Is It Truth... or Trauma?

Each day we are given the opportunity to decide how we react to our world….

 

We make so many decisions and most are made unconsciously.  

 

As an Empath, we have to be even more mindful of our non conscious decisions.  When we walk into a room or are meeting with someone we love, it can be easy to get lost in their emotional state. 

 

This can be both a blessing and a curse…

 

Having sympathy for your loved one, is not the same as embodying their experience.  I know for myself there have been many times where I have blurred the lines between “holding someone” who is going through pain, and literally feeling their pain. Or worse, experiencing and mirroring someone’s anger when they are angry. 

 

For years, I thought this made me into a great friend, partner, and family member. But it’s actually been one of my biggest personal catapults to my own growth. My friends, family, and even my own kids, HAVE to experience their own emotional journey to better understand their own path in this world.  It can be difficult to just “watch this happen”.  It can feel like you’re leaving them alone in the dark and helpless if you don’t try to process their pain…. but in reality, it’s what they need.  We support with love and compassion, allowing them to experience their own growth in the moment.  By creating the necessary separation of our own emotional container and the emotions of someone else we are able to create a safe environment that is beneficial for all involved.

 

Like you, I can think of many times when I had to force myself to let someone fully experience their own journey. And if we both remember right, it usually ends up better for that person. 

 

My partner has had many ups and downs in her life, just like the rest of us.  In many of these moments, I would dive fully into her emotions, completely losing myself in the whirlwind of turbulence that came with today’s trauma.  At the time, I thought I was helping her, that I was being a good friend by helping her to process her pain. 

 

But, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

 

With the help of the Empath Course, I’ve come to realize that her journey, her pain, and everything that comes with it, is meant for her. She must go through that process, and she must experience growth, or the lesson will keep repeating itself.  

Now, this doesn’t mean I can’t be that shoulder to cry on, or her person to talk to when she really needs it, but in doing these things, I MUST remember that in order to help her the most, I must not embody her pain, as that truly helps neither of us. 

 

To sympathize is great, and to empathize is fantastic… when it’s YOUR CHOICE. But we should not automatically empathize. It must be by our own choosing because that emotional state helps us with the current portion of our journey. 

 

So ask yourself, are you consciously deciding when to feel empathy? 

 

Are possible traumatic moments from the past making you more sensitive to certain emotions or people?

 

As you go through the course, supplemental materials and read the recommended books, you will start to discover your truth. Hold it close to your heart and it will be the guiding light you need. 

 

  • Life Coach and My Manifested Life Course Graduate, Graham Cook
 
 

The views and opinions expressed on this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The My Manifested Life Project. Any content provided by our authors are of their opinion, and are not intended to malign any religion, ethic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.

One Response

  1. Only 5 or so years ago did I accept that maybe I was an Empath. Not only am I an Empath, but so are several of my relatives. I can ‘see’ which ones. My relatives were
    intermarrying a great deal 300-400 years ago. I believe our recognized eccentricities and similar behaviours come from this inbreeding. I’ve kept this gift mostly to myself because I’m also the one who was diagnosed as psychotic, i.e. Bipolar. Now my psychiatrist is observing that my psychosis may be dormant. I am writing a deeper version of my experiences and thoughts but shares and videos like this distract and teach me more.

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