Spiritual Cleansing Tools & Techniques for Empaths

Do you ever feel like you’re carrying emotions or energy that aren’t even yours? Spiritual cleansing tools help you release negativity, rejuvenate your spirit, and reclaim your vibrant energy.

Empaths, known for their heightened sensitivity, have a unique ability to deeply connect with others and sense the world on an energetic level. Empathy is a super-power leadership skill to strengthens relationships. However, this beautiful gift can also leave you feeling drained, overwhelmed, or burdened with negative energy if you don’t consciously manage your energy.

Discover proven spiritual cleansing tools and techniques to maintain positive energy as an empath. Read on to find your perfect approach!

Why Empaths Need Spiritual Cleansing Tools and Techniques

Empaths, whether consciously or unconsciously, often adjust their energy to align with the emotions of those around them. They may mimic or even absorb another person’s emotions and physical discomfort, believing it helps the other person feel better. However, this approach does not provide relief to the other person and instead causes emotional and physical strain for the empath. A more effective approach is for empaths to strengthen their own energy field, embodying health, happiness, and well-being. By doing so, they not only protect themselves but also inspire and uplift those around them through their positive energy.

Thoughts and feelings are contagious. Gary Douglas, Founder of Access Consciousness, says 98% of your thoughts, feelings, and emotions don’t belong to you. “You’re a bunch of Sponge Bobs and Sponge Bobettes picking up the feelings of others as if they’re yours. They’re not!”

Neurons—the nerve cells that send messages throughout your body—enable you to think, feel, and move. Mirror neurons, in particular, play a vital role in learning new skills, forming emotional connections, and understanding why people behave the way they do. They also drive Emotional Contagion, where you subconsciously mimic and internalize the feelings of those around you. For instance, when someone smiles at you, you’re likely to smile back—a subtle exchange of energy and emotion. Similarly, you’re attuned to frowns or anger, absorbing the emotional energy behind them.

Highly sensitive individuals, or empaths, have an amplified responsiveness to these exchanges. Their heightened sensitivity to facial expressions, body language, and even subtle energetic cues often makes them deeply attuned to others’ emotions. While this fosters empathy and connection, it can also lead to emotional overload, where they amplify and carry emotions that aren’t their own. For empaths, practicing spiritual cleansing is crucial for resetting energetic boundaries and maintaining emotional balance.

Signs of Empathy Overload or Compassion Overload

Many nurses and caregivers experience burnout by over-giving of themselves.

One client is an Arlington County Social Worker who regularly felt overwhelmed and exhausted after a day full of serving emotionally and mentally-challenged people. By using the Empath Tools below, she lowered her stress levels and reclaimed peaceful nights of sleep.

Do you feel:

• Drained or anxious in crowds: Feeling overwhelmed by sensory or emotional input.
• Unexplained physical symptoms: Aches or illnesses after interacting with others experiencing pain or distress.
• Heightened sensitivity: Strong reactions to noise, lights, smells, or distressing media.
• Difficulty setting boundaries: Struggling to say no or feeling compelled to help others.
• Difficulty discerning self from others: Confusing your emotions with those you’ve absorbed.
• Overthinking: Excessively analyzing interactions or emotions.
• Drawn to helping professions: A strong desire to support others through energy work, Reiki, or spiritual development.

Without regular spiritual cleansing, you might experience symptoms like:

• Fatigue or burnout
• Emotional overwhelm or anxiety
• Physical discomfort or tension
• Difficulty focusing or making decisions

What is Spiritual Cleansing?

Spiritual Cleansing is the practice of clearing negative, stagnant, or unwanted energy from your body, mind, or surroundings to promote balance, peace, and vitality. Just as you take care of your physical body, your energetic and spiritual well-being needs attention too.

By understanding how and why empaths absorb energy, you can take intentional steps to release what isn’t yours and nurture your well-being. Spiritual cleansing isn’t just a practice—it’s self-care that helps you stay grounded and aligned with your radiant, true self.

10 Spiritual Cleansing Tools and Techniques for Empaths

“After my very first visit with Wendy, I immediately felt lighter in both a psychical and mental sense. Muscles that had knots were relaxed, and my vision and hearing had a new clarity to it. It’s a process I feel better equipped for with some tools from Wendy to use daily. I feel like I’m finally seeing the light again. As a empath, meeting Wendy has been life changing.”  LIZ W

Just as you take a shower and dress for the day, prepare your energy before you go out each day.

