Did you miss Part 2 of the series? Click here to read it now.
Being an empath means that you know how other people feel. This is a divine gift, and we’re given it to help other people heal their negative emotions and discover their own inner light. But if you don’t know how to protect your empath self, you’ll likely suffer from your heightened ability to feel deeply.
When I was a child I was often sick. I wasn’t only sick because I had undiagnosed celiacs, it was also because I was absorbing other people’s illnesses and personal suffering.
My father is a doctor, and when we were kids we spent many hours in his surgery. Usually we were hanging out in the back rooms, playing hide and seek in the kitchenette and sneaking into his operating room and running amok amongst his surgical equipment and tables. But sometimes we strayed into the waiting room and talked and played with his receptionists and patients.
I was often found talking and consoling his patients, and while I sat and spoke with them about what was ailing them – some of his patients didn’t like this because they found it disconcerting that a small child would know these things – I would feel, physically, in my own body what they felt in theirs. That is one of the ways I knew what was wrong with them. (I’m also psychic, so I could also ‘see’ what was wrong with them).
But these aches and pains I felt from other people wouldn’t leave my body when I would leave the conversation or they would be called in to see my father. They stayed with me, sometimes for days, and I almost always felt unwell. It was unusual for me not to have a constant headache, stomach ache and aching limbs.
But the extent of my empath nature wasn’t apparent to me until I began giving readings when I was nineteen. I worked in a psychic cafe, and would sit opposite a person and hold their hand and tell them all about themselves.
I was a popular reader, a novelty, at this cafe. It wasn’t only because I didn’t use any type of ‘divination tool’ to read a person – like runes, tarot or angels cards – it was because I was very young. But although I gave people great readings, it came at a great cost to me because I would take on their ailments.
One man I gave a reading to suffered severe depression and suicidal thoughts, and for three days after this reading I wanted to kill myself. I once read a woman who was bulimic, and I spent the entire weekend binge eating.
I’ve experienced the harrowing fear of paranoia and claustrophobia. I’ve been bed-ridden with exhaustion and depression. I’ve had debilitating back and shoulder pain, all because I did readings for people that had these problems. I knew I was taking on their suffering, but I didn’t know how to stop it.
I wanted to stop giving readings but I was helping people. Because I could see into them and feel their pain, they felt understood. They felt validated and accepted, and were healing and changing their lives.
I didn’t want to stop using my gifts, I just wanted to stop taking on their pain.
To be continued…
with love,
Belinda
Dear Belinda, I just love to hear your story of how you found out you were a special person which you are,& at almost 72 & an Aries i have now found out that i am a No 9 In Numerology & i would have or still will be successful if i work with people,i love working with people & would love to be like you & a Healer as i could heal my own problems & my partners then i could start to help others, if there is anyway we can work together i would be Estatic Belinda so i await for an email & pray we can do something that helps humanity as the world has never been in such a dangerous position as now & it needs people like you & me hopefully helping them.Warm Regards Grinling Gibbons.
Liebe Belinda,
ich würde so gerne Deine mystische Überlegungen lesen, aber mein Englisch ist leider sehr schlecht, kannst Du Deine Arbeit nicht übersetzen in Deutsch? Danke, Ursula.
Hi Belinda
Thanks for yet another lovely post! I really need to know Part 2 of this article though!! I consider myself an empath and relatively intuitive, and last week a woman came into my life temporarily which ended in her saying she felt compelled to ‘BLESS ME’…
I went along with the ‘blessing’ and now really wish I had not.
Immediately afterwards I had a headache (I told her this) and the following few days I was SO out of sorts. Flat, confused, disillusioned, pessimistic and basically unable to reconnect with my self and the energetic world…
I have been thinking that she put a curse on me or ‘stole’ my good energy, but I now feel like I absorbed all her energy…
I am not loving it at all. Any suggestions!??
Thanks so much
Asher
Hi Asher,
Yes, this may be the case but when most people ‘steal’ our energy they are unaware of it. Make sure you are regulary cleansing and balancing your chakras and signing up for the free White Light Healings.
As soon as I feel my energy is being compromised I begin immediately to work on my chakras. This works every time.
Belinda hello,
I have been an empath all my life and for many years did healing work till one very pivotal day . My brother and his new wife now his ex-wife of 3 years came to visit. Brook asked if I would do some healing work on her that she was having some back and female issues. I consented even though I couldn’t feel or see anything really wrong.
This was when every thing changed when I had finished working on her she turned and looked straight at me with the most evil grin and said know I got you. I was taken aback and surprised she had totally drained me physically and emotionally. To I don’t understand what she has done but I can’t help people with healing work. I am still very empathic but it’s as if she took the healing part from me. Can you help or have any advice on what to do. I do so miss helping people heal and miss doing it.
Are you regularly cleansing and balancing your chakras? If so, your healing abilities will come back. No one can take them away from you permanently.
Thanks Belinda for sharing your stories, I feel so connected to what you write about and I know I’m an empath too but although I have been meditating for years I feel like I’ve still been taking on so much, I’ve suffered chronic fatigue for years and I avoid social situations way too often!! I just love my solitude, but I feel slowly as I’m strengthening my energies and protection in meditation it is getting better, but I too look forward to your future posts to learn more about how you have handled life as an empath and developed tools to still be able to help others but also help yourself too!! 🙂
Blessings to you Belinda and thank you for sharing.
Sharon
For a few months Belinda I’ve been seeing you casually pop up through my social media avenues, and I’ve just seen today that you are speaking at the next Soul Sister event.
I’ve never felt a pull as strong as being guided to this post!
I to like you was sick very early on as a kid and felt very trapped in my own body as I often felt too much and it became quite overwhelming.
3 years ago it all came to the surface and I was diagnosed with an Autoimmune Disorder, I’ve never felt truly able to express the calmness and present feeling that came over me and since then I have become so in tune with my surroundings and in tune with myself.
I hope that at some stage I get to meet you in person and hopefully we will cross paths at some stage.
Thank you so much for sharing this post, I really needed this. xx