Let’s demystify the term “empaths” for all you empaths and “non-empaths” out there. Let’s get into the real deal of the common practice of “shielding” and what shielding is.
What’s An Empath?
An empath is a being who is sensitive to energy. They can sense what those around them, or close (in relationship) to them are thinking and feeling. They feel empathy for others to the point of “taking on” the emotions thoughts or feelings of others.
Who’s An Empath?
How do you know if you’re an empath? All beings are empaths. Those who are consciously aware and even practice tuning into their sensitivities will begin to classify themselves as “empaths”.
The Science Behind Empaths
Mirror Neurons & Empaths
The majority of people will understand and relate to what is meant by empathy; when you can feel what another is feeling based on them sharing the experience with you, being in your presence or watching someone go through the experience.
You can feel a spectrum of emotions including anger, joy, love, fear, sadness, etc.
In the brain, there are a class of neurons called mirror neurons.
Mirror neurons represent a distinctive class of neurons that discharge both when an individual executes a motor act and when he observes another individual performing the same or a similar motor act.”
– https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3510904/
They are responsible for action and intention understanding of both the self and others. They are also linked with self-awareness. Those with mirror neurons that are not functioning properly are known to display autistic qualities.
Those who classify themselves as empaths have a heightened level of function, and less filters, in their mirror neurons.
“In empaths, the brain’s mirror neuron system — a specialized group of cells that are responsible for compassion — are hyperactive.”
– Dr. Orloff – assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA and author of the book, The Empath’s Survival Guide
Quantum Entanglement & Empaths
Quantum entanglement is a quantum mechanical phenomenon in which the quantum states of two or more objects have to be described with reference to each other, even though the individual objects may be spatially separated.
– https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/quantum_entanglement.htm
This leads to correlations between observable physical properties of the systems.
Quantum entanglement studies have been done on 2 entangled particles. When the properties, such as the color or movement, of the object are affected, the other object updates the qualities within itself – with no physical stimulus at instanteneous speeds.
How do the quantum particles become entangled?
Entanglement occurs when the particles “know” each other by sharing an understanding of each other’s qualities.
Once the particles “know” each other, a state change in one will be reflected instantaneously in the other, no matter the distance or obstacles between them. That means you can change a quantum particle located on a beach in Los Angeles from red to blue and the entangled particle, located in a locked metal room in Paris, will also change from red to blue – instantly – only as a result of the state change of its entangled partner.
The principle of quantum entanglement is usually referred to as being unique to quantum science, but that is not the case. Entanglement occurs on a macro level as well.
Mirror neurons and quantum entanglement support the case that you can “feel” those you “know”, family, friends, loved ones, no matter the distance, instantly. This has been supported by cases of when you “know” something is wrong or happening with your loved one even though you are not physically present with them.
We’re all scientifically “empaths” although we have differing levels of awareness and development with this natural ability.
The Challenges Empaths Face
Having the ability to know and feel others can be like a super power sometimes, but other times it can feel like a curse.
Many empaths have the problem of “feeling” others too deeply to the point that it affects their daily lives. It can be draining or even handicapping if not properly understood and managed. This can lead to social anxiety, burnout, conflicting feelings, physical ailments, and confusion.
People who work with energy are aware of this ability and practice and refine it to do psychic and healing work.
Although pretty much all people employ this ability to varying degrees of proficiency when doing counseling, coaching, consulting, management, service, hospitality, and any people-facing work, learning the fundamentals of working with this energy can save you a lot of trouble and pain.
When you feel others, you won’t be bothered by the happiness and joy that you feel. In fact, you usually won’t even question whether this is your energy and emotion.
However, when you feel sadness and anger for “no reason”, it starts to get really disruptive. Some empaths will share the energy of others to the point where they take on the “undesirable” emotion. The other person will feel better while they will feel the undesirable emotion. Yeah, it sucks.
What’s Awesome About Being An Empath?
Although there are many challenges related to “taking on other people’s stuff” being an empath does actually give you some awesome power. An increased sense of intuition, compassion, creativity and a deeper sense of connection with others.
You can read people like books. To the point of practically reading their minds, or even reading them at a glance -Their eyes, their energy. You can better understand others and have a clear advantage in emotional intelligence. As long as you know how to regulate from your end.
You can feel into the energy of places, make decisions with an extra level of intuitive information, foresee future events, and do powerful energy work.
What Can An Empath Do To “Not Take On Other People’s Stuff”?
Some empaths go to an energy worker to help them “turn off” the ability, which tunes it down to a more manageable level.
The main tip I hear for empaths to employ is to “shield”. The practice of “shielding” involves creating a wall, bubble or 360-degree shield of energy around them. Especially around people. This has a decent amount of efficacy, but is not ideal. It’s also unnatural.
Remember – when increasing your proficiency and understanding of biological laws – follow nature. Nature flows, it doesn’t operate in a bubble by itself. It is an ecosystem.
