The Force Within Us
Psychology, GE 160
Kerry Keith Murdock
September 13, 2010
Subject: Exploring the history, science, possibility, existence, and potential of people known as Empaths.
Outline of topics:
General Overview
From Fiction to Realism
Fantasy within Real-Life
Emotional Energy In Us
Energetic Emotion
Gaining Empathic Abilities
Triumphs and Tragedies
The Future of Now
Resource page
General Overview
As a child and then a young man I suffered from a wide range of aggravating problems including social and behavioral, panic and phobias, and a wide range of energetic emotions.
I suffered from physical, psychological, mental, and social aggression in public schools but functioned very well among personal friends. In community theater productions energy was often times over the top to the point where I was endangering myself or those around me; often times appearing to be out of control. At church I often times was overcome with fear and found myself clinging to those I trusted. At home, during personal time, I often kept to myself, went biking for solitude, or working on projects.
The emotions I experienced ranged from derailed highs to depressive lows; terrified panic to soothing calm. Physical pains set in, ranging from ringing the in ears, poor vision, muscle and joint aches, spine and neck joints being out of place, headaches, tightness in the throat, and a steady lack of mental clarity.
Despite these circumstances I managed to maintain my homework assignments, excel in public theater productions, and maintain a steady group of caring peers and accepting friends. Many times I received high praise from teachers for my work, audience and theater cast for my performances, and friends, family, and/or peers for my enduring qualities.
My very loving and concerned parents searched high and low for a solution to my difficulties. Despite years of searching and thousands of dollars invested I was misdiagnosed many times by a wide range of doctors; including retardation, social and mental problems, bipolar (manic depressive) disorder, schizophrenia, depression, and lastly, a high functioning autistic. At times it seemed as though these diagnosis contradicted each other and were eventually discarded, only adding to the confusion of the unsolved mystery of my condition.
My parents were warned by professional physicians that would I would never marry, drive a car, or serve an LDS mission. Halfway through my 38th year not only have I successfully completed all three life changing milestones but I am also completely free of any medication, doctor’s evaluation, emotional or social bouts, and doctor supervision.
I hope to share the secrets of my success in an additional solution and otherwise unknown category of the human condition, commonly known but recently discovered as the term "Empath."
I hope to explore the beliefs, a general explanation, and potential causes of an Empath.
I also intend to shed light on my personal difficulties, which were better explained by the understanding of what an Empath is and why. Further, it’s my hope to educate the dangers of a low-level Empath who may be unaware of their abilities as well as the positive benefits of being a fully functioning Empath, including the potential of their contributions to society.
From Fiction to Realism
“May the Force be with you.” This famous movie quote from the film saga “Star Wars14” has been heard repeatedly by fans, critics, movie-goers, old, young, internationally, and locally over the past 20 years. It has incorporated itself into our culture and way of life. Through “Star Wars14,” George Lucas has created an incredible, fantasy world set in a universe far, far away. As far-reaching into the imagination as it may seem, it oddly strikes home for many of us. A small known reason for this is because George Lucas majored in Mythology and fondly studies Psychology. During his film student days he learned of Mythology’s origins and discovered Carl Jung’s Archetypes. An Archetype is an accepted visual imagery of a character persona that is widely accepted across all cultures. (“Psychology for Everyday Life” by David G. Meyers1) From this list of Archetypes he created his cast of characters, which allowed them to be recognized world-wide.
A small list of used Archetypes from the Star Wars14 saga includes:
FATHER = UNCLE OWEN MOTHER = AUNT BERU CHILD = LUKE AND LEIA
HERO = LUKE SKYWALKER MAIDEN = LEIA ORGANA WISE ONE = YODA
MAGICIAN = OBI WAN KENOBI WITCH = THE EMPEROR TRICKSTER – SELBULBA
FAITHFUL DOG = CHEWBACCA ENDURING HORSE = MILLENNIUM FALCON
DEVIOUS CAT = DARTH VADER EARTH MOTHER = THE FORCE
The archetype I hope to focus on is “Earth Mother = the Force.”
George Lucas did not stop with Carl Jung’s archetypes in the creation of his galaxy. Using what’s he’s learned from psychology, his films contain strong moral values, using good and bad examples of heroism, mentoring, manipulation, and acceptance. He combined the easily recognized mythology-based tales with the best of modern psychology to create his movies. First and foremost of these mythology-based storylines is the story-based equation of, “the heroes’ quest.” Ironically, you can follow this same story equation in the recently released, dragon-based movie, “Aragon.”
