Overly Empathic

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http://www.dicksutphen.com/html/webcol323.htmlMASTER OF LIFE COLUMNDick SutphenDate: 6-3-08OVERLY EMPATHICI recently had a fellow hypnotherapist contact me, saying she believed herself to be "over empathic." She said, "While this is to my benefit in working with clients, it is to my detriment because I then carry around all of this negative energy I do not seem to be able to let go of."All hypnotherapists encounter some horrible stories of pain and suffering, and then we immerse ourselves in the situation to achieve a healing. After the session, we need to throw off this negativity so we can continue to do our work objectively, without being overloaded by emotional baggage. In other words, we need to allow the negativity to flow through us without affecting us. Anyone who has read this column for very long has heard me say that a few times. I asked Tara how she throws off the negativity she perceives from clients. She said she just grounds herself by tuning into the earth's vibration or hum .. and she let's it go. I know she hears this, but evidently I'm a bit vibrationally challenged, because I don't.Since my hypnotist friend asked me what I do to release the negativity, I shared the thinking that frees me (most of the time).First, I totally accept karma as my philosophical basis of reality. If you accept that what appears to be injustice and inequality can be destined to resolve karma, it is a lot easier to view a horrific situation from a detached perspective. Also I know that wisdom erases karma, and my client may have been destined to come to me to attain the wisdom. Second, I accept that what is, is. This means I accept the things that cannot be changed. I will help my client and do all I can, but I know that I am limited in what I can do, because my client may karmically need the experience. Still, I do everything within my power to alleviate the problem and sometimes we pull off what appear to be miracles. Third, for 35 years I've been working continually to learn to accept what is and to develop detached mind. Detached mind can be best described as accepting all the joyous aspects of life but when outside conditions change, you allow the negativity to flow through you without affecting you. I can't do this every time, but given time, I usually find a way to mentally turn a situation around. That's always my goal and I've gotten pretty good doing it.Fourth, I know that I always have the freedom to choose my viewpoint. Detached mind has been a lifetime goal that grew out of my early martial arts training and study of Zen. Today, it is second nature to me, but it took a long time to get to this point. It has certainly been worth the effort.* * * * *