White Light Meditation; an Introduction
As I write this, I'm feeling a little vulnerable. Perhaps because I'm about to share with you something very private. Something I really don't discuss with people who aren't close to me.
I identify as an empath and a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). Being an empath is a blessing and a curse. I have the ability to connect deeply with others. More than putting myself in their shoes and being able to understand what they're feeling, I often feel what they are feeling. Yet, I'm not always aware when this happens. For example, a person might be hiding their emotions, but I will still be able to feel them. Only, I will think these feelings belong to me and it can wreak havoc on my life. I could feel sad, moody, angry, or extra tired for no particular reason. I can be equally affected by people's positive energy and it leaves me elated for days.
I am able to connect with someone's inner experience so deeply that it becomes healing for them. Those time fill my life with purpose. Most of the time, though, I leave social situations needing to isolate myself from all stimuli in order to recover. I seem to attract people known as energy vampires, but to be nice, I'll call them people in need of a good listener. While I'm happy to help, I often find myself engaged in a toxic dump where the person unloads all their stress and negative feelings as I stay present with them. They leave feeling light and refreshed, and I leave feeling dizzy and drained. It's my fault though, I care too much.
So, it's no surprise that I had a hard time working as a therapist. Being an empath and HSP makes it challenging to sit with clients pain and also not experience it. Doing tis everyday eventually led to burnout. In my quest to find something to help me detach from my clients' experiences, I discovered white light protection. Scientifically, there's not much evidence to support the effectiveness of this tool. It has similar benefits to prayer, nut it's more like a meditation. In fact, it's useful to do this visualization to help you get grounded before a meditation practice.
I use white light to feel protected when I know I'm going to be in a vulnerable situation. I also use it when I'm feeling drained after a social gathering or a place that has lots of people. There are many different ways to do this visualization. It's a creative process. You can tailor it to whatever fits your needs. This is how I do it:
Start by sitting in a comfortable, quiet place. Take a few breaths to get settled. Imagine a large ball of white light hovering over the crown of your head. I like to imagine it sort of looks like a small sun if the light were soft enough to look at directly. Then imagine feeling the warmth and the comfort of this light, and watch it surround your entire body forming sort of a bubble around you. You are now ready to go out and face the day!
If you need to reset after a stressful day, you can imagine the beams of light passing through your head, penetrating you from the inside out and making its way slowly down your body, until you can see yourself radiating light outward from everywhere on your body. Some people imagine they are taking a shower of light. Other imagine the stress as dark matter or a tar-like substance on their body and visualize the white light washing all the yuck away. Other might not even use white light and may visualize another color that resonates with them at the time. Any variation that feels right to you is perfect. Here are some resources for inspiration:
3 Minute Visualization from Headspace
https://www.headspace.com/meditation/visualization
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bonus-ep-69-guided-christian-meditation-let-go-trust-god/id1149340735?i=1000484284678
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFHHiwhPjM4&feature=youtu.be