1. Strengthen your energy each day: Just as you prepare physically for the day, strengthen your energy. Observe your surroundings without judgment and practice slow, deep breathing. Visualize that each breath brings in Divine Life Force energy to shield you from overwhelming external influences. If you feel your energy drop, consciously strengthen it.
2. Self-healing practices: Give yourself Reiki, Intuitive Energy Healing, or an Energy Clearing to refresh your energy. Learn more about self-healing methods here.
3. Meditation strengthens your energetic awareness and boundaries.
4. Energetic grounding techniques: A) Connect with the Earth’s energy by visualizing roots growing from your Root Chakra, your Aura, and body into the ground. Picture roots growing from your feet deep into the Earth, anchoring and nourishing you with stability. Ask Mother Earth to help you. Open your Crown Chakra and bring in the light. Feel the light flowing top to bottom and bottom to top. Fill up all of you. Go to your heart. Nothing is more protective than a loving heart. B) When the weather allows, use Earthing where you spend 20-30 minutes barefoot on natural surfaces or lay on a beach—studies show grounding reduces inflammation and improves mood reduces inflammation and improves your mood.
5. Set energetic boundaries: Visualize a sphere of protective light around you, allowing loving, positive energy in and keeping negativity out. Also, say “No” when necessary: Quiet your mind to recharge and process emotions.
6. Close your energy field with any of these: A) Placing hands over your belly button. B) Crossing your arms over your chest. C) Cross your feet. D) Hiding your thumbs within closed fists.
7. Energetically cleanse your spaces: Just as energy congests in your body, negative energy lingers in spaces. Smudge with sage, palo santo, or incense to cleanse rooms of stagnant energy. Research shows sage smoke has antimicrobial properties and clears negativity. Alternatively, use the Reiki symbols Cho Ku Rei to clear and Dai Ko Mao to protect your energy spaces that you learned in Reiki classes.
8. Return the energy: If you feel you have taken on someone’s energy, ask, “Is this mine?” Release what doesn’t belong to you by saying, “Return to sender with consciousness attached.”
9. Get a Healing: Reiki, Intuitive Healing, Sound Healing, or Energy Clearing sessions can help release deep-seated negative energies and reset your energy field—permanently decreasing sensitivity and overload.
10. Heal yourself through classes while deepening your intuition. Reiki, Energy Clearing, and Intuitive Energy Healing classes empower you to become your own healer, bringing transformation to yourself and those you love.

As Psychology.org says, “Receiving therapy as a mental health professional also helps you better understand your own blind spots and triggers. This not only benefits your own personal development, but will prevent bias from affecting how you react to your clients’ issues.” The same is true for Reiki and Intuitive Energy Healers. There are times when we need guidance to clear negative energy.

Conclusion: Empaths, Empower Yourself with Spiritual Cleansing

With these tools, you can manage your empathic abilities and maintain your vitality. Whether through self-healing, grounding, smudging, sound healing, or professional energy clearing, empower yourself to live as your most radiant self. Your empathic gifts are a strength—and with the right tools, they can truly shine!

About the Author

Wendy Wisner is an Intuitive Energy Healer, Reiki Master Teacher, and intuitive guide, since 1998. Whether you’re looking to release limiting beliefs, heal your body & mind, or reignite your passion for life, Wendy’s Divinely-guided healing sessions and empowering classes helps you reconnect with your higher purpose and potential—healing your emotions and relationships. Practical spiritual and science-backed coaching guides you restore your belief that, “I’ve got this.”

No two people are alike. With mastery in Reiki, Intuitive Energy Healing, Energy Clearing, Chakra healing, Sound Healing, Spiritual Readings, Dowsing, and Access Bars, you choose you healing path or learn to become a master healer.

Restore your belief that, “I’ve got this” with Wendy Wisner or Rodrigo Ortiz as your Reiki Master, Intuitive Energy Healer, and Spiritual Healer or teacher to heal yourself and others. Book your Healing here.

All services complement allopathic medical and psychological care provided by traditional healthcare practitioners.

‍