Empathy Without Borders: The Darkside of Emotional Contagion + Seduction (r/p)

Oct 19, 2023

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Wellness + Wisdom Podcast Host and Wellness Force Media CEO, Josh Trent, shares what emotional contagion is and how you can avoid it to create healthy and meaningful connections.

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In this solocast, you will learn:

The definition of emotional contagion.
Why we get influenced by other people's emotional states to fit in.
How empathy can become an unhealthy thing.
The role seduction plays in emotional contagion.
How healthy seduction can create long-lasting relationships and strong bonds.
Why seduction is a tool for emotional connection but can also be a tool for manipulation.
How to recognize the signs of emotional manipulation.
The importance of trusting your instinct.
Why people pleasers are more prone to emotional contagion.
The solution to emotional contagion: boundaries.
What the power of healthy empathy is.
How our beliefs impact our emotional and physical health.
What it means that our thoughts contain and move energy.
How meditation and breathwork can create opportunities for healing.
Types of visualization techniques to alter your beliefs.

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Listen To Episode 519 As Josh Trent Uncovers How You Can Protect Yourself From Emotional Contagion

Emotional contagion is a powerful phenomenon that we can all relate to – how often have you been in the company of people who were feeling emotional, angry, upset, negative or joyful, happy and cheery... and you felt it too?

