I had the opportunity to meet a local author and psychic recently at the Psychic Symposium in Minneapolis. Michael Bodine is refreshingly honest and genuine, and spoke about his journey through addiction, as well as discussing his current profession. Like me, he came from a family that struggled with addiction issues through the generations. He spoke about relatives using chemicals to block their psychic gifts and the deep empathy they felt for other people, because those feelings were simply too painful. I can certainly understand that. I have relatives who have confided to me that they use chemicals for the same reason. Although I have not abused alcohol and drugs, I have also at times tried to push away some of the feelings that come from being deeply intuitive and empathic with other people. Feeling the feelings of other people can be very overwhelming at times. Looking back I can see many times that I have isolated myself to a certain degree to recover from the unrestrained rush of other people's feelings and issues around me. It took time to able to set some internal and external boundaries, so that I could be supportive and caring while not becoming completely overtaken by other people's "stuff". I really related to much of what Michael had to say, and I admire his talent. I also admire his tenacity of spirit. Being a "sensitive" is what my grandmother Florine used to call a "hard gift"- having extra information and "feeling" what is going on with someone can be very helpful, but can also be very exhausting. Learning balance and self care skills is vital to being able to stay healthy in the midst of all the extra stimulation that this gift entails. Thank you Michael, for sharing your story; and thank you for your irrepressible, irreverent spirit. You are a delight to experience.
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