Many times when I have therapy with a patient
on the psychiatric floor I will hold him
or her around the shoulders and walk with
that person while talking about the patients
daily problems. When I do this the patient
feels comfortable and relaxed because in
his or her mind this correlates with security
and friendship.
Way does this correlate with friendship?
Because one learns from early childhood that
friends hold you around the shoulders and
we have had good experiences while this was
done. This is an example of ANCHORING.
Positive feelings from anchoring happen when
the anchor or the original incident took
place and continues to take place when one
felt and feels happy and content.
Negative feelings from anchoring happen when
the anchor or the original incident took
place and continues to take place when one
felt or feels unhappy and sad.
Understanding anchoring helps us understand
why some people react differently to the
same act (stimuli or anchor). If every time
someone gives you a kiss it is because a
death occurred or because you were in pain
or hurt, you would respond negatively to
this anchor (you would feel sad when kissed)
and you would avoid kissing.
If people shake hands with you on sad occasion
only (funeral , etc.) you would fell unhappy
when shaking hands with someone. Although
for the majority these are positive triggers
for some they could be negative.
Negative behavior patterns can be understood
throughout concept of anchoring. If someone
feels timid and depressed and insecure and
goes out to find company in a club. If during
this time that person has a few drinks and
feels better he or she will correlate drinking
with security and drinking takes away the
feeling of timidness or shame. The same happens
with overeating, smoking and many other habits.
Complexity of anchoring is great and would
need a whole book to explain but this example
mi be of help. I remember a patient I had who became very
depresses and had panic attacks for the past
15 years. After one hypnotic sessions she
recalled the first attack happened when she
was going o buy some food for a friend who
had the HIV virus. In the next session she
recalled that it was when she saw a yellow
bag of potato chips that this panic started.
In the next session she recalled that her
step mother was pregnant and she wished that
the mother abort. Unfortunately the mother
had a spontaneous abortion and the baby was
buried in a yellow dress.
This patient anchored yellow with death,
HIV with death, death with the abortion and
death of her stepmother's baby, and this
with guilt.. The patient is doing much better
now.
Anchoring is a strong tool which one should
use wisely in a therapeutic state.
