Support for Empathic Children

By Caron Goode

Empathic children feel their way through the world, and they have acute mental or emotional sensibilities, and they want to be responsive to other people’s feelings. Yet, at times, their sensitivity threshold is low. They are often told, “You are too sensitive,” rather than being recognized for their gifts of emotional intelligence.

What a delight when a child is recognized for his gift of empathy! Our friend, Dr. Minette Riordan, shared that when her sensitive son Conner was five years old and entered kindergarten, she went to work in launching a local parenting newspaper, North Texas Kids. One week of every month was pressure filled with newspaper deadlines, and Conner's response was to feel his mom’s stress and become distressed also.

Connor ended up getting into trouble at school for pushing another child into a locker. The teacher was clear that he was provoked but expressed concern that Conner, a normally happy, relaxed child, should react aggressively. After a lengthy discussion about what was going on at home, Minette realized that Conner would react to her stress at work by acting out at school.

Minette learned to help Conner through these stressful times by giving him plenty of advance notice about the timing of her busy, upcoming week. She would tell Conner, "I won't be home much this week" or "You won't see me as often this week, but once we get to Saturday, I will have the whole weekend to spend with you." Moreover, Minette made herself smile, hugged her son more, and talked to him in calming tones rather than strident tones. By managing her own stress and preparing Conner, she gave him language and a way to healthfully express his distress at not seeing her enough during that week of the month.

Minette’s story demonstrates what goes on in every household with parents and children. Children feel the parents’ pain, tension stress or discord—basically the emotional energy of the home that makes everyone uptight and upset. Yes, kids are adaptable, and part of parenting is to soothe and help children learn to soothe themselves. Such interactions are even more necessary for the “sensitive kids.”

For more information on helping empathic children, please see Raising Intuitive Children.

If you are an empath struggling with managing the energy overload that tends to accompany this gift, you might want to join us for a free training event: “Empaths Shifting into 2012: A Telesummit to Help Energy-Sensitive People Understand Their Spiritual Role on Earth” September 6, 13, 20, & 27, 2011. Sign up at http://live-spirit.com/empathytelesummit.

© 2011 Dr. Goode is the founder of the Academy for Coaching Parents International, a global online school for training successful, wealthy parenting coaches in home-based businesses. She is the author of fifteen books, including the international best seller, Kids Who See Ghosts, the national award-winner Raising Intuitive Children. See and review all of Dr. Goode’s books here.


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PURCHASE paperback book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You at http://tinyurl.com/EmpathAmazon. The e-book version is now available for Kindle, iPhone, iPad, and other digital reading devices.

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Resources: Audio to Help Empaths Ground and Center Their Energy - 2

This is part two of an audio for clearing, cleansing, and balancing chakras. It begins where the first audio left off. This segment lasts eight minutes, and reminds the listener of these truths:

• I am connected to the source of all life
• I am one with the divine
• I am a co-creator, working with my spiritual guidance team to bring heaven on earth through my words, thoughts, feelings, and actions
• The divine essence within me is activated and merged with every cell in my body
• My ALL THAT IS aspect is joined with my mind
• I am spirit having an experience in a human body. I am much more than a body.
• I am a powerful manifester
• I manifest on purpose, not by default.
• I have the ability to set and maintain healthy boundaries.
• I am keenly interested in growing spiritually; therefore, I take the time necessary to know my true self and hear the voice of wisdom within.
• I am willing to change, evolve, and ascend in order to accomplish my divine mission.

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Get the paperback book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings,and Energy of Those Around You at http://tinyurl.com/EmpathAmazon. The e-book version is now available for Kindle, iPhone, iPad, and other digital reading devices.

If These Walls Could Talk: How Your Home May Be Affecting You More Than You Think

Growing up it pained me to go into antique stores. I would get this suffocating feeling that felt like the walls were coming in on me. Not to mention all the smells lurking around. I thought I just didn’t like antiques. But looking back I realize that I was picking up on all the energy emanating from the antiques. Each item had stories to tell and memories to share. I just wanted to go home.

