An Empath’s Guide to Marijuana Smoking
https://www.reddit.com/r/Empaths/comments/yo09zx/im_an_empath_im_having_trouble_shaking_off_the/
“Empaths” are people who got the “feels” – but in many cases these “feels” aren’t their own. The word stems from the root “Empathy” and by default, Empaths are people who are highly empathetic. While some might say that an “empath” goes beyond empathy, this is not true.
They claim that empathy is, simply “identifying with someone else’s feelings”, however, that is a definition that is more closely associated with “compassion”. Empathy by definition goes beyond mere compassion, where you can fully internalize a feeling and begin to feel it yourself.
We all have certain degrees of empathy. For example, when you’re driving down the road and your car hits a massive pothole and you go, “Ouch!” as a result of the sound your car makes at it hits the street – that is empathy! You successfully extended your “field of feeling” and projected it onto an inanimate object (your car).
From a neuroscientific perspective, empathy is primarily due to something called “mirror neurons” which we all have. This is a mechanism in the brain that allows us to “experience” that what we observe and was first discovered when researchers were conducting research on some monkeys.
When one of the researchers ate an apple (or some kind of fruit), and one of the monkeys who was hooked up to an EEG saw it, their brain lit up in the exact same region as those who had been eating a fruit.
This is actually the first means of how we development and learning when we were kids. It’s also the reason why when a kid is playing “superheroes”, they aren’t just playing, but physically internalizing the experience via Mirror Neurons.
Empaths, are people who probably “overdeveloped” this ability and as a result, they pick up on even the subtlest of feelings or emotions of others. This can be a problem since not everyone is walking around with a sunny disposition, and if you don’t have the ability to “tune out” from someone else’s emotional field – well, you might just get overwhelmed with the “feels”.
This is exactly why I decided to write this article today as one empath on Reddit asked.
I’m an empath. I’m having trouble shaking off the bad feelings. It literally feels like my heart is about to be ripped out of chest. How do I recharge? And is cannabis use okay?
SOURCE: Reddit
As with many Empaths, this is a common problem – shaking off bad feelings. It’s not always easy to shake off feelings even when you’re not an Empath…but can be a living hell for those who are.
Therefore, in this article we’ll be taking a closer look on how you can effectively utilize cannabis to deal with these “stuck emotions” and liberate yourself from an “emotional spell”.
Cannabis is not DOING the work – YOU ARE!
I think it’s important that people recognize that while cannabis can help you reduce the intensity of a feeling, the person who is actually dealing with the emotional state is YOU. It’s a mistake to think, “The cannabis is doing this”.
Cannabis definitely is a catalyst and is helping you deal with the emotions, but it doesn’t matter if you smoke a pound of the finest herb on the planet – if you’re not willing to deal with the emotional attachments, then you’ll only suppress them. Then, once the cannabis wears off – it will be there waiting for you!
Therefore, the first thing we need to recognize is that it isn’t “the cannabis” that’s doing the work – it’s YOU!
This is all about identification…
Secondly, we need to recognize that the reason you’re “feeling like this” is because you are holding on to it. You have “identified” with the feeling and now it won’t let you alone. This means that the key to escaping the emotional field of someone else is to misidentify yourself from their emotional configuration. To recognize that “this is not mine”.
Now, I know that there are plenty of Empaths saying, “I know that this isn’t mine, but I’m feeling it anyway!” which is why this guide is created. I’m going to walk you through the process of utilizing cannabis to misidentify yourself from another’s emotional field.
When to use cannabis?
I wouldn’t use cannabis at the first signs of the negative emotions. In these instances, it’s probably best for you to utilize the breath and mindfulness to “breathe out and release” . This is because the breath is directly tied with how you feel. In fact, there’s a famous adage that says, “Change the Breath, Change your Mood!”
This is because when you do breathwork you’re regulating the nervous system. You’re switching it from the sympathetic to the parasympathetic mode, signaling to the brain that it’s time to relax and rest up. When the autonomic nervous system makes this switch, you have the ability to loosen your grip and remove your awareness from the emotional field.
It doesn’t always work like that, especially if you have a very powerful sensation. In these instances, it’s best to practice “acceptance”, recognizing that “this is how I feel now” but also understanding that “this too shall pass!”
It’s about recognizing that “this isn’t mine” even though I’m experiencing it at this very moment.
Finally, if none of this works – then you could try a more active pranayama technique “Transpersonal Breathwork” or what some call “Shamanic Breathwork”.
This pattern of breathing is a powerful means of releasing emotions. It can help heal deep trauma and allow you to process emotional issues rather quickly. It’s important however to NOT do this if you are pregnant or suffer from seizure disorders.
Nonetheless, if you can do this technique, it can help you obliterate anything you’re holding on to – and probably reveal some deep truths while it’s happening.
When all of this fails…then it’s time to use some cannabis!
How to use cannabis if you’re an empath!
We’ll begin with the basics. The idea of using cannabis is to disrupt the emotional field plaguing your heart and mind. In essence, you’ll be utilizing the euphoria of the THC and the anti-anxiety properties of the CBD to “short circuit” the emotional field.
However, too much THC might be counterproductive, therefore a mellow strain is probably your best bet. Then, you’ll want to start by taking only a few hits. You don’t want to get too stoned too quickly.
That could actually trigger a panic attack, especially if you’re currently under a lot of stress. In fact, that happened to me not too long ago when I was under a lot of stress. I thought to myself, “Let me smoke some cannabis to reduce the sensation of anxiety”, only to have it flip on me and flood me with all the feelings I’ve been suppressing.
While the panic attack wasn’t “fun”, it was necessary to experience it since I was bottling up my emotions trying to avoid dealing with it all. The weed, basically removed the denial mechanism from my psyche and before you could say, “Brah, I’m stoned…” – I was sitting in cold sweat with a bunch of fear and anxiety bouncing in my heart and mind.
In this instance, I immediately began doing some deep breathing, into the diaphragm and all the way to the top. I allowed the panic to overcome me and simply sat in it. Realizing that fighting or suppressing these feelings do very little – I decided to take about 30 minutes to simply mindfully (and fully stoned) observe these feelings.
Eventually, I had to get up and go for a walk and only then the panic attack subsided
EMPATHY AND WEED, READ ON....
CANNABIS CREATES MORE EMPATHY IN REGULAR USERS SAYS STUDY
