I’ve heard the following statements a lot in my time treating people with chronic illnesses:
“I’m too sensitive to handle the full dose of that remedy.”
“My body doesn’t do well with that.”
“I can only handle a few minutes of that therapy, not the whole time.”
“Can we turn the intensity down?”
These are all certainly legitimate issues and can be the result of many internal challenges that the body could be dealing with; but one of the most common reasons for them is EMPATHY. I’m not referring to the traditional understanding of the word empathy – the capacity to place oneself in another’s position. Rather, I’m speaking of an empathic being: one who can quite literally feel, and sense, what is going on around them and with others, often times causing, or exacerbating, health issues.
There’s a really good book by Dr. Judith Orloff called The Empath’s Survival Guide. In it, she notes the following questions to ask of yourself:
- 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, 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?
If you answer yes to most of the questions, then there is a very good chance
that you are an empath. Consequently, this may be one reason you are dealing
with an illness, or have trouble tolerating treatment.
A recent research study done in England showed that some individuals actually feel pain while watching videos of others experiencing physical pain.
Similar research was done by the same group, showing a link between Mirror Touch Synasthesia and a person’s empathic nature. MTS is the ability to “feel” the feelings of others. The findings of this study concluded that “MTS is related to increased emotional reactivity to others and better ability to read facial expressions of emotion.”
For those having trouble with controlling or living with their empathic nature, this type of research (and the simple fact that it’s being done) should provide some level of comfort. This phenomena is real and science is beginning to back that up!
So, what can you do to address this issue?
First off, I think it’s vitally important to see this as a blessing and not a curse. Sure, it’s easy to see how problematic this can be when you are dealing with a health challenge, or illness, and your ability to heal is inhibited by the fact that you can sense and feel everything that’s going on around you. When addressing this with patients, I often use the example of an idea that most of us have heard before – If you can think yourself sick, then you can think yourself well!
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that it’s all in your head. But if you think of the idea of making positive statements to override negative ones, you can then apply that same principle to your empathic nature. If you have the power to feel what others are feeling, then you also have the power to send them any positive energy you have to overcome it.
Human nature says that if I have a headache and you, as an empath, feel it as well, then you will lay the blame of feeling that headache on me. Makes some sense, since I brought the headache to you. Instead, let’s turn that around and say that you provide positive, healing energy, and thoughts, toward me. My headache might lessen and that, in turn, will help you. I also believe that by providing said positive, healing energy, you are building a stronger energetic tolerance of anything going on around you.
In addition, empathic power can be turned inward, toward oneself. Whether symptoms are actually yours, or something you are taking on from someone else, it is possible to learn to turn them away. Visualization is a great way to look inside yourself and see what it is that’s affecting you. You can then use creative methods of elimination to make them go away. Say, for instance, you have pain in your back and, upon visualization, you see your muscles on fire (FYI, I’m an empath and I’ve had success with this visualization in the past). You can then visualize a fire hose blasting water on the fire to put it out, followed by a snowfall to calm and cool it down. Shortly after, my pain was improved significantly!
If you are looking for more resources, here’s a great website you can turn to for assistance in learning more about your empathic nature and how to make it work for you! https://thehappysensitive.com/
At the Institute for Restorative Health, our doctors take special care to address the unique needs of our patients who are highly sensitive. To find out more, contact us to schedule a complimentary consultation.
