About Me
My name is Sharon Simpson and I am the developer of the Empathic
Guidance approach. I have over eleven years experience as a qualified
counsellor (BACP), certified dream analyst and advice worker, and over
two decades of accumulated personal development knowledge.
How I developed Empathic Guidance
Whilst working as a traditional counsellor, I realised that although
a knowledge of the standard theories and techniques was useful, for
me much of the helping process involved relating at a deeper level,
guided by my intuition and using this creatively to enable healing,
growth and self-empowerment in my clients. My supervisor described my
method of working as ‘unconventional but highly effective’ and my mentor
frequently referred to my use of ‘advanced empathy’:
Advanced empathy requires the listener to go beyond verbal
and non-verbal expressions, to develop an insightful awareness and understanding
of another person's intentions, desires and unspoken concerns. It requires
the skill to listen with the sixth sense, to feel the pulse of the innermost
being, and to make explicit what is hidden beneath consciousness. It
involves the insightful construing of meaning and significance from
a variety of seemingly trivial clues. It tests hypothesis about the
missing pieces of the puzzle and anticipates solutions.
(Paul T. P. Wong, Ph.D., C. Psych - International Network of Personal
Meaning)
I decided to explore this concept of advanced empathy in more depth
and through my research, discovered that my innate high sensitivity
(as defined by Elaine N. Aron in her work on ‘The Highly Sensitive Person)
rendered me a natural empath. Consequently, I became inspired to develop
my ‘unconventional method’ and from this evolved the holistic approach
I call ‘Empathic Guidance’, which combines the qualities of empathy
and the gifts of the empath with the skills of the trained helper, using
an eclectic blend of intuitive counselling, emotional healing and personal
development coaching.
I describe Empathic Guidance as a holistic approach, as I believe that
everything in life is interconnected. Our psychological, emotional,
spiritual, social and physical needs are all intertwined, both within
the individual and within society, which in itself is dependent on the
health of the environment. I therefore believe that by healing our whole
selves - mind, body and spirit - and bringing harmony and serenity to
each part of our lives, we are each in our own small but significant
way contributing to the healing of our world.
Why I developed this website
Since childhood, I have been an avid writer and thinker, and qualified as a periodical journalist through a recognised NUJ course in my early twenties. The initial concept of creating my own website came to me three years ago, when I realised that the internet was the perfect medium through which I could utilise and combine my writing and healing skills to make a positive contribution to the world. At the time, due to a limited budget and lack of technological know-how, I was unsure of how I would achieve this, but a series of amazing synchronicities and manifestations has finally allowed me to make this vision a reality, confirming for me the validity of my original intuitive idea. At last, I have created the life I was born to live and found my true purpose. All things truly are possible and I hope that my healing work, my blog and my series of articles will guide and support you on your journey to realising your own unique dreams too.
