Anchoring alone will not heal clinical states such as clinical depression. For more complex and layered experiences we will need to bring other processes and interventions to bear. And yet, anchoring will play a role even in those interventions.
14.9.0.78 1. Establish Rapport
Mirror and match the person’s physiology, tonality and predicates to enter into their world. This will help them feel comfortable and trusting with the processes.
14.9.0.79 2. Explain The Process
Even though we can use just auditory or visual anchors, we will get the best results by redundantly using anchors in every system. Visual and auditory anchors operate in a more covert way than kinesthetic anchors. And because they usually function in out-of-conscious awareness, we do not need to explain the process.
When using kinesthetic anchors, I (BB) always inform the client. When I use kinesthetic anchors, I first ask the client’s permission to sit close to them and touch them. Why? Because many visual people do not like someone “crowding their space” when you sit close to them. They prefer to have more room so they can see things going on around them. Therefore, I always ask permission to sit close to them and always receive such permission. I explain the purpose of touching them on the top of the knee or the hand. If you do this unannounced with some people… Well, you get the picture!
14.9.0.80 3. Elicit And Anchor The Desired Experience (Positive Or Negative)
As we assist someone in recalling a desired state or a negative emotional experience, we want to assist them in re-experiencing a strong, intense, and “pure” experience. In working with positive states, we want the internal experience to feel intense—intensely motivated, excited, competent, resourceful, etc. We ask, “Have you ever experienced certainty?” “Yes.” “Good, so now allow yourself, now, to begin to remember a time and a place when you experienced that sense of certainty— when specifically did that occur? What did you see at that time? And where?”
As we help the person to specify time, place, persons, and specific facets of the memory, they will become more and more focused on a specific event. Many Gestalt-thinkers (those who have the Meta-program of general sorting), will have flashes of sights, sounds, and sensations from numerous experiences.
Keep in mind that a key to anchoring involves the person having accessed an intense state and getting fully associated into it. A person associates into a state by seeing, hearing, and feeling the state as if they have re-entered the experience. They look at the details with their own eyes, hear through their own ears, etc. Their association into the experience enables them, neurologically, to relive it in the present moment.
Good focusing questioning will facilitate their association into the experience. To think in terms of focusing questions, incorporate the 4-tuple model into your elicitation. The 4-tuple summarizes the major rep system (VAKO). In using the 4-tuple to help a person associate into a desired state, elicit from them representations in each system and anchor each as they become intensely aware of it. By asking the following questions, the person will associate more into the experience. In doing this, you essentially build a stacking anchor (The e and i refer to external and internal representations).
Ve Do you see clearly things going on around you while you recall the experience of motivation?
Vi As you recall this feeling of motivation, do you yet notice any pictures?
Ae How well do you hear things happening around you?
Ae What does your own voice sound like as you recall this experience of motivation?
Adi Do you have any internal dialogue?
Ki How do you feel now as you begin to relive that memory?
Ke What external body feelings or awarenesses do you have?
Ki As you notice your breathing, where does it come from—high or low in the chest?
Ki How fast do you breathe as you experience this state?
O Do you remember any special odors or tastes in this motivating experience?
By asking a client to recall an experience from all of these perspectives, it brings to their awareness specific qualities, and as they re-create the representations, they associate back into that state. If you stack these anchors, each on top of the other, you will end up with a strong recreation of the experience—with a strong anchor for motivation or any other desired state.
14.9.0.81 4. Interrupt The State So The Person Breaks State
After establishing the anchor, stop the process. Break state. Say or do anything that has nothing to do with the process. This will interrupt and separate the person from that state of mind-emotions. Even standing up and moving around will break the state. Now ask them to “clear the screen” of their mind. Ask them to take a deep breath (taking a deep breath will usually change their physiology and hence their state). Change the subject for a moment.
14.9.0.82 5. Test The Anchor By Firing It
If you used the knee to anchor motivation, touch the same place in just the way as you did when you established the anchor. Touching in the precise spot and with the precise pressure provides neurology the same stimulus associated with the resourceful state. Using your sensory acuity skills, calibrate to their responses. If their face, physiology, breathing, muscle tone, etc., indicates the motivation state (and they confirm it), then you know you have established a good anchor. When you fire the anchor, their motivation state should return without them needing to “think” about it.
If you do not see anything that looks like the motivation state, take that as feedback, inquire about the person’s internal state of thoughts-and-feelings. Since anchoring functions as a non-verbal form of communication (signal/symbol sending), like verbal communication—we never know what we have communicated. Until we see, notice, and inquire of the person concerning their internal state of thoughts-emotions, memories, fantasies, beliefs, values, etc., we never know what message we have sent or what state we have anchored. So feel free to inquire. Where did their mind and emotions go? What Trans-derivational Search did they make? Wherever they went and whatever information they processed during the anchoring—you anchored that!
Once in a workshop in front of twenty people I (MH) asked a lady permission to access and anchor a state of assertive firmness on her knee—when I did touch her knee, before she could “help” it, my touch anchored in thoughts-and-emotions of older memories from someone molesting her! She gave some subtle signs (!)—slapping my hand away, adopting a look of terror on her face, forcefully sitting up straight, muscles taut, breathing hard. “Where did you just go… inside… what memories, thoughts-and-emotions, awarenesses suddenly came upon you?” I asked a moment later.
After she explained, I simply noted, “So you already have an anchor there, huh?” “Yes, Sir.” “And a mighty powerful one from what I could see!” “I guess so.” “Let’s try another place for an anchor.” With her agreement, she gave me her right arm and I put two fingers on her forearm. Once we had a strong resourceful experience anchored there, we rehearsed it half a dozen times to demonstrate to the group, and for her own self-validation. Then touching first her forearm, I said, “And when you feel this…fully and completely …knowing that this assertive firmness empowers you to stay true to your values, your beliefs, your God-given dignity…and you can …how does it weaken and nullify this…” (and I touched her knee anchor).
She showed little response. “I feel like I don’t know what to think or feel. I kind of feel the old feelings, but…”
We call that process the collapsing of anchors. So get a good anchor. Keep checking with the person for confirmation of their internal experience. Use feedback for learning and for enriching the experience. Keep rehearsing through the anchoring process.
14.10 Exercises
14.10.0.83 I. Anchoring States 1
(triads)
“A” instructs “B” to recall a specific time when “B” felt highly motivated. (Or “B” may wish to choose some other positive state.)
“A” establishes with “B”
where “A” will apply the anchor.
“A” associates “B” into the desired state for anchoring and applies the anchor. Both “A” and “C” calibrate to “B’s” experience of the desired state. “A” follows the four keys to anchoring:
i. Choose a unique place to set the anchor.
ii. Set the anchor at the point of peak intensity.
iii. Make sure you have a pure state, that is, make sure that “B” does not have an internal dialogue going on or experience any competing experiences.
iv. Use proper timing when applying the anchor, i.e., when “B’s” desired state begins to build and hold from 5 to 25 seconds until the state begins to weaken.
4. “A” directs “B” to break state by “clearing the screen,” changing breathing and/or changing the subject.
5. “A” tests “B’s” anchor by reaching over and firing the anchor. Both “A” and “C” calibrate “B’s” response to see if “B” recalls the desired state.
14.10.0.84 II. Anchoring States 2
(Four people)
“A” accesses and anchors three different states in “B” (e.g., joy, sense of competence, frustration, hope, nice surprise, accomplishment, anger, etc.). “A” anchors these states on “B’s” back so that “D” cannot see the anchor. Note: Make the anchors several inches apart since the nerves on the back supply large areas, and anchor three quite different states such as anger, joy and accomplishment.
Test each anchor, allowing “D” to see the response (to calibrate), but not the location of the anchor. During this time, “C” (Meta-person) monitors the process to make sure “A” sets each anchor cleanly, and getting good responses.
“A” sets off each anchor, one at a time, with “D” identifying which state “A” elicits from “B” (# 1, # 2, or # 3). The exercise continues until “D” guesses four or five in a row. Should the anchors not seem to hold firmly, “A” may go back and reset them.
14.10.0.85 III. Anchoring And The Trans-derivational Search
(triads)
Kinesthetic anchoring provides an excellent tool for initiating a Transderivational Search. I (BB) have found this especially true for the more kinesthetically oriented person. While leading a client in age regression in the search for the root cause of a Problem State, use a kinesthetic anchor to inaugurate and continue the search. Follow this procedure:
“A” asks “B” to “Think of a Problem State you would like to discover the root cause of.” For the purpose of this exercise, I suggest that “B” not choose a particularly strong Problem State. In this exercise we want to uncover the root cause but not attempt to heal it. That will come later.
“A” leads “B” to associate into a particularly strong memory of that Problem State. Using your sensory acuity skills, “A” anchors in “B’s” Problem State.
Using Milton Model language patterns, “A” directs “B” back in time to their earliest memory of this problem. All through the Transderivational Search, “A” holds the anchor. “A” may say something like this: “Now, as you are feeling this problem, I want you to go back in time to other memories when you had this problem. You may wish to imagine that your history is like a photo album. And, as you feel this experience, you will begin to see pictures of other memories when you experienced this feeling. Just allow these memories to unfold like flipping back through your very own photo album of your life history. The uncovering of one memory will cause other memories to come up. Just let it happen.”
“A” continues holding “B’s” anchor as long as “B” searches their memory bank. “B” will inform “A” when they have found the root cause of their problem or when no other memories surface.
WARNING: Should “B” get into some real heavy memories, “A” leads “B” to break state. “A” will lead “B” to stand up, breathe deeply and look up. You will find other techniques more appropriate for working on resolving more deep-seated problems later in this manual.
14.11 4. Do a round robin.
14.11.0.86 IV. Trans-derivational Search Limiting Feelings—Good For Anxiety
(triads)
A “universal experience” involves those feelings that nearly all members of the human race experience, hence “universal.” These involve those feelings that limit us (disappointments, grief, loss, etc.) as well as those that greatly enhance life (surprise at something new and exciting, etc.) The following exercise utilizes the concept of anchoring and the Trans-derivational Search (TDS) to eliminate these limiting feelings:
“A” directs “B” to recall a recent experience of feeling positive about learning, being motivated or just excited about life. As “B” remembers and associates into that particular memory, “A” anchors the state kinesthetically.
“A” directs “B” through use of the kinesthetic anchor to recall at least three other memories when they felt this positive state. As “A” holds the anchor, “A” says to “B,”
“Now use the feelings of this experience to go back in your history until you arrive at a younger age when you experienced these same feelings of feeling ready to learn (motivated or excited) in a very productive way.”
-or-
“Just relax and allow your unconscious mind to sort through similar learning (motivating, exciting) experiences to surprise and delight you by reminding you of an earlier time that included these good feelings.”
-or-
“That’s right, enjoy that good learning (motivating, exciting) experience and re-experience those good feelings. Then, whenever you feel ready, let those feelings guide you back through your past history to an earlier time to find another good experience with those same enjoyable feelings.”
Continue with this process until “B” has recalled and identified three such positive experiences. All the while “A” holds the anchor making sure “B” fully associates into each remembered experience. Release the anchor after they fully access their positive state.
3. “A” now directs “B” to future pace these resources into a future time when “B” imagines needing those resources. “A” asks “B” to identify a time in the future when normally they would experience limitations by some unconscious feeling.
“A” in present time fires “B’s” resource anchor and directs “B,” “Now, that you experience all these positive resources, while remaining associated, I want you to move into that imaginary time in the future, only this time you face that time with all these resources. And, notice how you now respond with all these powerful resources.”
4. Round robin
14.11.0.87 V. Uptime Self Anchor
Sometimes we need awareness of what goes on around us. In those times we need to direct our attention away from ourselves to our surroundings. When counseling someone, teaching or making a sale, we need to be aware of our surroundings at all times. Or, consider sitting before someone who is interviewing you for a new job. In the interview, would focusing on the person interviewing you prove helpful? When the occasion calls for our focus to direct externally, the following self-anchor will immediately recall that state:
Find a quiet place. Go to your favorite place when you desire quiet. This place could exist inside or outside. Once there, sit down, relax and enjoy the world.
As you observe your surroundings, practice going inside and coming back out (in your self-awareness). Continue doing this until you become fully aware of what it feels like to focus on your external environment. Begin to notice each rep system by trying to access each channel. You can plug up your ears to help you to concentrate on seeing more clearly. Or, you can cover your eyes to allow yourself to focus on hearing better. Eliminate internal pictures or internal dialogues as far as possible. Focus your concentration on the world around you.
a. Notice what you feel. Feel the edges, surfaces, textures, hardness, etc., of the objects around you. Notice the feelings of the things you touch, sit on, the feelings of your skin, etc.
b. Notice what you see. Notice any movements or stillnes
s, colors, shades, tones, distance comparisons, and light patterns. Use both detailed and wide-angled viewing.
c. Notice what you hear. Listen for the difference in tones, pitches, and the texture of sounds. Note the location of the sounds. If other people are around, listen for the pitch and tempo of their voices. Listen to your breath coming in and going out.
d. Notice what you smell. Do the odors smell sharp or subtle? Do you sense the odors close by or far off?
e. Notice anything you taste, including changes within your mouth.
3. As you become fully aware of what you notice, set an anchor on the back of your left hand with your right finger(s). Plant the anchor only as firmly as you have accessed each rep system. Place the anchor for seeing on top of the anchor for feeling. And, place the anchor for hearing on top of both of them. In this way, you stack your anchor.
4. Now fire off the anchor so that it activates all the rep systems simultaneously. Focus your attention totally outside. Do not make internal pictures, dialogues or other feelings.
5. Now, break state by changing your breathing and clearing your screen.
6. Once you have broken state, reach over and fire your anchor. If your attention automatically and fully turns outside, without any conscious effort, you have a clean and powerful anchor. You now experience “uptime.” If not, repeat the above steps.
The User's Manual for the Brain Volume I Page 32