And that is saying something when you consider Karlsson, a 37-year-old rookie at the K Club this week, has also undergone a two-week fast, in which he had only milk, and an entire night spent on his feet hitting 10-foot putts while a friend berated him for every miss.

Body psychotherapy is promoted as a holistic therapy, focusing on the interaction between body and mind.

Karlsson has talked in the past about the occasions when he was asked to find an uncomfortable position for his body and then talk about his feelings.

But now he has finally realised his Ryder Cup ambition, he has given up searching for quick fixes and is focused on making a real impact at the K Club.

"I looked hard to find anything that could make me better - but I probably looked in the wrong places," said Karlsson, who will win his first cap 17 years after turning professional and 14 years after announcing himself as a future star when finishing runner-up to Nick Faldo at the European Open.

As for the fasting, he said: "It was probably not good for golf, but it felt good and I could do it again."

There was also the period when Karlsson tried not eating anything after 4pm each day, and on that subject he said: "It became so difficult some days."

Karlsson and compatriot Henrik Stenson are the only two uncapped players in Europe's line-up this week.

But it is not Karlsson's first trip to a Ryder Cup - he commentated for Swedish television on the 1997 clash at Valderrama.

"I thought the atmosphere was great," he recalled.

Although he knows playing will be very different to watching, Karlsson has not gone out of his way to ask the experienced players what it might be like.

"I think it's probably better not to," he said with a smile, before adding: "A little bit, very briefly. But the last two Ryder Cups, I haven't seen one shot.

"It's a dream to be here - fantastic to be part of it. In 15 years on tour, I've won six times, so it's not like you just expect yourself to win two in three months.

"But it happened and I'm here.

"It's been (as case of) so many big tournaments for me leading up to this event, so I haven't allowed myself to really think about this one.

"But when we got off the plane in Dublin, it was like, 'This is something special here'."