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Change your state of mind with this hypnotherapy and NLP technique
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Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could switch on confidence, relaxation or creativity at the mere push of a button? Imagine having unlimited and instant access to your most positive states of mind! There is a very powerful method which CAN enable you to change your state of mind at will. It's simple to do, very easy to learn and can be used in any situation.
This highly effective technique, which hypnotherapists and NLP practitioners often use to help their clients, is known as anchoring. But what exactly is anchoring? Quite simply, anchoring links an external stimulus to a specific emotion or state of mind. An anchor, which is sometimes called a cue or trigger, is used to create a neurological link between that stimulus and an emotion. It allows you to change your internal state at will. The process of anchoring uses the simple classic conditioning principle of linking together a stimulus and a reaction.
I'm sure you're familiar with the story of Pavlov's dogs. Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) was a Russian scientist who is famous for his experiments into reflexes or conditioned behaviour. In his research, Pavlov rang a bell every time he fed his dogs. This stimulated the natural flow of saliva in the dogs' mouth. Over a period of time, sounding the bell, without actually feeding the dogs was enough to make them salivate.
One of the earliest recorded studies of classical conditioning in humans tells of the story of an eleven month old baby boy: The little boy was given a white rat. At first he appeared to like the rat and wanted to play with it. Every time he moved towards the animal, the experimenter made a loud noise behind him. Understandably, this frightened the child. After only five attempts the child became terrified whenever he saw the rat. In other words he had anchored fear to the rat. The researchers were then able to remove the phobia using positive anchors. (Ref: Davison, G.C., and Neale, J.M., Abnormal Psychology, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1986)
By using repetition, you can use this very same conditioning principle to deliberately create an anchor in order to bring about a certain positive state of mind. This state of mind can include things such as feelings of happiness or determination. Anchoring can also be used for interview nerves or helping you to overcome phobias or fears. It gives you control over how you react to external events. Since conditioning is at the core of learned behaviour it makes perfect sense to use a specific stimulus to create a desired behaviour or emotion. The possibilities are immense.
Although anchoring is commonly known as an NLP technique it is used regularly in hypnotherapy.
Anchoring uses repetition to create a trigger action, image or phrase (or any of the five senses) to create a chosen state of mind whenever you wish. The most common anchors used in a therapeutic setting are those of words and touch. Examples of these can be the phrase "Calm and relaxed" or rubbing your thumb and the tips of your fingers together. However, any of the five senses can be used as triggers or anchors. When you use anchoring techniques you access feelings and emotions from the past and use a stimulus (anchor) to bring them into your present state of mind. With practice you will be able to use anchors to bring about a desired state of mind easily and instantly.
Although anchoring is a very valuable tool which may be used as part of your hypnotherapy treatment, it is most often a naturally occurring everyday process. It frequently arises as a subconscious reaction, without you even being aware of it. If you think about it, you'll realize that anchors which happen naturally play a major role in your life. Consider how you react to the ringing of your alarm clock; a certain tone of voice; the smell of your favourite food; the title music of a film that scared you out of your wits; someone wearing a perfume similar to that worn by your least favourite teacher - the list is endless. Each of these will induce a particular reaction. Some positive, some negative. These examples are all the results of naturally occurring anchors.
Learn some NLP anchoring techniques
Basic NLP anchoring techniques are easy to learn and can be use anywhere. They can be even more powerful if the anchors are fixed in place while you are in a hypnotic state. However, you can learn anchoring techniques right now. Suppose, for example you wish to feel calm in any situation. You could anchor feelings of calmness and relaxation to enable you to access this state of mind any time you wish. To do this you would practise the steps below:
Step 1
Select a feeling that you would like to have. (Our example is being calm and relaxed.)
Step 2
Now decide what you would like to be your anchor (trigger). For example, it may be saying silently the words "calm and relaxed" or it may be rubbing the tips of your thumb and fingers together. It can be anything you wish but please pick something that you can use subtly in any situation, without drawing attention to yourself.
Step 3
Next remember a time when you felt very calm, very relaxed. (If you can't recall such a time, think about how you would feel if you were very relaxed. Use your imagination to create an imaginary scene in which you are incredibly calm.)
Step 4
Close your eyes and remember that time as vividly as possible. Imagine that you are actually going right back to that time when you felt extremely calm and relaxed. Relive that feeling as if you were experiencing it right now. Make the situation as real as possible and step into the scene so that you are actually experiencing it again, rather than simply seeing yourself in the picture. Look at the scene through your own eyes, hear any sounds and feel the same feelings that you felt at the time. Make the colours stronger, the image brighter, the sounds clearer, the feelings of blissful relaxation even more intense. Use your anchor when your feelings of relaxation and calmness are at their strongest. This will create an association between that anchor and strong feelings of relaxation.
Step 5
Repeat steps 3 and 4 above with other memories of relaxation. The more you do this the more powerful your anchor will become. Each time you repeat this exercise you are conditioning your mind to associate feelings of relaxation every time you use your chosen anchor.
Now all you have to do is begin to use this anchor and enjoy the results.
You can, of course, create anchors for any other state of mind you wish, such as confidence, success etc. Make sure that you create a different anchor for each state of mind. Otherwise, you'll become very confused! With only a little practice you'll be able to use your anchors to bring about any desired state of mind easily and immediately. Enjoy!
Shonagh Paterson (registered hypnotherapist), Stroma, Farr, Inverness, Highland IV2 6XG
(only 4 miles from Inverness)
Specialising in stress management, smoking cessation and the rapid and effective treatment of fears, anxiety, phobias and panic attacks.
If you stay in the Inverness area and would like to find out more about hypnotherapy (clinical hypnosis) please give me a call.
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