Are you an HSP, Highly Sensitive Person or are you an Empath?

If you’re like me you might be surprised to find out that these are two different things according to today’s expert interview with Life Coach, Graciela Moore. She describes the symptoms, characteristics, and differences between the two in today’s episode-as she provides practical, actionable steps to flourish despite HSP.

Graciela, I'm so excited to talk to you about highly sensitive people today. What an awesome topic. But before we get started, please tell our listeners a little bit about yourself.

Yes, thank you so much, Darla, thank you for having me. Hello, everyone. So my name is Graciela Moore, I am a highly sensitive person. I like to say I'm a recovering codependent, because I just manage that every day. And I'm also an anxious Puerto Rican, and literature major. And I'm just very excited to be here. Thank you.

Thanks so much. Please discuss how you help others who are highly sensitive, how you help them turn their weakness into their power?

So it's really about self awareness. It's about guiding an individual who has certain sensitivities, according to what being highly sensitive means and what it entails. So the same way that there's specific, quote, unquote, symptoms for example, ADHD, or Autism. There's also very specific, quote unquote, sensitivities when you're highly sensitive. And so someone who is living their life, trying their best, yet not self aware of what those sensitivities are, they may not even be aware that they're highly sensitive people, period, then, well, there's no power in ignorance, right? And so, those sensitivities essentially do get in the way of what you're trying to achieve in your life or your interactions. Because, well, how can you solve a problem? If you're not even aware of the problem to begin with, you're just unaware of it. However, you're still struggling with the aftermath of that symptom. Does that make sense? I can obviously give you an example. So high sensitivity can be very heightened senses, sense of smell, sensitivity to light, sensitivity, to drops, or rises in temperature. So for example, I'm always cold, my hands are cold, even when my husband tells me that my hands are not cold, I still feel them cold, so on and so forth. And so if I get fixated on a scent or on a smell, it could deprive me of the control I need to be present in a situation to give my full attention to the person in front of me. Why? Because I'm getting distracted by this sensitivity. And so that's a very simple superficial example. A sensitivity to a smell… sensitivity could also mean that you're just distracted because your sensitivity is clairaudience and so your mind ruminates, and you have an internal dialogue that pulls you from the present moment, what is that dialogue telling you? Is it positive? Is it negative? How is it getting in the way? Or how are you using it to your advantage, and that's where the power resides, when you're in control,in the driver's seat, and it obviously takes a lot of conscious effort to get to that point. So that's where not just myself, but any professional who can guide you into becoming more and more self aware and more in control of your capabilities. You know, the first step and it's really about seeking that guidance.

When did you first realize that you are a highly sensitive person and start to look at some of these specifics or attributes?

So very young, I'm talking maybe six or seven… six was the very first time that I felt the deep need to change something and so I got that concept. I wanted to leave Puerto Rico and move to the United States. I was six when I felt that pull. And so as young as six or seven, I already had a very, I wouldn't say solid because I was just a child. But I had a very consistent practice of using prayer as meditation. And then growing up, I'm having my own spiritual awakening, my own spiritual rebellion, my own darkness journey. And so having that disconnect, spiritually allowed me to observe myself in a different eye with a different lens. And so I was in high school, the first time that I started realizing and really getting in touch with the fact that I would just not perceive myself like I was interacting in the same way that others were. And I would use very conscious coping mechanisms, like I would bury myself in a book, because I did not want to interact, because certain interactions would give me headaches, or would exhaust me, or would make me fidget, or would, you know, make me anxious. And so the spiritual side of my sensitivity was always there. And I have a very strong testimony when it comes to that. But then the physical side of those sensitivities, so goosebumps and headaches and smells and all of that, that was really high school, I would say, maybe 16 or 17. And to be honest, oh, my gosh, I can't believe I'm about to say this on a podcast. But that's when I had my sexual awakening. So maybe I should ponder that and get back to you. I'm not. I just realized that right now.

Well, thank you for sharing that. Yeah. Realistic realization? Yeah. Yes, this is live everybody. Yes. She's growing right here in front of us!

Yes. Yes, that's right. Yes, exploring the inner soul!

So you mentioned spiritual disconnection. And so that just brings me to ask you, how do you? How do you reconcile your strong religious beliefs? Because I know you have them with the like, intuitive world and the metaphysical type of awakening. Right? .

