ARE YOU AN EMPATH?

ARE YOU AN EMPATH?

Having the ability to have empathy for someone is easier for some people than others. Many people have the ability to feel peoples pain and emotions and therefore can easily relate to what other people are experiencing. Some of us don't realise that it actually is another persons pain you are feeling and assume it is their own. If you have this ability, you will find that you often end up being the 'helper', the 'saviour', the rescuer' or the 'hero'. People come to you to make them feel better.

If you stop to think for a moment how you are actually doing this, how you are feeling other peoples 'stuff', the only explanation is that you have this ability to draw out peoples painful energy and take it on yourself. You literally take the pain OFF them. Then there are people out there who have unconsciously learnt to draw positive energy from others.

There are many articles out there that explain techniques on how to stop this phenomenon occurring, such as...

1. First recognise is this emotion mine? or is it someone else's?

2. Move away from the person you think you may be drawing the energy from.

3. Breathe the negative energy out and breathe positive energy in.

4. Imagine a protective field/bubble/cloak of light surrounding you that stops other peoples energy coming in.

Visualisation is very effective.

What is it though that makes some people more susceptible to this phenomenon than others?

In my experience there is something about these people that makes them stand out from the rest and it may sound harsh. They care too much! But in this society, arent we taught to care and have compassion for other people? We are supposed to be giving and help others and put others before ourselves arent we? We were rewarded for it when we were young..."Good girl/boy, you offered your last cookie to someone else who had none, you are such a selfless person, I'm so proud of you". SELFLESS is the key word here. When we learn to be selfless, we learn that it is a wonderful trait to put the needs of others before the needs of ourselves. This attitude is what manifests our ability to take other peoples pain and give away our own positive healing energy.

It is OK to CHOOSE to help other people. But here CHOOSE is the key word. Stop and think, make a conscious choice before you go to 'rescue' someone... "Is this going to be harmful or disadvantagious to myself?", "Do I really want to help this person?". It IS OK to say NO! Just by completing the action of deciding whether or not you would like to help, you are creating boundaries. When you automatically assume you HAVE to help someone, you have no boundaries. It's all about the boundaries. Choose to have boundaries and you will have boundaries that protect you from stealing other peoples pain, and stop other people from stealing energy from you. It may help to say the Mantra "I have strong boundaries that protect me". It is important to say it this way because it puts the responsibility on yourself. Saying "I am protected" (which is common) puts the responsibility on someone else. Who is protecting you? Are you a victim that needs to be protected? No. You are powerful and you are in control of your own boundaries.

It can be hard to see another person in pain and not do something about it. It helps to understand that we are all responsible for our own choices in life. We all have our own lessons to learn. Sometimes helping is disadvantageous. In helping others you are stealing their opportunity to learn how to not end up in this situation again, setting them up to be where they are again in the future. The most powerful healing you can give is to teach people to heal and help themselves. That is a gift that will help them for a lifetime.