How Bilateral Stimulation Boosts Elite Athlete Mental Performance: NASCAR Case Study

By Ben Foodman

For athletes today, the final frontier of performance isn’t physical—it’s mental. Competition has never been more intense, driven by rapid advancements in sport science that have revolutionized training methods. With a wide array of tools and techniques available, athletes are constantly looking for new ways to gain an edge—and because their competitors are doing the same, it creates a kind of arms race.

Take professional racecar drivers. In high-stakes series like NASCAR, IMSA, WRC, and IndyCar, they’re not only racing—they’re fighting to keep their seat. Strong qualifying results are essential for job security, making mental preparation just as critical as physical training.

While most elite drivers follow similar physical regimens, fewer take full advantage of sport psychology techniques. This gap offers a unique opportunity for performance differentiation.

 

Intro to Bilateral Stimulation (BLS):

One method gaining traction in this space is bilateral stimulation (BLS)—

a rhythmic, alternating form of sensory input delivered through visual, auditory, or tactile channels. Though originally developed for therapeutic settings like EMDR, BLS is now being used by athletes to support focus, stress regulation, and mental clarity.

For athletes, tactile BLS—delivered through tools like Dharma Dr. Tabs— has proven especially effective. Their wireless, portable design makes them easy to integrate into pre-performance routines. The result: improved nervous system regulation, reduced pre-race anxiety, and more consistent focus under pressure.

 

Case Study On Bilateral Stimulation During NASCAR Qualification

In NASCAR and other motorsport series, one of the most high-pressure moments of a race happens before the race even begins—during qualifying. In this event, drivers attempt to set the fastest lap on the track. Drivers with the best lap times start at the front of the grid, while those with slower times are placed further back. The driver who clocks the fastest lap earns the coveted front-row position and is referred to as the “pole-sitter.” Starting at the front provides a major competitive advantage, so the pressure to perform during qualifying is immense.

One way drivers aim to boost their focus and performance in these moments is through pre-performance routines—such as using mental imagery to visualize driving the perfect race line. But there are ways to elevate the effectiveness of these imagery routines. One method that’s gaining traction is incorporating bilateral stimulation tools, such as the Dharma Dr. Tabs.

Drivers who have used bilateral stimulation during pre-performance imagery report a deeper ability to concentrate on the visualization and see the images more clearly. As a result, many of them have noticed measurable improvements in their qualifying outcomes, some of whom have reported improvements ranging from .5 to 1 second in qualifying times (while these may seem like microscopic improvements, any driver will tell you that 1 second in NASCAR is like an eternity). These drivers also reported that when they used the Dharma Dr. tabs during Karting training sessions, they set new PRs in lap times on the track which they believe was a result from their improved imagery experience.

So what’s happening in the brain that’s allowing these results to occur?

The Science Behind Bilateral Stimulation & Mental Imagery Routines

Part of the reason sport psychologists are beginning to incorporate BLS into mental skills training is because of its effects on nervous system regulation and attention networks in the brain.

While the precise neural mechanisms are still being studied, recent research and clinical experience suggest that BLS is integrated by the Salience Network in real time—a system that evaluates internal and external stimuli to determine what the brain should focus on, how the body should respond, and what gets encoded into memory.

When we’re under pressure, the sympathetic nervous system activates, shifting the brain into survival mode and making it harder to access high-level functions like focus, self-regulation, and decision-making. BLS helps calm this response, eliciting automatic responses and changes in brain regions including the thalamus and amygdala that shift the brain and body into parasympathetic regulation.

In this regulated state, athletes can more clearly visualize their routines, encode the mental blueprints more effectively, and approach performance with greater clarity and control.

Conclusion

In conclusion, bilateral stimulation—especially when delivered through tactile methods like the Dharma Dr. Tabs—may help athletes like NASCAR drivers reduce pre-performance nerves, stay within an optimal physiological state, and encode their mental imagery routines more effectively. This can translate to sharper focus and improved execution under pressure.

If tools like the Tabs are helping elite race car drivers perform at their peak in the high-stakes world of professional motorsports, they offer powerful potential for athletes in any sport looking to strengthen their mental edge.

Private Practice

Ben Foodman is a licensed psychotherapist and sport performance specialist. He owns his private practice in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he works exclusively with athletes to help them improve their psychological health, clear mental blocks (AKA the Yips), and achieve peak performance. He is a Brainspotting Consultant/Expert, a Certified Mental Performance Consultant® (CMPC) & a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist. He has extensive experience working with professional motorsport athletes such as NASCAR, IndyCar, WRC & IMSA drivers, MLB players, NFL players, and collegiate endurance athletes competing in the SEC & ACC. To learn more about Ben and additional resources he provides, please visit his Website.