It happens unconsciously, without us even realizing it. But what exactly is emotional contagion? How does it manifest itself in our behavior, relationships, and everyday life? Let's explore emotional contagion from a seduction perspective as well as look at its effects on unhealthy and healthy empathy as well as the biology of belief. What is Emotional Contagion? First off, let’s define emotional contagion in simple terms: It’s when we catch or “absorb” another person's emotions just by being around them or interacting with them. We don't actually "feel" their embodied emotions like they do but instead, we become influenced by their emotional state so that our own behaviors start to adapt to fit theirs. This type of influence is sometimes referred to as "social proof." Social Proof is a psychological phenomenon where a person mirrors the behaviors of others in an attempt to connect and fit in. In essence, it’s the notion that, since others are doing it, I should be doing it, too. When one person experiences an emotion such as fear or joy, those feelings spread quickly throughout the group in which they are present. It is an incredibly powerful phenomenon that has a deep impact on our behavior, relationships, and everyday life. Where Does Empathy Come In? So, empathy is an emotional capacity that allows us to understand and share the feelings of others. It is a powerful ability that can be used for good or ill, and it has been studied extensively by psychologists in both its positive and negative forms. Empathy enables us to more deeply connect with people, helping us form stronger relationships and build emotional bonds with those around us. By understanding empathy better, we can use it to create a healthier environment for all. Empathy without borders however is a prime candidate for emotional contagion; it's where people can accidentally label themselves as an HSP (highly sensitive person) when really, they just have poor emotional awareness and boundaries against emotional contagion. The Science of Seduction Ok, let's dive into seduction - one way to think about emotional contagion is through the lens of seduction. The science of seduction is an intriguing and complex subject that has been studied extensively by psychologists in both its positive and negative forms. It involves understanding emotional contagion, emotional intelligence, and the power of emotions to influence relationships. By understanding the science of seduction on a deeper level, we can use it to create a healthier environment for ourselves and our loved ones and also dodge bad relationship bullets! Seduction, it's not always a bad thing. Sometimes it can be really good but it is a complex and often misunderstood art. Understanding healthy seduction can help us create healthier environments for ourselves and our loved ones by enabling us to better connect with authentic people and form trustworthy long-lasting emotional bonds. Emotional contagion is an important part of the science of seduction – it’s when we catch or “absorb” another person's lustful or sexual projections onto us - just by being around them or interacting with them. Seduction can be voluntary or involuntary, just like our breath. Many people enjoy consciously being seduced while, unfortunately, many people who have unhealed wounds, attract unconscious, seduction. Emotional intelligence really helps us here - it helps us understand how our own feelings and boundaries affect those around us so that we can use this knowledge to build stronger relationships with ourselves and others. How do you know if you're being seduced? Seduction can be a powerful tool for emotional connection and relationship building, but it can also be used to manipulate and control people. Dark seduction techniques involve emotional manipulation, coercion, and even emotional abuse in order to get what the perpetrator wants from their target. Protecting yourself from dark seduction requires you to recognize the signs of emotional manipulation, develop healthy boundaries and maintain emotional self-awareness. Emotional Power & Manipulation Recognizing the signs of emotional manipulation is key when it comes to protecting yourself from dark seduction. This could include someone attempting to guilt trip or shame you into doing something they want or trying to make you feel bad about your choices or decisions. It’s important to trust your instincts if something doesn’t feel right – don’t let anyone pressure you into doing anything that makes you uncomfortable or unsafe. Developing healthy boundaries is another way of protecting yourself against dark seduction tactics. Healthy boundaries are necessary for any kind of relationship – romantic, platonic or otherwise – as they help define how we expect others to treat us without allowing them too much control over our lives. Setting limits on other people's behavior helps ensure that we remain in control of ourselves so that no one can take advantage of us. Finally, understanding the power of emotions to influence relationships allows us to effectively manage difficult situations while still maintaining meaningful connections with our peers. With these tools at hand, we can use seduction not only for romantic purposes but also for creating healthier environments where everyone benefits from strong emotional bonds and understanding communication between parties. Gretchen Rubin's model of The Four Tendencies is an incredibly powerful concept that has been used in psychology, relationships, and everyday life. It suggests that our emotional states are contagious, meaning that we can influence the emotional state of those around us simply by being present. This idea has far-reaching implications for understanding how our emotions affect others and for improving empathy and emotional intelligence. We’ve all experienced emotional contagion at one time or another – when we feel the emotions of those around us without realizing it. Again as we've already discussed, emotional contagion occurs when we catch or “absorb” the emotional state of someone else just by being around them or interacting with them. Then, in steps boundaries. Creating Emotional Boundaries Creating emotional boundaries is an important part of healthy relationships, but it can be difficult to know how to set them. The Gottman approach to emotional boundary setting is a powerful tool that can help couples create emotional safety in their relationship and foster greater connection. This approach focuses on understanding each other’s emotional needs, communicating clearly and effectively, taking responsibility for one's own feelings and emotions, and respecting each other’s differences. By using the Gottman approach to emotional boundary setting, couples can cultivate greater trust, intimacy, and understanding in their relationship. The Power of Healthy Empathy Empathy is a powerful emotional capacity that allows us to understand and share the feelings of others, but it can also be used for harm. It is important to understand when empathy has become unhealthy so we can protect our emotional