Feel better any time any place

Over the last four days in the UK we have celebrated 70 years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth.  I have enjoyed the pageantry and the nostalgia.  The concert outside the palace last night was a marvellous mix of the old and the new.  And, the procession today brought back all sorts of wonderfully positive memories.  I found myself transported back to a time of my early years.  I especially loved seeing Valerie Singleton, Peter Purves and Peter Duncan on the 60's bus from my favourite childens programme 'Blue Peter'.  In fact, coincidentally I only came across all my old Blue Peter albums yesterday as we unpacked the final few boxes after our recent move.  The memories that I was instantly transported back to made me feel happy and optimistic.  

In the same way, we learn with NLP that we can bring into the ‘now’ positive states we have experienced from the past. For example, any occasion in the past when we have felt confident we can re-experience in the ‘now’.  We achieve this with a technique called ‘anchoring’.  For the purpose of giving you an experience of programming your body and mind for success, I’m going to take you through a simple exercise to boost your energy and self-confidence. This works in an instant.

Think of specific occasions in the past when you experienced really powerful, positive states. For example, a time when you felt energised, confident, happy, motivated, powerful or successful, fell down laughing or felt totally loved. Remember specific memories, not just general feelings. 

• Step 1: Let’s run through a rehearsal first so you get the idea and the process. Remember a specific time in the past when you felt totally confident. Return to it now in your mind. Imagine floating down into your body and looking through your own eyes. See what you saw, hear what you heard and really feel those feelings of being totally confident.
• Step 2: As you’re totally back in the memory, make the colours brighter, the sounds louder and the feelings even stronger.
• Step 3: As you get the height of the memory and the pictures, sounds and feelings, apply pressure to the knuckle of your first finger on your left hand with the first finger of your right hand.
• Step 4: Continue to apply pressure to the knuckle as you relive the memory through your own eyes.
• Step 5: As the pictures, sounds and feelings begin to ebb away, remove your finger from your knuckle.
• Now you’ve got the process, repeat steps 1–5 with at least 6 specific and positive memories. Pick really strong experiences for you. Remember, no one needs to know what they are except you.
• Test: Press the knuckle in exactly the same way without accessing a memory and notice how differently you feel. You will feel a combination of all the powerful resourceful states that you stacked. And all without the artificial aids of drugs and alcohol!

Practise this every day and enjoy the results.  

From Lindsey and Team NLP