Healing for Empaths & Highly Sensitive Persons

10/14/2025

"Sometimes, we just want to lie on a beach and soak up some sun. And sometimes – if we’re really honest with ourselves – we just want to bury our heads in the sand and pretend the world isn’t happening. This desire for escape isn’t weakness; it’s a genuine cry for restoration.

Understanding that you need peace is one thing – actually creating it is another. This is about the practical art of disconnection: how to unplug from the constant input that keeps your nervous system in overdrive and your empathic abilities overwhelmed."

Read more in my article featured in Positive Health Online, Europe’s number one online publication in its genre:
https://www.positivehealth.com/article/mind-matters/unplugging-from-the-noise

10/09/2025

To those who’ve reached out to check on me, thank you kindly. I’m very touched.

Despite what some media may portray, Portland Oregon is not a war zone. The biggest disagreement I’ve seen this year is a woman freaking out because her local Starbucks ran out of oat milk.

Okay, I joke—and it’s not funny. Like any medium- or large-sized city, Portland has its challenges. So far neither the left- nor the right-leaning leaders have solved them… perhaps because, as with many cultural and medical approaches, the root causes remain unaddressed.

Homelessness, addiction, you name it—the roots often stay hidden. Much like our own blind spots, no matter how much we look, we just can’t see beyond those pesky blind spots… until, perhaps, we do.

And once revealed, a whole new world begins to open up.

As many of you already know from our time working together, present-day pains, illnesses, and frustrations are often the result of absorbed energy from others. Most of us still carry energy from our childhood, from every decade of our lives, and now—perhaps more than ever—from the collective unconscious which seems to be on high alert.

Once we become aware of this, everything changes. Our approach to finding answers, and healing personal and societal issues shifts. We become more intuitive, wiser, healthier and vibrant when we apply the tools that prevent and heal absorbed energies and blockages, rather than getting stuck in the mind’s ever-present, “Why?”

We are each on a journey of reconnection.

Remembering who we really are.

Shedding the layers of protection that we had to form around our tender hearts just to survive.

In addition to my own work with you, I like to share work I’ve found profoundly heart-opening. Work that when listened to leaves you forever transformed. https://thetelepathytapes.com/ is one such resource. It’s so much more than its own website describes. It’s confirmation of our interconnectedness. It’s a redefinition of our humanity. An expansion of consciousness. And a reminder that we’re all in this together.

In a world full of problems, separation, and division, anything we do—or become—to help mend the internal and external divide helps the greater cause. Personal healing catalyzes collective healing. What we do for ourselves, we do for everyone. Together, let’s focus on solutions more than fueling the fires of division.

This doesn’t mean to ignore the challenges, it means to take care of the self so that we can take care of others while in the collective muck. It means to be the best possible version of ourselves. The Telepathy Tapes have gotten me into my heart on more than a few occasions, reminding me to focus on my work in healing the division—within ourselves and our greater whole by getting to the root of dysfunction. Illuminating the unseen causes, and sharing solutions.

To that end, I invite you to watch a conversation I had with Bruce Cryer, former CEO of HeartMath https://youtu.be/_QAAhLGF9i8 This was initially offered as a bonus in my recent course with the Shift Network, and now it’s available for all to see. If what I’m sharing resonates with you—or just piques your curiosity—I invite you to schedule a no-cost, no-obligation consult https://www.davemarkowitz.com/sessions.php with me so that we can best determine what is blocking you, how to heal, and how to move through your challenges.

“Dave is a Portal of Love and Light. His resonance is pure, and he speaks and acts with kindness, acceptance and wisdom. He is able to accurately decipher what needs attention, and then gently address it with focus and compassion. He is a gift in our time, that is greatly needed. I highly recommend his expertise. His work is medicine!”
– Sheila Balestrino DO, Board Certified Family Medicine Physician, Mars, PA, USA

For empaths, sensitives, and intuitives… How do we fine-tune our gifts for healing and for the betterment of all? How do we align with the eyes behind the ey...

