Anchoring – A little trick…
NLP Anchoring
“A little trick nobody else has to know!” – Ruth Dive
In this short blog, Self-Love and Transformation Coach and Hypnotherapist, Ruth Dive, discusses the power of *NLP Anchoring.
*NLP “neuro-linguistic programming”.
What is Anchoring?
NLP Anchoring is a technique that can be used by anybody, anywhere at any time.
It is so subtle and yet so beneficial. I’d recommend to people across the spectrum. From those who are less confident in big groups to those who are used to public speaking. Or even to those in a confrontation situation.
This technique applies to principles of human nature, and you can adapt it to suit yourself. It involves Anchoring a part of your life in which you feel good. Moreover, a time when you feel relaxed and calm.
In short, Anchoring transfers feelings from positive areas of a persons life to other areas where they feel less confident or capable.
Human Conditioning
NLP anchoring is done by pairing physical touch with a feeling or behavior you want to have at your disposal. Your life has been affected by anchors, even though you may not have set them up intentionally.
Anchoring happens all of the time and is the reason why problems occur and why we behave the way we do. It occurs due to human conditioning. For instance, a common Anchor is the process of feeling feel sad – followed by a hug – followed by crying. That is the anchor you have set. In other words, your mind will recognise feelings of sadness, them the hug. Which is then the cue to cry.
You will probably have heard of Pavolv’s dogs? Over 100 years ago a Russian physiologist, Ivan Pavlov, discovered that he could make a dog salivate simply by ringing a bell – before the dog had even seen or smelt the food. He did this through the process of repetition and association. Simply put, he rang the bell before giving the dog food so over time the dog associated the rining of the bell with food, thus producing the salivation. It led to an automatic conditioning in the dog. This is the background to the development of theories on NLP Anchoring.
Humans work in the same way emotionally. By anchoring in this same way ‘the bell’ is replaced by a simple movement such as squeezing your middle finger and thumb together on the same hand. If used correctly it is extremely effective and extremely subtle. Nobody would need to know you have set up this anchor.
How to use NLP Anchoring
- Just take a moment to yourself and think of a time when you felt extremely happy.
- If you ask your subconscious mind for a memory it will deliver the strongest one immediately.
- As that memory comes into your mind, hear what you heard, see what you saw and feel what you felt.
- Try and experience all of the senses to make the memory stronger, this will produce a strong anchor.
- Whilst you are experiencing the memory squeeze your finger and thumb together to create an association between this and the happy state.
- Repeat this until you notice that as soon as you squeeze your thumb and finger the happy feeling will automatically trigger for you. That is then your Anchor.
Keep Calm and Carry On
Imagine all of the times this could be useful to you!
By simply squeezing your finger and thumb you would feel happy or comforted or calm whenever you wanted to. Many of us have panic triggers. Like meetings, or public speaking, or sports games, exams. Anything or anything that panics you.
Practice this technique and it will keep you calm when you would usually feel anxious.
Ruth Dive.