It was about five years ago when my understanding of energy took a leap forward. I was lying in bed one Sunday morning gazing across the room thinking about my day when I saw an aura field around the curtain rod. How could this be, I thought? I had previously been able to see aura fields around humans and flowers. But, curtain rods aren’t living. In that moment, I inherently understood what quantum physics has been trying to tell us. Everything is energy and everything has an energy field.

With this understanding, my feng shui practice took off. Every item in our home has an energy field. And that energy field contains everything that item has experienced and witnessed. So you can begin to imagine the overwhelment of walking into an antique store with thousands of items holding years and years of collected energy. You most likely have experienced this yourself. Have you ever walked into someone’s home or even a store and immediately felt uneasy for no apparent reason. The phrase, “you could cut the tension with a knife,” perfectly describes the powerful effects that we all pick up on in spaces, regardless of whether we are extra-sensitive, or not.

We can choose what spaces we go into, but what about our own home? Have you ever considered that the energy in your own home may be negatively affecting you on a daily basis? Our home should instead be our refuge from the world. It should be the one place we can go to recharge our batteries, not run us down. Here’s some suggestions on what to look for and how to minimize the effects of lingering energy in your home.

1. Items With a Past: I walked into a client’s home recently that was filled with amazing, museum-grade relics, such as masks, sculptures, and paintings. These items had a lot to say! Take inventory of your home. Do you have antiques, pre-owned items, or hand-me-down furniture? Hold or touch the item and notice how you feel. You may even be able to read the item for information. No worries, if not. Just notice how you feel. If it’s not a positive feeling, then consider getting rid of the item.

2. Items With Emotional Attachments: Items that trigger emotional memories within ourselves can be the most potent. Once again, take inventory of your belongings and make sure you are not holding on to anything that conjures up negative memories. The most common example what be an item from a previous relationship that was not so good. Use the item to forgive and make peace with the past so that you can move forward. And then say good-bye to that item too.

3. Paint a Room: Paint can immediately transform a room – aesthetically and energetically. If a room doesn’t feel good to you, give it a new coat of paint. It immediately cleans, clears, and brightens a room.

4. Energy From Previous Owners: The first thing we all do when moving into a new space is clean it. No one wants to live among others’ dirt and grime. But what about the previous occupants’ energy? It is essential to space clear your space upon moving in. If you haven’t done it yet, go ahead and do it now! The most common method is by sage smudging with a bundle of sage. However, if you are sensitive to smoke, then check out my Smudge Spray. Using bells is another great way to clear and energize a space. Both of these methods are discussed in more detail in my book, Feng Shui Your Life. The same method you use for your space can be used to clear individual items as well.
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Tisha Morris is a feng shui expert, life coach, and the author of Feng Shui Your Life. For more information, visit www.tishamorris.com.
Get your FREE Feng Shui Bagua Map + Goal Sheet DOWNLOAD HERE!


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PURCHASE paperback book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You at http://tinyurl.com/EmpathAmazon. The e-book version is now available for Kindle, iPhone, iPad, and other digital reading devices.

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Resources: Audio to Help Empaths Ground and Center Their Energy - 1

Empathic or energy-sensitive people need help and resources to stay emotionally balanced and protected from the energy of their environment. They pick up all kinds of electrical impulses from cell phones, power plants, and computers to the thoughts, feelings, and emotions of those around them. Here is the first in a series of audios designed to help empaths ground and center their energy.

Prepare to establish the color of grounding cord you desire and the length of minutes you would like to have the golden sunlight flow in your aura. Two to five minutes is recommended for beginners. Click the small arrow in the player below to listen to the audio.

Go to here for part two of this exercise.

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PURCHASE paperback book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings,and Energy of Those Around You at http://tinyurl.com/EmpathAmazon. The e-book version is now available for Kindle, iPhone, iPad, and other digital reading devices.

How to Smudge Yourself with Sage

For many years, Native Americans have used smudging to cleanse an area, a person, or auric field of detrimental energy. The most common herb to use for this purpose is white sage.

When my husband is home and I need a clearing, I’ll ask him to do the honors, but when I’m home alone, I smudge my own body with sage. In the video below I show you how I do this.You can smudge yourself quite easily by using a piece of cardboard to fan the smoke over your entire body. I use a smudge wand that I created from feathers of birds that I resonate with.





Our guides wait for us to ask for their help rather than infringing upon our free will. Simply ask that your entire body and aura be cleansed by the high, pure vibration of the smoking sage. I also call upon the Violet Flame of St. Germaine to transmute any detrimental energy released in my clearing session into a useful, positive, uplifting energy that will help you sense your oneness with Source, which is Love and Light.

Your intention is powerful and Source knows what you need. Therefore, there is no right or wrong way to smudge. It will be effective rather quickly.

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PURCHASE paperback book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You at http://tinyurl.com/EmpathAmazon. The e-book version is now available for Kindle, iPhone, iPad, and other digital reading devices.

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Great Times for an Empath to be Alive!

We live in such wonderful times and it is a privilege to be on planet Earth. We have always been spirit beings with abilities beyond our limited human imaginations, but now we are waking up to these gifts in order to help heal the planet and ourselves/others. Having the ability to shape what others think and experience is quite a serious responsibility. Use your power and send love and light to benefit all.

Here is an encouraging audio message for empaths:

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PURCHASE paperback book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You at http://tinyurl.com/EmpathAmazon. The e-book version is now available for Kindle, iPhone, iPad, and other digital reading devices.

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How To Stop Absorbing Other People’s Negative Emotions

Adapted from Dr. Judith Orloff’s new book “Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life” (Three Rivers Press, 2011)

Emotional freedom means learning how to stay centered in a stressful, highly emotionally charged world. Since emotions such as fear, anger, and frustration are energies, you can potentially “catch” them from people without realizing it. If you tend to be an emotional sponge, it’s vital to know how to avoid taking on an individual’s negative emotions or the free-floating kind in crowds. Another twist is that chronic anxiety, depression, or stress can turn you into an emotional sponge by wearing down your defenses. Suddenly, you become hyper-attuned to others, especially those with similar pain. That’s how empathy works; we zero in on hot-button issues that are unresolved in ourselves. From an energetic standpoint, negative emotions can originate from several sources. What you’re feeling may be your own; it may be someone else’s; or it may be a combination. I’ll explain how to tell the difference and strategically bolster positive emotions so you don’t shoulder negativity that doesn’t belong to you.

This wasn’t something I always knew how to do. Growing up, my girlfriends couldn't wait to hit the shopping malls and go to parties, the bigger the better--but I didn't share their excitement. I always felt overwhelmed, exhausted around large groups of people, though I was clueless why. "What's the matter with you?" friends would say, shooting me the weirdest looks. All I knew was that crowded places and I just didn't mix. I'd go there feeling just fine but leave nervous, depressed, or with some horrible new ache or pain. Unsuspectingly, I was a gigantic sponge, absorbing the emotions of people around me.

With my patients, I’ve also seen how absorbing other people’s  emotions can trigger panic attacks, depression, food, sex and drug binges, and a plethora of physical symptoms that defy traditional medical diagnosis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that more than two million Americans suffer from chronic fatigue. It’s likely that many of them are emotional sponges.

Here are some strategies from Emotional Freedom to practice. They will help you to stop absorbing other people’s emotions.

Emotional Action Step: How To Stay Centered In A Stressful World
To detach from other people’s negative emotions:

