torment

tor·​ment, TOR-ment, transitive verb

: to cause severe, usually persistent or recurrent distress of the body or mind

Examples:

“The cattle were tormented by flies.”

“He was tormented by doubt.”

“She liked me, but she laughed at me, and tormented me…” — Charles Dickens

In this work, torment names the sustained, deliberate infliction of such distress — the felt experience produced by Zersetzung tactics and by what is here called psychological smothering: the cumulative, suffocating pressure of relentless, inescapable harassment meant to wear a person down.

Neuroscience: Persistent torment is a form of chronic psychological stress, which has measurable effects on the brain and body. Prolonged stress keeps the HPA axis and the stress hormone cortisol elevated, and is associated with structural and functional changes in the hippocampus (memory), amygdala (fear and threat response), and prefrontal cortex (regulation and judgment) — a cumulative physiological toll often described as allostatic load.

Related terms: Zersetzung tactics, psychological smothering, No-touch torture, chilling effect, Gaslighting

Sources: Merriam-Webster; Chronic stress and the hippocampus — Frontiers in Synaptic Neuroscience