Anchoring

Anchoring in neurolinguistic programming is a term used for the process by which you apply a gesture, touch or sound at the peak of a state either in oneself or someone else. The said anchored state can then be recalled or re-activated by reapplying the gesture, touch or sound. (ref nlp world)

What are anchoring techniques?

We are all aware of what a physical, solid anchor is, and can bring an image to mind immediately. We are also aware of the importance of these anchors to boats, the stabilizing effect that they have, and the feeling of safety and security that they conjure up.

Anchors can also be used metaphorically by coaches with clients during NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) sessions when they are experiencing stress or anxiety, want to appear more confident, or want to change learned behaviour from a negative into a positive.

These anchors are usually external stimuli, that when applied can trigger an internal response or feeling.

If you thought of your anchors for instance, how do you feel if you hear a particular piece of music that reminds you of a favourite time or a smell that reminds you of a loved one?

Or think about an alarm going off and it may bring back memories of stress or fear.

Anchoring is just another form of classical conditioning, a theory put forward by Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist, to explain salivation in dogs when presented with food as a stimulus.

This theory demonstrated that dogs very quickly develop a learned response to a trigger, in this case, a bell, as to when food would be presented to them.

This simple technique is how anchoring is used today in coaching sessions to get people to change their behaviour or to think differently.

What is an anchor?

NLP often talks about VAKOG, which is an acronym for the five senses that we have:

Visual - seeing,

Auditory - hearing,

Kinesthetic - touching/feeling,

Olfactory - smelling, and

Gustatory - tasting.

An anchor can be a stimulus from any one of these senses, that provokes a feeling inside of you. For example, feeling a soft blanket (stimulus/trigger) produces a feeling of safety and comfort (reaction/response).

This feeling comes from memories in the brain that are triggered by feeling the blanket. Therefore, the blanket becomes the anchor for feelings of safety and comfort to be aroused in you.

Anchoring can be used to achieve things that you want from life, to react appropriately or to reduce stress and anxiety. The use of the anchor can help in behavioural changes.

What are the 5 keys to anchoring?

For anchoring to be undertaken correctly, there need to be five things in place. The best way to remember them is by using the acronym coined by the late NLP practitioner Tad James, I-TURN;

1. The Intensity of the anchor

The experience that you are working with has to be intense, the more intense the experience, the more effective it will be.

You need to make sure that you anchor the most intense parts of the positive experience.

2. Timing of the anchor

The timing of the anchor has to be accurate. The timing needs to be at the exact spot of the experience.

3. Uniqueness

The anchor has to be in a personal and unique position to the individual, for example, the person’s shoulder.

4. Replication of the stimulus

The anchor needs to be repeated the same each time, same position, tone, timing, gestures etc.

5. Number of times it is repeated

The anchor needs to be repeated several times for it to be effective, the more repetition, the stronger it is.

Examples of anchor thoughts

Let’s say that you are trying to elicit a state of relaxation due to the pressure that you are under. You need to elicit a thought of being in a relaxed state to work with.

You can use whatever thought is unique to you as your anchor as long as your thoughts are going to be positive.

You need to elicit a vividly detailed vision in your mind of a time when you were feeling relaxed, the more detail that you can go into the better.

You need to time the anchor at exactly the right moment when you are beginning to feel the way that you want to feel.

You will start to notice a change in your feelings, this is when you will release your trigger or stimulus.

The anchor that you use has to be something that you will be able to use over and over again, therefore something that you will always have access to.

There is no point in using a tree as a trigger as you may not always be in the vicinity of a tree when you need your anchor.

Therefore make sure that it is something that you will always have access to, such as touching a ring that you always wear or saying a certain word.

Finally, you will need to do this procedure several times. Repetition is the key here. Your mind will get used to doing something once it has done the procedure many times.

Whenever you are feeling stressed and need to relax, you therefore use your thoughts to produce a trigger that elicits the relaxed memory to put you into that state.

Below is a quick step-by-step guide to following the above procedure.

What are the 5 steps of anchoring?