Lucas combined many facets of our world’s real-life facts into his saga. The infamous bun-hairstyle worn by Leia in “Star Wars14” was actually taken from a, “Southwestern Pancho Villa woman Revolutionary look.” (George Lucas, Time Magazine, April 2,0022) the alien language Huttese was created from the existing tribal Peruvian native language Quechua and Aymara languages here on earth (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/huttese3). His space battles were depicted from actual film footage of World War II aerial fighter plane dogfights. And the name, “Darth Vader” is taken from “dunkler vater,” meaning “dark father” in German.
But Lucas was also fascinated by the Japanese director, Akira Kurosawa. Lucas’ initial “Star Wars14” was a science fiction remake of Kurosawa’s film, “The Hidden Fortress.” Kurosawa created fantasy films of Asian martial artist experts with unusual powers. We see similar abilities and traits in the more modern movie, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” These amazing ninjas, samurai, karate experts, and defensive monks displayed abilities ranging from running up walls, to jumping onto rooftops. They also healed wounds, sensed danger, read minds, and even the emotions of others. Lucas modeled his historical Jedi after many of these legendary heroes.
These fictional martial arts characters spoke of the ‘power of the chi,’ a fundamental principle in the budda religion. “Chi” is described as a natural energy that connects all human beings and living creatures to nature and mother earth. These martial arts characters could somehow, almost magically, be able to access and manipulate this energy to give them astounding power. Sound familiar? Lucas created “Star Wars14” with the intention of giving the world something universal to believe in and developed his concepts of the mysterious, all-encompassing, and all-powerful ‘Force’ from Buddist beliefs.
This application is vividly described on the Wikipedia’s “Star Wars14” website; “Wookiepedia:” “The principles of the Force resonate with those of some real world religions, including the Shinto religion of Japan, Buddhism, Taoism, and certain Celtic druidic concepts. The Force also bears a close similarity to the Chinese notion of qigong, or "chi", and the splitting of the Force into light side and dark sides echoes the concept of "yin" and "yang" in eastern philosophy (though this is not a perfect translation, as the dark side is considered a Force of evil by the Jedi and this moral duality is not the same as the eastern concept). Along with the concepts of "yin" and "yang," the concept of a ubiquitous Force is concurrent to the real world concept of a "tao" or "way," which is said to flow everywhere in the universe. The concept of the Force also borrows heavily from Hindu theology, which also expresses a belief in a unifying brahman energy that composes and is a composite of the universe (and by extension, god), and can be used for either good or bad.” (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/the_force4)
Fantasy within real-life
But if Lucas created so much of his “Star Wars14” universe from the world in which we now live, then is it at all possible that the abilities of these long-dead, legendary warriors could also be real? Assuming this is true, were their abilities lost in time, passed on to only a select few, or are there modern-day ‘Jedi’ living among us; hindered and helped by their ‘energy abilities’ and completely unaware of their power's presence? Let’s explore this possibility.
There are many unexplained happening in the natural world that cannot be defined by current scientific definitions. How do birds know to take flight moments before an earthquake begins? How does acupuncture relieve pain? What is that weird, creepy feeling people get when they walk down a dark alley? How does someone know to look at someone who is staring at them from across a room? What is that bad 'vibe' in the room when people have been fighting, even though they are not fighting now?
In Chinese culture, 'Chee' is, “frequently translated as "energy flow," and is often compared to western notions of energeia or élan vital (vitalism) as well as the yogic notion of prana. The literal translation is "air," "breath," or "gas" (compare the original meaning of latin spiritus "breathing"). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ch'i5)
Ironically, 'ch'i' (also known as 'qi') it is further described as, “Japanese character for earth.” And a “chi site” is known as, “a DNA sequence that serves as a recombination hot spot.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/chi6)
All of these describe a definition of nature, which 'the Force' claims we are all a part of. Is this the reason why we feel like we are getting back to nature when we go camping, or when we run barefoot through the grass? Let's look further.
A house is made of a framework of timbers, supported by brick and mortar, and powered by a network of internal electrical wires. Our physical bodies are no different. Our bones support, our muscles assist, and our central nervous system powers. But for some, it also empowers.
