EPISODE · Jun 4, 2025 · 13 MIN

[Ep. 264] The "Empath" Is A Trauma Response

from Holistic Life Navigation · host Holistic Life Navigation

Do you think of yourself as an empath? Do you feel a flower blooming as deeply as you feel a war-torn country's pain? Empathy itself is a bridge of understanding, non-binary and fluid. This is flexible empathy that can pendulate between embodying others joy and their suffering. Often when someone is referred to as an empath it is someone who reflexively seeks and feels painful stories because that is what feels familiar. Their body and mind are practiced at accessing pain and bypassing joy and beauty, because joy, pleasure, and beauty, feels unsafe in their soft open vulnerability. As with all trauma responses, Luis reminds us that our trauma response is not our identity, it is just something our body is doing. He guides us through a practice to help gauge what our capacity is to hold beauty and pain. Remember, it's a practice! There is no right answer.  You can pre-order the book here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/the-book You can read more about, and register for, the retreat at Broughton in the UK here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/broughton-2026----You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigationQuestions? You can email us at [email protected]