For The Energetically Sensitive (This Changes Everything)
Raise your hand if you’ve felt this before…
You know when you walk into a room and instantly feel the "vibe"?
Or when you find yourself inexplicably drained after certain social interactions?
If you're sensitive to energies, or get overwhelmed easy, you're not alone.
I've long critiqued the empath that boasts (complains) about taking on other's energies and becoming overwhelmed and drained.
How is that a badge of honour to hang your hat on?
The answer is simple:
It's not.
The problem here isn't that you're "too sensitive." Yes, you clearly need more appropriate boundaries. But your sensitivity can actually be a superpower if you harness it accordingly.
The thing is, there's another problem.
And it's not what you think.
The importance of understanding “Mind-Fields”
Most people have been taught a very limited understanding of what "mind" is and how it works.
We typically think of mind as being locked inside our skulls – just our brain doing its thing.
But as Dan Siegel defines it (in his book titled "Mind") mind is not as a thing located in the brain… it's an emergent process of energy and information flow.
Mind, from this perspective, isn't contained within our skulls at all, but exists wherever patterns of energy and information flow occur.
Brain-mind
Heart-mind
Gut-mind
Body-mind
We find this intelligence of mind at the cellular level, extending well beyond human form into trees, forests, rivers, temple sites and more.
What I find particularly interesting is how individual minds can come together to form larger, more complex systems of mind.
The anthropologist, Gregory Bateson, and his work on "ecology of mind" helps us understand how these intelligent processes extend beyond individual organisms into the larger patterns of relationship and interaction that make up living systems.
Whether in human communities, animal groups, or plant networks, individual minds interact to create new capabilities and new understandings with that specific collective field of consciousness.
Revisiting Sheldrake’s Morphic Fields
Rupert Sheldrake's concept of morphic fields offers another way to understand this collective phenomena.
His example of the "milk bottle phenomenon" in Britain is a great reference point.
In the early 20th century, birds across Britain simultaneously learned to pierce the foil caps of milk bottles left on doorsteps to drink the cream that had formed on top. This behaviour spread too rapidly to be explained by individual learning or genetic transmission.
Sheldrake suggested that once some birds learned this behaviour, it became easier for others to learn it through what he calls morphic resonance - a kind of collective learning field that transcends physical proximity.
The point is, we're constantly within ever-permeating fields of complex mind configurations all the time.
You're not just dealing with your own thoughts and feelings, you're participating in larger fields of consciousness that include:
The collective energy of groups
The accumulated intelligence of places
The emotional atmosphere of spaces
The shared consciousness of communities
It's no surprise that energetically sensitive people become easily fatigued in group dynamics.
It’s no surprise that people become so overwhelmed by the chaos of the modern world.
This is part of the problem.
People aren’t taught about these multi-faceted aspects of mind and consciousness. Instead, we go about with blinders on, hyper-fixated on our own interiority, forgetting we’re constantly within this ever-dynamic inter-relational field…
Forgetting that there are principles and practices that help us create clear boundaries to contribute and intermingle, yet protect our own personal space.
Uh oh… Empaths beware…
This is the thing though, especially if you identify as an "empath."
While understanding these mind fields might help explain your sensitivity, it's not a free pass to remain a victim, overwhelmed by others' energies.
In fact, this understanding makes creating healthy boundaries even more crucial.
Many empaths make the mistake of believing their sensitivity requires them to absorb everything around them. But that's like saying that because your ears can hear well, you must listen to every conversation in a crowded room.
True sensitivity includes the capacity for discernment.
Here are some practical tips if you’re energetically sensitive:
Recognize that you can feel things without needing to personally take them on. Just as you can notice a sound without focusing on it, you can acknowledge energies without absorbing them.
Practice conscious containment. Instead of building walls, develop a clear sense of your own energy field. Think of it like having a semi-permeable membrane – allowing awareness while maintaining integrity of your own personal space.
Use your sensitivity skilfully. Understanding mind fields means you can learn to "read the room" without taking on its weight. This is the difference between awareness and absorption.
Create energetic hygiene practices. Just as you wouldn't go days without showering, develop regular practices for clearing and resetting your energy field.
When you understand that you're participating in larger fields of mind rather than just being bombarded by them, you can shift from victim of circumstance to captain of the ship.
Your "overwhelm" doesn't have to remain a weakness; it's the result from not properly harnessing your natural sensitivity.
And with that, your sensitivity doesn't have to be a curse; it's a capacity that, when properly understood and managed, can become a gift and source of great power.
Practice saying “no”
Ground yourself regularly
Develop energetic and spiritual hygiene practices
Limit exposure to situations that drain your energy
Cultivate discernment and start reclaiming your power
If you want more guidance with this, reach out.
-Caiyuda
