Words Cut Deeper than A Knife! Bullying and its devastating impact

Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me!

Bullying – Remember that little rhyme from when you were a child? And how many times have you said (with good intentions) its only words They can’t hurt you… Words can and do cut deeper than a knife!

Be consciously aware of exposure to negativity, because it has a lasting effect.

The US Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) quote studies that show the most common types of bullying are verbal and social:

Name calling – 44.2% of cases
Teasing – 43.3%
Spreading rumours or lies – 36.3%
Pushing or shoving – 32.4%
Hitting, slapping or kicking – 29.2%
Leaving out – 28.5%
Threatening – 27.4%
Stealing belongings – 27.3%
Sexual comments or gestures – 23.7%
Email or blogging – 9.9%

A 2014 study from researchers at King’s College London in the UK found that the negative social, physical and mental health effects of childhood bullying are still evident up to 40 years later.

Researchers found that, at age 50, participants who had been bullied when they were children were more likely to be in poorer physical and psychological health and have worse cognitive functioning than people who had not been bullied. {www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/283042.php}

So what happens within the body to have such a profound impact on life!

As a healer, I began to explore why? Discovering that with some people the soul takes cover and detaches a part of itself to stay safe. This led me to investigate if other healers had similar experiences, which is when I came across shamanic soul retrieval.

Shamanic healing practised throughout the world for at least 40,000 years, believe that an event that causes shock can cause soul loss – a natural survival instinct.

In shamanic cultures, soul loss was so well understood that trauma sufferers would receive a soul retrieval within 3 days of the event. In today’s modern living practising shaman in soul retrieval are having to go back over ten, twenty, thirty, forty years to recover those lost soul parts.

It stands to reason that a person who has detached a piece of themselves, a piece of their essence, they are not capable of functioning at full potential because they are not whole – moreover what is interesting in this evolving world of enlightenment, is the acknowledgement the insight from those that are awakening, that they don’t feel whole!

An inner knowing that an essential piece of their being is missing ???

Another big factor that plays a detrimental part in our lives are the beliefs developed following these traumas. Mostly during formative years but we continue to add to negative self-thought patterns throughout life, believing we are protecting ourselves. When in fact we are blocking ourselves, devaluing ourselves and diminishing our self-worth.

Not willing to take risks, telling ourselves we are not smart enough, good enough. Staying safe within our comfort zone. Feeling unfulfilled, frustrated, and in its worst case angry. You only have to look into the world to see how many injured souls walk the streets.

So how can we instigate lasting change?

Through Mindfulness, through understanding that WORDS injure just as fatally as a knife or a gun. Through understanding that we are all unique individuals with differing sensibilities.

Lies can never be taken back, gossip continues, names stick…

It’s our responsibility to heal and take control of what the next generation is exposed to. To stand up to bullies in the workplace, to speak load when politicians lie, to say NO to a social system that works to keep us in a state of continual fear.

WE NEED TO STAND TOGETHER, WORK TOGETHER, SUPPORT EACH OTHER, LOVE EACH OTHER.

My own healing journey highlighted that the majority of my own self-limiting beliefs originated from teasing and name-calling from siblings within a loving family unit.

For those of you that have children you will fully understand when I say each child is very different, and so too are their perceptions and understanding of what is going on around them. A basic reprimand is just that for one child but interpreted as “mom doesn’t love me” by another!

So if you’re a parent, guardian, teacher or childminder be mindful of what the children are saying to each other, what you are saying and what they are exposed to.