Behind The Scenes Of Social Conditioning In The LGBT+ Community

* As featured in Mind Body Network

Did you hear any of these messages as a child?

• You can’t have ice-cream unless you eat your greens.

• Put it back, we can’t afford that. Money doesn’t grow on trees.

• You need to go to school, get an education and get a good job.

• It’s just a graze. You are ok. Stop crying.

• Boys wear blue, girls wear pink.

• Don’t talk to strangers.

• Wait until your mother/father gets home.

• You are not good at art/maths/spelling. Stick to what you are good at.

• For the girls… When you get married to a handsome man, you can …

• Don’t play with dolls/dress up. You are a boy. Boy’s don’t play with dolls/dress up.

• You are so small/tall/fat/skinny.

 

How about success? Did you hear messages that success looks a certain way?

You know the vision; a big house, a good job with prospects/pension, a loving partner of the opposite sex, a white wedding, kids, the beautifully lawned garden, white picket fence and the cute little puppy. The definition of relationship success, right?

AND… the media broadcasts messages that make you think you need the latest iPhone, top of the range car and shiny new laptop.

Here is what I know.

What you believe to be true today as an adult is a result of the social conditioning and messages you heard as a young child.

Your beliefs (which are simply thoughts you keep thinking) create your experience. They affect how you feel, who you are, how you behave and what your experience is of the world.

By the age of around 6-7 years old, your belief system has been formed from what you experienced around you.

Your life right now (unless you have worked on your beliefs and you have done some inner work) is being lived based on your 6 year old beliefs.

Think about how old you are now. How many years have you been living your life with the beliefs that were formed when you were 6 years old?

Here are the most common beliefs formed as a result of social conditioning:

• I’m worthless.

• I’m going to be found out.

• I’m unlovable.

• I don’t deserve / am not worthy of … (success, love, happiness etc.)

• There is something wrong with me.

• I’m different (results in comparing yourself to others).

• I can’t be my real self or I’ll be judged.

• Everything is my fault.

• Fear of abandonment/rejection.

• I’m a failure.

When you dig deeper into these, they all point to the same thing; there is one belief that underlies all of these. “I’m not good enough”.

Behind The Scenes Of Social Conditioning In The LGBT+ Community

Mental health issues, suicide and substance abuse are significantly higher for the LGBT+ community compared to the wider population; with many experiencing low self-esteem, PTSD, loneliness and the feeling of never being good enough.

MIND, the mental health charity state 42% of gay men and 70% of lesbians experience mental health problems, compared to 25% of the wider population.

Why is there such an issue with mental health in the LGBT+ community?

This.

Add into the mix the confusion, humiliation, shame and guilt you feel as an LGBT+ individual, combine it with the judgements from others and the homophobic and transphobic messages being broadcasted from the media and the government and what do you get?

Issues of low self-esteem, sadness and extreme loneliness resulting in anxiety, depression and identity issues.

Struggling to understand yourself, unable to be true to who you are and feeling isolated from a lack of deeper human interaction leaves you feeling vulnerable, helpless and powerless.

These are all commonplace within the LGBT+ community:

• Emotional abuse

• Fear of change

• The need to control things

• Perfectionism

• Attachment issues

• A lack of personal boundaries

• Having trouble saying no

• Being passive aggressive

• Anger management issues

What About Relationships?

Many LGBT+ people report a fear of intimacy, experience co-dependent relationships and struggle to have an authentic relationship. It is not uncommon for LGBT+ relationships to be abusive and manipulative (from both parties). Many seek reassurance, approval from others and are people pleasers. For these reasons (and many more) a large number of people withdraw from relationships, choosing to maintain superficial companionship instead or avoid relationships altogether.

Issues with safety, feeling a sense of belonging, connection, self-care, self-worth, justice and fairness, loyalty, overcompensating, putting others needs ahead of your own, valuing yourself and others and a lack of self-awareness are other issues my LGBT+ friends and I have experienced.

This conditioning and your wonky beliefs about yourself, instil in you ineffective behaviours, toxic desires and unhealthy emotional reactions that dominate your adult life.

LGBT+ Mental Health

There are 3 mental health issues that are prevalent today in the LGBT+ community: body dysmorphia, substance abuse and suicide & self-harm.

Suicide is the most common cause of death for men aged 20-49 years in England and Wales. In 2016, 5,668 suicides were recorded in Great Britain. 75% were male and 25% were female. LGB people are twice as likely as heterosexual people to have suicidal thoughts or to make suicide attempts. 48% of transgender people under 26 years old have attempted suicide and 59% have considered doing so. One of the key risk factors for suicide and self-harm is social isolation.