The earth is also a body; albeit a celestial body. It has two poles; north and south. Between these two poles regulates a flow of natural electromagnetic energy, which not only protects the earth from space debris, such as asteroids, but it is also how a compass helps us to distinguish the direction 'north' when we are lost in the woods.
“Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental interactions of nature, along with strong interaction, weak interaction and gravitation. It is the force that causes the interaction between electrically charged particles; the areas in which this happens are called electromagnetic fields. Electromagnetism is the force responsible for practically all the phenomena encountered in daily life… electromagnetism is also the force which holds electrons and protons together inside atoms, which are the building blocks of molecules. This governs the processes involved in chemistry, which arise from interactions between the electrons orbiting atoms.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/electromagnetic_force7)
Our bodies also have poles that regulate their own field of magnetic energy that is channeled through our CNS and utilized by our various body's systems. It begins at the top of the head and flows down to our feet. Smaller fields also flow from our hands and other parts of our body, creating a spherical ball, or 'field,' around our body, just like the earth's. These energy areas are called chakras by energy healers and manipulators. They indicate that there are 7 main points on the body and deal with the health of healing of each area.
“The following seven primary chakras are commonly described:
1. Base or root chakra (ovaries/prostate)
2. Sacral chakra (last bone in spinal cord, the coccyx)
3. Solar plexus chakra (navel area)
4. Heart chakra (heart area)
5. Throat chakra (throat and neck area)
6. Brow or third eye chakra (pineal gland or third eye)
7. Crown chakra (top of the head; 'soft spot' of a newborn)
The chakras are said to be "force centers" or whorls of energy permeating, from a point on the physical body, the layers of the subtle bodies in an ever-increasing fan-shaped formation. Rotating vortices of subtle matter, they are considered the focal points for the reception and transmission of energies. Different systems posit a varying number of chakras, the most well known system in the west is that of 7 chakras.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/chakra8)
The concept is that when energy, specifically negative energy, gets ‘trapped’ within these areas it can cause physical harm or damage. So, if someone has an emotionally bad breakup their heart and throat may ache if there are still lingering emotions or words still left to say. If someone has been attacked or does not feel safe their stomach may ache or may even cause ulcers. Acupuncture is designed to unblock these negative energies from the body.
This is also what some define as their 'aura;' our body's own, personal electromagnetic-gravity field that surrounds us and protects us from other's own energy fields. When two people’s fields collide, the energies interact with each other, sends signals to our Peripheral Nervous System, which then sends the information to our unconscious dual track mind. In “Psychology for Everyday Life” by David G. Meyers1, the Peripheral Nervous System is the part of the Central Nervous System that governs our body’s internal organs and systems on an autopilot-type, unconscious mode. The text also describes our dual track minds as one of the 5 big ideas: that our brains are consistently and constantly processing information outside our consciousness; whether we are aware or not.
Whether we perceive the information or not is dependent on many factors, including our attention. Has anyone ever quietly approached you from behind, but you were still aware of their presence? Or has anyone ever stood too close to you and although they are not acting with aggression they still made you feel like they are violating your personal space? Like the bombarding asteroid, other's energy fields are affecting your own and setting your energy off, like an internal alarm system linked to our primitive brain system. In a sense, they are creating invisible feedback ripples that your dual track mind recognizes and your Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) reacts to. Just as two polarized magnets repel each other, another person's negative attitude can drive other people away.
This invisible, internal energy within us is vital to our vitality. Without a healthy system of naturally flowing energy we can feel exhausted and even refer to the term, 'drained.' How true, since the overuse of our energy literally drains us of our energy resources. Just like when we sweat we can become dehydrated and then require more water. On the other hand, we have modern-day athletes who can compete for hours at a time and perform amazing feats; skills that might have made the samurai of the ancient days drop their jaws.
So how does one use this flow of energy? Is it used consciously or unconsciously? The answer is, “yes.” It applies to both. Our body is using its own natural energy all the time, just like a car's motor stays running if the battery is charged. If it didn't, we'd sputter and die on the freeway of life. At the same time, when we need an extra boost of energy for that extra 'fight or flight' response it's there at our beckon call when we need it as part of our sympathetic system. When the situation is over our parasympathetic system kicks in and reminds us that our energy levels are low. In “Psychology for Everyday Life” by David G. Meyers1, the sympathetic system is part of the autonomous system within the PNS. The sympathetic system kicks our body into ‘overdrive’ during a fight-or-flight situation, giving us extra energy, a helpful boost of hormones, oxygen, and rising blood pressure. The parasympathetic system helps regulates our body to more relaxed state once the excited situation is over. On an empathic note I find it ironic that the system used to go the extra mile is considered the sympathetic system.
What happens then? Often times we sit, close our eyes, breathe hard, or get a drink of water. All of these are natural ways of replenishing our energy. Ironically, these are all traits used in meditation – a mind calming technique used by those who practice yoga, pilates, and martial arts of today.
Emotional energy in us
Surprisingly enough, this is also how we feel after a good, long, hard cry. Why is that? Is it because crying is physically tiring or does it drain us of energy as well? What is the connection between our emotions and energy? Aren't emotions simply a trigger of chemicals in the brain due to thought processes, circumstances, and situations? Emotions, like the electrical forms of the CNS's reaction processes, are energy. When we see a sad movie, or a happy one, our bodies generate a fluctuation in our own personal electro-magnetic ‘aura’ shields that radiate a specific frequency of energy. When people are happy we describe them as 'glowing.' True, there are hormonal and physical changes taking place that we can see with our natural eyes but isn't it entirely possible that more is happening?
The concept of our dual track minds teaches us that our brains are aware of more stimuli that we are consciously aware of. Our kinesthetic and vestibular systems are perfect examples of this. (“Psychology for Everyday Life” by David G. Meyers1) but in the documentary-film, “What the Bleep Do We Know? 9” physicists, scientists, and therapists agree that there is more taking place outside of our fields of perception and awareness. Of the scale of light that we know exist we are only capable of perceiving a fraction with our unaided eyes. Are there animals that can detect the ultra-violet spectrum? Owls have a higher number and range of rods in their eyes than we do, giving them incredible night vision. Blood hounds, “have a million times the scent capacity of humans and 60 times that of german shepherds.” (http://www.jimmyryce.org/bloodhoundproject.html10) On the other hand, dogs are color-blind while humans are not. How would a bloodhound explain to us how to track a lost child by smell and how would we explain color to them?
With animals in mind, how does a dog know when you've had a bad day? Does your cat come to give you extra cuddles when you don't feel good? Why does a child know when you may be sad? Facial expressions, body posture, and behaviors, like sighing, are all dead give aways. But, like the scent-sensitive bloodhound, maybe they are perceiving something else.
Previously we've talked about how each person's gravity-energy fields disrupt and affect one another's. We've also discussed how a person's energy field generates and radiates a different frequency with each emotion. When these fields collide, or even project, are we able to sense these frequency fluctuations? In other words, can we feel the emotions of another person?
Energetic emotion
Empathy, as defined by Wikipedia, means, “the capacity to, through consciousness rather than physically, share the sadness or happiness of another sentient being.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/empath11) But is that all it means? The current, accepted views of empathy is to fictionally envision what another other person is feeling, either by relating it to a similar experience of our own or through our own understanding and imagination of consequences. But what if there is more? What if the fine print and the end of the definition stated, “does not include electromagnetic energy?”
Referring back to our original piece of fantasy, the Jedi in the “Star Wars14” world are constantly struggling with their emotions, working to keep their emotions from being sensed by other Jedi, sensing the emotions of others, and describing their own emotions giving them power... To help or to hurt. With the descriptions of people's own energy fields we can establish a sense of realism. Now, let's explore the possibility of these field’s emotional frequencies as they come in contact with each other and each person’s ability to detect them.
These individuals are known as 'Empaths.'
According to About.com's Christel Broederlow, when asked, “What is an Empath?” She responded with, “empathy is the ability to read and understand people and be in-tune with or resonate with others, voluntarily or involuntarily of one's Empath capacity. Empaths have the ability to scan another's psyche for thoughts and feelings or for past, present, and future life occurrences. Many Empaths are unaware of how this actually works, and have long accepted that they were sensitive to others.” (http://healing.about.com/cs/empathic/a/uc_empathtraits.htm12)
The idea of Empaths living among us is still a new concept. The generalized and accepted concept of Empaths is, like our imaginary Jedi, highlighted primarily as works of fiction. Comic book characters, like Gene Gray, can feel the pain and suffering of her fellow X-Men hundreds of miles away. In Stephanie Meyer's “Twilight” series the vampire Jasper is naturally able to calm the emotions of those around him. “Star Trek's” Counselor Deanna Troi is able to emphatically feel the intentions of hostile aliens. But these are just stories, right? As we've already learned, truth is stranger than fiction.
