psychic sensing
Is Mirror-Touch Synesthesia Your Empath Superpower?
Science is catching up with the empath, literally.
Recently I came across a fascinating book titles Mirror Touch by Dr. Joel Salinas, a Harvard trained researcher and neurologist at Massachusetts General. It explores the phenomenon of mirror-touch synesthesia (MTS): a rare neurological trait that causes someone to feel the emotional and physical experiences of other people.
Synesthesia is “mixed perception,” or to blend the five senses. Science recognizes over 80 types of synesthesia.
Because of Dr. Salinas and other brave professionals, science is sitting up and taking notice and actually exploring the brain and how it functions in individuals with these traits.
Dr. Salinas uses his ability of feeling the emotional and physical pain of his patients to treat their symptoms, as if they were his own. The experience for him and others like him is challenging and draining.
Scientists now believe that MTS is linked to the neurons located in the brain responsible for transmitting electrical signals through our body.
These signals flow from the brain through the body and communicate what we are feeling and sensing. With MTS the neurons specifically are those linked to the premotor cortex. Interestingly, this is the part of our brain that is responsible for planning future action.
Tune Into The Guidance Of Your Emotions
I believe our emotions are an additional ‘sense’ we use as a means of interpreting our life experiences, in the same way the normal five senses enable us to perceive and understand the world around us. Our ‘emotional sense’ help us make decisions about our preferences all the time.
For example, I love chocolate. My sense of taste tells me that chocolate is for me! It’s a very clear and obvious signal from my taste buds to my brain. We receive and process stimuli all the time and our senses help us to ‘make sense’ of that input.
Your emotions are also giving you information about your preferences and if we listen and pay attention, we can gain a lot of guidance from it. Our emotions don’t just come from nowhere. They arise in direct response to stimuli or input, just like our senses do.
I have also heard emotions described as an internal guidance system, or our inner compass, which helps us decide what we want to create more of, and less of, in our life. We sometimes get confused though, because just like the other senses, we have different preferences.
For example, some people love coconut desserts, but I detest then. Not thanks, keep your coconut out of my chocolate! The thing is, I’m not confused about the fact that I don’t like coconut. I also don’t feel I have to change my preference because other people love coconut. And I also don’t force myself to eat it, just to make other people happy.
When one of our five physical senses tells us something we tend to listen, because it’s visceral. We feel it undeniably in the body. Emotions are no different!
The Miracle Gift Of Spiritual Healing
I discovered that I had the spiritual gift of healing many years ago when I went to visit my father in the hospital. He was in great pain and something told me to gently touch the knee he had just had surgery on. It was not my intention to accomplish anything, just to comfort him. But then I saw his expression change from agonizing pain to instant relief. That to me was a miracle!
The next great healing miracle happened when one of my twin daughters was ice skating when she was about 8 years old. I was watching the children enjoy the beautiful winter day when my daughter suddenly slipped and fell. I will never forget her painful scream. I knew immediately that this was really bad! By the time I got to her, others were helping her, but she would not stop screaming. Hearing her in such pain shot through my heart like a bullet.
When I got to her, I immediately saw the bone protruding through her skin. I put my hands over the fracture on her forearm and said, “It’s okay, it’s okay. Immediately she stopped crying and said, “Mommy, it doesn’t hurt anymore. I was stunned and so was everyone else.
I held her arm all the way to the hospital, and when we got there, they made me remove my hands. Again I had to listen to my daughter scream in pain and I felt helpless.
After they immobilized her arm, they let me see her. I touched the cast on her arm and immediately felt that it was not properly applied. Of course, they refused to listen to me at first, but I kept insisting that something was wrong. Finally, they agreed to take a second x-ray, which showed that my daughter’s arm was indeed not in the correct position. So she had to have it done again. One of the nurses asked me how I knew. I never answered.
You Too Were Born With Psychic Senses
In media interviews, one of the first questions that celebrity psychics and mediums are often asked is, “At what age did you realize you had this gift?”
However, I don’t believe this ability is exclusive to a select few. We are all born with psychic senses. Most people simply need to learn how to tune into and trust themselves enough to use all their senses with confidence.
For example, imagine someone walking through the woods suddenly feeling the hair on the back of their neck stand up, or a prickling sensation down their spine, when a wild animal is nearby. This alert system kicks in without explanation. People rarely question how it works. They just accept it as natural instinct.
