FIRST PERSON
pain as if it was their own. In toxic situations, intense
First Person is a place for readers to share
emotional energy can aff ect an empath deeply. We
personal experiences of important passages can unintentionally absorb emotions, like a sponge. I
in their lives. Email your First Person story to:
walked around for years with what felt like two fi shing
Editor@Oracle20-20.com by the fi rst of each
hooks stuck in my heart area.
month. Use the copy and paste technique or
In 2003, I sought out healing for my accumulated
attach a Microsoft Word document. There
emotional and physical pain, which also stemmed
is no length limit, however; all submissions
from my confusion over being gay and spiritual. I
began a fi ve-year apprenticeship with two Native
are subject to editing. Author’s names will be
American healers and drove the 8-hour trek from
withheld upon request.
Laramie, Wyoming to Santa Fe every month. I quickly
discovered why counseling came so easy to me. The
Native American community recognizes empaths. They
Leaving the Main Stream Behind :
also recognize and honor those who are are gay or
lesbian, the two-spirits. These individuals have been
How I Embraced My True Calling
trained as the medicine men and women in tribes and
communities.
Armed with a Ph.D. and a lucrative tenure-track
The healing I received through my Native American
counseling professorship at age 30, I embarked on
spiritual mentors has prepared me to help
what was to be one of the shorter careers in the
empaths, and also those who may be dealing with their
history of academia. Despite being nominated for
gay spirituality. I help empathic individuals diff erentiate
early career awards and authoring a half-dozen
what energy is theirs, and what is coming from other
research publications, I decided to leave the University
people. We work on coping strategies to manage the
of Wyoming in 2005. after just three years to begin
high sensitivity and prevent the absorption of harmful
working with empaths in Santa Fe, NM. I had to follow
energy. With gay and lesbian individuals, we work to
my heart. After I realized I was an empath, there was
embrace and accept our sexuality as a spiritual gift
no turning back.
from Spirit.
The cultural identity of empath is rapidly growing and
Sara Silfi es, a social worker in Pennsylvania, realized
gaining mainstream acceptance. For evidence, just
she was an empath and began work to prevent her
look at the popularity of self-identifi ed empath Dr.
clientsʼ emotions from detrimentally aff ecting her. “Iʼve
Judith Orloff ʼs best-selling holistic healing books. The
learned insights and techniques that bring great relief
primary characteristic of an empath is a high degree
to me,” she said. “I can now just exist without a lot of
of sensitivity to the emotional state of other people.
turmoil thatʼs not my own.” Fellow empath Rizer Walton
If youʼve ever been told that youʼre a good listener,
of Texas has also found relief and understanding after
then you might be an empath. People feel comfortable
years of confusion about his natural empathy. “Iʼm like
sharing their emotions and deepest thoughts with
ʻthank god, fi nally,ʼ” he said.
empaths, and thus, we tend to be especially popular
In my experience and observation, approximately one
around high-stress times like the holidays.
in twenty people are natural empaths - and most donʼt
However, an empathʼs ability to bond with others can
recognize it. I am seeing women and men who have
lead to unintended health consequences. In many
lived their entire lives wondering what was wrong with
cases, empaths will take on other peopleʼs emotional
them, being called hypersensitive or oversensitive -
who can now breathe a sigh of relief. What was thought
to be a quirk or even mental illness in actuality is a
special gift for being able to understand the emotions
and motivations of other people.
Iʼm so happy and privileged to work in this special
fi eld with empaths, helping us to become more joyful,
more skilled, and more conscious of the tremendous
spiritual gifts with which we have been blessed.
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www.EmpathConnection.com
40
Oracle 20/20 February 2009
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