09/22/2025

Living a life full of hate has been scientifically documented to have significant negative effects on mental and physical health, vibrancy, and can contribute to illness. Research and expert analyses highlight several key impacts:

Mental Health Effects
- Hate causes chronic stress, anxiety, depression, obsessive thinking, paranoia, and can contribute to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- It activates the brain’s fight-or-flight response, increasing stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which over time depletes adrenal function and negatively impacts mood and well-being.
- Exposure to hate, whether felt personally or experienced as discrimination or hate crimes, aggravates mental health conditions and can lead to emotional suppression and increased risk of suicidal behavior.

Physical Health Effects
- Prolonged feelings of hate stimulate the autonomic nervous system, causing physiological stress responses that increase inflammation, weaken the immune system, and strain the endocrine system, leading to a higher risk of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
- Chronic stress from hate leads to fatigue, insomnia, weight changes, and other manifestations of physical decline.

Social & Functional Consequences
- Hate damages relationships and social functioning, causing conflicts, isolation, and difficulties in maintaining support networks that are vital for health and resilience.
- Communities affected by hate crimes or discrimination suffer negative health impacts beyond individuals, manifesting in poorer overall well-being and economic disparities.

Summary
- Hate drives a harmful biological and psychological cycle that reduces vibrancy, exacerbates illness, and undermines functioning.
- Letting go or managing hate through mindfulness, professional help, and healthy coping can significantly improve mental and physical health.

This is supported by academic studies, psychological reviews, and public health findings documenting the deep health consequences of sustained hatred and hostility in individuals and communities.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scientific evidence shows that love positively influences mental and physical health, increasing vibrancy and reducing illness risk in multiple documented ways:

Mental Health Benefits of Love
- Love increases production of oxytocin and dopamine, neurotransmitters that reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, fostering emotional well-being and social connection.
- People experiencing love show lower levels of depressive symptoms and higher positive affect over time, with love fostering psychological resilience and emotional support.
- Love enhances cognitive function related to empathy and emotional understanding, which improves social bonds and emotional regulation.
- Loving relationships help counteract feelings of loneliness and provide a sense of belonging and purpose, which protects against mental health disorders.

Physical Health Benefits of Love
- Oxytocin triggered by loving interactions lowers blood pressure, reduces inflammation, and boosts immune function, contributing to longevity and reduced risk of chronic diseases like heart problems and diabetes.
- People in loving, supportive relationships report better sleep, less pain, and faster recovery from illness.
- Positive social bonds nourished by love regulate stress hormones and promote healing and growth at cellular levels.

Summary
- Love stimulates neurochemical pathways linked to happiness, reduced anxiety and depression, and enhanced social connection.
- It supports physical health by boosting immune responses, lowering chronic inflammation, and protecting cardiovascular health.
- Emotional support and altruism linked to love have enduring benefits on psychological well-being, especially in older adults.

In conclusion, living a life embedded in love, connection, and caring relationships significantly enhances mental, emotional, and physical health, opposing the detrimental effects seen with sustained hate or hostility.

08/18/2025

Recognizing False Desires in Action

I often see clients with powerful healing gifts who can’t seem to attract enough patrons to make a living. More often than not, I’ve intuited that they just weren’t ready to work with so many people without compromising their own health. In that case, you can see how all the marketing and even the never-ending list of healing classes they may have taken won’t get them what they think they want.

In fact, the Universe is giving them exactly what they need: time to heal themselves so that they can truly be an open vessel and in service to others without getting drained or sick themselves.

-excerpt from my upcoming book, Refuge for the Weary Empath: The Sacred Work of Healing Ourselves and Healing Our World

07/29/2025

People often tell me, “Dave, I’m terrible at meditation because my mind won’t shut up!” But what if those thoughts aren’t the enemy? What if they’re actually protecting you from feelings you’re not yet ready to face?

Rather than asking, “What is wrong with me?” try thinking, “Oh, isn’t that interesting. I must not be ready to process some painful emotions. I’m probably not feeling safe enough in this space.” Speak to yourself as you would to a small child who only seeks love and validation, not with reasoning and certainly not with criticism.

Don’t blame yourself for this. Instead, try practicing acceptance of the distraction. Notice it without judgment. Don’t entertain distracting thoughts; rather, be entertained by them. This approach can help create a more supportive internal environment for emotional processing and, eventually, years of peaceful meditation.