Psychic sensing is no different, but it requires taking the time to understand how your intuitive senses work allows you to use them more consciously and effectively.
It’s like learning to sing. Some people are born with a natural gift. Others need guidance and training to develop their voice. Psychic ability works the same way.
One of the most common questions I hear is, “Why can’t I see, hear, or just know things like you do?” The answer is simple: you can. You just need to relax, trust yourself, and perhaps take a few classes to discover your personal “shorthand.”
The Multi-Layered Magic Of The Tarot
It’s no secret that the Tarot is my favorite divination tool. It is like a trusted assistant to me, always there to provide support and clarity, both in my professional work and in my own spiritual practice.
Do you know how sometimes you have a gut feeling about something, but you can’t quite put it your finger on it? Or how sometimes you have trouble remembering someone’s name, even though it’s on the tip of your tongue?
Well, that’s how the Tarot helps me when I read for people. It often helps me bridge everyday life with the esoteric and translate psychic messages in a more practical way.
The cards act as a metaphysical magnifying glass, sharpening my psychic impressions and intuitions into clear messages, guidance and predictions. Sometimes it is just a single symbolic element in a card that jumps out, demanding attention and holding the key to unlocking the essence of the message.
A single Tarot card can reveal a plethora of meanings and insights, each layer shaped by that particular reading. Tarot is deeply symbolic and fluid, allowing each card to be interpreted in myriad ways.
First, the context of the reading is important. Whether the question is about love, career, health, finances, or personal fulfillment, the meaning of a card can change significantly. For example, the Two of Cups could mean a romantic partnership in a relationship reading, but a harmonious business partnership in a career reading.
Second, the client’s state of mind and personal circumstances influence the interpretation of the card. Their experiences, desires, and fears color how the imagery and symbolism will be perceived by the psychic. The same Two of Cups might highlight existing trust issues for one person, while signifying a newfound connection for another.
The Difference Between ‘Psychic’ And ‘Intuitive’
The terms “psychic” and “intuitive” are often used interchangeably, but there is a fundamental difference between the two. Understanding this distinction can enhance one’s spiritual practice, deepen your self-awareness, and clarify the role these abilities play in navigating energy, conscious living and spiritual awareness.
The term “psychic” refers to the ability to access information through a special non-physical or spiritual system of perception, more often called the psychic senses or the clair senses. This ability allows a person with psychic ability to perceive or sense information without using the five physical senses. Psychic perception involves tuning into unseen frequencies and receiving impressions that are inaccessible to the five ordinary senses.
Psychic perception therefore involves reaching outward to access information from external sources. This can include tuning into other people’s energies, telepathy, communicating with the spirit realm, exploring the Akashic Records, or channeling from the universal consciousness.
The term “intuitive” refers to a the ability to access information within. Intuitive perception involves connecting with your higher self or soul essence, tapping into the innate wisdom, guidance and truth that resides within you. Unlike the psychic process of acquiring information, intuition is less about “getting” and more about already “having”-a natural inner knowing or awareness that arises effortlessly.
The Mysterious Phenomenon Of Spiritual Chills
Chills and goosebumps are fascinating responses in the human body, rooted in biology and physiology, but also shrouded in mystery.
These physical reactions are mostly triggered by cold temperatures, strong emotions such as fear, excitement, or awe, or as part of the fight-or-flight response.
But not all instances of shivering, goosebumps, or the “heebie jeebies” are rooted in physical stimuli. Some occur for no apparent reason, suggesting a deeper, more metaphysical significance.
While science attributes shivers and goosebumps solely to primal survival mechanisms, a spiritual perspective offers another level of understanding – one that links these sensations to supernatural phenomena and spiritual encounters.
Goosebumps and shivers are ancient responses inherited from our primal ancestors. When our ancestors faced cold temperatures, their body hair stood up to trap heat and provide insulation.
Similarly, when threatened, their hair would stand up, making them appear larger and more intimidating to predators. We also see this response in the fur on our cats and dogs when they go into fight or flight mode. In humans, the function is just not as pronounced due to our sparse body hair, but the response persists.
This mechanism, called piloerection, causes the tiny muscles at the base of each hair follicle to contract, making the hair stand on end and creating the characteristic bumps we call goosebumps – so named because they resemble the skin of plucked poultry. This reaction is part of the body’s autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary responses.