Every time I sit down to write about the past few weeks—and what I’ve witnessed from an energetic standpoint—one of two things happen:

1. My brain goes on overload. My thoughts get so tangled with the criss-crossing and overlapping threads of all that is happening, that I can’t make sense of any of it, and I am rendered speechless.

2. I get angry. The anger stems from powerlessness. And the powerlessness is based on my inability to adequately find “proof” as to why the current political situation is so crazy, so beyond the norm, and so far from being a matter of simple, or even extreme, political leanings.

The things that Donald Trump accuses the Left of doing—attacking the opposition, propagating fake news, trying to block the normal workings of government, making up lies—are the same things he himself is doing.

We have been thrown into a hall of mirrors, and Trump and his supporters are vehemently insisting that the mirrors are flat.

But here’s the thing: I am a professional “reader of people” and I am extremely good at it. Every fiber of my being knows how deeply pathological Trump is. These reverse-accusations carry the stench of abuse, and even though I don’t have the clinical terminology to explain it, I can feel deep in my bones how he has ensnared the world in the cycle of his narcissistic needs.

I don’t say this to incite fear or to be dramatic. I say it in order to call it what it is—to point out that the emperor is, in fact, completely bereft of clothes.

I have been blessed not to be in an abusive relationship in my life, and yet suddenly, and unwillingly, I’ve been plunged into one. Every single one of us has. I look around and everywhere I turn, people are being triggered by this same energy. Some have completely gone into hiding, others are fighting back, while still others are unwittingly enabling it. The latter, I believe, are those who have been in the hall of mirrors for so long that they are no longer shocked by the warping of the so-called reality that surrounds them.

This feels dark because it is dark. It feels crazy because it is crazy. We feel trapped because we are trapped.

And for the past few weeks, I haven’t known how to get out of it.

But I’m beginning to find my way.

If I were working with a client who felt trapped, my first step would be to “build up their strength.” Because the best way to get out of being trapped is to adjust our energy so that a) we finally have the strength and courage to walk away, and/or b) the situation dissipates. (I can’t explain how this works, but I’ve seen it too many times to question it anymore.)

What does all of this mean for us in the current political climate?

It means that our way out of being “trapped” begins with building up our strength, both individually and collectively.

We all know we can’t carry on much longer at the rate we’ve been going; none of us are prepared for the intensity and longevity of resistance that is suddenly being demanded of us.

Instead, it’s time to change our tactics, out of necessity. And also because we will be better for it.

1. Choose a do-able resistance. Choose a cause or three, and stand up for (and donate to) those. Choose a certain amount of time, or a time of day, that you will read and share the news. And stop when that time runs out. Most of us simply cannot keep going this hard, this fast. But, we also can’t afford to drop out altogether. It’s time to strategize and find what is sustainable, over the long-term, for each of us.

2. Support each other. Do not compare yourself to others, nor others to you. Do not shame anyone for not doing enough or not doing it your way. We each must commit to doing as much as we can sustain, and support each other in doing the same.

3. Fill our wells. Take care of yourself. Even better, expand yourself. Get stronger. Get more sleep. Practice more compassion. Indulge in small pleasures. Deliberately enjoy time with your family. Use this as a chance to become a little bit more of who you truly want to be.

4. Use our gifts. Whatever you love to do, in terms of something that brings goodness into the world, do that. Do lots of that.

5. Listen and engage. And by listen, I mean, truly listen. Instead of being a debater, become an interviewer. Allow others the space to speak their truth—and as brutally hard as it may be, do your best not to refute it.

If we keep resisting the differences we have with our fellow Americans, those differences will push back even harder. The wedge will be driven deeper and deeper, and we simply can’t afford such a division to continue. Not to mention, we will thoroughly exhaust ourselves.

As for resisting the regime, how do we resist it without causing it to persist?

It has to do with the energy with which we “resist.”

As I feel my way through it, the answer seems to be that we refuse to accept the administration’s actions, but do so without an energy of fear around our refusals.

Instead, a higher part of ourselves can remain strong and powerful, knowing that we are standing our ground for the truth this country was built upon: liberty, equality, and freedom.

We can stand our ground for them—as a collective—in a way that is exponentially more powerful than the fear that has seeped in. And when we stand firm in these higher vibrations, the fear has no place to reside.

Without our fear, Trump has no power. Why? Because that is the only energy he has shown that he knows how to activate. And fear, anger, blame, intimidation, dominance, and accusation are all the same energy, the same vibration.

As we raise our collective vibration, we evaporate the space that once existed for Trump. When that space no longer exists, the energetic job description he came to fill will no longer be an option.

Author: Julianna Ricci

Image: mathiaswasik/Flickr

Editor: Nicole Cameron