I have always enjoyed playing with my uncle's graphic equalizer. You move one potentiometer up and immediately you have a higher column of colour lights and at the same time the tone of music from the loudspeakers changes. If you move it down the column decreases and sounds are muffled.
What it would be like if you had a graphic equalizer in your head which would enable you to enhance or weaken particular emotional states. I think it could be interesting and useful. For this purpose we use sliding anchors.
How to make such anchor?
Choose a useful state which you would like to be able to access at any moment in order to regulate it optionally and to determine its intensity.
If you have chosen a state, imagine the corresponding situation. Recall this picture and check its submodalities.
Verify which submodality influences the change of the state most. What causes its maximum enhancement and attenuation? It may be receding and approaching, brightening and darkening as well as other features. Adjust the submodalities in order to have control over this state and to go from the least to the maximum intensity.
Think about the colour which best suits this state. The first thought is the best one.
Imagine the slide in this exact colour. Let it be a line (perpendicular or horizontal) with a scale (1 – 10) containing distinctly marked critical point at the end.
Moreover, to enhance the performance, choose the place on your forearm along which you will move your finger. It should be long enough (inner part of the forearm, from the wrist to the elbow will be perfect) and there should not be any other anchors.
Now, as you see the slide, move it to the “0” position and at the same time change the submodalities of this picture in such a way that the state which you feel correspond to this place on the scale.
Touch with your finger a particular place on your hand which will also determine the beginning of the scale.
Now, start to move the slide (and finger) along the scale as quickly as you can and simultaneously change the submodalities of a picture and enhance the previously selected state.
Let it reach succeeding degrees, experience the feelings increasing with every step you take up to the critical point. Or even let it cross the critical point!
Move the slide and your finger back to the beginning of the scale weakening the intensity of the chosen state.
Change your position and remind yourself the first thing which you saw today in the morning. What was the weather like yesterday? What is the name of your first teacher in a primary school?
It’s time to fire your anchors.
Imagine your colour slide and prepare your forearm.
Move the slide, shift your finger along the hand and check how your state changes. If the anchor is cast properly, put it in a place that suits you most.
I encourage you to create a whole set of colourful slides. Choose several most useful states and ascribe different colour and different place on your hand to every of them.
Have fun!