Dear circus friends,

Over the past 1.5 years I have been keeping a very big secret (gasp!). I took a reduction from my work hours at Murdoch University, and in that extra free time I have written a circus psychology book. A long and exciting process, which allowed me to dive deep in circus psychology, sports psychology, and performing arts psychology literature. This was a super interesting journey, during which I learned even more about circus psychology (and about writing books).

The end result? My book ‘Circus Psychology – an applied guide to thriving under the big top’. This book is an evidence-based guide to nurturing the mental health of circus artists while enabling them to perform at the peak of their capacities. The book is organised into three accessible sections: Mental health in circus, Optimising the circus environment to facilitate thriving, and Mental skills for thriving in circus. The first section introduces general mental health concepts, provides insight into the mental health of circus artists, the stress process, and the role of psychological resilience and perfectionism in mental health. The second section offers insight into motivation and engagement in circus, the features of a psychologically safe circus environment, and advice on psychologically supportive talent development environment. The final section explains, applies, and provides practice material for mental skills, including goal setting, self-talk, mental imagery, visual anticipation, and arousal regulation. The book covers ‘hot topics’ in the circus industry, such as consent, balancing stress with recovery, disordered eating, and body objectification.

This book is a great resource for those who are interested in nurturing the mental health of recreational and professional circus artists, as well as circus artists who are looking to optimise their mental health and performance.

The hardcover is now available for pre-sale at the Routledge website: https://www.routledge.com/Circus-Psychology-An-applied-guide-to-thriving-under-the-big-top/Rens/p/book/9781032266343

Soon, an ebook (Kindle) version of the book will become available too. And if 80 hardcovers of the book are sold, a paperback version will also be published.

Please share with your circus friends and organisations. Let’s work together to optimise the mental health of circus artists!