LUKE HUMPHRIES admits he thought his “life was over” before undergoing Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to cure his anxiety attacks.
The World No.1 returns to the big stage in the Bahrain Masters this week after losing out to Peter Wright in the World Championship last month.
RexLuke Humphries has reached the top after overcoming anxiety issues[/caption]
He reckons losing weight was also crucial to his transformation
‘Cool Hand’, 29, has already revealed how he suffered from panic attacks but has opened up further on the Jaackmate podcast.
He said: “The first time it happened to me I was in a darts exhibition, just before I was professional.
“Everything was fine, I was playing Phil Taylor. I beat him that night. Maybe I was a bit nervous in the game. I never had these sort of anxious feelings before.
“I went to the hotel and woke up a few hours later, my heartbeat racing. You know it was going really fast. I’d never like touched my chest or heart before in my life.
“I touched it and it felt out of rhythm. It put me in this panic. I couldn’t sleep again through the night.”
Humphries, who lost four stone in weight during the Covid lockdown, explained how the problem continued.
He said: “Two days later it happened again. I had to go in an ambulance because I felt really faint and all this type of stuff.
“They told me my blood pressure is quite high and your heart rate rhythm is fine but it’s quite fast and that was when it all started.
“That’s when I had a year’s worth of panicking all the time. Every time my heart went I thought I was having a heart attack. I was thinking my life’s over.
“It sort of went into a massive spiral. But it never happened in darts. Then it creeped into darts.
“I got into a winning moment against James Wade. I think I was 5-2 up against him. Then all of a sudden the amount of anxiety and panic that came over me was insane.”
Sorting out his issues during the lockdown led to a rapid rise – leading to victory over Luke Littler in the 2024 World Championship final.
And although he looked as clam as anyone at Ally Pally, the opposite was true before he got help.
Humphries said: “I just couldn’t wait to get off the stage. Then I went and seen someone like CBT, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
“We talked about where the root of it come from and where did it maybe arise from.
“It probably came from years of me being overweight maybe. That had an effect on my confidence levels. That’s why I used to feel anxious.
“I think I was overweight in those moments. This is where it was all stemming from I think.”
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