Help me help the profession. . Your insight needed!

RE: Help me help the profession. . Your insight needed!

Arlo Guthrie — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 10:16:37 GMT

Just got off the phone to lahni butler - and I think we could make some really interesting and helpful short films.

My first thought is ... similar to her original question, but a bit more specifically ...

There are lots of very general advice films which are perhaps difficult to relate to your own circumstances, so I am thinking it would be helpful to make films which offer really practical advice you can use to address very specific problems.

First I am thinking of what the overarching theme might be. That could be something like stress reduction, better relationships within the team, building resilience, or something else. What do you think should be a priority?

Then secondly, what are the specific problems you face, that you could really do with some advice or tips.

For example, do you have a difficult boss? How exactly? Difficult relationship with a member of the team? Again, what exactly is the difficulty? Stress? What is exactly is causing the stress?

If sensitive issue, do PM me in strictest confidence, or post using the anon account (then even I don't know who you are!)

RE: Help me help the profession. . Your insight needed!

lahni butler — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 17:29:39 GMT

Hi lovely,

Thank you so much for sharing your story and for your support! Reading your message hit home and I just want to start by saying I really feel you. What you’ve described is heartbreakingly familiar, and I’m so sorry you’ve had to carry all of that, especially on your own shoulders for so long. The fact you’re still standing, still showing up for yourself by stepping away, says a lot about your strength, even if it doesn’t feel like it right now. I hope you know what a strong you are, having the courage to choose yourself!

What you described, is something that resonates deeply from my own personal experience and sadly, something I hear daily from my clients! I just want to acknowledge the sheer emotional and physical weight of everything you’ve been through and let you know that you do not have to deal with the next bit on your own if you choose, support it available to help you process what you’ve experienced. Being in that head space and coping for a prolonged period can really take its toll when you suddenly stop, especially managing sleep!

It’s a bit like trying to hold back a flood with your bare hands. You manage for a while, bracing yourself, pushing through, and from the outside it looks like everything’s fine, but when there are no boundaries, no walls to help hold the pressure, even the “strongest” eventually get overwhelmed. That resilience is unsustainable as after all we are only human!

I, like yourself, reached a breaking point in my career, trying to juggle personal struggles alongside many of the same pressures you’ve described and the unrealistic expectations we put on ourselves. I came across neuroscience-based hypnotherapy with no real understanding and a lot of scepticism, but it genuinely changed everything. It pulled me out of a very dark place. When I recovered, I became a qualified therapist to help those silently struggling within the profession. Now, I work with a lot of vets and nurses who are either right in the thick of that emotional chaos, or who are taking time out and trying to find themselves again or transitioning back in, but with an entirely different relationship with themselves, their work and their wellbeing.

You will absolutely get through this, and not just scrape through, but genuinely grow from it. It’s not easy, and it takes time, but you’re already doing the brave thing by stepping away to protect your mental health. That alone is huge.

Much of what I teach in my workshops is about giving you the tools to understand, manage, and genuinely master your mind and it can be truly life-changing moving forward. I want others to learn the best way to mould and train their brain to work for them so they can take the bold steps they need to, professionally and personally. It’s something that is incorporated in my one-to-one sessions and implemented at a subconscious level during hypnosis, so it may be worth exploring considering where you’re landing right now. Hypnosis can process all of that stress, anxiety and trauma without you having to relive the experience and rebuild the confidence, strength and clarity for whatever comes next. Whether that’s returning to the profession with stronger boundaries, or choosing an entirely new direction, both paths are valid and you really don’t have to figure it out alone. No pressure at all, but I just want you to know that support is available and after everything you’ve carried, I have a feeling your nervous system and your future self, might thank you for continuing to choose you!

You’re not alone in this and there is a way to feel like your real self again.

Sending so much care and strength your way! Your honesty is exactly the thing that starts to break the silence so many of us have sat in, so thank you again.

