Finding expert help for bullying and stress

Bullying and its repercussions is the scourge of our times. It happens at work, at school, at home and on the internet. Is there anywhere it doesn’t happen? It can even happen in our own minds when we keep telling ourselves we’re not good enough and what we do is useless or worthless. Where do these thoughts and feelings come from? We’re certainly not born thinking we’re inadequate.

These feelings can come from a multitude of situations; a common ground they can evolve from is physical and/or mental bullying. Which major issues can bullying cause? It can cause stress which in itself can lead to drinking excessively, smoking heavily, eating disorders, panic attacks, anxiety, insomnia etc. So you can see how one major issue can lead on to many others, each of which is a major concern.

Bullying or trolling via the internet has now become a concern to many who use social media. This can cause so much anxiety for some that it becomes impossible to even connect to the internet without great waves of nausea overtaking them. Their hands start to sweat and shake, their breathing rate increases, sometimes starting a full blown panic attack, the fear can feel overwhelming. Once this starts it feels impossible to shake the emotion off.

If bullying in the workplace is a concern to you, it’s very likely to reduce your beliefs in your own capabilities. You can lose your self-confidence and self-esteem, doubting your abilities to do even the simplest of tasks. In the work environment it can be especially destructive. Who do you go to? What will be the repercussions? Will you lose your job if you report it? It may be the law that you can report such things with no repercussions to it, but we all know life doesn’t always work like that. How will it affect your family life and welfare? There are so many things to think and worry about.

Clinical hypnotherapy can help immensely with this by strengthening your mind, restoring your self-confidence and belief in your capabilities. It can give you the clarity and the determination to face your fears and to do something about it.

Bullying in the home is generally referred to as mental or physical/violent abuse abuse. It’s sadly becoming even more prevalent during these difficult times. The victim of physical/violent abuse can often be seen with bruises, making excuses saying they fell or walked into a door, or hide the marks with make-up.

What about the victim of mental abuse? They have no visible marks for people to see, but friends and relatives will notice the victim loses self-confidence, becomes a shadow of their former self, they lose their belief in their abilities to do the simplest of tasks. They become terrified of the bully returning from work, of a footstep behind them. The victim can end up living in terror of being told they’re useless or of a well-aimed fist coming their way.

The perpetrator or bully is often perceived outside the home as a good, kind and really helpful person. Who can the victim turn to? Will anyone believe them?Although all forms of bullying is mental torture, bullying in the home is particularly nasty. It can have a devastating psychological effect on the children in the home, even teaching them this is the normal way to behave, and so the circle continues.

If you are such a victim, research “gaslighting” or “narcissistic behaviour” and see if you can recognise your life and some or all of the behaviour patterns. Sometimes simply reading about it helps you to recognise and realise you are not to blame, you are not the useless being you are made to think you are and there is a way to get help.

It isn’t always women who are victims, sometimes it’s the male in the household who is the unfortunate victim and experiences the stress and anxieties. Their anxiety may be that someone outside the family home will discover his ‘secret torture’. Men are less likely to admit to their problems, but a hypnotherapist can help them in the strictest of confidence. If you are a male experiencing these issues don’t hesitate to find a hypnotherapist you feel comfortable talking to, who can restore your self-confidence, belief in yourself and your capabilities.

Hypnotherapy can give you the strength, clarity of mind and determination to do something about it, to break the circle of behaviour your children could be subjected to.

Can hypnotherapy help my child?

You could be reading this and wondering about your child who is affected by school bullying. Can hypnotherapy help them? The answer is probably yes. Firstly find a hypnotherapist your child likes and feels comfortable with. Your child may be reluctant to talk about it to a stranger so it may take visits to several different professionals in your area. Be patient, you will eventually meet one your child will be happy with. This approach can restore your child’s self-confidence and belief in themselves as well as giving them the mental strength to stand up to their bullies.   

Now you could be reading this and thinking “I am not bullied but I do experience stress and panic attacks, can hypnotherapy help me?” The answer is yes, it probably can. Maybe you’ve lost your confidence or you are worried about an important exam or a driving test coming up. Hypnotherapy can probably help. We say ‘probably’ because there are no guarantees in this life.

How can clinical hypnotherapy help?

It’s able to strengthen your self-confidence, give you the willpower to achieve what you want to achieve and so much more besides. This approach can give you the courage to face whatever is in your way, to get to the bottom of your problem, work out where it comes from and remove the problem from your mind and subconscious.

Saying all this and talking about your subconscious you could be forgiven for thinking your therapist will enter your subconscious and "fiddle" with your brain, or perhaps you could slip back into hypnotherapy with a click of a finger. The answer is a resounding no, this is a therapy, not a stage show (apologies there to all stage hypnosis people) nor can it make you do something against your will. 

What will happen at a hypnotherapy session?

At your first meeting you will either be seated or reclined to help you to relax, hypnotherapy is more effective if you can begin to relax, even a small amount. Your therapist will do his/her best to make you feel at ease because they will want to help you.  

Once you are relaxed and happy to talk, you will both discuss the way forward. During your therapy session you will relax back and gently close your eyes. You can hear everything your therapist says to you and you can end the session at any point if you feel uncomfortable. This is very unlikely to happen though because you will have both talked through what will be said. It’s a wonderful relaxing feeling, often with gentle music in the background. You’ll feel quite peaceful and at ease. During your session your therapist will ‘speak’ to your subconscious and help it to deal with whatever the situation calls for. 

So what do you have to lose? Nothing except your problem. Look for and meet with local hypnotherapists until you find one you feel happy and at ease with, and put an end to your issue.