Bullying often starts at school, and the flow-on effects can be serious. I have seen many clients, from teenagers through to middle-aged, suffering the effects of bullying, either from school or work, and sometimes from a sibling in childhood.
Bullying brings psychological torments to its victims through mobbing activity. Typical scenarios at the school level will be where a child is victimised and bullied by their peers because they are different in some way. Perhaps they are rounder than the other kids, perhaps they are smaller. Maybe they are more studious. Perhaps they are more individualistic. Maybe they are from another culture. Bullying is designed to tell the victim that they don’t fit in, and to punish them for it.
Bullying in the workplace can be more about jealousy, control or exploitation. The Fair Work Ombudsman Queensland describes this type of bullying as:
- a person or group of people repeatedly behave unreasonably towards another worker or group of workers
- the behaviour creates a risk to health and safety.
Examples of bullying include:
Fair Work Ombudsman Queensland
- behaving aggressively towards others
- teasing or playing practical jokes
- pressuring someone to behave inappropriately
- excluding someone from work-related events
- unreasonable work demands.
Impacts of bullying
Bullying can make you feel as though you do not have the energy to face another day at school or work, or that you avoid going online if cyberbullying has been the issue. You may feel as though your heart is racing, or that you are speechless, or trembling, and other signs of loss of control. You will probably feel vulnerable in encountering certain others in the school or workplace, or online, causing you to feel defenseless. You will probably also have been avoiding attending school or work or online forums with, sick leave or other ‘opting out’ behaviour. So, bullying is highly restrictive on your current setting, and also potentially into your future, if you carry these feelings of helplessness with you.
Progression of bullying
There is a pattern to bullying. Sometimes there is a conflict that is not resolved. In a school setting, that could simply be another student calling you names because they don’t like the look of you, or they feel threatened by you. In a workplaces, it could be based upon sexual harassment, where the bully intends to exploit the victim, and the victim does not oblige; or it could be where a person stands out for doing a good job, which sparks jealousy, amongst many other reasons.
The second phase is where the hostility from the unresolved issue, escalates, and often clouds that original trigger. Perhaps the victim is blamed unfairly for something affecting the larger group.
This then escalates to action being taken against the victim as the victim is now an outsider. This is usually the case where the aggressor is in a position of power, either through professional status or social status, ie. popularity.
Bullying usually ends with the victim exiting the environment, however the scars form the experience often persist. Anxiety, depression, PTSD, confidence issues, low motivation, low self esteem leading to weight issues, alcohol abuse, and more, are all examples of the impacts of bullying that I have seen in my clients over the years.
Healing bullying impacts
Hypnotherapy can help. Through hypnotherapy, we can metaphorically turn back the clock and reset your emotional status, thus reducing the ill effects that have plagued your life since the bullying began. We focus upon your self-doubt, confidence issues and helplessness to allow you to remember who you truly are. This ca be an immensely empowering experience.
If you need assistance with overcoming bullying or any of its effects, we can help. Horizons Clinical Hypnotherapy Sunshine Coast.