Help with feelings of guilt and shame using Hypnotherapy & Counselling in Hampshire
Help to overcome the negative effects of guilt and shame with hypnotherapy & counselling
Is guilt ever a good thing?
Guilt is that horrible feeling of wrongdoing that we have all experienced. It eats away at us. Guilt causes us to bring into question our actions or our thoughts in a very critical way. Guilt is that horrid emotion that feels, at times, like it just won’t shift. We feel bad, we feel like we have done wrong and at times it can linger over us. We learn this emotion from an early age as it forces us to take responsibility for our actions, allowing us to learn and grow. Part of the reason why guilt is such a strong emotion is that it is completely personal. When you love, you love someone, when you are angry, you are angry at someone or something, but guilt is what you feel and what you alone feel.
Proportionate guilt
Proportionate guilt is healthy. This is where our feelings of guilt are justified in letting us know that we have done something out of line with our own ethics of conduct or moral standards. This kind of guilt allows us to analyse our actions, take responsibility and amend the wrongdoing. For example, if you had a fight with someone that got out of hand and you said things in the heat of the moment that you did not mean, then you may begin to feel guilty about those things that you said. The emotion of guilt in these circumstances demonstrates that you have overstepped the mark and that you may need to take action to amend the wrongdoing such as apologising for saying the words in the first place.
Disproportionate guilt
This is where guilt is felt and makes us feel bad, but the emotion is out of proportion to the action. For example, you may feel guilty if you are in a situation where you believe you are not doing enough for someone – like caring for a sick relative. Disproportionate guilt here can occur when we set high standards for ourselves that we simply cannot meet. When we fail to reach these standards, we then feel guilty about it.
You may be suffering from survivor’s guilt, where a close friend or family member has died and you feel guilty for still being alive. This is disproportionate guilt as we feel bad for something that we cannot control and this only serves the purpose of making us feel bad.
Parenthood can also contribute to feelings of guilt that are disproportionate. For example, the mother who goes back to work leaving the child with a carer or at nursery may feel guilty about this.
It may be tough to decide if your feelings of guilt are proportionate or not, but if you feel that the emotion of guilt is becoming too much for you to cope with then it is time to seek help.
When guilt gets too much:
Holding on to guilt and harbouring it can cause us problems as this can have the following effects:
Low self-esteem
Feeling stuck in a certain situation
Being self-critical
Negative thoughts about yourself
It is easy to see how this emotion can at times be consuming and it is important to deal with this emotion appropriately and then let it go.
Letting go of guilt and getting the balance right
Hypnotherapy will enable you to deal with this emotion in an effective and positive way. It will help you to address the action or event that led to you feeling the emotion in the first place. If needed, a new perspective on the situation can be gained and then hypnotherapy can give you the confidence to correct the wrongdoing if this is required, or it can help you to gain a better, more rational perspective. As well as all of this, hypnosis is effective in increasing your self-esteem, getting rid of the negative thoughts you may have about yourself thus allowing your confidence to flourish.
When you feel guilty, there is a tendency for you to blame yourself for things that are out of your control. When you hang on to this guilt and blame yourself in this way, you end up taking responsibility perhaps for things that weren’t or aren’t your fault. Hypnotherapy can help you to redress this balance, ensuring that you accept those things that are out of your control and don’t harbour feelings of guilt. Forgiving yourself, letting go of the guilt and moving on are important parts of the process and hypnotherapy can help you to do this.
So no matter what type of guilt you may have been hanging on to or experiencing, you need not let it eat away at you any longer. Allow our expert team to help you to redress the balance with hypnosis.
At the Hampshire Hypnotherapy & Counselling Centre, we really do understand and we’re here to help you. The first step is to admit that your guilt is causing you problems in your life and then just pick up the phone and call us on 0800 970 4776 and have a quick chat with one of our friendly team of professional hypnotherapists & Counsellors. You can then book an appointment to pop in for a free initial consultation and we can explain the therapy to you and you can ask any questions you may have.