empaths: Shielding & Grounding Techniques

Sai Emrys (

saizai) wrote in

empaths,
@ 2004-01-25 17:03:00

Shielding & Grounding Techniques
This is definitely the #1 question asked here. I'm guessing over half of the new people have problems with this - either explicitly asking things like "how can I shield myself", or talking about getting crowdsick, etc., and not showing any realization of the fact that they can control it.

(That's not meant as an insult, btw; lack of knowledge is not the same as lack of ability, and we all have to learn sometime.)

So:

Please post, here, your techniques for shielding and/or grounding. If there's anything special about them - e.g. what type of shield, etc. - please describe them.

Let's try to make this the "point newbies to this post" FAQ for this question.

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grounding...

forgottenmystic
2004-01-25 10:43 pm UTC (link)

Grounding is generally done by active, intentional energy flow work. A good place to start is doing chi gung, tai chi, taiko, aikido, reiki etc... Learning about your energy flow allows you to center it and yourself. Daily exercises will assist as maintenance. Shielding is more like visualization in order to activate your energy system to DO something specific - most of the time this system in your body is more automatic - giving it intentional instruction is merely a matter of deciding to do it and then doing it - practice as much as you can, you learn by doing.

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	daraxaqij 2008-07-16 05:21 pm UTC (link)
	Not even sex always helped--but most of the time it could take your mind off the danger enough to relax for a few minutes, or an hour, or if the Compassionate Mother was kind, an entire night. (Reply to this)(Parent)

nicked_metal
2004-01-26 06:37 am UTC (link)

As pointed out by

forgottenmystic, physical fitness is very important here. The best and clearest times for me have always been when I was getting regular exercise.

Simple meditation techniques such as breath awareness (feel the movement of the air through the various respiratory organs, as well as on your lips and nose) are good for gaining clarity and stability if you practice with them when you're already calm before calling on them in a time of need.

The natural movement of waste energy is downward, so if you're using a shielding technique, it might be more efficient to deflect unwanted energy downward, rather than trying to absorb or reflect the full power of the hit.

"Grounding" is a useful term to remember here. In electrics, this means connecting a wire to a point deep in the earth, so that excess or dangerous energy will go there, rather than harming someone. Grounding for an empath is exactly the same deal, the excess energy goes into the earth.

An alternative to shielding and grounding that requires less energy (but may require more practice, depending on how well it suits you) is to not have the energy hit you in the first place.

Just as light will pass straight through a clear glass without the glass heating up, so energy can pass straight through you and out the other side if you can be so open that it passes straight through. It can be useful to imagine that you are a being made of light, and that the unwanted energies are solid objects that pass straight through you.

I use that technique as my main protection these days, but I suck at closing myself down, but I've learned a variety of techniques for opening myself up.

PS: Nice thinking,

saizai

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Grounding

saizai
2004-01-26 07:00 am UTC (link)

One thing that comes strongly to mind to me as an example of grounding is the Litany Against Fear, from Dune:

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."

This litany is of course to a somewhat different purpose, but the principle is the same. Let things flow through you, out of you, watching as they pass but remaining untouched. You can do this as a reaction to a situation already present, but that requires far more willpower than it takes to just maintain it. That's why I recommend staying grounded, and reminding oneself of it (this need only take a breath, or a thought) before confronting something that would require it. Makes dealing with things far easier, and lets you keep a clear mind, clear heart, and clear base from which to move.

(Hmm... sounds like my aikido training is starting to wear off on me...)

Grounding, btw, is a very different thing to me than shielding. I maintain both. I'll probably write up my shielding as a separate comment to this post.

I fully agree with you on your first point, though. Regular and Will-full practice of basics - breath awareness, energy cycling, etc. - are extremely important to being able to do anything more advanced without having Problems.

I try to do the breathing as a constant meditation, however, not as something separate and unusual. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, breathe. Deeply, from the belly, regulating it in and out for about the same intervals. I like to have it 4-count in, one-count hold, 4-out and 1-hold, repeat; in through nose and out through mouth. That, however, will vary depening on your background, goals, and personality. In general, longer on the in will be more energizing (but potentially buzzing); longer on the out will be more relaxing (but potentially sedative).

P.S.: Thanks. ;-)

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Breathing

nicked_metal
2004-01-26 08:05 pm UTC (link)

Some good points about breathing there.