Here if you ever want to chat more

Email: hypnoinfome@gmail.com

For more info: hypnoembracelife.com

RE: Help me help the profession. . Your insight needed!

chrysanthemum20 — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 11:37:45 GMT

I have recently packed up my nursing scrubs and am taking a break from the profession. Whether it's mid-long term or permanent I don't know at the moment. Having experienced toxic work environments and practice management, burnout from working 70-80 hours per week (with no annual leave, don't ask, turns out there are loop holes that can be exploited), complete lack of support for mental health issues and overwhelming levels of anxiety, most recently some really quite terrible cases and quality of veterinary care and an assault from a client on top...

If I could turn back the clock, and give my less jaded and battered self some tools, it would be about having healthy work life boundaries and being able to say 'no' without then feeling guilty that I am letting patients down/letting the team down etc. as well as being able to leave work 'at work' so to speak.

I would also say the confidence to know my worth and leave sooner rather than later in those toxic environments would have also been a helpful part of my mental took kit.

Looks like an amazing idea to build resilience and prevent burnout and though, and definitely something I would have been interested in

RE: Help me help the profession. . Your insight needed!

lahni butler — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 10:09:38 GMT

Hi Arlo, thank you so much for reaching out, I truly appreciate it! It's not something I've done, but I am currently creating short video content to share on LinkedIn, focusing on topics like the above. Anything that will increase exposure and make a larger impact for the community would be amazing. Your message couldn't have come at a better time!

I’d be genuinely excited to see what we could create together, especially with your experience in building platforms that really reach people where they are.

I'm definitely open to chatting more about this!

You can find my details on my website: hypnoembracelife.com

Looking forward to how we could explore this further

hypnoembracelife.com

RE: Help me help the profession. . Your insight needed!

lahni butler — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 09:37:20 GMT

Hi Amanda, thank you so much for sharing. I understand. I've been in that space too, and I know how heavy and disheartening it can feel when nothing seems to be moving and opportunities feel out of reach. In those times, trying to “stay positive” can feel almost impossible, and that’s not a flaw, it’s biology. When we’re under pressure, the brain shifts into a protective, survival-driven mode which filters out anything that doesn’t seem essential for us to get through the moment, including hope.

What helped me, and what I now share in my workshops, is understanding whats actually happening in the brain during those states and how to gently shift out of them using simple, science-based tools. Ultimately, the brain is an organ. When it’s operating from the emotional centre, we experience anxiety, fear, anger, depression etc. However, when we’re functioning more from the intellectual, higher thinking areas of the brain, we feel good, calm, clear, creative, and emjoy solving problems. Anxiety and fear don’t exist in that part of the brain, which is why people who seem confident and optimistic aren’t just naturally positive, they’re often just dominant in a different brain state.

Understanding this on a deeper level is not just empowering, it removes self-blame and replaces it with self-compassion gives you control back. Once you know what’s happening, you can work with it, not against it. That’s when real, lasting shifts happen.

If you do feel like you need more support, feel free to get in touch or visit my website for more info.

You’re not alone in this, and there's nothing wrong with you. . It's just how our brains are wired. Keep going, you’re doing better than you think, and there is a way forward.

I hope that helps.

hypnoembracelife.com

RE: Help me help the profession. . Your insight needed!

Arlo Guthrie — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 11:29:26 GMT

[quote userid="30928" url="~/f/nonclinical-discussions/32591/help-me-help-the-profession-your-insight-needed"]Also, do you think something like this would be valuable in your practice? And if so, what would be the best way to connect with the right person to explore the idea?[/quote]

HI lahni butler - I'm thinking that these are interesting topics to explore with film content (which is a great way to connect with people), and wondering whether that's something you've done, or might be interested in doing with VetNurse.co.uk, which we could share with our audience?

RE: Help me help the profession. . Your insight needed!

amanda schulz — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 11:01:40 GMT

Techniques in how to be positive and remain positive? It’s difficult when you feel no opportunities are knocking on your door.