Throughout history, a mother's intuition has been widely known to tell her when her child was in danger, even over long distances. In my adult experience, I was residing in Idaho the night my life was placed in mortal jeopardy. At the time, both of my parents were residing in Mississippi. When the terrorizing situation diminished and the calm of the aftermath set in I was surprised when the phone rang; my mother knew I was in trouble and called to see if I was alright. Other people find they feel better around other people who are more energetic, happier, or calmer. Often times they flock to them. My wife’s mother has a natural ability to defuse emotional fires and drama that makes her very easy to talk to. As a result, people naturally want to be around her. Also, others may be wary when approached by a tall, darkly-dressed stranger requesting money or a conversation.
Are these alarming, embracing, or unsettling emotions the work of our body’s chemical reactions in regards to our natural instincts, established by experience, development, and culture? Perhaps. But perhaps these energy-warnings are part of our primitive mind's natural instincts, and the experience is based off of them.
Gaining empathic abilities
Sounds great! Where do I sign up? What creates an Empath or how do they develop their abilities? Charles Darwin might offer an explanation: adaptation.
In the Fox television series, “Lie to Me13” Dr. Lightman and his group of psychological 'Deception Experts' solve mysterious puzzles by studying people’s expressions, behavior, and cues that help indicate whether a person is lying or not. In the series, Dr. Lightman is wary of his protégé who has the natural gifts of spotting the tell-tale traits in a lying person, as opposed to studying the behavior for decades. Dr. Lightman's concern, as we later realize, is that most natural abilities are founded due to a traumatizing event. Such is the case for his protégé. A trigger of new, unfounded abilities may come as a survival technique intended to help protect from similar events.
Sometimes an Empath is created from the face of certain peril, whether it be emotionally, physically, mentally, socially, or even spiritually. When a tragic or life-threatening event, or sometimes several, causes deep, overwhelming emotional pain this may cause the person to become more empathetic towards the potential of similar situations. With the increased empathic sensitivity, those individuals can better be on the lookout against certain types of pains, whether it be betrayal, deception, theft, or even lying. It's the same concept of building up immunity to poisons or sickness. In essence, what doesn't emotionally kill them, makes them stronger.
Empaths are everywhere. We never know who they might be, what their level or range may consist of, or even what their abilities are totally capable of. As mentioned previously, this is a new field of discovery, even for the Empaths. But one thing I have discovered from the Empaths I have discovered: all have had their hearts broken on more than one occasion.
Elsie Lebeau, a claimed Empath, stated, “the tools available in research are not sensitive enough to provide the factual evidence we need to build a strong intellectual explanations for empath skills.” She considers the study of her own abilities and the abilities of others a 'work hypothesis.' (http://www.eliselebeau.com/empathresources.php15)
Elise Lebeau provides another theory to how people gain empathic abilities. In the “Star Wars14” universe 'the Force ' is hereditary, as the genes to feel the Force are passed on from parents to offspring through the midi-clorians (which is Lucas' basis for real life mitochondria-the cells that controversially some say connect our physical bodies to our energy bodies, or spirits). According to Elise Lebeau, all people are born with empathic ability but over time the ability fades away from lack of use, much like how the brain pruning process disconnects mental resources no longer in use. (http://www.eliselebeau.com/empathresources.php15) Remember our example of the child who knows when you are not feeling well? Many baby books warn pregnant-mothers-to-be as well as new mommies to curb their frustration; indicating that their babies can sense it. This example is seen in the informative novel, “What to Expect When You're Expecting.16”
Elise also explains that grown up Empaths create little Empaths. She provides examples in her own son who becomes energized in a crowd but is quiet and relaxed by himself. Like 'the Force,' empathic ability can also be hereditary, especially when in an environment enforces or requires abilities to sustain survival.
So how many Empaths are out there? A quick search on the internet via Google resulted in 39,000 hits. One site, claiming to be dedicated specifically to Empaths, had 201 members (http://empathcommunity.eliselebeau.com/profiles/members/17). Another site, indicated having 3,092 members (http://empaths.tribe.net/18). I didn't take the time to explore all 39,000 sites to add them up but the numbers are growing.
Triumphs and Tragedies
If the Jedi in “Star Wars14” and the heroes in literal fiction are so cool why can feeling other's emotions be a bad thing? In the '80's music was recorded onto magnetic tapes and played back on tape recorders. The audio sounds were permanently encoded onto the physical, plastic tape and then continued to produce sound over hundreds of play-backs until the tape's quality dissolved from overuse. Without proper technique, cleansing, and/or mental preparation an unrealized Empath can unknowingly collect dozens of the emotional, magnetic energies of others through their day. Remember, these are magnetic energies, and they stick to other magnetic energies if the polarization is right.
Without the knowledge of how to safely shed this unwanted, and in many cases negative, energy, the emotions of others can build up over time like plaque on your teeth, cholesterol in your blood vessels, or barnacles on a ship. Often it can, and has, overwhelm an Empath and turn the perception of emotion into the overwhelming burden of pain. As the feedback from other's emotional frequencies first breaches and then collapses an Empath's ability to endure the pressure it can translate into chronic, physical pain with symptoms similar to Fibromyalgia. But that is just the beginning. It has also been known to cause ringing in the ears, poor vision, depression, TMJ, ulcers, insomnia, fatigue, agoraphobia, panic attacks, migraines, and more. In these cases an Empath may seek solitude to avoid the frequencies of other's burdening emotions, turn to cutting as an emotional release, or in worse cases lash out against others or themselves.
To put yourself in an Empath's shoes, imagine that every person you meet on the street greets you with a splash of water to the face. Some people may splash just a cupful of water. Others, frantic and explosive, could dump an entire bathtub full over an unsuspecting Empath. Some may splash a soothing warm dose. However, for some it may be ice cold or even boiling. It's interesting that we use these descriptive analogies to describe the emotions for which they are intended. Either way, by the end of the day, an Empath could feel emotionally soaked through.
There is also the psychological pain and pressure from being an Empath as well. Like our bloodhound that trying hard to describe what's its range of scent is, an Empath doesn't know any difference outside of his or her own abilities. To them, everyone is like this and they don't understand when others don't pick up on their 'projections.' To them, it's frustrating that no one else understands what they are 'going through' or what 'they feel,' often times not realizing that what they are feeling may not be their own emotions. They may feel misunderstood and shunned, setting themselves up for a self-fulfilled prophecy that only escalates the problem and increased further when they feel the ostracizing emotions of others when they do.
To create a potential worse-case scenario lets imagine for a moment that the kids who attacked their fellow students at Columbine may have been Empaths. Targeted daily for ridicule, they may have become the student's culture of the scapegoat. Not only were they harassed on a physical, social, mental, and emotional torture but they could also feel even when nothing is going on – due to their fellow student's magnetic emotions clinging to them after they leave the school. Day after day the layers of their fellow student's afflictions are piled on top of each other with no safe valve for release.
The emotions follow them into sleep and possibly into their REM's dreams, forcing them to relive the emotional torture throughout the night. They seek solitude only for the magnetic energy to follow them, continually stirring the sting of their memories to the surface of their conscious.
When the pressure overwhelms their ability to endure physical pain begins to set in, starting with headaches and then muscle aches. They may feel as though their bodies are trying to shut down, one system at a time. They seek, or are sent, to receive counsel, only to not receive the type of assistance and relief they require as Empaths.
Now imagine this continues on for years, beginning with childhood and increasing through their adolescence. Their emotional defenses are long since compromised and they carry on throughout the day as crushed, beaten, and defeated individuals. All that remains is a breaking point and a last-ditch effort to escape the physical, mental, social, and most important – emotional pain that has doggedly trailed them for years.
How did Darth Vader react when he snapped and gave in to his own emotions? This may be the fate of an Empath without the proper assistance, training, and support necessary for emotional survival. Unfortunately, based off of the growing headlines, the tragedy incident of Columbine is becoming more and more frequent.
So how come we have never heard of this concept before? We have, but only recently and by a different name: E.Q.. Elise Lebeau provides the definition for E.Q., or Emotional Intelligence; “Emotional Intelligence is defined as "the ability, capacity, or skill to perceive, assess, and manage the emotions of one's self, of others, and of groups" (Salovey and Mayer). Developing your Emotional Intelligence means that you know what to do with the emotional information you receive and it's not just a burden you must bear anymore.” (http://www.eliselebeau.com/empathresources.php15)
Also, the concept of Empaths is relatively unknown only in our Western culture. In the Eastern culture, the concept of one's personal energy, the manipulation of that energy for healing purposes, and the channeling of that energy for active purposes have been around for centuries. Remember our earlier examples of ninjas, samurai, and monks? According to Wikipedia, the earliest recorded history of acupuncture was in the Shigi, a Chinese text written from 109 BC to 91 BC. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acupuncture19) Acupuncture is based off of this idea, working to free up the emotional blockage of negative energy within the physical body’s electrical CNS and energy channels.
A scientific study was done on Acupuncture in 2002 by Helene M. Langevin and Jason A. Yandow. Here’s what they found, “Acupuncture meridians traditionally are believed to constitute channels connecting the surface of the body to internal organs. We hypothesize that the network of acupuncture points and meridians can be viewed as a representation of the network formed by interstitial connective tissue. This hypothesis is supported by ultrasound images showing connective tissue cleavage planes at acupuncture points in normal human subjects. To test this hypothesis, we mapped acupuncture points in serial gross anatomical sections through the human arm. We found an 80% correspondence between the sites of acupuncture points and the location of intermuscular or intramuscular connective tissue planes in postmortem tissue sections. We propose that the anatomical relationship of acupuncture points and meridians to connective tissue planes is relevant to acupuncture's mechanism of action and suggests a potentially important integrative role for interstitial connective tissue.” (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ar.10185/abstract20)
Acupuncture and many of these other natural, holistic remedies are still being practiced today. It's our slow-accepting, skeptical Western culture that has not yet embraced these practices. Additional holistic remedies include Reiki energy healing/Therapeutic Touch, massage, and reflexology. Ironically, the unknown concept behind the effectiveness of ATMS is based off of the same concept of Reiki's Theraputic Touch principles; manipulating the magnetic energy to stimulates the body's energy to provoke its own natural healing abilities.
The Future of Now
Only within the past 20 years have psychologists accepted the practice of positive psychology. For hundreds of years prior to that psychologists focused on behavior, observation, cognition, biology, and cultural reasons for a patient's condition. In the beginnings of psychology patients were placed in hospitals where they were forced to undergo torturous means of 'therapy' and 'conditioning.' Most recently, the prescription of medications has been the primary 'weapon of choice.' As listed in, “Psychology for Everyday Life” by David G. Meyers1, 7 out of 10 people were prescribed medication for emotional bouts like depression in 1987. Now, it's 9 out of 10. So, if a patient goes their doctor and complains of emotional problems the first thing the physician is trained to do is reach for the pharmaceutical “Sears & Roebuck's” ordering catalog.
So what is the side effect of taking a medication for a cause one does not have? Certainly, one would not drink Pepto Bismal if one did not suffer from an upset stomach. Just as one would not build a sandwich and use ibuprofen instead of luncheon meat.
Knowledge is power. Understanding the true cause of a thing helps us to understand the true principle of the thing. Here are some suggestive questions that one may ask themselves to see if they are an Empath or not:
•Have I been labeled as “too emotional” or overly sensitive?
•If a friend is distraught, do I start feeling it too?
•Are my feelings easily hurt?
•Am I emotionally drained by crowds and require time alone to revive?
•Do my nerves get frayed by noise, smells, or excessive talk?
•Do I prefer taking my own car places so that I can leave when I please?
•Do I overeat to cope with emotional stress?
•Am I afraid of becoming engulfed by intimate relationships?
Answering “yes” to 1-3 of these questions describes you as at least part Empath. Answering “yes” to 3 or more is an indication that you’ve found your emotional type.
