An Empath’s Guide to Smoking Weed

An Empath’s Guide to Smoking Marijuana

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? from Empaths

“Empaths” are people who have “feelings” — but in many cases, those “feelings” are not their own. The word comes from the root “empathy” and by default, empaths are people who are very empathetic. While some may say that an “empath” goes beyond empathy, this is not true.

They claim empathy is simply “identifying with another’s feelings,” but that’s a definition more closely related to “compassion.” By definition, empathy goes beyond mere compassion, where you can fully internalize a feeling and begin to feel it yourself.

We all have some level of empathy. For example, if you’re driving down the road and your car hits a huge pothole and you say, “Ouch!” by the sound your car makes hitting the road — that’s empathy! You have successfully expanded your “emotional field” and projected it onto an inanimate object (your car).

From a neuroscientific perspective, empathy is primarily due to something called “mirror neurons” that we all have. This is a mechanism in the brain that allows us to “experience” what we observe and was first discovered when researchers were working on some monkeys.

When one of the researchers ate an apple (or some type of fruit) and one of the monkeys hooked up to an EEG saw it, his brain lit up in exactly the same region as those who ate a fruit.

This is actually the first means of how we develop and learn when we were children. This is also why, when a child plays “superheroes,” they are not just playing, but physically internalizing the experience via mirror neurons.

Empaths are people who are likely to have “overdeveloped” this ability and as a result perceive even the subtlest feelings or emotions of others. This can be a problem as not everyone walks around with a sunny disposition and unless you have the ability to “switch out” of someone else’s emotional field – well, you might just get overwhelmed by the “feelings”.

This is exactly why I decided to write this article today when an empath asked for it on Reddit.

i am an empath I’m having trouble shaking off the bad feelings. It literally feels like my heart is about to be ripped out of my chest. How do I charge? 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 if you’re not an empath… but for those that are, it can be hell.

Therefore, in this article, we take a closer look at how you can effectively use cannabis to deal with those “stuck emotions” and break free from an “emotional bind”.

Cannabis doesn’t do the work – YOU DO!

I think it’s important for people to realize that while cannabis can help reduce the intensity of an emotion, the person actually dealing with the emotional state is YOU. It’s a mistake to think “the cannabis does it”.

Cannabis is definitely a catalyst and helps you deal with the emotions, but it doesn’t matter if you smoke a pound of the best herb on earth – if you’re not willing to deal with the emotional attachments, then you will be suppressing it just her. Once the cannabis wears off, it will be waiting for you!

So the first thing we need to realize is that it’s not “the cannabis” that’s doing the work – it’s YOU!

This is about identification…

Second, we need to realize that the reason you “feel this way” is because you’re holding onto it. You have “identified” with the feeling and now you can’t let it go. This means that the key to escaping someone else’s emotional field is to misidentify from their emotional configuration. To realize that “this is not mine”.

Well, I know there are many empaths out there who will say, “I know this isn’t mine, but I still feel it!” That’s why this guide was created. I will walk you through the process of using cannabis to misidentify yourself from someone else’s emotional field.

When should cannabis be used?

I would not use cannabis at the first sign of negative emotions. In these cases, it’s probably best for you to use the breath and mindfulness to “breathe out and let go.” This is because breath is directly related to how you are feeling. In fact, there’s a famous saying that goes, “Change your breath, change your mood!”

Because when you do breathwork, you regulate the nervous system. They switch from sympathetic to parasympathetic mode, signaling the brain that it’s time to relax and rest. 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 that way, especially when you have a very strong feeling. In these cases, it’s best to practice “acceptance,” realizing that “this is how I feel now,” but also understanding that “this too will pass!”

It’s about realizing that “this isn’t mine” even though I’m experiencing it right now.

Finally, if none of these work – then you could try a more active pranayama technique “Transpersonal Breathwork” or what some call “shamanic breathwork”.

This breathing pattern is a powerful tool for releasing emotions. It can help heal deep trauma and process emotional issues fairly quickly. However, it is important NOT to do this if you are pregnant or have seizure disorders.

Nonetheless, if you can use this technique, it can help you erase whatever you’re holding on to – and likely unveil some deep truths as it happens.

If all of that fails… then it’s time to use some cannabis!

How To Use Cannabis When You’re An Empath!

We’ll start with the basics. The idea behind using cannabis is to disrupt the emotional field that plagues your heart and mind. Essentially, you will use the euphoria of THC and the anti-anxiety properties of CBD to “short-circuit” the emotional field.

However, too much THC could be counterproductive, so a mellow strain is probably your best bet. Then you should start by just taking a few puffs. You don’t want to get too stoned too quickly.

This could actually trigger a panic attack, especially when you’re under a lot of stress. In fact, this happened to me not long ago when I was under a lot of stress. I thought to myself, “Let me smoke some cannabis to reduce the feeling of anxiety” only to turn around and flood myself with all the feelings I’ve been repressing.

Although the panic attack wasn’t “fun,” it was necessary to experience as I was storing my emotions to avoid dealing with it all. The weed basically removed the denial mechanism from my psyche and before you could say, “Brahm, I’m stoned…” – I was sitting in a cold sweat with a pile of fear and anxiety bouncing up and down in my heart and mind.

In this case, I immediately started breathing deeply, into the diaphragm and all the way up. I let the panic get the better of me and just sat inside. Realizing that there was very little to be gained from fighting or repressing these feelings, I decided to take about 30 minutes to just mindfully (and completely stoned) observe these feelings.

Eventually I had to get up and go for a walk and only then did the panic attack subside

EMPATHY AND POWER, READ MORE….

CANNABIS CREATES MORE EMPATHY IN REGULAR USERS, STUDY SAYS