Anchoring is the ideal tool to have on hand when you need to change your mood quickly, have a sudden boost of confidence or relax in stressful situations.

It can very quickly change how you feel and the way that you perceive situations.

Let’s look at how to create an anchor;

1. Decide how you want to feel in a situation, eg, relaxed.

2. Remember a time that you were feeling relaxed it can be any memory that you have, as long as it conjures up the feelings that you want to recreate.

3. Chose an anchoring device ie, kinesthetic, press your thumb and forefinger together

4. Remember all the details surrounding you feeling relaxed, to get the most benefit from this technique, you must revisit the memory as if it is happening now, remember every detail as if you are inside the memory, for the memories to come back to you.

   As the memories start to come back to you you begin to relieve the feelings of feeling relaxed, then begin to press your thumb and forefinger together until you ‘set’ the anchor.

5. Now it’s time to test your anchor, press your forefinger and thumb together and see if you have feelings of relaxation flood through your body. If you do then the anchor has been established and whenever you need to feel relaxed you can repeat the anchor until you generate the feeling.

Use your anchor to make a change

Anchoring will give you the ability to put yourself into a required state when you need it.

Once the link has been made between the anchor and your desired emotional response you can put it into practice whenever it is needed.

This powerful NLP tool can be applied at any time or anywhere.

If you have to give a presentation or face a challenge that you find stressful or nerve-racking, then implementing your relaxation anchor can instantly change your emotions so that the situation you are in becomes easier to control.

If you have an anchor from your past that elicits negative feelings, then you can create a new anchor to override it. NLP anchoring gives you the power to have control over the feelings and emotions that you are experiencing.

A piece of music that may bring back unhappy memories can be changed to stimulate happy memories by supplanting new memories with the music.

This powerful tool is a highly effective way of being able to change emotions and also to be more fully in control of your emotions.

Anchoring techniques for anxiety

If you are someone who suffers from anxiety, you could find that using the anchoring technique is a very useful tool for you to use to control any anxiety attacks that you have.

When you develop a mental anchor, you will be able to reduce fear, stress, and anxiety and bring your emotions back under control. Think how well an anchor makes a boot stable and secure, a mental anchor can produce the same results for you emotionally.

Your anchor can use any one of your senses, sight, sound, touch, taste or smell.

Step 1 How do you want to feel? Calm and relaxed? Decide before you begin.

Step 2 Recreate a memory in your mind of a time when you felt totally calm and relaxed.

Step 3 Choose an anchor that involves one of your senses, such as touch. As an example here we will use your ear lobe. This would be a kinesthetic anchor for you.

Step 4 Start to fully immerse yourself in your memory and go into as much detail as you can.

Step 5 As soon as you start to begin feeling the state of calmness and relaxation, touch your ear lobe gently in a calming manner. This will now anchor you into your desired state.

This process will have to be repeated several times before it settles firmly into the brain. It could take some time but have patience and this technique will work for you.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for ways how to use anchoring for positive thinking, then you should follow the above tips if you want to start seeing a difference in your thinking and behaviour.

You and you alone have the power to change the thoughts that you have and what goes on inside your mind. The mind can be our most powerful ally and our worst foe, depending on the thoughts that we have inside us.

If you are looking to live a positive life. productive and works in tandem with your hopes and desires, then you need to make sure that you are not ruled by fear, stress and anxiety.

Learning how to use this anchoring technique can free you from so many debilitating thoughts and can leave you free to live the life that you want to live.

These anchoring techniques can be used anytime and anywhere and you can use them without any instruction from a third party. Many people though do find it very useful in the beginning to set their anchors using the help of a trained NLP professional.

If you would like to discover more ways of using this NLP tool for controlling or changing your emotions, then working with a life coach is an ideal way to develop this skill.

Life coaching can guide you in the right direction and can give you the tools and guidance to fully understand and use this technique throughout your life.

A life coach will work with you to make sure that the anchoring works for you in the situations where it is needed and they will give you the confidence to carry on with this technique on your own when the time is right for you.

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