To continue on that theme, one should normally breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. When breathing in through the nose, the mouth should be closed, and the tongue should touch the roof of the mouth.

If the tongue rests against the very front of the roof of the mouth (touching the teeth), this will have a calming effect. If the toungue is curled back so that it touches the soft palate, this will have a stimulating effect.

Once you've trained yourself to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth without having to direct it consciously, you will notice that breathing in through the mouth and out through the nose has a sedative effect.

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Re: Breathing

saizai
2004-01-26 10:32 pm UTC (link)

Oh, yes. I almost forgot to mention the tongue part, since for me it's a more or less permanent habit.

Important thing to remember though when you're cycling a significant amount of energy. Depending, you may also have to do a similar thing at the anal sphincter, but that's more a question of intent / attention than clenching per se.

Good points on all that. Another thing with breathing is that it helps to do it in an oval pattern; that seems to strengthen the effect significantly.

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(Reply from suspended user)

nicked_metal
2004-05-10 03:53 am UTC (link)

You haven't been run out of this community so far as I can tell. You have been warned that continuing to behave according to your current pattern will have you excluded from it.

I am not in need of a lesson from you. Neither are others here. You are welcome to express yourself as you see fit in your journal. This is a community that exists to serve a particular purpose. If you don't want to play by the rules of this game, play a different game. Elsewhere.

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(Reply from suspended user)

	nicked_metal 2004-05-18 07:53 am UTC (link)
	Yes and no. But mainly yes. However, some games are played for high stakes. (Replies frozen)(Parent)

	nicked_metal 2004-05-10 04:30 am UTC (link)
	Light, in the context of my statement above, is that ambiguous particle-wave phenomenon that is detected by the rods and cones of the retina. (Replies frozen)(Parent)(Thread)

(Reply from suspended user)

	nicked_metal 2004-05-18 07:53 am UTC (link)
	Your perception of my perception of light is far too myopic. (Replies frozen)(Parent)(Thread)

(Reply from suspended user)

feral_oracle
2004-01-27 08:53 am UTC (link)

I've drifted in and out of being in touch with my empathic side, having run from it in my later youth and most of my adult life and just recently having re-embraced it.

I'm not 100% sure if I ground or shield, or both, since I tend to be least vulnerable to outside influence when I'm centered (my term of where I seem to be at balance with my internal forces of emotion and logic).

At those times, I seem to be open to flowing through the feelings around me, but at the same time feeling like they are crashing upon my center without effect.

The closest image I can come up with is feeling like I'm sitting on a rock in the middle of a storm surrounded by water, feeling the rain, wind and mist, but the waves just crash into the rock and never wash over it and myself.

I've always done it without really thinking about it, though I did go through a period where I felt overwhelmed and I'm guessing that I shielded so well I cut off incoming and unfortunately outgoing feelings.

What I'm trying to work on now, with only minimal success (more from not understanding my gifts than anything else) is blocking out stressed people in large stores. It feels like intense heat and after a while I feel like I have the same symptoms you would from the flu.

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	saizai 2004-01-28 11:18 am UTC (link)
	Hm. That's a pretty image. What do the stressed people feel like individually? My experience is that you have to figure out how to make each individual interaction harmless to make the whole so as well. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

Re:
feral_oracle
2004-01-29 04:34 am UTC (link)

I guess I haven't thought about them individually before, more as a whole, but they mostly feel like a small personal heater.

I tend to feel physical pain the same way as degrees of heat if I'm giving someone a massage or trying to help them get rid of a headache. Sometimes it's like holding your hand over a stove burner or in front of a very hot heater.

The next time I'm in one of the stores where the crowds are usually pushy and agitated I'll see if I can't narrow it down to individuals instead of a mass feeling

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	Re: saizai 2004-01-29 11:08 am UTC (link)
	nod See if you can figure out how to make them not affect you at all on an individual level - e.g. by grounding. Then the aggregate wouldn't accumulate. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	myluckystarz 2004-09-09 11:43 am UTC (link)
	i'm right there too! so glad i found thid site. the problem for me is i can tell certain things from individuals and the real problem is that i get angry about it cause i feel so powerless and that isnt really helping:( (Reply to this)(Parent)

zahirah
2004-01-29 12:25 pm UTC (link)

I don't use shields if I can help it. Don't like 'em, and especially don't need 'em most of the time. I just really don't like the sensation of being behind a shield, so I only put mine up in extreme situations or emergencies. Not often at all.

