Pulling out Cables
His posture changed instantly when the bullies lost their power over him
Nino was twelve when he became a target of bullying.
Stomachache in the morning before going to school.
Then grades dropped.
His confidence collapsed.
By the time he came to me he was caught in the spiral that swallows bullied children: the more insecure he became, the easier target he became.
Eyes closed, we went looking for what was happening inside.
Nino found his mind full of circling thoughts.
Will something happen to me today?
Will they hurt me?
Why me?
What did I do?
He visualized pulling them out like a rope made of words and set them aside. This simple but powerful exercise did him good. I could see him visibly quiet down.
Then I asked him to describe all the feelings the bullying had left in his body.
The threats the boys had made showed up as a poison-green knife in his back.
The fear of being physically hurt locked his legs in place. Nino said it felt like being stuck to the ground, unable to run away.
The dread of walking into the classroom sat on his right shoulder like a heavy iron plate.
I witnessed a fascinating physical reaction:
as he described this, his right arm began to tremble.
Together we worked through each of these feelings.
The most significant moment came when I asked him to visualize facing his bullies and asking them directly why they were doing this.
He got answers.
One was disappointed because he had left the football team. One admitted he was jealous of his superior skills. Another, a boy who had once hit him with a stick, told Nino he had done it to impress the other boys.
I pointed out that none of those answers were about him. Not one.
That realization landed.
Nino mentioned seeing cables. Sixteen he counted.
Invisible connections running between him and the boys who had been bullying him. This made sense. When you are negatively connected to someone in this way, they retain power over you — over how you think, how you feel, and how much energy you have available for your own life. It is a slow drain. A poison drip fed in small, regular doses.
He visualized pulling out all sixteen cables.
His head came up. His shoulders went back. The change in his posture was immediate and visible. I watched it happen right in front of me.
Before wrapping up the session I had him face each of the boys one more time with his new confidence. He told them calmly, that what they said or did no longer mattered to him. He would remain confident regardless.
This was the moment they lost their power over him now.
Nino’s mom had realistic expectations. Her biggest wish was simply that the remaining years in school would be more bearable.
What actually happened: he went back to school motivated, engaged, and proud of himself. Just one week later Nino got an A in German and an A+ in French. Best in class.
And the boys who had bullied him later became friends.
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