Empathy is an emotional skill that most humans have some degree of mastery over. It allows us to feel emotions vicariously through others, and sometimes physical sensations as well. Most of us display a little empathy every day without ever being conscious of it because it is so integral to every aspect of our lives. Empathy is what compels us to yawn when we see someone else do it, to laugh at something funny, or to comfort someone in pain. Without it, all our interpersonal connections would be cold, calculated, robotic or callous; violence would be considered a simple and easy way to resolve conflict, and the feeling we know as “love” would be reduced to infatuation.
We need empathy for society to function peacefully, and during times when it seems to be in short supply, we tend to idealize it. Many of us have come to see a person’s ability to empathize with others as a measure of their best and strive to display our sensitivity to the emotions of others as often as possible. If we are accused of lacking empathy, we are likely to feel like we’ve just been called a monster. We see empathy as a positive, beneficial thing. But what happens when compassion stops being a choice?
For some of us, the ability to empathize with others is so strong that it can be overwhelming, confusing, and emotionally draining. While sensitivity usually strengthens interpersonal bonds, extreme sensitivity can become a barrier, rather than a pathway to the connection. Many empaths develop unhealthy coping mechanisms and survival strategies to shut out the stress and negativity they might otherwise absorb from the world around them. Without guidance and support, some might establish a cynical or embittered attitude towards others, keeping themselves physically and emotionally closed off from new or unpredictable experiences, so that they might avoid getting bogged down by the emotional weight of other people’s pain. But there is a better way. What if I told you that there is no need to dull your empathic sensitivities—that you could better protect yourself from negativity and energy depletion by learning more about your abilities, rather than distancing yourself from them? Getting in touch with your sensitivity can be a liberating and transformative experience.
To embrace your empathic powers and thrive, you’ll need tools and strategies to manage your emotional world. Within these pages, you will learn:
It can also be incredibly healing and inspiring to open your eyes to all the empathic power around you, much of which is still dormant, not yet fully realized or understood. Use the metrics outlined in the second and third chapter of this book, and ask yourself if you might know other empaths who haven’t awakened their sensitive powers yet. Or perhaps you know some self-aware empaths that you couldn’t recognize as such before now. Whatever the case, you can benefit immensely from expanding your empathic support system. Since empaths are often able to see everything clearly except themselves, let your fellow empaths be a metaphysical mirror. Teach each other, trust each other; heal each other, replenish and amplify each other’s energies. You may discover an echelon of both outward love and self-love that you never knew existed before.
While masters and advanced spiritual guides have a great deal of wisdom to share, you should never discount or dismiss the intelligence of your peers, even those who are younger or several steps behind you on the path to self-discovery. One of the most crucial learning skills you can hone is your ability to unlearn; stay curious, open-minded, and trust in the innate knowledge we are all granted by the universe. Remember, we display powerful empathic connections in infancy, losing touch with our emotional bodies as we grow older and, supposedly, wiser. Do your best to break down the emotional walls you’ve built inside yourself for the sake of protection; let go of the need for certainty, proof, linear progress, and other ideals we start to cling to in adulthood. Nourish your inner child; allow them to feel valued, respected, and listened to. Remember to hold as much affection and reverence for yourself as you do for others. And whenever you reach a fork in the road of your spiritual journey, choose the path of love.
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Translated by Marcelo Paz
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