And the shit that keeps us locked up

I just had a great visit with a friend. What I noticed is that I went on and on, at the front end of our convo, about a lot of old traumas and dramas I had endured. He's run into similar themes of heaviness in his journey so it's not unusual that I went there.

But here, I thought I was 'passed all that'. Which begged the question, why did all the garble bubble up so effortlessly? And all that garble is heavy y’all. When we pivoted and talked about movement, what each of us likes to do for fun, there was a lightness that entered the room. What brings us joy, and sharing it, was palpable.

One answer for this reversion is what brain science and trauma research tell us about the brain. In order to stay safe our old neural pathways, the ones informed by trauma, won’t ever disappear. We can crowd them out with newer, more harmonious ones, to create wellbeing in our bodies and minds, but we must keep practicing building those pathways, lest we slide back into our old groves. Sigh.

In consciousness exploration, we learn an entirely new idea, that 99% of our thoughts, feelings and emotions are not actually ours. That a great many of us (but not all) are actually quite psychic and spongy.

As an empath, I've absolutely experienced the thoughts, feelings, emotions and physical discomforts that others around me have endured. Is it possible that my friends recent churning about his own traumas and dramas activated my own old stories? Absolutely.

So, how do we stop this empathic looping? We begin by asking a question: Is this mine? If it feels light in anyway, that acknowledgment – that it’s not yours – will begin to disintegrate the looping thoughts and lightness will ensue. If it's heavy, then, sorry to say, it’s yours. To alleviate what’s yours, ask: How can I change this? You may or may not receive a direct response, but answers on how to bring yourself relief will surface, if we’re willing to trust ourselves. So, just keep asking, and if you need help, you know where to find me.