In this article I wanted to share a clear, practical way to shift a problem quickly with minimal effort. The method is very simple. It’s not a direct part of FasterEFT, though Robert Smith talks about it and lightly demonstrates it in some of his seminars and DVDs. He learned it from the book MindWorks by Anné Linden and Kathrin Perutz. I read the book as well and practiced this simple approach. The goal is to change a problem using so-called triggers (anchors).
What are triggers and how did this all start?
You probably know the feeling. A familiar song plays on the radio after years and, suddenly, you’re back on that summer holiday where it was on repeat. You remember what it was like, what happened, and for a moment you forget the present and relive the experience. The song was a trigger. How does a trigger work? It goes back to the discoveries of the Russian physiologist and physician Ivan Pavlov and conditioning. In his famous experiment, after the bell rang, dogs were fed. After enough repetitions, when the bell rang, the dogs began to salivate and expected food. I’d define it simply like this:
“If an external stimulus (an event, an action) is present during—or immediately before—another activity or experience, and this pairing is repeated enough times, the stimulus becomes a trigger (an anchor in hypnosis) and evokes a conditioned reaction that, in most cases, reminds the subconscious what should follow.”
Of course, this doesn’t apply only to positive experiences. Unfortunately, it also happens with negative ones: a single look from your boss can trigger emotions and a state that may spoil your entire day.
Important note:
This is a self-help exercise and does not replace work with a trained professional. It’s not intended for the biggest life traumas or severe phobias, but rather everyday issues and situations where your life wasn’t directly endangered, etc.
To create change we need two elements: Bad × Good = collapse. The intensity of the chosen (especially negative) event must not exceed the intensity of the positive event.
An easy way to check: rate the intensity on a 0–10 scale for both the problem and the positive memory. At 5 vs. 5, the mind can choose—and it tends to choose the good one.
If the negative outweighs the positive, results will be weak. Please choose carefully.
Let’s leave theory and move to practice.
The whole process in short:
- Positive experience – select a positive memory
- Anchor
- Return to the present
- Negative experience – select a negative memory
- Anchor
- Return to the present
- Repeat
- Test
- Activate both triggers
Positive experience
Take a deep breath in and out. Recall a very positive event from your life.
Now step into that event—be there. You are as old as you were back then. You are in the scene. Notice what you see, hear, and feel in your body, even scents and tastes. Focus on your physical sensations. Notice where the feeling that tells you “this is positive” is located. (From practice, many people feel positive sensations in the heart area.)
Live the event and pay attention to the details and qualities (submodalities). If you see an image, bring it closer; make the colors brighter, more vivid and playful (as if using a TV remote to increase saturation).
Notice how the good feelings expand. If you hear pleasant sounds, turn them up, like turning up your favorite song so everyone can hear its beautiful tones and melody.
Notice the sensation in your body—wherever it is. Notice how it spins, in which direction, and how large it is. Spin it faster. Spin it so fast it starts growing. Twice as fast and it doubles in size. Let the feeling fill your whole body—and beyond. Enjoy it.
Anchor
Right before the peak of that feeling, hold your left earlobe and notice the pressure, exact spot, and how you’re holding it. (This is very important.) The ideal hold time is about 10–20 seconds.
Return to the present
Come back to the present moment. Stretch, jump lightly, wiggle your fingers, look around the room—anything that helps you feel present again.
Negative experience
Select a negative experience you want to release with this technique.
Take a deep breath, step into the event, and notice everything you see and feel. Notice how you know it’s a problem. Focus on the negative sensations — there’s no need to amplify them at this point.
Anchor
This time, choose the right earlobe and hold it again for about 10–20 seconds. Pay attention to the exact way you’re holding it and remember it for repetition.
Return to the present
Return to the present. Stretch, jump lightly, wiggle your fingers, look around the room—anything that helps you feel present again.
Repeat
Repeat steps 1–6 at least 5–10 times.
In practice, many repetitions aren’t always necessary. If feelings are strong, you may anchor them on the first try. Repetition, however, increases strength and effect.
Test
After sufficient repetition, test both triggers.
Take a deep breath in and out.
First, hold the right earlobe (negative) the same way. Within a few seconds, the event, emotions, and everything you anchored from the negative memory should appear. If not, repeat steps 1–6 a few more times. If yes, return to the present.
Do the same with the left earlobe. Hold it the way you’re used to and notice whether positive emotions, experiences, and memories arise.
Pay attention to intensity. If it still doesn’t feel right, I strongly recommend repeating steps 1–6 until the trigger works reliably.
Activate both triggers
Now for the interesting part. Hold both earlobes at the same time, keep holding, and wait to see what happens.
Within moments you should feel a strong mixing of emotions, and if everything has been done correctly, the problem should neutralize. Compare your numbers with the 0–10 scale you chose at the beginning—you should notice a shift. If needed, choose a different positive memory and repeat the entire process until the issue is fully resolved.
I hope it went well. Practice builds skill. If you use this technique daily, you’ll learn to create such changes quickly and effectively.