Akshita Sekhon
High Performance Sports Psychologist
Summary
- Hi I am Akshita, A High Performance Sports Psychologist with elite-level experience, including accreditation with the Indian Shooting Team at the Paris Olympic Games 2024. Skilled in integrating psycho-physiological metrics with psychological skill training programs to enhance readiness and performance in competitive environments.
- You can connect with me for any support in psychological skill training, performance optimization, self regulation skills, management of pre-competition anxiety, rest & recovery, burnout prevention, acing performance under pressure, enhancing cognitive capacity, stress inoculation training, processing memories of low quality performances that may be holding you back, Goal setting, competition readiness routines, psychological rehabilitation and return to play protocol, mental toughness & resilience training, confidence etc.
- Remember, above all ....Your well-being is the epicentre around which a high-performing individual in you is built!
Overview
5
5
years of professional experience
Work History
Sports Psychologist
National Rifle Association of India
06.2022 - Current
- Designated as Sports Psychologist with the Indian Shooting Team for Rifle & Pistol
- A high-performance psychologist plays a critical role in optimizing athlete performance by integrating psychological skills with physiological readiness.
- From a psychophysiological perspective, the focus is on understanding and regulating the interaction between the mind and body to enhance consistency, resilience, and peak performance under pressure.
- This involves assessing key physiological markers such as heart rate variability (HRV), breathing patterns, muscle tension, and reaction time to establish individual performance baselines.
- By monitoring these indicators, the psychologist can identify states of optimal readiness versus dysregulation (e.g., anxiety, fatigue, over-arousal).
- Interventions are then designed to improve self-regulation, using techniques such as biofeedback, neurofeedback, controlled breathing, and relaxation training (e.g., PMR, resonance frequency breathing).
- These are integrated with cognitive strategies like imagery, attentional control, and self-talk to create a cohesive “mind-to-muscle” and “muscle-to-mind” regulation system.
- Ultimately, the role is to translate psychophysiological data into actionable, individualized strategies that enhance performance stability, accelerate recovery, and support athletes in consistently accessing their optimal performance state in high-pressure environments.
Guest Lecturer
Manav Rachna International Institute of Research & Studies
09.2023 - 04.2024
- Visiting faculty for postgraduate studies in sports psychology (Online support)
Sports Psychology Resource Person
Sukoon Ghar
- Sports Psychology resource person at Sukoon Ghar aimed at designing and imparting sports psychology modules
Intern
Sports Authority of India
New Delhi
- Interned at Sports Authority of India (SAI), in sports psychology department at Human Performance Lab
Education
Doctoral Degree - Sports Psychology (Interdisciplinary)
LNIPE
Master’s Degree - Sports Psychology
National Sports University
5 2021
Bachelor’s Degree (Major) - B.Sc. Clinical Psychology
Amity University Haryana
5 2019
Bachelor’s Degree (Minor) - Physical Education and Sports Management
Amity University Haryana
5 2019
Skills
- Biofeedback & Neurofeedback: Operation & Integration into sports-specific domains
- Self-regulation based interventions
- Brain Endurance Training
- HRV-based Training
- Resonance Frequency Breathing
- Vision training: Quiet eye
- Autogenics
- Visulaization & Interoception Awareness Training
- Performance Profiling of Athletes
- Psychological Testing & Evaluation
- Research acumen & Academic writing
- Communications & Leadership skills
Certification
- Acceptance Commitment Therapy- Certificate of Academic Studies
- EMDR – Practitioner Certificate
- Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy- Practitioner Certificate
- Cognitive Fitness -Harvard Health Publishing Certificate
Timeline
Guest Lecturer
Manav Rachna International Institute of Research & Studies
09.2023 - 04.2024
Sports Psychologist
National Rifle Association of India
06.2022 - Current
Doctoral Degree - Sports Psychology (Interdisciplinary)
LNIPE
Master’s Degree - Sports Psychology
National Sports University
Bachelor’s Degree (Major) - B.Sc. Clinical Psychology
Amity University Haryana
Bachelor’s Degree (Minor) - Physical Education and Sports Management
Amity University Haryana
Sports Psychology Resource Person
Sukoon Ghar
Intern
Sports Authority of India
RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS
International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health E-ISSN:2394-1693|VOL-12|ISSUE 4|2025
- A Review of Effect of Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) on Various Psychological and Physiological Variables in Sports
The International Journal of Indian Psychology E-ISSN 2348-5396|VOL-13|ISSUE 2 |2025
- Impact of Stress Inoculation Training on Psychological Variables in Sports: A Narrative Review
International Journal of sports and exercise psychology, Abstract: VOL. 19, NO. S1, S1–S539 (ISSP 15th congress, Taiwan, 2021)
- Effect of Stress Inoculation Training (SIT) on Anxiety, Psychological Flexibility & Metacognition in Golfers (S275)
- Effect of Stress Inoculation Training (SIT) on Competitive State Anxiety Dimensions, Heart Rate & Performance among Golfers (S276)
Studies in Indian Place Names ISSN: 2394- 3114|VOL-40|ISSUE-62|MARCH- 2020
- Relationship of Psychological Attributes among Football Players
- Analysis of Psychological Attributes between Qualifying and Non-Qualifying Footballers for Inter-University Team
Accreditations & Awards
Accreditation as Medical Personnel: Indian Shooting Team (Rifle & Pistol)
- Paris Olympic Games 2024
- Asian Shooting Championship New Delhi 2026
- ISSF World Cup Ningbo 2025
- ISSF World Cup Munich 2025
- ISSF World Championship Cairo 2025
- Asian Shooting Championship Shymkent 2025
- ISSF World Cup Munich 2024
- ISSF World Cup Granada 2024
- ISSF World Cup Munich 2024
- ISSF World Championship Baku 2023
- ISSF World Cup Bhopal 2023
- ISSF World Cup Cairo 2023
Awards & Felicitations:
- Felicitation by National Rifle Association of India in recognition of contribution to Indian Shooting Team for the Paris Olympic Games 2024
- Felicitation & Interaction with Nita Ambani at India House by Reliance Foundation in Paris in lieu of the Paris Olympic Games 2024
- Felicitation & Interaction with the Honorable Prime Minister of India and the President of India in Lieu of Paris Olympic Games 2024
- Felicitation by the National Sports University for contribution as a sports psychologist with the Indian Shooting Team (2026)
- Academic Achievement Award in Master's and Bachelor's Degree (2021;2020)