Shielding is unnatural and moderately effective.
So am I suggesting not to shield from energies that are potentially debilitating and definately sucky?
Yep, that’s right!
Why, you ask?
Because I have something better for you.
My Story of Shielding Energy
I have been working with energy for decades. When I first became aware of my empath ability, it was usually terrible. I would feel everyone else’s pain and anger and I didn’t know that it was even happening.
I would just start feeling strong negative energy for no apparent reason and was completely blindsided. As I began to learn about energy, I was advised to “shield”.
For all of you who are new to “shielding” it’s an energetic technique where you use your mental intention to create an energetic field that separates you from others and their “undesirable” energies. You can create a light bubble, a fire field, a crystal wall, a blue space suit – whatever you feel like – and use it to keep you from taking on those energies from others.
From the very beginning the idea of shielding felt wrong to me. It was brash and rudimentary. Like painting with a handful of leaves instead of a paintbush. Hey, that’s the only metaphor that I could come up with, haha.
I spent years not shielding, and dealing with it, and shielding and feeling the “wrongness” and limitation of it. It kind of worked, but also felt obstructive and left me feeling disconnected. I didn’t feel like I was flowing with my environment. I was protecting from it. That’s fear-based. That’s bs. There had to be something better.
The Best Technique for Empaths that I’ve Found – Way Better than Shielding
The ability to do energy work including being an empath, healing and other psychic work has always been strong in me, and over the course of my life I’ve developed, deeped and fine tuned it. My capacity to understand and hold energy has grown profoundly. There was a time I was really getting waves of what I called, “interference”. Other people’s and places undesirable energies, other interdimensional beings & energies interfering.
Through some of the worst of it, I worked with a very powerful healer named Maria, who shared with me an intriguing proposition.
“Want to know how to stick your hand in the mud and come up clean?”
What she meant was going to places with undesirable energies or healing other people’s shit, without getting any undesirable energy on you.
To which I said,
“God, yes, please how??”
Simply said.
Be Love.
That’s it.
The frequency of love is like water to the oil of undesirable energies. It simply cannot stick, attach or be present. In fact, it overwhelms and transmutes lower frequency vibrations such as anger and fear. Without the bullshit of shielding.
This isn’t just “wooo”, it’s science, based on wave form frequencies.
It follows scientific natural law. And decision making based on love, not fear. This allows you to show up in your power, as one of the most powerful known versions of yourself – LOVE.
How to Perform the Practice in 3 Easy Steps
- Relax your body and begin to visualize breathing through your heart.
- Begin to feel the emotion of love and feel the energy of love expand as far as you want. Over time you will develop your preference.
- Visualize this energy as light, liquid gold, whatever you want.
The big difference with with technique and shielding is that there is no barrier, no wall. It is more like an energetic overflow that causes the disintegration or transmutation of any undesirable energy fields. They simply cannot exist in this energy.
Benefits of Empath Love Overflow Practice
I’m just going to call it Empath Love Overflow Practice because I have no other name for it.
It pretty much works like a sun except it’s the anahilalation of energy with love, not fire. Anything that gets close to it ceases to exist as it was or turns away by natural law.
This practice helps with:
- Healing Energy Work
- Manifestation
- Chronic Fatigue
- Possession and Spiritual Disruption
- Improves Your Relationships, Including Your Relationship With Self
- Improves Your Emotions
- Improves Every Element of your Life
- Takes No Extra Time
- No Shielding 😎
- Connects You to Your Unlimited Source Energy, & Intuition
It’s pretty simple, although it requires focused attention.
If you’re having a tough day and simply don’t feel the energy of “love” that day you can always fall back on shielding or leave the area to go be alone and/or somewhere in nature.
But remember,
You are not disconnected from your environment. You are your environment. That is like disconnecting from the self. You are all the forces including the most powerful force, LOVE. You are as safe as you know you are.
You are ALL.
When you CHOOSE LOVE it feels better.
There are many people who are strong in their energetic abilities and don’t necessarily want to practice healing & energy arts. They just want to be proficient human beings.
If you need any help at all or want to fine-tune to an advanced level, reach out to me jacqueline@consciousnessliberty.com. Happy to help with this and other energetic abilities you want to fine-tune.
I love helping skeptical, energetically aware people navigate and leverage their abilities and use these (and many more) tools to understand and integrate their energetic awareness and turn their “curse” into a “superpower”.
Being an aware empath can suck, but this is a game-changer. You got this!
Let me know in the comments how it works for you! Seriously. Because it changed my life – and I hope it does for you too!
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3510904/
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/quantum_entanglement.htm
- https://www.quantamagazine.org/entanglement-made-simple-20160428/
- https://www.promisesbehavioralhealth.com/addiction-recovery-blog/the-hazards-of-being-an-empath/
Photo by Mikkel Schmidt.
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