So my spiritual disconnect has to do with not feeling adequate in the church and gospel that I was raised in. Right. And so graduating high school and going into college, I wanted nothing to do with that particular church. And so my own disconnect was never really about being completely disconnected from “whose I am”, or being in complete disconnect of, in the sense that I did not believe it anymore, or that I did not know it. i Oh, I've always known “whose I am.” And it's almost, it's an innate, very strong feeling of always knowing whose show I am merely just a player in, I am here to fulfill a very specific role and purpose. And so always knowing that propelled me forward, there's a lot of hope in there, which led me to, as you know, create the “ Hope Series” and other offers that I've been able to develop. And so really, as of late, I would say the past five to six years, it's really been about finding our church and coming to terms with the gospel of Jesus Christ, according to our church, which is really the one that resonates the most. I love how we work with a lot of ancestral work in our church. And it's, we're still within the Christian umbrella. And it's just been very powerful to take a whole life's experience and my own journey with the spirit with my own understanding of My Divine and infinite potential, and then come as an adult and find the gospel that talks about all of these things. And so it's just been very powerful to come to that realization, and then to be able to focus on my practices that coach, which is not geared towards members of my church at all. And that was something that I had to ponder on as well, and pray and really strive to get the confirmation from that revelation of whether I should focus my needs on members of our church, or if I should open my practice to anyone and everyone because, well, because that's, that's the impression that I got. And so I questioned it for a few. And then I went with it, because I felt so strongly about it. And it's been wonderful to be able to maneuver, even our own gospel in words, and in terms that just apply to everyone. And to answer the question about reconciling the religious with the metaphysical. It's really about this whole testimony I just spoke about, it's about how, at the end of the day, you know, I am self aware, and sure of the fact that I am fulfilling my gospel cup as well as my human cup, in the sense that I mean, let's talk about transfiguration. How many times is Transfiguration, not in the Bible? Let's talk about stones. Well, how many times are stones not in the Bible, and I'm not talking about the stones we throw to the people that were judging, I'm talking about, you know, we're in domain or the sea or stones that are in the Old Testament. I'm talking about the fact that crystals and healing stones were put on the earth for a reason. Right? And so it's about the fact that I've known all of this even before I found this church on this gospel. And so reconciling it is about the fact that I go to bed every night knowing that every single step I take has already been pondered on and that includes, who I relate to what I say, and the message that I'm trying to bring. And what I do with my clients and what I do with myself and how we handle life as a family. It's everything.

It is the song about yourself. Yeah. This Song of Myself, coaching everyone, so it's Yes, the song of yourself. And thank you for sharing that story. I know it's a personal topic, but it's one that many of our listeners, I'm sure, ponder. And I love that analogy of filling the human cup and filling the gospel cup. What a beautiful picture that paints.

Thank you.

So the word empath is coming to me. Would you say that's a category of highly sensitive people or awareness? All the information out there on being an empath and being empathic come in?

Yes. So the term highly sensitive person really came into view by Elaine Aaron in 1991. The term Empath didn't come until just a few years later, however, they are interconnected. It's a matter of the fact that you can be a highly sensitive person and not have your Empath developed. And so the easiest way to put that into words is you can be a highly sensitive person and still be apathetic to other people. And still be apathetic to, you know, period, right, because those are the two sides of the coin. And one side of the coin is empathy. The other side of the coin is apathy, right? And the balance, and so you can develop empaths and not be highly sensitive and still be a person who strives to be empathetic, and the person who connects at a deeper level, yet you lack all of these other sensitivities that would qualify you into the HSP category. Does that make sense?

Yes, that makes a lot of sense.

Yes. And so if as a highly sensitive person, you're struggling because you are suffering because you're feeling things too deeply. One of the questions that I as a coach would probably ask is, what can you do to turn a little bit towards that apathy dial just for a few days, so you can recover? Because you're given it all right, it's like, if you're tipping to either end of the spectrum, you're not aligned. The term soul alignment is not at play, everything needs to be balanced for you to become soul aligned. And so, again, if you're leaning more towards empathy, you have to, if you're suffering, because you're being too empathetic, then lean more towards a little bit of apathy, control boundaries, distance healing practices, right restorative practices. And if you're being an a hole, and you're being more empathetic, than you need to practice compassion and kindness and lean more towards empathy,

Awesome explanation, I love the way you picture it on a dial, you know, and dial in for balance and dial in for alignment. What other advice or steps can you recommend for our listeners, who are questioning whether they're a highly sensitive person or not? And what should they start to do in their life?

Yes, so there's an official link, and we're probably going to include it in the notes. But if you're wondering, and you would like to take that self assessment test to decide or to see where you are on that highly sensitive scale, I would recommend that everyone take it, that would be the first step because then it tells you whether you're highly sensitive or not, or, or whether you're super highly sensitive, or lower on that spectrum. And then, I mean, if knowing your test score is good enough for you to live your life and move forward, then that's awesome. But if you're still struggling, and you would like guidance, like I said earlier, it's really about finding someone you trust, who knows what they're doing, who can guide you in, gaining that self awareness, and figuring out what things help you and how to access your power.