~excerpt from my upcoming book

06/26/2025

Learn how your empathy can help harmonize discord in our world!

Ever feel emotionally distraught or physically sick after reading news or scrolling social media? Headlines leave you reeling, yet you can't turn it off because you want to help create a better way forward.

What if your sensitivity is actually pointing you toward your deepest capacity for healing—both yourself and the world?

Dave Markowitz, bestselling author and intuitive healing facilitator, has worked with thousands of empaths to transform pain into purpose. Join him for a free video event:
Finding Refuge for the Weary Empath: Understanding Societal Discord & Personal Triggers Through the "Original Wounds"
Saturday, June 28

Dave will share the Original Wounds Framework—a powerful map of four formative abandonments we all experience in early life that shape how we respond to societal division.
In this illuminating hour, you'll:

~Discover how society's polarization awakens personal healing opportunities
~Learn about "meshergy"—how empaths unconsciously absorb collective anxiety and how to protect your energy
~Gain tools to discern whether reactions come from fear or divine insight
~Recognize how your empathic nature makes you a natural harmonizer without needing to argue or fix
~Experience The Societal Mirror Integration practice to identify how world triggers mirror inner wounds

You'll feel more grounded and free—experiencing societal chaos not as overwhelming, but as reflection that can awaken you.
Whether you're a healer, parent, activist, or simply someone who feels too much in today's world, this event provides tools to stop absorbing chaos and start embodying your inner strength.
Register here: https://shiftnetwork.isrefer.com/go/rweDM/a19495/

A Free Video Event With Bestselling Author &; Intuitive Healing Facilitator Dave Markowitz

06/24/2025

Starts in one hour!

NOTE: If you've already signed up but don't have the link, check your junk files. If nothing is there, contact Shift (link to contact them in comments).

And if you haven't already signed up, it's not too late to do so! Go to: https://shiftnetwork.isrefer.com/go/rweDM/a19495/ or click the image.

A Free Video Event With Bestselling Author &; Intuitive Healing Facilitator Dave Markowitz

06/20/2025

Whenever I come across something genuinely valuable from a trusted friend, I love passing it along. Bruce Cryer, co-founder of Heartmath and former CEO is one of those friends!

I invite you to check out his f.r.e.e talk, "The Wave of Relief With Heart Coherence: Ride the Tides of an Anxious World With Resilience, Enhanced Health & Creative Power” details below.

As always, please take gentle care of yourself and those around you. I'm honored to be part of your journey.

With gratitude,
Dave

Even as the overwhelm of the world presses in and the pace of life feels chaotic, a quiet rhythm still exists within you…

… a natural way to soothe your nervous system, attune to the wisdom of your heart, and rekindle the creative fire that brings meaning, joy, and inspiration back into your life.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a tool at your fingertips — something that gives you a brief time out and allows you to take a big sigh of relief whenever you feel stress accumulating?

Join founder and CEO of VybratoTM, Bruce Cryer — also senior advisor and former CEO of HeartMath Institute — for an intriguing free video event on Saturday, June 21…

The Wave of Relief With Heart Coherence: Ride the Tides of an Anxious World With Resilience, Enhanced Health & Creative Power

… where you’ll explore how to cultivate true harmony in your inner landscape and reconnect with your natural creative flow…

… so that no matter what challenges arise, you can meet them with inner peace, clarity, and renewed purpose.

Bruce has spent decades teaching people powerful practices that weave together the science of heart coherence, breath, movement, and music to help you find calm in any storm and reignite the creative life force that drives everything in your life.

Through breathwork, gentle movement, and focused awareness, Bruce can help you dissolve the patterns that keep you in survival mode. You’ll learn how to reprogram your nervous system — not through force, but by restoring connection to your own deeper rhythm.

In this inspiring and experiential hour, you’ll:
~Learn how to unleash the incredible power of your heart’s intelligence to cultivate calm, emotional stability, physiological coherence, cognitive clarity, improved immunity — and hope
~Gain confidence in your ability to master life’s sea of waves, through targeted techniques that bring balance, strength, fortitude, and resilience
~Understand that creativity is encoded in your DNA — and unleashing it can improve almost every aspect of your life
~Experience the power of your breath as your close friend and ally, helping you release trapped emotions, rejuvenate your body, and activate self-healing
~Explore ways that coherence can be applied to almost every aspect of your life — from your relationships, to your work, communication, spirituality, and health

As your breath, body, and heart begin to synchronize — and you come into resonance with the natural world — the inner static will start to fade. You’ll begin to feel the calm, clear signal of coherence — and the creative intelligence waiting to guide you forward.

Hope to see you there!

Even if you can’t join the event on Saturday, be sure to register here so you can receive a full-length video of the event!

A Free Video Event With Founder, Renaissance Human, Co-creator, HeartMath Institute, Adjunct Faculty Stanford Bruce Cryer

06/20/2025

Learn how your empathy can help harmonize the discord in our world!

Have you ever found yourself emotionally distraught or even physically sick after reading the news or scrolling social media?
A headline might leave you reeling. An opinion can feel like a personal attack. And yet you know you can’t just turn it all off, because you want to help create a better way forward.

Rather than being something to shield or suppress, what if your sensitivity is actually pointing you toward your deepest capacity for healing — for both yourself and the world?

Dave Markowitz, bestselling author and intuitive healing facilitator, has worked with thousands of empaths and sensitive souls to transform pain into purpose. He’s known for his compassion and practical, grounded tools for healing the energetic and emotional roots of illness, anxiety, and disconnection.

Join him in a free video event on Tuesday, June 24…
Finding Refuge for the Weary Empath: Understanding Societal Discord & Personal Triggers Through the Lens of the “Original Wounds”

… where he’ll share the Original Wounds Framework — a powerful map of the four most formative abandonments we all experience in early life.

You’ll come to realize how these early and universal wounds may be shaping your response to messages of political and societal division…

… and why understanding them can transform your inner experience from fear and anxiety to compassion and empowerment.

You can find all the details and register here for Finding Refuge for the Weary Empath https://shiftnetwork.isrefer.com/go/rweDM/a19495/

In this illuminating hour, you’ll:
~Discover the Original Wounds Framework and how society’s polarization is awakening deeper personal healing opportunities
~Learn about “meshergy,” Dave’s term for how empaths unconsciously absorb collective anxiety — and how to begin protecting your energy from mass overwhelm
~Gain tools to discern whether your reactions are guided by fear or divine insight — so you can act in alignment with your soul, rather than panic
~Recognize how your empathic nature makes you a natural harmonizer in divided times — without needing to argue, persuade, or fix
~Be guided through The Societal Mirror Integration practice, a somatic process to identify how triggers in the world are mirroring wounds within — so you can experience more peace, presence, and purpose

By the end of this process, you’re bound to feel more grounded, centered, and free — and begin to experience societal chaos not as something that overwhelms you, but as a reflection that can awaken you.

Whether you’re a coach, therapist, healer, artist, parent, activist — or simply someone who feels too much in today’s world — this event will provide profound insights and tools to stop absorbing the chaos around you and start embodying the strength within you.
https://shiftnetwork.isrefer.com/go/rweDM/a19495/

A Free Video Event With Bestselling Author &; Intuitive Healing Facilitator Dave Markowitz

06/18/2025

"When the emotional body is triggered, the amygdala—or emotional processing center of the brain—gets activated and the areas responsible for rational thought, linear problem solving, or logical conversations are suppressed. Persistent emotional triggering creates a new norm of fear, defensiveness and can even make us more susceptible to disinformation and misinformation."
-from my upcoming book, Refuge for the Weary Empath: Finding Peace and Purpose in Turbulent Times

06/14/2025

Most of us are kind, compassionate, caring humans who would do almost anything to help others. But sometimes we do too much for others, forgetting about ourselves in the process. And sometimes the UNDERLYING ENERGY is more ego-based than truly altruistic, resulting in an unexpected outcome.

Years back I saw a homeless man going through the garbage in NYC. I offered him some cash and he said, “I don’t need that” as he continued rummaging through the refuse.

