Positive and negative anchors
Anchors, especially naturally occurring ones, carry an emotional charge i.e. our emotional state changes in response anchors.
We class our responses to anchors as either positive or negative and thus we class some anchors as positive anchors and some anchors as negative anchors.
Examples of common negative anchors include:-
- A person speaks to you with that patronising tone of voice that they've used several times before when they wished to show you how superior they are. You're aware that you've entered that negative emotional state before their first word has left their lips
- Sometimes they don't even have to speak - their face says it all and you're left with that negative emotional state again
- The sound of a dentist's drill - ARGH!
- The smell of a particular food which, last time you ate it made you quite poorly
Examples of common positive anchors include:-
- A person you're close to places their hand on your shoulder and speaks to you with a loving tone of voice and you feel a positive emotion
- The smell of pine evokes fond memories of Christmas with friends and family
- A certain tune plays on the radio and you're instantly transported back to fun times you had with friends or the intense emotions you first had when you met that certain special person
- On a sunny day you apply sun lotion. The scent of the lotion instantly transports you back to your favourite holiday destination
Negative anchors tend to induce less useful emotional states like anger, frustration, fear, procrastination and apathy.
Positive anchors tend to induce positive and useful emotional states such as happiness, excitement, enthusiasm, focus, the feeling of power and energy and resourcefulness.
Even writing this page had an effect on my emotional state which is why, in this second draft, the negative is followed and thus eclipsed by the positive.
Over the next few pages we're going to learn exactly how we can drain the power from those negative anchors and also how to set powerful positive anchors which will assist us in connecting with useful and resourceful states any time we choose.