Awesome. So please tell us more about your coaching. And then I just love the name of our soul alignment session “Get in Tune”.. So will you tell our audience a little bit more about those things?

Yes, for sure. So, my coaching, really, I got certified with this amazing company, and it's called Journey, the coaching intensive, they're ICF certified. And I'm in the process of doing the test prep, to get licensed with the International Coaching Federation. So it's been quite the journey. And I think part of the reason that I jumped into coaching right away and with such confidence is because I really developed a practice that comes from my own journey. From my own experience. It's like, I want what took me 20 years to figure out for it to take you maybe six, maybe 10 weeks, right, maybe 12. But never, never 20 years, you know what I mean? We don't have time, we don't have 20 years anymore. And so coming from that place, I developed the “Hope Series” and it's about you know, going from feeling like you're completely hopeless or helpless to gaining control and self awareness, it's really all about the same thing. And then get into and I'm looking for the details as we speak because I want to honor the offer in its whole it's so it's about soul alignment. To me, it really it's more of a sound, it's about vibration. It's about how everything that I am, all of my value as a person, all of my integrity, all of my strengths, all of my desires, all of the things that I'm working towards and working for all of the things that I hope are for my highest good and so I'm seeking for that affirmation right from the Spirit, all of those things. To be in tune means that they're just perfectly aligned and everything works together and everything flows. It's so hard to achieve that flow. And so I recommend everyone gets, you know, in tune with themselves and see This type of conversation at least once a month, because life gets in the way, and because things happen, and and we just sometimes need that very specific moment to get back in tune with ourselves and to figure out what really works and doesn't. And so this offer it's about assessing your flow, or the lack of analyzing your boundaries for self care and energy exchanges. Of course, this is with the premise that you're highly sensitive and so there's a lot of talk about energy, and how we use it. Right. It's about your current values and your strengths. There's a specific set of questions to get us to narrow down chakras and soul alignment. And to touch back on that question about reconciling religion with the metaphysical Darla, let me just point out, I know, we spoke about this before we were recording Ephesians, six, verses 14 through 20 talks about six of the chakras. And so it's also like religion in the metaphysical. I was thinking of this joke earlier. So I hope it lands well. But it's like, you know, nobody can tell me that I cannot burn a little incense cone before my meditation, when the Bible says that the three kings brought myrrh and frankincense to Baby Jesus. So if it's safe for a baby, then it's safe for me to light up an incense before I meditate. So there's that. So we also talk about chakras and soul alignment. And we do like shadow work, which can be a little daunting, just because of the name. But it's really about, you know, what does being in the light mean for you? And what is getting in the way? What are your sensitivities, what are your demons? What are your triggers, all of that is Shadow Work. It's, you know, people are intimidated, but it's not that intimidating. It's actually quite fulfilling to just talk about these things and express them and then get them over with. And that's what this session is about. And then for a limited time, which I really don't know what the deadline is, because I'm loving it so far, whoever books this session gets a curated Crystal Collection pouch that I personally go and curate for them and what they're going through at the moment. So that's my “ Get in Tune Session”.

Great. I love that it includes flow and boundaries and, and knowing your energy and knowing your values and how the chakras operate and, and the light and shadow work. We need both sides, again, to become aligned and to be balanced. Right. Beautiful, beautiful interview today. Thank you. And as we drive to a close, is there anything else that you would like our audience to know that you're being kind of called to share today?

I mean, it's just been such a privilege to figure all of these things out to then be able to share. So I mean, first of all, thank you, I'm so honored to be in your space, and to be able to share some of my experience. So I appreciate you so much for that. And what I would love to tell the audience is I need to keep listening, because one of the things I love about what you're posting is those visualization episodes, where you guide us through some visualization, meditation, that's also one of my sensitivities as a highly sensitive person, I can see an entire movie, as I'm looking at my bed, and it's just rolling in front of me, and I'm very visual. And so visualization therapy and meditations actually help, you know, ground me in that sense, as well as tapping into that power when it comes to premonitions or visions that we may want to draw meaning from. And so what I would like to tell the audience is to keep listening one because you're awesome and two, to just really try hard to get to a point where they can feel so aligned and I would hope that they can do it on their own. But if they can't, then please find me, book a call or find someone that you trust. I feel like that's always the first step and the most comforting

Thanks so much and I appreciate you too. Our energy kind of clicked right at the beginning of meeting each other. We both found each other on the “Wisdom listen and learn app.” So if any of our audience wants to explore that, that's actually how we met and had an energetic attraction.

We sure did. For sure it did. Yeah.

So thanks so much for being on today. All of her information, dear ones will be on the show notes page and we'll conclude for today so call it in with her Song of Myself coaching.

Thank you so much Darla, have a great day.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai