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[corvus]

Do other empaths ever find that they are a bit out of touch with reality/their guards against emotion are so well built-up that they've stopped feeling everyone else's emotions so acutely? Sometimes when I actively try to take these walls down, the emotion is so overwhelming that I have to put them back up again. I used to think I had BPD or some kind of mood disorder because my moods were just so incredibly intense and random, but I know better now.

[Shinichi]

Ah, yes. Those "walls" are commonly known as Apathy, and I happily shrouded myself in it for many years, and still lose myself in its folds from time to time.

Apathy can be a terrible thing, because you inevitably not only numb the emotions that come from others, but also your own. Trying to function in daily life as an emotional zombie is a very unpleasent thing, let me tell you.

To overcome this, I usually encourage people to cultivate a sense of detatchment or center through meditation and a sense of inner-peace and stability through grounding. This way, the walls of apathy are overcome and replaced with a superior state of mind and emotion where empathy acts as another simple layer of language, like gestures or facial expressions, simply helping you better understand other people.

This is my view, though. Even if I've had my empathy for almost a decade now, I haven't been a practitioner quite that long yet, so im sure there are other, perhaps better opinions around here.



~:Shin:~

[ShadowRain]

Yep.  Everything (empathy, telepathy, energy, you name it) was overwhelming enough to me that I would just sort of "leave".  It wasn't so much building walls around myself as no longer being "in my body".  Some how at some point I figured out that if I detached from my body it dampened stuff, with the side effect that I end up feeling a bit spacey and "not here".  Unfortunately this means that I don't really feel the good or the bad (whether other people's emotions, my own, or even normal physical sensory stuff).  And, ironically, when I'm not "in my body" it's more difficult to "claim my space" so I end up getting continually overwhelmed.  Nasty cycle.

I second Shinichi's recommendation of grounding, centering, and meditation.  I've found a bit of concentration meditation to help with quieting my mind down, and I use EFT/Meridian Tapping (instructions here) for dealing with the fears I've built up over the years about being present (the fear of being overwhelmed by people's emotions is significantly worse than people's actual emotions at this point).  But my personal favorite type of meditation is something Charles Tart has been mentioning recently in his blog--a type of mindfulness meditation where you maintain an awareness of your arms and legs while you go about your other activities (this blog post of his discusses it and the theory behind it).

For a beginner, I'd recommend learning to make a reliable filter shield as a stop-gap measure, but in the long run, I think mental control is the way to go.

[ClueLou]

Does this apply to those with telepathy as well?

[Shinichi]

For Telepaths its not so much a matter of Apathy, which is a character trait associated primarily with emotion. But yes, Telepaths can be overwhelmed just the same and become socially withdrawn and such. And the solution I would suggest is the same as before: Meditation, Centering and Grounding with the goals of creating a sense of inner peace and stability.



~:Shin:~

[Maelstrom]

.Apathy can be a terrible thing, because you inevitably not only numb the emotions that come from others, but also your own. Trying to function in daily life as an emotional zombie is a very unpleasent thing, let me tell you.




~:Shin:~

Yup... It is terrible.... I began feeling emotions last year, I was still in 3rd Year High School that time.... I don'r know how to stop feeling/catching these strong emotions and because of that, I am prone to overloading...(I'm not a practitioner back then, I just started this year...) After a while, I started to "ignore" these emotions.... which lead to my present state/problem... I can't feel my on emotions anymore... maybe just a little but not that strong anymore.... I am still an empath because I can still sense emotions passively... (i don't know how to receive emotions aggressively or with my intention to do so...)


As of now, I'm trying to break this wall.... meditate.... uhmmmm..... ask my Sub-C to help me break it....

[ClueLou]

Might be a bit off topic... but would those that had numbed themselves like this... wouldn't they replace their emotions with psi based feelings? or even in case a construct or possession ... wouldn't something like put someone in this emotional state a real mess? heard sensitive people  sometimes do this because they are unable to tolerate the pain of others around them... or they would go insane.

[Shinichi]

.Apathy can be a terrible thing, because you inevitably not only numb the emotions that come from others, but also your own. Trying to function in daily life as an emotional zombie is a very unpleasent thing, let me tell you.




~:Shin:~

Yup... It is terrible.... I began feeling emotions last year, I was still in 3rd Year High School that time.... I don'r know how to stop feeling/catching these strong emotions and because of that, I am prone to overloading...(I'm not a practitioner back then, I just started this year...) After a while, I started to "ignore" these emotions.... which lead to my present state/problem... I can't feel my on emotions anymore... maybe just a little but not that strong anymore.... I am still an empath because I can still sense emotions passively... (i don't know how to receive emotions aggressively or with my intention to do so...)

Again, my best suggestion is Meditation, Centering and Grounding. Meditation to relax and quiet your mind, Centering to return to that mentally peaceful state whenever you want and need to, and Grounding to release the emotions and energies that you receive from other people and things.

My empathy is still passive, but I'm not as apathetic as I once was, and I certainly don't get overwhelmed as often as I once did.

Might be a bit off topic... but would those that had numbed themselves like this... wouldn't they replace their emotions with psi based feelings? or even in case a construct or possession ... wouldn't something like put someone in this emotional state a real mess? heard sensitive people  sometimes do this because they are unable to tolerate the pain of others around them... or they would go insane.

There may be those who could do those things, but Apathy is a psychological issue, and not really a psionic one. So even if an apathetic person learns to shield and to ground and center and all this, they still have the problem of being numb to emotions and maybe even energy, perhaps even to the inevitable extent that by the time they overcome the issue years later they have lost they're original empathy and similar abilities entirely.

It really comes down to a simple matter of learning to let go versus building walls around yourself. I first learned to build up walls, because it was the easier choice. But then as the years rolled on, I found myself socially withdrawn, with no friends or even any hobbies. I was a textbook case for social anxiety, and a number of other things. Then I began to learn to let go, and things have only gotten better ever since. I am still somewhat of a hermit type, but quite happily so. 




~:Shin:~

[corvus]

I have actually realized that the more Apathetic I get, the more withdrawn and introspective I get, which doesn't help me with my social life at all. But I have also found that although it can be hard, tuning into others' emotions can sometimes feel like turning the dial on a radio that has had glue poured into the crease--not impossible, but difficult and requiring concentration. If I succeed, I get a clear message--sometimes overwhelmingly clear--and if I don't, I just continue with the same static.