Healing and the Empathic Healer

Defining and managing involves both accepting and managing, or denying and ignoring, the gifts and challenges of empathy. As an empath, it is very clear of being able to receive information that others might need help expressing. The roles and responsibilities of an empath are tricky as we learn to navigate this 'gift', I found this article about male shamanism, gender neutral enough to be useful.

There was never a doubt that I had a gift of empathic proportion, the doubt for me was whether I can use it productively, without taking on the immense sorrows of others, and experiencing their horrors as my own, feeling obligated to listen to every detail until I was clear on what my role would be.

Accepting an empathic existence allows the benefits of an applied framework for addressing human issues of epic proportion. My first experiences with my empathic skills were uncomfortable and personally very painful.. I did not understand my role, or why I was receiving this information. I also did not understand why I had this ability and for that reception, what I was to do with it, other than received advance warnign that unpleasantry was getting ready to happen.

Infancy Stages for me started when I was 6 years old. I was born with 10 living grandparents, which also met a good many of my grandparents died from when I was 6 to around 12. On the moment of their death in the middle of the night I would waken with a sickening feeling of responsibility to "pay attention" because there is "something" that must be done. By the morning when the phone rang to report of a relatives departure I was crying before confirmed knowledge because I knew... and at 6, at some level, I felt responsible for the discomfort.

Teen Stages in my experience occured when I was able to converse with someone I knew who had passed. That it was always about death and loss, was painful to me still. In fact it would feel as if the pain attached with the loss and the sorrow I felt with being able to received the calls from others, but not being able to 'call' those I loved. It felt as if it were all one way communications.

Midlife Crisis Stages were represented by a longer and extended period of "reruns", experiencing others critical moments in greater detail until it was clear what I was to do with the message. Imagine if you can, having a repetitive sort of death in a hospital dream, with all the accompanying feelings of panic, mingled with bright lights and fast moving professionals around you, that feeling of not being done, and knowing you were... So many things left unsaid. This rerun would occur for 7 months until I was clear who it was attributed to, and what I was to help with.

Lessons will repeat until their purpose is clear, or our own "human" condition overshadows it.

So much to be learned about being a better listener so I can more efficiently know what is needed to come to a more peaceful place So reading with interest how others manage to be grounded, and yet useful/practical.

I had a dream about a spiritual healer coming through our neighborhood. In a crimson robe, but barefoot by choice. Why? He explained that this allowed him to sense and heal, as he walks through a path. The exercise of practice involved receiving and allowing a peaceful transformation to be sparked.

I think it is possible to provide relief more efficiently. I know I hear profound spiritual guidance, I wander how much clearer I could be.. How much more useful, if it did not take so long for me toget the message?

Is it possible to sense and heal without knowinug the person who is hurting?
How is it possible to be sensitive enough to respond and heal, but grounded enough to stay healthy?