For years I have been very close to publishing this post, but haven’t. Mostly, out of fear. Not for myself, but to protect others. In writing this, I want you to know that I will not share any specifics or personal experiences that aren’t my direct experiences. Some stories and experiences are absolutely not mine to share, and if you ever come to me in person for help, I am there for you as a parent, but I won’t ever divulge something that could hurt or expose someone else. So don’t ask me. Ever.
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about what an empath is.
An empath is someone who understands the mental or emotional states of others in a way that defies conventional science and psychology. Empaths have the ability to sense the feelings, thoughts, and energies of people, plants, animals, places, or objects.
In addition to sensing, Empaths absorb the energy of those around them. Empaths can often experience stress or illness if they are bombarded by too many negative emotions. Empaths can also use their abilities to help others by imagining themselves in someone else’s situation and connecting with them on a deeper level.
Empaths can also be sensitive to spirits which have passed and also to other unseen entities.
If you have never even heard about what an empath is, then you are not my intended audience for this post. You might be, but right now I am speaking to those parents who have seen and know that there is something very special about their children and feel at a loss to help them.
There are plenty of tests out there you can use to decipher if you or your child is an empath, but I believe part of a “parent’s intuition” as you may call it, helps you to already know this about your child without ever taking a single test.
There is also an emerging amount of resources now directed at helping empaths understand and navigate their world, and as a group, empaths are becoming much more mainstream. This is both good and also, in some ways, bad. It’s good that empaths can find help and support groups, but it is bad, because unfortunately, there are many who claim to be empaths or “empath guides” when they really aren’t.
If you are a parent who has seen some stuff and has gone out searching for anything to support you in your role of parenting a very special child or children, well then your options can be a little limited. I remember the plethora of bad advice I found when I first went looking and I cringe and wish I could re-do some of the terrible missteps that I made while trying to understand how to help those I love. For me, the internet was a mess and there are a lot of frauds out there whose intent is to deceive and take advantage. As a parent who already feels stressed out for the welfare of their child, these frauds can be so very harmful. That is why I am writing this. Parents need support to help their empaths learn and grow as they mature in a very different world than some of their peers live in.
Ultimately, though, I am writing this post because I had an eye-opening experience recently that made me realize just how important it is that parents start talking about this topic, and since this experience, I have felt so very guilty that I had been hiding behind my own self-created wall of fear. For years I have let my fear stop me from helping others with any amount of knowledge I possess. Even if I still feel less than qualified to speak.
My recent experience involved helping a young and emerging empath, as together, we handled a very stressful situation. I didn’t know they were an empath, but as I watched how this young person reacted to the situation, and because of my own experience, I just knew that they were an empath and I asked them about it. They told me that recently someone had finally explained to them that they might be an empath. By knowing and identifying this young person’s abilities, I was able to help them to navigate through a very difficult situation that was stressful enough for non-empaths, but as an empath was almost devastating. For those who are non-empaths, it is incredibly hard to understand how intense the world can be. And often these gifts that empaths bear day-in and day-out are an incredibly heavy load to carry.
Over the years I have watched other struggling people I pegged as empaths who I have also seen were surrounded by struggling families that also felt powerless to help. I have often wished I could sit and talk with these other families to see if our joint experiences could be of some comfort or help, but I haven’t. Again because of fear. Although in my own little corner of the world, I have been fearless when communicating, working hard to maintain an open mind so that I could be seen as an ally and not a stumbling block as gifts have been discovered.
This is why parents of empaths need to start talking. We need to help these special children navigate and ultimately, I believe, change the world with the gifts (and sometimes what they feel are curses) that they have been given. So, if your child is an empath or you think they might be one, let’s start talking. I believe our shared experiences directed at parenting an amazing group of individuals will help to make us better parents.
So today, this is the first of a series of posts I will write in the hope that some of what I know can help another parent, with my ultimate goal of helping these amazing human beings who we have the honor to parent.
I am glad you found your way here.
Here are some more articles you can read.
Love,
Jen
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