As an empath, it’s almost natural for us to punish ourselves (and our bodies) for the pain that others have inflicted upon us. 

Internalizing trauma and self-medicating has been a way of life for me for over a decade.

It’s interesting: throughout my entire art school experience, not only did I use drugs, alcohol, and sex to punish myself, but I started getting tattoos almost every month. The pain of getting tattoos numbed my mind to how empty I felt inside.

Whether we realize it or not, there are many styles of taking it out on our precious bodies. We shame and guilt ourselves. We trick our minds into thinking that we deserved to be mistreated or that we are unworthy of anything better.

That is not a way to live.

Peeling away these beliefs is hard. Every time we expose ourselves to a toxic truth that was self-inflicted, we are shedding a layer of skin—exposing our raw bodies to the wind. It takes work, effort, and a lot of gentle care to heal these deep wounds. But if we continue to wrap ourselves with meaningless bandages, the wounds will never heal.

If you find yourself trapped in a self-soothing or self-medicating cycle that involves pain, please seek out some sort of support system. Whether it is online counseling, a virtual support group, a healing group, or yoga and meditation, you deserve to have people who can help you through challenging times.

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To learn more about dealing with toxic cycles and patterns, and ways to navigate through chaos within our lives, tune into Gab Cohen’s podcast, “The Vibe Within”  

Where she interviews healers, psychics, intuitives, psychologists, thought leaders, and holistic practitioners.