When children receive the message from parents , teachers , or society that their preferences and personalities are somehow undesirable , they learn to disconnect from what is meaningful to them to fit in .
Children ’ s energetic personalities are often easier to identify than adults ’ because they haven ’ t learned to hide them yet . Children are surrounded by the energy of other people and the culture of their families . They start to receive explicit and implicit messages about themselves and soon pick up on whether the way they are naturally is accepted or found deficient .
When adults are kind , respect a child ’ s reasonable assertion of boundaries , and communicate love and appreciation , children can grow into themselves safely . They learn to navigate the world and their relationships from a place of appropriate power . Conversely , when adults do not create a supportive environment , the repercussions can cause emotional and physical issues . While this is true for all children , it is especially so for empathic children .
Empathic Children , Boundaries and Survival Skills
Learning how to stay healthy relative to one ’ s native energetic makeup is the focus of my Energy Ecosystem work with individuals and groups . It ’ s also a foundation of the Sounds True audio course
Shining Bright Without Burning Out . One energetic archetype I see frequently is the sponge or empath . When children come into the world in a highly empathic state with many energetic “ receptors ,” they feel the world around them to a heightened degree . While many people have compassion , empaths literally feel what ’ s happening around them . In addition , empathic children cannot shield themselves from the emotional states of their family members .
Empathic children are more vulnerable to what is communicated to them directly and indirectly than children who don ’ t possess this heightened state of energetic perception . When adults communicate thoughtlessly to and around empathic children , they can do lasting harm . Highly sensitive children adopt different coping methods , depending on whether their early environments have been supportive or detrimental .
Empathic children growing up in unstable environments often learn camouflage skills ; they perceive safety by blending in . They quickly learn how to read danger signals from unpredictable people around them and adjust to avoid drawing negative attention to themselves . In homes where sensitivity was disparaged , these children learn to shut down the receptors that kept them connected to their instincts . As a result , they grow a “ thick skin .”
As adults , the pattern often persists . People morph to fit each new situation , relationship , or social group they enter . Adapting to
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