38% of transgender people have experienced physical intimidation and threats and 81% have experienced silent harassment (being stared at, whispered about etc.) 26% of lesbian, gay and bi-sexual people alter their behaviour to hide their sexual orientation to avoid being the victim of a hate crime. I am one of those statistics.

26% of LGB workers are not open to colleagues about their sexual orientation.

LGBT+ people are more likely to experience hate crime, homelessness, unemployment, social isolation, abuse and violence – all of which increase the risk of and have a lasting, cumulative negative impact on an individual’s mental health.

(Statistics taken from reports from LGBT Foundation, MIND Charity and Stonewall between 2015-2017.)

So what do you do about it?

• How do you break your social conditioning?

• How do you release the hold it has on you?

• How do you keep in tip top mental health as an LGBT+ individual?

It all begins with awareness.

STEP 1

Raise your awareness of the conditioning you have experienced and are being influenced by every day of your life.

Ask yourself:

What do I believe to be true about…?

• Sexuality
• Gender Expectations
• Relationships: platonic and intimate
• Public Displays of Affection
• Who I am and what is expected of me
• The Family Unit: marriage, kids, parental behaviours and expectations
• Children
• Health
• Fitness
• Career
• Money
• Love
• Education
• Justice
• Success
• Failure
• How I show up in the world
• The influence of media on my life

Once you have answered these questions, reflect on what this highlighted to you. There will be so many insights you will gain from this exercise alone.

• Raise your awareness on what triggers you to feel down, rejected, unloved, not good enough, like an impostor or a fraud etc.

• Raise your awareness on the thoughts you have. What are your recurring thoughts?

• What do you say to your friends about the areas listed above? Listen to what you tell them. This is what you believe to be true about … your partner, mum, brother, your health, marriage, kids etc.

By reflecting on these areas you will highlight what you believe to be true.

Remember, what you believe to be true, is a direct reflection of what you experience in your life. If you don’t like what you are experiencing in your life, you have the power to change it. Change your thoughts. Change your beliefs. Change your life.

Raising your awareness is the first step.

Step 2

Release the old conditioning and associated emotions, stories and fears.

This involves stripping back all the layers. One after the other. Peeling them away and releasing them. Uncovering and releasing what no longer serves you. When you strip back the layers, your authentic and true self will shine through.

Reflect on what you are attracting into your life. I’ll let you into a little secret… It tells you everything you need to know about your inner world. What you believe to be true and the stories you tell yourself (and others).

Through this process you will also become more aware of the words you use and the impact those have on you; consciously and subconsciously.

Once you have uncovered the beliefs, generational patterns and conditioning you have experienced over the years, release all that no longer serves you.

My favourite ways to release are to Journal and do a releasing ritual.

Read this for more information.

Step 3

Re-connect to the real you. Not the version of yourself that you think you need to be to fit in and be accepted. The real and true you.

This is an opportunity to delve into practising self-love, using your intuition, protecting your energy and raising your vibration. AND re-defining who you are, how you want to show up in the world AND why you are here.

SUMMARY

When you raise your awareness, release and re-connect, you change your patterns of behaviour and thoughts, emotional responses and how you internalise the world and your experience of it. This is when you will experience life in a very different way.

Peace, joy, happiness. It is all there waiting for you.

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About Gina Battye

Gina Battye is a world-renowned LGBT+ Coordinator and Authenticity Director for film, television, theatre and radio as well as an advisor for the global press, Fortune 500s + Leading Global Organisations.

In the last four years Gina has been called upon to advise and consult on best practice for actors playing LGBT+ characters; to ensure authentic delivery of LGBT+ characters and LGBT+ relationships in film, TV, theatre and radio.

Gina created the Playing It Gay Guidelines which are being used by straight actors playing gay characters around the world.

Watching Gina at work is mesmerising. Working with actors, directors, celebrities, public figures and audiences around the world, Gina has the rare ability to electrify everyone in the room and on set whilst delivering original and useful insights that lead to individuals blossoming and stepping into their Authentic Self.

Gina specialises in being your Authentic Self, authenticity and inclusion in the workplace and LGBT+ awareness: relationships, transgender, non-binary, coming out, mindset and personal development.

Find out more about Gina and her work at www.ginabattye.com/media and chat with her on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginabattye

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gina.battye

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ginabattye

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