Resource Anchors - A Simple and Powerful Way to Boost Your Confidence

An anchor is something either internal or external which triggers and automatic behavioural response, emotion or memory. Anchors are naturally occurring and things that we see, hear, feel, taste or smell can evoke memories or feelings. Some anchors can be neutral (don't evoke any emotion) but most will trigger some kind of emotional response or action.

An anchor can either produce a positive reaction such as the smell of fresh scones takes me back to happy childhood memories or they can evoke a negative response. Phobias are examples of extreme negative anchors resulting usually from a single traumatic experience, however most anchors are established through repetition and most originate in our childhood. The original experience that created the negative anchor is usually forgotten although the emotional response or action continues.

Anchors are important in our lives as they build habits which make us unconsciously competent such as seeing a red traffic light tells us to stop. We don't need to ask ourselves every time we see a red traffic light what it means - we just know that we stop! Anchors are learnt programs and they are state dependent.

NLP uses this naturally occurring phenomenon to create positive anchors which can help us to overcome phobias or to create a positive association to achieve a desired state, such as confidence or motivation. This process is known as 'resource anchoring'.

Briefly, setting an anchor is the process by which an internal response becomes associated with a particular external trigger. Most anchors are set at random or through repetition. However we can intentionally set anchors to illicit a certain state in order to meet a certain outcome for example confidence during a presentation.

To use resource anchoring in someone (or yourself) you need to:-

Elicit the resource state desired. There are two ways in which you can do this but by combining them both you stand a greater chance of success. You can either bring about a resource state mentally by changing the persons thought patterns or by getting the person to change their physiology. If your client wants to be more confident then you can help them bring out that state by using the resource state yourself

Calibrate the state. You need to know what the resource state 'looks' like in your client before you anchor it! Avoid guess work and remember everyone is different. Get the client to image a time when they experienced the resource state and anchor the resource state when it reaches its peak either kinaesthetically, auditory or visually though you could choose all three. For example for confidence you could choose the kinaesthetic anchor of touching your right ear lobe: a visual anchor of an image of you at your most confident and an auditory anchor such as the word 'confidence'. When setting the anchor pay particular attention to the points below.

Ensure the anchor (stimulus) is unique and subtle enough so that others don't notice you doing it, such as touching thumb and index finger. Clapping is definitely out! Intensity of experience. In order for the anchoring to work you need to be associated into the experience and this should be strong.

Purity of experience. Ensure there is no mixture of emotions when setting the anchor. If your client wishes to feel calm ensure the experience they use elicits just that and no other untoward emotion or feeling. The timing of the anchor. The anchor needs to be set just as the experience reaches it's peak as any later the emotion could be decreasing.

Accuracy and repetition of anchor. Ensure that you use the correct touch to fire the anchor and use it often

Test the anchor that you have set. Break state and then repeat the above step in order to improve the experience by adjusting the sub modalities associated with it until the person has reached the optimal level. This may need to be repeated several times until this level is reached. Once the optimal level has been reached then test the anchor by firing it. If the person returns to the resourceful state then you are complete; if not then you need to repeat anchoring process again until the resource state is reached.

Future pace. Get the client to identify several situations where they would like to access this resourceful state. Get them to imagine being in each state then fire the anchor so that the person has an automatic association to them. However a person needs to use the anchor at least twenty times before you can rely on it. Like anything without practice the anchor becomes less useful.

You can use this process yourself very successfully and you can stack positive anchors onto one anchor - but ensure that you stack similar states. For example if you want to feel more confident, motivated and assertive then all of these states can be stacked on the same anchor to create a 'super' state. If you would also like to feel more calm and relaxed it would make more sense to use another anchor for these states as they don't mix well with the more energetic states of motivation, assertion, excitement etc.

So if you would like to make use of this simple technique - then give it a go. It's simple and incredibly effective and the more you use these anchors the more resourceful habits such as confidence, motivation etc you are creating.

Give it a go - you have nothing to lose but everything to gain.

Mairead Russell is a qualified and registered hypnotherapist (GHR) as well as being a Certified NLP & EFT Practitioner, who works in the Central Manchester area. Mairead has been accepted on the NHS Directory of Complementary and Alterative Practitioners. She specializes in emotional and bevioural issues, including depression, anxiety disorders and stress. Mairead also has success in smoking cessation and weight loss. For further information please visit her web site http://www.mcrhypnotherapy.com or email at mairead@mcrhypnotherapy.com