• First, ask yourself: Is the feeling mine or someone else’s? It could be both. If the emotion such as fear or anger is yours, gently confront what’s causing it on your own or with professional help. If not, try to pinpoint the obvious generator. For instance, if you’ve just watched a comedy, yet you came home from the movie theater feeling blue, you may have incorporated the depression of the people sitting beside you; in close proximity, energy fields overlap. The same is true with going to a mall or packed concert.
• When possible, distance yourself from the suspected source. Move at least twenty feet away; see if you feel relief. Don’t err on the side of not wanting to offend strangers. In a public place, don’t hesitate to change seats if you feel a sense of depression imposing on you. 
• For a few minutes, center yourself by concentrating on your breath: This connects you to your essence. Keep exhaling negativity, inhaling calm. This helps to ground yourself and purify fear or other difficult emotions Visualize negativity as gray fog lifting from your body, and hope as golden light entering. This can yield quick results.
• Negative emotions such as fear frequently lodge in your emotional center at the solar plexus. Place your palm there as you keep sending loving-kindness to that area to flush stress out. For longstanding depression or anxiety, use this method daily to strengthen this center. It’s comforting and builds a sense of safety and optimism. 
• Shield yourself. A handy form of protection many people use, including healers with trying patients, involves visualizing an envelope of white light (or any color you feel imparts power) around your entire body. Think of it as a shield that blocks out negativity or physical discomfort but allows what's positive to filter in.
• Look for positive people and situations. Call a friend who sees the good in others. Spend time with a colleague who affirms the bright side of things. Listen to hopeful people. Hear the faith they have in themselves and others. Also relish hopeful words, songs, and art forms. Hope is contagious and it will lift your mood.

Keep practicing these strategies. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time you’re on emotional overload. With strategies to cope, you can have quicker retorts to stressful situations, feel safer, and your sensitivities can blossom.


Judith Orloff MD, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA and intuition expert, is author of the New York Times Bestseller Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life (Three Rivers Press, 2011) Her other bestsellers are Positive Energy, Intuitive Healing, and Second Sight. Dr. Orloff synthesizes the pearls of traditional medicine with cutting edge knowledge of intuition and energy medicine. She passionately believes that the future of medicine involves integrating all this wisdom to achieve emotional freedom and total wellness. www.drjudithorloff.com

FREE MINI VIDEO CLASSES ON YOUTUBE FOR YOU!
Please check out “Dr. Orloff’s Living Room Series” to find out more about the special method Dr. Orloff recommends to remember your dreams and other topics to build the power within. Stop by www.youtube.com/judithorloffmd anytime.
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PURCHASE paperback book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings,and Energy of Those Around You at http://tinyurl.com/EmpathAmazon. The e-book version is now available for Kindle, iPhone, iPad, and other digital reading devices.

Why Do Some People Have The Gift of Empathy?

Recently I was asked if being able to feel so much as an empath has such damaging side effects why is it called a gift?
The true purpose of this gift is for humans to be able to transform detrimental energy into beneficial energy and keep the planet in balance. If we continuously live aligned with our ego instead of our higher self, we have a problem. Rather than transmuting negative energy and allowing it to flow through us, we absorb it and it sticks to and combines with lower vibrating frequencies (anger, resentment, shame, guilt, codependency, etc) that we have within us. Thus, we collect stuff in our field, which can cloud our judgment, cause mood swings, and even make us physically sick. Many times the fields of empaths are so cluttered they are unable to identify or separate their own energy from that of another person.

You’ve been around being who spread cheer or “light up a room” so to speak. If an empath is clear and living in alignment with spirit/higher self, they are filled with Love and Light, and can act as a filter. Any detrimental energy around them is automatically transmuted and darkness is exposed as an illusion of the ego. The unwanted energy moves through in the auric field and subtle bodies a non-resistant manner. If any low-vibrating energy does gets stuck, the trained empath can quickly clear it before it become a problem.

From birth to death to afterlife, we are mysteriously connected. Because we are connected, everything we think, say, or do affects all of humanity and ultimately our planet. The awakened empath who employs a practice leading toward spiritual ascension will find their intuition stronger and more reliable. Most empaths also have some healing abilities that become keener as the gift is developed. Without even realizing it, a conscious and clear empath is constantly releasing the karma of others by bringing in and anchoring higher frequencies in the Earth plane.

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PURCHASE paperback book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You at http://tinyurl.com/EmpathAmazon. The e-book version is now available for Kindle, iPhone, iPad, and other digital reading devices.

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VIDEO: Clearing and Protecting Your Energy Field Part Two

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PURCHASE paperback book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings,and Energy of Those Around You at http://tinyurl.com/EmpathAmazon. The e-book version is now available for Kindle, iPhone, iPad, and other digital reading devices.