The reason I'm so anti-shield for myself is that any problems I experience is all due to a lack of, or poor, grounding. If I had a proper flow, then I wouldn't NEED to shield, everything coming at me would just flow right on through me, and I'd be all "Ooh, look at the pretty colors, bye bye!!"

I'm notorious for having a poor ground, so I've had to work very hard to obtain a proper ground, and then work to maintain it. The more I practice, the easier it gets - but there are days when I completely forget. Until I'm dizzy and stumbling around and that's when I notice "gee whiz, forgot to ground today, I need to go outside for some fresh air."

I'm big on visualization techniques, they really work for me. Not everyone is big on visualization, I know, so I'm sure my technique wouldn't work for everyone.

I started by obtaining that proper ground. In meditation, I visualized "grounding." Part of my background is in broadcast radio, and they have a grounding pole which is driven into the ground, wires attach to it from the radio station, and that grounding pole and wires attract all of the interference bouncing around inside. That's what I visualized - a pole driven deep into the ground, I grabbed hold of it and visualized every little bit of interference bouncing around inside of me being drawn out and dispersed into the ground.

I practiced this almost on a nightly basis, and it became easier and easier. With practice, I didn't need to go into meditation anymore, I just closed my eyes and grabbed that imaginary pole and *boom* insta ground!

When out and about, I just need to touch something cold and metal, and that triggers my insta-ground that I taught myself in that meditation, too.

For serious grounding when meditation is not appropriate or possible, I take to nature. Hug a tree, run my fingers through some leaves or a bush, pat the ground and get my hands dirty. Cant get more "ground" than that!! ;)

Also, I am quite partial to water - being a water sign and all (Cancer). Just being near water helps ground me and sooth out everything inside. Showers or baths, streams or rivers, even putting my hands under the faucet.

I'm hoping to get to the point where I'll no longer have to consciously ground myself. I'm getting there, I can feel it. :)

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shinagin
2007-08-22 03:56 pm UTC (link)

I like... everything you just said.

I'm new here... this is the first thing I've ever typed in this community.

For as long as I can remember I've always been able to pick up on little things and feelings from other people that other people in the room just seem oblivious to. It's not too bad... I guess I just naturally knew how to ground myself... I discovered tai chi and yoga on my own... and I feel grounded and centered and peaceful when I do those things. But I like your image of the pole and everything just being pulled out of you and into the ground. I might borrow that idea if that's okay with you :) teehee.

I know what you mean about earth and water too. When I'm stressed I'll take two baths a day... just to be in water. Half the time when I shower it's not because I feel dirty - I just want to be in the water lol. If I lived by the ocean or some kind of lake I would be in SUCH good shape lol.

I don't have too much trouble with grounding myself... I work in a pretty stressful job as far as my own emotions and other people's emotions go (I'm a homecare worker). So I've had to learn a lot in the way of grounding myself and I guess shielding myself in the last couple months.

I don't really have too much trouble with it... the only real times I'm having trouble is when I'm around 2 or more extremely stressed/depressed people (I try to calm them down...) or when I'm with a guy that likes me. I'm having trouble with bfs lately. When I'm not with them I'm impartial or I'm not into it... or I'm confused. (This has happened with the guy I'm currently with and the last bf). When I'm with them... I feel all lovey-dovey and happy... I guess if what I'm feeling when I'm with them is their feelings - thats good lol. But I question how much I personally like them.... if what I'm feeling is his emotions than how do I feel? Has that ever happened before? Maybe this is the wrong place to ask this... I'll make a post later and ask the whole community.

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wizwom
2006-09-25 09:13 pm UTC (link)

Metaphor helps.

I find it interesting that the previous comments are almost completely different than what I do and consider the terms to be.

Imagine you are rooted to good healthy land, like a solid oak tree. Feel the land nourish you. Feel yourself connecting deep into the land. Such is grounding. I was taught to "ground and center" when frazzled - that is, connect to the basic, and center my awareness on myself. Then, one can open from there to what is happening, without being overwhelmed.

Sheilding is, to me, more of the process of lowering one's perception. It cuts off the hubub from being around people. Like closing a window to shut out the noise from the street. more active defenses are rarely needed. Think of a screen or curtain being drawn around yourself, to muffle and quiet the noise. If energy work is your metaphor, think of a barrier which slows the incoming activity, and allows you to feel your self.

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