As the carol singers enthusiastically tell us, “Tis the season to be jolly”. So, without further ado, let’s learn how
to feel really happy when the going gets tough – like at the family Christmas lunch.
1. Think of a significant time in your life when you felt extraordinarily happy. As you do this, see what you
saw, hear what you heard, and feel how you felt when you were there. In particular, notice the feeling that lets you know
that this feels really good.
2. Make the memory more vivid. Make the mental image bigger, brighter and closer to you. Intensify the colours and turn
up the sounds to make them more exciting, or perhaps more mellow. If you’re watching yourself in the memory, step
into it, so that you’re seeing the event through your eyes. Make it so that you’re actually there, right now, surrounded by the
experience.
3. ‘Tune in’ to the happy feeling. Once again pay particular attention to the happy feeling and notice where it begins and
where it travels to – maybe in your stomach and up to your heart, for example. Take your time with this step, because
even if you can’t trace its movement at first, it is there.
4. Loop it. Just before the feeling dissipates, connect it to its starting point (i.e. in your stomach) so that it begins to
run in a loop. Increase the speed of the loop and spread the sensation out to fill your entire body. Spin it faster and
faster until the feeling starts to “peak”.
5. Capture the experience. At the peak of the emotion, firmly press your index finger and thumb together. Hold
for a few moments and then release. This process is known as “anchoring” if you want to research it.
6. Repeat steps 1 to 5 several times. Every time you repeat the experience in your mind, push the feelings of happiness as
far as they will go, and then capture them between your thumb and index finger.
7. Test it. Test the availability of this feel-good resource by pressing your index finger and thumb together as in Step 5. You should re-experience the
feelings which, if you like, you can loop and spin again, as in Step 4.
I wish you a very happy Christmas and I’ll see you again in the new year.
Matt Follows – Hypnotherapist
& NLP Mind Coach
(+34) 663 416 310
www.mattjfollows.com
