self-care
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.
Finding The Light Within
When we rely on codependent, toxic relationships, materialism and possessions, and other superficial sources of ‘fulfillment,’ it creates a weariness within us. It weighs down the soul. It drowns out the inner light.
Material things and human beings by nature cannot be perfectly reliable all of the time. Material items deteriorate and lose their luster. Friendships and relationships come and go. All that ever truly remains is spirit, and what we do to take care of ourselves. As the world is in dismay in the wake of a pandemic, we can choose to turn to spirit and to take better care of ourselves instead.
While others may choose to descend into lack consciousness, greed or an attitude of entitlement, we can choose an attitude of gratitude, inner peace and joyful living instead.
We have a tremendous opportunity right now to expand our spiritual growth and to empower ourselves with self-care. Many folks don’t realize how useful taking just a few minutes out of their busy day can be!
Adopting a new daily spiritual practice, or simply reading an inspiring book, taking a soothing bath, or buying an aromatherapy diffuser can be uplift the spirit and heal the soul.
There is also crystal energy work, nature walks, prayer, and meditation by a body of water to enhance our joy and connect with the Creator who envisioned all this and brought it all into being.
What we can’t control, we can simply turn over to a Higher Power of our understanding. We can surrender to hope and joy, and let go of our fears. We can say, “This does not have to happen on my timeline, let Your will be done in my life.”
‘Under-Doing’ For You And ‘Overdoing’ for Others?
Are you ‘under-doing’ for yourself, or perhaps ‘overdoing for others’ in order to gain approval and love? Many of us fall into this pattern without even realizing it.
When we are raised to be helpful, agreeable and accommodating, it can become second nature to say yes whenever someone asks something of us.
For some people it can take many years, sometimes even decades, to recognize that constantly putting others first may not always be the healthy or loving choice it appears to be.
Learning to set healthy boundaries is not something most of us are taught when we are young, especially if we have grown accustomed to keeping the peace by going along with what others want.
Many of us know what it feels like to be the person everyone relies on. When something needs to be done, we are the first person people think of. When someone needs help, they call us.
At first this can feel rewarding because we enjoy being supportive and dependable. Yet always being that ‘Yes’ person can quietly create an imbalance over time.
When we continually give our time, energy and attention to others without receiving the same in return, the natural flow of energy becomes disrupted. Healthy relationships usually involve a balanced exchange between people.
Nourish Your Mind, Body & Soul With Real Food
My relationship with food evolved the day I decided to start my own garden. I didn’t have much space where I lived, so I rented a plot in a community garden nearby, for a very small fee.
Although it soon became a part-time job, it also turned into my sanctuary. Any stress from the day cleared when I went there.
I was always eager to go there and visit my growing family of fruits, herbs, flowers and vegetables. It made me feel like a child again!
Connecting with the Earth on such a deep level also gave me a new perspective on my spiritual identity.
From being inspired by fellow gardeners to teaching my son important life skills, I was motivated to get serious about treating my body like a temple and also raising awareness in others.
Something I once took for granted and paid little attention to, became a great passion and concern for me.
I saw our society falling into a downward spiral health wise and knew it started with the quality of our food and water.
I began to educate myself more on how everything we consume was being processed and came to the conclusion how vital it is for us to re-adopt some of the old traditions of our grandparents and ancestors. By taking their wisdom and applying it to our current food crisis, we can raise the consciousness of our world, feed the poor, and heal ourselves in mind, body and spirit.
Spiritual Self-Care: How To Overcome Energetic Depletion
Do you constantly feel tired, depressed, or simply lacking in energy?
If you often feel drained or exhausted, even after a good night’s sleep, and a medical professional has already ruled out any underlying physical causes, you may be experiencing energetic depletion.
Physical tiredness and energetic depletion are very different, requiring different approaches to correct them.
For empaths, sensitives, and intuitives in particular, constantly absorbing the energies around you and the noise of the modern world can be draining in subtle ways you may not even be aware of.
Essentially, it means you are expending and also “leaking” energy more than you are replenishing.
It can be caused by many things, such as overstimulation, emotional burdens, failing to set boundaries, consuming too much media, toxic people and places, or simply not being present in your daily life.
On a deeper level, energetic depletion can also reflect what is happening within your spiritual life and energy field. When you are disconnected from your intuition, carrying unresolved emotional or karmic burdens, or spending too much time in draining environments, your spirit can begin to feel heavy and dimmed.
Navigating Grief Without Losing Yourself
In my work as a psychic reader, I have worked with many people navigating grief. Over the years, I have witnessed how people process loss and transition differently.
I have often had to guide clients toward grounding, self-trust, and setting compassionate boundaries. And, as life would have it, I recently had to draw on that wisdom and apply it to my own family.
My father was recently admitted to hospice care at his local nursing home after spending a week in the hospital. His prognosis was poor.
As our family transitioned to this new phase of care, I stayed in touch with loved ones and made decisions centered on his comfort and dignity.
At the same time, I made a conscious effort to protect my emotional energy and maintain healthy boundaries so that I could stay grounded.
In these circumstances I’ve been grappling with a kind of grief that isn’t often acknowledged: the grief of realizing someone you love is no longer the person they once were.
Even when they are physically present, the relationship shifts. There can be a quiet heartbreak in adjusting to the present while remembering the past.
There is also grief in watching a family reorganize itself. During times of transition, long-standing dynamics often change. Some family connections deepen and some relationships no longer operate as they once did. This can also feel like a loss in terms of shared understanding and how things “used to be.” Sudden changes in family circumstances tend to reveal where everyone actually stands.
Your Sacred Center Of Self-Love
We all thrive on being loved. This is natural, of course, if you look back at humanity in history on an evolutionary level. Ancient people came together in tribes, families, and groups, to cultivate a place of safety, security, nurturance, and love.
If you were different or stood out in any way, or even left the tribe, you were literally putting your own life at risk. This topic can be viewed from so many arenas, including psychological, spiritual, scientific, and psychic.
I often wonder how and when did we start defining ourselves by how others felt about us, and why did we believe that other’s thoughts about us were true? At what point in time did we allow others to define us? It’s as though we as humanity went into a deep trance.
We all know the phrase, “Love thyself first”. When did we forget this vital piece of information?
There are many ways we can come back in touch with this essential truth, but for the most part, our society does not support a lifestyle that would naturally lead us back to our sacred center of self-love.
How often do you take a moment to look in the mirror, or tell yourself, “I love you?” Most of us feel silly doing this, but it is very healing.
Have you ever met an older person who behaves in ways that are foolish or who just doesn’t give a hoot what anyone else thinks? My paternal grandfather used to throw dinner rolls across the table at me in fancy restaurants. While my parents and other family seated at the table would roll their eyes at my Grampy, I used to laugh hysterically!