We had another powerful, potent, transformative, healing plant medicine retreat here in Taos this past weekend.
There were 11 of us, and the themes people moved through were profound:
- Feeling the grief of death and divorce so that joy can emerge again
- Letting go of anxiety and learning to trust the divine orchestration
- Healing from sexual abuse and reclaiming personal power
- Opening to receiving and remembering that you are worthy of it
- Releasing fear and remembering that you are the miracle
And then there was another theme that came through that I want to share in more detail because it is so relevant to many of you reading this.
HSPs, Empaths & Staying in Your Body
About 75% of my clientele are HSPs/empaths, so—as usual—more than half of our retreat group identified as highly sensitive people and/or empaths.
Over the years, I’ve found that ceremony can be an incredibly powerful place for growth around this.
Why?
Because ceremony can be intense. When you are highly sensitive, you may feel everything—your own emotions, the energy of others, the collective energy. And that means learning to take responsibility for staying in your body, holding your boundaries, and not taking on other people’s stuff.
One participant, Samantha, had planted herself on a bench at the outer limits of the ceremony space, keeping mostly to herself.
The second time she came back to get water, I received a strong intuitive message that she needed to work with rapé. I suggested it.
She was very resistant. She really didn’t want to go there. But eventually, she agreed.
As I was preparing to serve her, the words came out:
“I hate being in my body. I hate feeling all the feels. It’s too much.”
There it was.
She struggled. She resisted. But once she received the rapé, something shifted.
I held her hands, and she agreed to drop back down into her body.
I can be very fierce in ceremony, and that fierceness came through. The message was clear:
You are not of service when you leave your body.
You are needed here. Now. In your body. With all of your sensitivity. With all of your gifts.
She cried. She screamed. She squirmed. And she stayed.
She used her voice beautifully, asking me to squeeze her shoulders, her neck, her wrists as she landed more fully in herself.
As an empath myself, I feel all the feels too. Before this, I had been exhausted. And yet, as she came back into her body, something remarkable happened.
My energy returned.
I suddenly had so much more energy. It was an incredible reminder of the collective impact of a sensitive being who is fully present in their body versus one who has checked out.
Embody the Tigress, like your earrings.
Afterward, Samantha walked around the fire, breathing and shaking her body. I told her she needed to stay close. No more retreating to that bench way out among the sagebrush.
She was to stay put, continue feeling her body, and learn to hold her boundaries like a tigress. She didn’t choose to wear tigress earrings just because! Guidance came through for her to crawl on all fours—to physically embody the tigress and its power.
A tigress knows her boundaries.
A tigress holds her ground.
Nobody messes with her.
Samantha got it.
I found out later that she is a somatic coach!
Time to practice what she preaches.
And by doing so, she will be even more effective and of service—to herself, her clients, and her community.
Your Body Is Your Home
The following day during integration, Spirit tears flowed down my cheeks as another clear message came through:
Her vibration when she is fully in her body is magnificent and impactful, which made the message even clearer:
All the more reason for her to stay.
I share this because so many of my clients are HSPs and empaths, and perhaps you are one too.
If you are someone who leaves your body when things become too intense, I invite you to consider this:
Come back.
You are not being of service to yourself—or anyone else—by abandoning your body.
You have special gifts.
Your sensitivity is a gift.
Your ability to feel deeply is a gift.
And you can bring those gifts fully into the world when you are here, grounded, embodied, and present.
Think of it this way:
Leaving your body is like leaving the front door of your house wide open while you go out for the day.
Who knows what might wander in?
Your body is your home.
Your boundaries are sacred.
Your presence matters.
We need you here.
If you are someone who struggles with leaving your body, and you’d like guidance and support in learning to stay grounded, embodied, and connected to yourself, feel free to reach out.
Come home to yourself.
We need you in your body.