Development

My mission is to bridge the gap between mind and body, helping athletes and performers achieve a state of synergy where peak performance becomes a natural outcome of who they are.

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