My judgmental mind wanted to say, “Clearly you do.”

Was I really being compassionate, or was I coming from a place of pity — an over-responsibility to help those who my mind deems as in need? Turns out it was the latter, and maybe, just maybe, he picked up on that? Hard to say for sure.

But I learned that our deeper intention has a lot of weight.

The deeper intention in so many that I’ve worked with is over-responsibility. And this has detrimental results, a lot more than having someone turn down some cash.

Over-responsibility has been among the core deeper causes of pain and illness for people I work with. Energetically, it is very insular, constricting, and ends up blocking flow and intuition, resulting in tight muscles, feeling stuck, and sometimes feeling hopeless and helpless. It increases our “sponginess” in absorbing fear, anger, and grief from others. Spiritually, it can stunt growth, and in relationships, over-responsibility can create codependence.

Before doing anything for another, slow down and take a few relaxing breaths. Focus inward and ask what the underlying energy is that might be guiding the action. With practice, you’ll get better at determining the body’s signals. Perhaps you feel more elated when waiting for an answer. Perhaps you feel more constricted. Maybe you’ll hear or intuit a word or phrase, and maybe you’ll see or sense an image. Our bodies don’t always speak to us in our preferred language, so practice feeling into the subtleties and then heed the message.

It is totally okay to say no to another’s request.

I get it, it doesn’t feel good. And in some circumstance, we truly are responsible for another. For example if you’re a nurse or a parent. But try to remember that even though we are all one metaphysically, we are not all one physically, nor should we wish to be.

Enmeshment of energies — often created by over-responsibility — creates way more problems than it solves, and with conscious awareness and applying some basic tools, we have the ability to discern what is truly in our best interest.

06/13/2025

Learn how your empathy can help harmonize the discord in our world!

Have you ever found yourself emotionally distraught or even physically sick after reading the news or scrolling social media?

A headline might leave you reeling. An opinion can feel like a personal attack. And yet you know you can’t just turn it all off, because you want to help create a better way forward.

Rather than being something to shield or suppress, what if your sensitivity is actually pointing you toward your deepest capacity for healing — for both yourself and the world?

Dave Markowitz, bestselling author and intuitive healing facilitator, has worked with thousands of empaths and sensitive souls to transform pain into purpose. He’s known for his compassion and practical, grounded tools for healing the energetic and emotional roots of illness, anxiety, and disconnection.

Join him in a free video event on Tuesday, June 24…

Finding Refuge for the Weary Empath: Understanding Societal Discord & Personal Triggers Through the Lens of the “Original Wounds”

… where he’ll share the Original Wounds Framework — a powerful map of the four most formative abandonments we all experience in early life.

You’ll come to realize how these early and universal wounds may be shaping your response to messages of political and societal division…

… and why understanding them can transform your inner experience from fear and anxiety to compassion and empowerment.

You can find all the details and register here for Finding Refuge for the Weary Empath https://shiftnetwork.isrefer.com/go/rweDM/a19495/

In this illuminating hour, you’ll:

~Discover the Original Wounds Framework and how society’s polarization is awakening deeper personal healing opportunities
~Learn about “meshergy,” Dave’s term for how empaths unconsciously absorb collective anxiety — and how to begin protecting your energy from mass overwhelm
~Gain tools to discern whether your reactions are guided by fear or divine insight — so you can act in alignment with your soul, rather than panic
~Recognize how your empathic nature makes you a natural harmonizer in divided times — without needing to argue, persuade, or fix
~Be guided through The Societal Mirror Integration practice, a somatic process to identify how triggers in the world are mirroring wounds within — so you can experience more peace, presence, and purpose

By the end of this process, you’re bound to feel more grounded, centered, and free — and begin to experience societal chaos not as something that overwhelms you, but as a reflection that can awaken you.

Whether you’re a coach, therapist, healer, artist, parent, activist — or simply someone who feels too much in today’s world — this event will provide profound insights and tools to stop absorbing the chaos around you and start embodying the strength within you.

https://shiftnetwork.isrefer.com/go/rweDM/a19495/

A Free Video Event With Bestselling Author &; Intuitive Healing Facilitator Dave Markowitz