Most people experience life as a roller-coaster of different emotional states, accepting without question that emotions are something that just happen in response to life events. In any given day, you may experience a range of states, some positive and some that are negative or distressing. The emotional state we are in is so important as it affects how we behave and the results we get. If you are feeling positive and happy, of course the whole world seems better and more interesting and the way you behave will reflect this.
In fact emotional states are not something that happen to us, rather we create them based on how we view the world. We all know a really positive person who takes everything in their stride or a friend who seems to get upset at the slightest concern. In these modern times, it is how we respond to perceived threats that cause us stress and problems.
Imagine being able to control and regulate your emotions so that life is more balanced or being able to access resourceful emotional states when you need them. Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) therapy is a way that you can learn to manage your emotional state and change it at will in order to experience emotional freedom. When clients come to see me for NLP Aylesbury, Herts, I am able to teach them the tools of anchoring so that they can bring harmony and emotional balance to their life.
Anchors are naturally occurring associations between an external stimulus and a behavioural or emotional response. They occur because the human mind constantly seeks to make sense of the environment by looking for patterns and associations between things. It is likely that you have had the experience of hearing a certain piece of music that reminds you of a person or event from the past or have smelt perfume or some other smell that reminds you of someone you know. Hopefully, most people see a red traffic light and automatically know to stop! Not all anchors are positive. People learn to make negative associations between things, such as feeling anxious or worried when they are asked to go to their bosses office or when they are required to give a presentation to colleagues.
NLP deliberately makes use of anchors in order to empower people to have control over their emotional states. There are specific NLP techniques in which a stimulus is used to trigger and link an emotional state. The stimulus is usually external and may be a sound or touch. Through these techniques it is possible to for an individual to build up a resource of positive emotional states, which they can access in any situation in which they need them. It is also possible to completely collapse negative anchors so that external stimuli that cause you negative emotional states will no longer be a problem.
You will already have all positive emotional resources within you that you need. NLP, Aylesbury, Herts, can enable you to make use of these. Having this control will have a profound effect on all aspects of your life, particularly your relationships. You will find that you are able to behave in new and flexible ways. If you feel learning to use anchors would benefit you, it would be advisable to see an NLP practitioner. Anchoring is something that you can learn to self-administer and is a life-long skill that will get you better results.
The process involves remembering specific times in the past when you have experienced the emotional resource you wish to anchor. What great is that you can borrow positive emotional resources that occur in response to certain situations in your life and use them in other situations where wish you had them! So, the motivation that you felt in planning a particular holiday can be borrowed and used as the motivation you need in order to get you to the gym!
Why not spend time now thinking about specific times in the past when you have felt happy or have been laughing so hard it hurts! You will be amazed at all the positive emotions you have experienced and how it is possible to re-create these feelings again just by thinking about them. Do this and you are well on your way to being the boss of your emotional state.
Karen Hastings is an NHS experienced occupational therapist and master NLP practitioner. NLP, is available at NLP, Aylesbury, Herts.
This definition is part of a series that covers the topic of Emotional Intelligence. The Official Guide to Emotional Intelligence is Reldan S. Nadler, Psy.D. Dr. Nadler, educated as a clinical psychologist, has become a world-class executive coach, corporate trainer and author. He is the president and CEO True North Leadership, Inc. an Executive and Organizational Development firm. Dr. Nadler brings his expertise in Emotional Intelligence to all his keynotes, consulting, coaching and training. A licensed psychologist and Master Executive Coach, Dr. Nadler has been working for more than 30 years with top executives and their teams to become “star performers.” He is the author of two best-selling leadership and team performance books, and is a sought-after speaker and consultant on leadership, emotional intelligence, teambuilding, executive coaching, and experiential learning.
Additional Resources covering Emotional Intelligence can be found at: