Empaths
You’ve probably been told this your whole life…
You’re just so sensitive!
You need to grow a thicker skin.
I was just joking. Can’t you take a joke?
This repeated messaging sank into you…
It branded you.
But those comments from parents, peers, or siblings never quite sat right with you – like a glue that wouldn’t quite stick.
Even when some part of you was thinking there WAS something wrong with you, another part – perhaps a quieter, more hidden part – said, “That’s just not quite right.”
This “underground” part of you was right.
There isn’t a thing wrong with how sensitively you take in the world.
How you pick up on emotions and vibes so intuitively…
How you cry during movie scenes to which others don’t react at all…
How deeply you see injustices in the world that others seem not to notice…
The truth is… you have a gift: the capacity to take in the world with more finely tuned gauges than most.
But it’s not without a cost…
The constant judgment from others has left you feeling down about yourself, like there’s something inside you that’s just off.
You have a difficult time trusting your inner voice. After so many invalidating messages, there’s an internal conflict whenever you feel deeply about something.
Sometimes you hate yourself. Why can’t I just be like everyone else? It feels like your burden.
As a result, you avoid things you’d like to do, such as speaking up in a group or asserting your desires.
It’s not just your natural sensitivity to the world. It’s what you’ve been told about it – about you.
What if I told you it didn’t have to be like this?
That your relationship with yourself doesn’t need to be so fraught with conflict?
That you could feel at peace with who you are?
That the path to what you need and want out of life can be clear and unencumbered?
What would you give if that could be your reality?
A month of effort?
A year?
More?
You can fall in love with yourself, but it does require effort.
You haven’t yet discovered the beauty of who you are because you haven’t been supported and taught how to love your special talent.
The roots from which your being will bloom haven’t quite hit bedrock yet, so your confidence isn’t quite where it should be.
But we can change that!
We’ll push the sprouts of your tree of life, giving you a stronger, thicker trunk as you journey to the heart of who you are:
Disentangling those mental knots…
I know how hard it can be to figure out what’s valid and what you should leave behind.
By sorting through the contents of your mind, you’ll be able to develop an accurate sense of self-esteem built on reality – not the fog inside.
Allowing yourself to know what you think and feel…
The internal conflict can be exhausting. You’re aware of some of what you think or feel, but then the counterpoint – others’ opinions – jumps in whether the other person is there or not.
When you can clarify what you really think or feel about something, you can more confidently assert your boundaries.
Letting go of the habits that don’t serve you…
You want to help or please instinctively. As someone with your empathic talent, you recognize that not everyone cares so much about others.
Sometimes you actually want to step back and take care of yourself instead. Wouldn’t that be nice?
How will we do this?
I use a variety of effective modalities to meet you where you are.
For deep self-compassion work, we’ll rely on Internal Family Systems – a modality that mixes meditation and self-inquiry.
We’ll use CBT and genuine, back-and-forth conversation for the practical issues of differentiating reality from your inner storm of opinions.
The goals of our work circle around these main ideas:
Helping you develop healthy self-esteem.
Guiding you toward asserting yourself in a way that feels balanced to you.
Engendering a sense of inner peace with your talents.
Developing a deeper appreciation of this life that you have.
Every step of the way…
I’ll be with you, in your corner, providing perspective, serving as a sounding board, and helping you develop deeper insight every step of the way.
To help you get a good sense of what you actually think and feel, I’ll help you break down these internal battles inside you into more bite-sized pieces.
We’ll talk about each issue you’re facing, and I’ll give you the validation you haven’t had enough of yet so that you can begin to see things from your point of view – rather than defaulting to taking the other person’s side.
I’ll provide an additional perspective that speaks to the love you naturally have for others, but that also gives you space to think about what you really want from a situation.
In our work, you’ll get to embody how you genuinely feel. I do my best to provide a safe place to be authentic with yourself: whether what you’re feeling is sorrow and grief or deep rage.
We’ll take a look at how you currently move through the world. The behaviors that either serve or don’t serve the life you’d like to live.
By tapping into what you intuitively would like to do in your life and exploring what it would look like to live from this place, you can give your vision for yourself a test drive.
When you’re ready, you’ll put these things into practice out there in the real world. And the nice thing is I’ll be here each week to hear about how things went.
To listen to your excitement over a success.
Or to provide empathy and understanding when things don’t go as planned.
Learn to see your openness as what it is: a tremendous gift.
It’s not a curse.
And you don’t need to fear it!
Realize that those who recognize the suffering in the world are in a unique position to heal it.
Let’s work on healing you so that you can live your potential in this world!
Plant the seed. Call me today for your free consultation: (919) 627-7329.