wellbeing and the emotional safety of those around us. Let's discover how to identify when empathy has gone too far and some strategies for creating emotional boundaries in relationships. A prime example of when empathy goes too far is when a 3-year-old boy has been infected by the mind virus of gender dysphoria, either by scrolling on Instagram or seeing it on YouTube from the demonic energies that troll for innocence there. Instead of being a loving parent and letting the boy simply go through a process of maturation into adolescence and adulthood with loving guidance and firm boundaries around the biology of that child, unfortunately, an unhealthy, distorted version of empathy would allow that child to actually begin to think that they are the opposite gender of how they were born, which then would lead to even more serious mental health ramifications down the road which we see playing out in the world at large right now. So in other words, when empathy goes too far a helping hand actually harms someone else or yourself which in this case with gender dysphoria, you can see how this is absolutely tragic. A great podcast to listen to about this is the episode we did with JP Sears you can find that at JoshTrent.com/463 Having empathy is a powerful emotional capacity that allows us to understand and share the feelings of others. It can be used for good or evil, so it's important to learn how to have a healthy version of empathy in order to build strong relationships with those around us and create emotional safety. But when empathy has gone too far? Look no further than how emotional contagion affects our behavior, relationships, and everyday life by understanding the biology of belief. The Biology of Belief The concept of the Biology of Belief is based on the idea that our beliefs about ourselves and the world around us have a powerful effect on our emotional and physical health. It suggests that our beliefs shape our biology by literally changing how our cells and genes are expressed. The power of this concept lies in its potential to improve mental and emotional wellbeing as well as physical health. Our beliefs act like scripts that shape our behavior, emotional states, and the way we experience life. When it comes to emotional contagion, we can use these scripts to create positive emotional states in ourselves and in those around us. Positive emotions lead to increased empathy, emotional intelligence, and emotional safety within relationships. The Biology of Belief suggests that when we change or release old belief patterns, we can create new patterns of behavior which ultimately result in improved emotional and physical health. Our thoughts contain energy which has an influence on both our outer environment and on the inner workings of our body’s cells. Recent scientific studies show that when we make conscious efforts to think positively about ourselves, others, or situations in general – rather than focusing on the negative – we can actually increase levels of dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins (the “happy hormones”) in the brain which help reduce stress levels, improve moods, and promote overall wellbeing. This is also widely known as the science of how thoughts become things otherwise known as psychoneuroimmunology. Biology + Neurochemicals When it comes to emotional contagion, this means that if one person projects positive emotions such as joy or peace onto another person, they could be influencing their neurochemistry by helping them feel relaxed or content. Similarly, if someone projects fearful emotions onto another person they could be creating a more anxious neurochemical state in that person by causing them to feel fear or worry even if there is no immediate danger present. In addition to influencing neurochemistry through emotional contagion, the Biology of Belief also suggests that we can use visualization techniques such as meditation or guided imagery to mentally create positive outcomes for ourselves or those around us by sending out waves of energy into the universe which create opportunities for healing effects both at a physical level and an emotional level. This practice helps us tap into greater self-awareness so we can identify unhelpful thought patterns which may need releasing as well as helpful thought patterns that need reinforcing – ultimately leading to improved mental and emotional wellbeing. Ultimately, understanding how beliefs shape our biology through emotional contagion helps us become more aware of how quickly emotions can spread from one person to another so we can take steps towards cultivating healthier connections with those around us for greater mental wellness. With this knowledge, we are empowered with the ability to make conscious decisions about how best to nourish ourselves emotionally so we can live fuller lives with more meaningful connections with those who matter most! Bruce Lipton’s “Biology of Belief” Bruce Lipton’s “Biology of Belief” is a revolutionary scientific theory that explores the connection between our beliefs, emotional states, and physical health. By exploring this connection, Lipton has created an alternative model for understanding the power of our mindset that profoundly impacts not only our emotional wellbeing but also how our cells and genes are expressed. The Biology of Belief suggests that our thoughts and emotions create energy which is then broadcasted into the world and also plays an essential role in shaping how our cells and genes are expressed. This means that when we think positively about ourselves or certain situations, we can literally change the expression of our cells at a molecular level. To put it simply: If we believe something to be true, it will become true in reality as well because it is given form through our thoughts and emotions. Better Boundaries With Visualization Techniques Moreover, by using visualization techniques such as meditation or guided imagery along with breathwork, we can use these belief systems to literally create positive outcomes for ourselves or those around us by sending out waves of energy into the universe which promote healing on both physical and emotional levels. This practice helps us to access greater self-awareness so we can identify what unhelpful patterns may need releasing as well as helpful ones that need reinforcing to improve mental wellbeing overall. Taking it Home: Self Love FTW At the end of the day, all of the aspects we've explored point towards greater self-awareness and greater self-love through the mechanisms or mediums of intuition, healthy, emotional boundaries, and specific practices you can do every single day that will strengthen your spiritual, emotional, and mental connection to the truth. And not just the objective truth, but the truth that tends to guide all of us in this world, and that is our subjective truth. Make sure you head over to JoshTrent.com/499 for more resources about emotional epigenetics, and the missing Link in holistic medicine today so you can better yourself.

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