Anchors are essentially powerful triggers for a behavioral response which is associated with something already experienced. They can be positive or negative: negative, as in the case of seeing a syringe, smelling the antiseptic and immediately feeling faint; positive as in the case of hearing a favorite song and being put in a good mood as you are transported back to a wonderful time in your life. Anchors come in all shapes and sizes; something you see, hear, feel, smell or taste can cause an instant reaction.
In real life anchors are accidental; they just happen and we respond to them naturally. But in hypnosis we deliberately aim to take the power away from negative anchors which underlie many fears and phobias and, conversely, we aim to empower people by giving them positive anchors to trigger resourceful states. Sometimes it can be merely reminding folks of a special achievement they felt proud of or a situation where they felt very calm and confident in order to allow one to reassess that feeling in the moment but other times it can involve a more structured approach to give them a gesture, a thought, or a phrase that they can reproduce at will to trigger a resource state such as calmness or confidence whenever they need it. Typically I like to use an Ok sign which is anchored to a positive experience or encouraging words. That sign is convenient as it is literally at one’s fingertips.
If you think that I can help with giving you confidence, calmness, or confidence or you just want to learn more about anchors, please call me at 361-442-9590 or email at holtadams2002@yahoo.com.