(http://www.drjudithorloff.com/Free-Articles/emotional-empath-EF.htm21)
Here is the hope for the future. In, “Psychology for Everyday Life” by David G. Meyers1, Free association is normally defined as taking a long time before it can produce results. That's not the case for an Empath. A fully functional Empath, with the proper training, practice, visual imagery, and techniques can become a powerful therapy tool. Elsie Lebeau defines it in her own terms, “Then I finally found a way to start using my skills: psychology. I started studying in this field in college and was unusually good at it, even though I did not know why. But I felt more empowered, having learned how to inspire and support change through the counseling process.” (http://www.eliselebeau.com/empathresources.php15)
Judith Orloff, M.D. also explains the importance of Empath health in her book, “Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life” (Harmony Books, 2009). Another Empath website spotlighted a Dr. Michael Smith, who has published several self-help books and online training videos just for Empaths.
(http://www.squidoo.com/empath-intuition-dr-michael-smith22).
Imagine having a doctor that actually knows exactly what you are going through. Or, imagine a doctor that actually can have the insight to know how to correctly diagnosis your condition. Dr. Orloff describes the benefits of her channeled abilities, “Now that I can center myself and refrain from shouldering civilization’s discontents, empathy continues to make me freer, igniting my compassion, vitality, and sense of the miraculous.” She provides this additional sense of hope, “Recognizing that you’re an Empath is the first step in taking charge of your emotions instead of constantly drowning in them. Staying on top of empathy will improve your self-care and relationships.”
("http://www.drjudithorloff.com/Free-Articles/emotional-empath-EF.htm" 23)
Naturalistic, holistic, and energy therapies are slowly becoming the norm as patients are reaching out for traditional forms of treatment. D.O. doctors are becoming more and more popular among patients seeking holistic medicine. “A doctor of osteopathic medicine (D.O.) is a physician licensed to practice medicine, perform surgery, and prescribe medication.” (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002020.htm24) “D.O.s have been specially trained to perform osteopthic manipulations on patients. They view the patient as a 'total person" and focus on preventative care. They view the whole body rather than treat specific symptoms or illness. D.O.s use Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) in their practice. This involves the use of their hands to diagnose injury and illness and to encourage your body's natural ability to heal. Osteopathic medicine is a fast-growing segment of the United States healthcare field.” (http://www.mommd.com/whatisdo.shtml25)
Some D.O. doctors combine the best of Eastern traditions and Western medicine; giving them a broader, eclectic toolbox of solutions for their patients. My sister, upon seeking medical treatment for her misdiagnosed ailments, was provided a device by her D.O. doctor. This device could measure her body's magnetic reaction to certain foods and medicines to see whether her body responded positively to it or not. This is a natural ability some Empaths may possess already.
With the new found information at our fingertips via the internet, support, training, understanding, and even better, hope is now available to Empaths. Until further information, public awareness, and overall acceptance is achieved we can only hope that Empaths discover who and what they are before the confusion of a misdiagnosed remedies escalates a difficult situation into a worse one.
In conclusion the scientific evidence does not support the existence of the abilities of Empaths, although history does. In the end, it's the faith of those that can and believe against the skepticism of science that can't and doesn't. My experiences in this regard have been life-altering and in many cases life-saving. I believe that the communication of Empathic ability to those seeking treatment for emotional problems may find better happiness, peace, and joy with training and understanding as opposed to treatments and medication. Fully functioning Empaths may also learn to control their abilities to be able to become useful society building tools.
Resource page
1. Psychology for everyday Life” by David G. Meyers11
2. George Lucas, Time Magazine, April 20022
3. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Huttese3
4. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Force4
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch'i5
6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chi6
7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_force7
8. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakra8
9. What the Bleep Do We Know?9
10. http://www.jimmyryce.org/BloodhoundProject.html10
11. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empath11
12. http://healing.about.com/cs/empathic/a/uc_empathtraits.htm12
13. Lie to Me,13
14. Star Wars14
15. http://www.eliselebeau.com/empathresources.php15
16. What to Expect When You're Expecting.16
17. http://empathcommunity.eliselebeau.com/profiles/members/17
18. http://empaths.tribe.net/18
19. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acupuncture19
20. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ar.10185/abstract20
21. http://www.drjudithorloff.com/Free-Articles/emotional-empath-EF.htm21
22. http://www.squidoo.com/empath-intuition-dr-michael-smith22
23. http://www.drjudithorloff.com/Free-Articles/emotional-empath-EF.htm23
24. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002020.htm24
25. http://www.mommd.com/whatisdo.shtml25