Intriguing, stimulating, and exceptionally informative

This is a book that needed to be written! Starting from the premise that “Empaths are loving, caring and kind people who want to help others,” Yvonne comprehensively and yet engagingly maps out the whole subject of empathy, weaving her own extra-ordinary experiences and search for understanding through an abundance of researched facts, resources, and advice. Dr Caron Goode brings examples from her practice of working with empaths and looks at the psychological aspect of empathy.

I personally most enjoyed the chapters on setting boundaries to support oneself (and the huge list of tools she gives us!), the development of empathy in children and how it often gets lost, and how established churches react to empaths, but I found the whole book intriguing, stimulating, and exceptionally informative. ~ Shelagh Jones, Spiritus - the Spiritual Marketing Directory

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PURCHASE paperback book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings,and Energy of Those Around You at http://tinyurl.com/EmpathAmazon. The e-book version is now available for Kindle, iPhone, iPad, and other digital reading devices.

Testimonial: This Book for Empaths Really Is Helping Sensitive People Heal

I got a wonderful review and thank you from a reader of my book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You (http://tinyurl.com/EmpathAmazon).

"yvonne, i just want to say a big thank you for your book..i received it in the post almost 2wks ago and was half way through reading the book the first day:) its wonderful ..your book is writen with such honesty and openness and i felt a part of my own journey in the pages as i read..it really is a great overall manual for empaths and also thank you for being so open about the ups and downs you have experienced along your journey..it gives me great hope and is so uplifting to see how far you've came and how you are embracing your empathy and with such simple methods of how to manage it myself..i feel empowered to march on and out those tips to use and i am , every day now:) thank you yvonne for sharing this treasure with the world"

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The e-book version is now available for Kindle, iPhone, iPad, and other digital reading devices. The audio version is coming soon.

Video: The Characteristics of An Empath

This video discusses the characteristics of an empath.

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PURCHASE paperback book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You at http://tinyurl.com/EmpathAmazon. The e-book version is now available for Kindle, iPhone, iPad, and other digital reading devices.

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What is This Power Empaths Possess?

It's exciting to connect with other empaths who are ready to start using their intuitive gifts to bless and heal others. The perk is that we heal ourselves in the process!

The "power" empaths possess is that of Spirit/Source/God/Goddess/Universe (whatever you want to call it) moving through us as a vessel or conduit. When we have loving intentions in our hearts and send out energy to others, we can trust that Spirit will direct that healing effort to the exact place it belongs and can have the best effect. We need not try to control that. All we need to be concerned about in this respect is that we stay as clear as possible and listen to the inner voice that instructs us when it is time to send energy to someone.

We do send energy by default (or unknowingly) and we also pick up energy of all kinds. Again, the key is to stay clear as a vessel for this marvelous work.

Take a look around this blog. There are a lot of recommended resources for empaths: CDs, MP3s, books, exercises/visualizations, articles, and even a free telesummit coming in September to train empaths to use their gifts in a more intentional manner.


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PURCHASE paperback book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You at http://tinyurl.com/EmpathAmazon. The e-book version is now available for Kindle, iPhone, iPad, and other digital reading devices.

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AUDIO: Setting Boundaries with People and Caring for Yourself

Energy sensitive people tend to have an overload of electrical impulses (thoughts, emotions, cell phones, computers, etc.) in our environment. Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You is especially geared toward helping people who are so empathic that they are unknowingly picking up and carrying the energy of other people. This manifests as mood swings, depression, fatigue, and illness. Learn how to protect yourself from energy overload, set boundaries, and keep your auric field clear.

Most people do not realize how connected we are, let alone how much this connection affects us. We feel compelled to help others even when we need to rest or care for ourselves. We have assigned nobility to the martyr who keeps pushing when they are drained. Here’s a meditative affirmation to help empathic people set boundaries and find encouragement to take time in self care.

VIDEO: What it Means to Be an Empath

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PURCHASE paperback book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You at http://tinyurl.com/EmpathAmazon. The e-book version is now available for Kindle, iPhone, iPad, and other digital reading devices.

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