Sensitive & Strong For The Animals!
Emotional Resilience Coaching For Guardians, Rescuers & Advocates
Have you always felt a special connection with animals that others don’t seem to “get”?
Do you have an intuitive sense of what animals are thinking or feeling?
Does being in the presence of animals give you a sense of peace and belonging?
Does your profound empathy for the suffering of animals feel overwhelming at times?
Are you deeply impacted by graphic images or stories, finding it hard to get them out of your head?
Does your sensitivity make involvement in animal rescue or advocacy particularly challenging?
If this resonates you’ve come to the right place!
What if the deep empathy you feel for animals is actually a gift?
A super power just waiting to be honed?
Imagine finding your way of making a difference for animals that's inspiring, sustainable, and taps into your natural abilities- without getting overwhelmed!
Why the world needs you to embrace your gift
The presence of a few highly sensitive individuals with an innate ability to read and connect with animals helped our ancestors survive, resulting in this trait being passed down to modern times.
Unfortunately, now that we live in an urbanized, individualistic society, the important role of such individuals has been forgotten.
Although our sensitivity is often misunderstood, or even pathologized, it's as essential as ever to our survival- and that of many other species.
Instead of being sentinels for hungry sabre-toothed tigers, we're desperately needed to help heal humanity’s relationship with animals and the natural world.
This is where your profound empathy for animals comes in!
Following your heart's calling to be a "voice" for animals
The deep joy and sorrow you feel for animals is not a curse, but a clue.
A clue to the question posed by Jungian analyst James Hollis:
"What is trying to come into the world through me?"
((It’s in this pursuit that you’ll find meaning and purpose in life.))
((You’re guided by your innate gifts, what most breaks your heart, and what brings you alive.))
Your profound empathy, love and heartbreak for animals are important clues to your heart’s calling.
”Animal Empathy Overwhelm”: The challenges that come with the gift
Your sensitivity and empathy are like a diamond in the rough that needs to be carefully handled and polished to shine to its potential.
Unfortunately, we no longer have highly sensitive elders to mentor us, so we’re left to figure things out ourselves.
We tend to internalize the anguish and shame related to the suffering inflicted on animals- difficult emotions that society doesn’t want to acknowledge.
Without awareness and guidance on how to handle this distress, it’s easy to become emotionally overwhelmed.
1) Profound Empathy for Animals
Your
2) Emotional Intensity
Another tendency of this trait is to feel your emotions very deeply. We can be brought to tears by the beauty of a
Difficulty with emotion regulation
3) Difficulty Making Sense of Suffering → Rumination
Your highly sensitive nervous system deeply processes all of the information it takes, trying to understand it fully.
((Things that are particularly upsetting can get caught in a disrupted processing loop, especially when you’re unable to make sense of, or do anything about it.))
For example, you see a story about animal suffering on social media that’s so disturbing you can’t stop thinking about it. Intrusive images or thoughts keep replaying in your mind, leading to escalating emotional distress.
4) Empathic Distress & Overwhelm
The tricky part with empathy is that it has a life force that’s active even if you’re not at the wheel.
Being attuned to both the emotions and suffering of others without any filters, boundaries, or knowledge of how to handle this resonance can feel overwhelming at times.
Often, it’s hard to distinguish between what’s yours and what you’re picking up from the people or animals around you.
As someone who deeply loves animals, awareness of the widespread suffering they experience can be especially difficult. This can
Eventually, you need to find some way to numb the emotional intensity.
”Animal Empathy Overwhelm” significantly increases the risk of:
distraction, avoidance, numbing out, addiction
depression, anxiety, despair, loss of hope
exhaustion, burn out, compassion fatigue
vicarious trauma, secondary PTSD
physical health issues
The Alchemy of Empathy: Transforming Overwhelm into Resilience
Now for the good news! With awareness of how your nervous system works, along with practices and skills to manage such a finely attuned system…
You can thrive AND make a difference for animals!
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