Perspective
Perspective is how we view and interact with the world. It's the deep belief that we have, and thus all our actions have the imprints of our Perspective.
The above assertion can be used in at least two ways. When one experiences repeated challenges, one might eventually find certain perspective is at work underneath them all. Once located and changed, the underlining cause of repeated challenges is removed, all such challenges are released!
MCA groups Perspective into three categories: Sympathy, Empathy, and Compassion.
Sympathy is judgement. It separates between right and wrong, offender and victim, fight or flight. It is a wonderful survival mode when needed but, unfortunately, it has become the social norm that most of us are conditioned to.
So we say "I'm so sorry" automatically when hear just about any "bad" news -- not knowing the implication is "you are a victim with such injustice". This places a person in a victim role -- a powerless state never suitable for healing. Worst yet, we sympathize with ourselves, too. If "I've done everything possible" sounds familiar, you'd know how powerless that statement feels. MCA is all about empowering, thus sympathy is a habit we need to kick!
Empathy is our ability to mirror. To me it's a learned skill due to illness or chaos in childhood. Imagine for a moment a child in a chaotic environment. Every time the door opens, the child needs to "feel" within herself how the person feels. Is he sad or mad, mellow or volatile? How should she act to maintain her own peace and safety, even as an infant? That ability to feel like the other person, is empathy.
Many healers are coming from chaotic upbringings and they use their empathy skill to heal others. It works like magic because they'd exactly what to do. However, mirroring changes a healer's Channels to be like the other's, and often time the healer can't change back. The combination of empathy to mirror other's Channels and sympathy to judge and hold on to emotions very quickly results in a healer who's wounded. Wounded Healer was just a noble term for me years ago, but now is so cruel. It's part of my life mission to eliminate the cause of Wounded Healers and promote mutual healing. Thus sympathy-free and empathy-minimum are so critical.
Compassion is just a mindful connection to Loving Kindness. There's no need to know what EXACTLY Loving Kindness is -- it's just not possible to even remotely describe it. Such a connection removes all doubts and fear, and allows our innate sense of Clarity to naturally flow out!
In summary, sympathy is a learned habit so we can mindfully change it. Empathy is a learned automatic response and the best way to reduce it is by increasing our connection to Loving Kindness.
All MCA practitioners strive to achieve zero Sympathy, 5% Empathy, and 95% Compassion as our life goals. Your presence as patients allows us to mutually benefit from our sessions!
Love Peace Harmony
-- John Chu 5/7/2019