Paranormal Empathy

Radical Empathy in the Context of Paranormal Investigating

Upon research into the concept of radical empathy, where the usual approach to empathy is radicalized to eliminate judgment and better understand another person's point of view, I began to ponder how it relates to our communication with spirits and the work being done within the paranormal field. What I came to find was an unsuspecting group
taking a valuable dive into the human subconscious that could surprisingly benefit both the living and the dead.

Sympathy for someone postmortem, or empathy for their situation prior to death, is commonly seen in paranormal investigators, psychic mediums and regular people alike. Some particularly gifted people even dedicate their entire lives to bringing spirits peace or purpose as a reaction to this sympathy. But when we begin channeling these spirits directly, using extreme or unusual methods like sensory isolation or trance meditation, I believe we are actually practicing empathy, in a radical and unconventional way.

​Recent experiments with the El Method - the merging of sensory isolation techniques, art channeling and the Spirit box to enter a state of trance and channel messages from people, places and yourself - have plummeted me into the depths of the human subconscious, where I’ve found my empathy to be naturally heightened. If a spirit is nearby, I can channel their sorrow, euphoria, fear. I no longer imagine it but have the ability experience it myself and sometimes even psychically view their experiences myself. After many successful sessions, I began to weed through and assess what I had learned about discrimination, abuse, generational trauma, and furthermore the biases the spirit may had themselves in their waking life, through the phenomenons lens. And then applied it to my understanding of empathy for the living and the tangible action I take to help heal my community.

​I’m only in the beginning stages of understanding the concept of radical empathy and how I will use it in my everyday life. There is much more to discuss and practice on the topic then the above. However, I felt it’s important to mention as it came to mind. There is no paranormal phenomena without living human beings, who are in need of immediate support and kindness…which can still be prioritized while partaking in our field of paranormal work.