7 Signs You're An Empath
82Just to update this article a bit: When I wrote this information about Empaths, it was pretty much the only internet site that had anything written on the topic at all. It's now become a commonly discussed subject, and I'm glad for that. Before I get into the nitty gritty, let me first say that the term Empath is not simply another name for a Clairsentient, though many Clairsentients are indeed Empaths. I’ll get into this more later. That said, if you feel that you’re a clairsentient and are looking for similar information, most of these signs will apply to you as well, but be aware those born into clairsentience (as opposed to those born as Empaths, who later harness it and become clairsentient) can often discern what others are feeling, but do not actually suffer – which is a good way of telling which you are. Once you've figured out that this is what you are, you can then learn how to deal with, and eventually prevent, this kind of thing from overwhelming you.
More of my Empath Articles!
1. When in public, do you constantly feel overwhelmed with inexplicable emotions for which you can’t determine the reason?
Example. You drop by the mall one Saturday morning. You feel great. You get into the mall, walk past a crowd of people -- and start feeling a bit strangely. It can be anything; you can feel very down, very angry, very sad, very excitable. (The key word here is very.) And you won’t have any explanation for it, you'll just feel it. In other words, you’ve suddenly gone Bi-Polar without actually having the biological deficiency that causes it. And what’s worse, you can’t turn it off. You can carry on, trying to ignore it, but eventually it will be so overwhelming to the point you just want to go home and be alone. This is the reality of an Empath – one who hasn’t yet learned how to block other people’s emotions out. Being around other people is such a harrowing experience that most of them prefer to keep their own company, living the life of a hermit. And they usually find it very much worth it.
2. Do you experience other people's physical ailments?
This is most common with those you have an emotional connection with, but can occur with anyone. A very good example of this would be suddenly feeling very lethargic and fatigued for no reason, and having to remain in bed for a day or two. You’re not sick – not really. You’re not ill. Yet, you feel that you are. Profoundly. You later find out that your “illness” coincided with a lover or family member’s sudden fatigue (resulting from legitimate illness) even though they were in another country at the time and you had no idea until after the fact. Symptoms can also manifest in the form of chest pains, cramps, migraines, etc. You basically experience it all, without contracting the actual illness.
3. Do you feel overwhelmed when watching something horrible in real life or even on television?
This one sounds silly, but viewing the news or depressing commercials designed to induce sympathy and open wallets can debilitate an Empath for several hours. While most people get upset over homeless dogs and cats, an Empath will often feel like their hearts have been lanced. That’s a literal definition, by the way. It’s not something as shallow as sympathy or even ordinary empathy. It’s a feeling of guilt and moral empathy that cannot be easily assuaged. Crying is very common, and not just during that time of month when all the emotions are out of whack!
4. Do you ALWAYS know what someone really means?
In other words, can you always, always, always tell what it is someone meant to say to you? More importantly, can you tell why they didn’t? If an Empath is face to face with someone and has just been lied to -- they will know. And they will know why. They will know if the other person is trying to spare feelings; they will know if malice was involved. In other words, they will know the intent. You cannot lie in the face of an Empath and not be caught out. While they will not often be able to suss the specifics of what you’re hiding, they will know if you mean them well or not. No exceptions. This is more than good intuition and this isn’t a hunch; this is knowing.
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5. Do you feel compelled to care for anyone in pain, no matter who they are and what they’ve done to you?
A true Empath cannot walk past someone suffering and not feel a need to stop and help that person. Homeless people can be particularly difficult, as they are everywhere and little can be done to help them unless the Empath has an occupation related to this. A true Empath feels compelled to go to anyone they feel pain from, be it angst or something physical. And a true Empath's compassion will usually be accepted on the spot: People in pain, regardless of how they might normally react to strangers, will receive an Empath with open arms. They know instinctively that their pain matters to them.
6. Do people open up to you – even if you don’t want them to?
Some Empaths are the new-agey peace-loving types who want to hold hands with everyone, but many just want to be alone because they have difficulty processing everything they absorb from other people. (This is usually because they have yet to realize their abilities and haven’t learned to deal with it yet.) For an Empath, however, putting on a grumpy face doesn't keep people they barely know from drawing near and seeking compassion and empathy from them. The ill, the suffering, the weak; they are all drawn to the unconditional understanding and compassion an Empath emits. And Empaths emit it whether they want to or not.That’s not to say Empaths can’t be mean and nasty people -- they surely can be. But those particular Empaths tend to be those with profound sensitivity who've broken down inside and have no other way of keeping other’s emotions at bay. Again, these are Empaths who don’t know of their abilities.
7. Can you heal?
Most Empaths have the ability to heal. Yes, that means physically. This isn’t about Reiki or any other alternative modality, though they may seem similar in concept. An Empath heals instinctively, usually by drawing the pain or ailment out and accepting it into their own bodies. For obvious reasons, this is not recommended for anyone who doesn’t know how to keep from becoming ill in the process. In today’s day and age, everyone seems to want to be psychic to some degree. That’s probably due our evolution of consciousness as human beings. Therefore, many people reading this will likely think themselves Empathic. I cannot stress the following enough: There is nothing fun about being an Empath. It’s often a very draining and miserable existence in which you feel like you have to be entirely alone in order to survive. It is not glamorous, it is not exciting and it is painful more often than not.
You're not crazy!
Being an Empath doesn't have to be so overwhelming, but this is not something most would aspire to so don't get upset if none of this rings true for you. Everyone's got "otherworldly talents" and you needn't be an Empath to excel in the realm of conscious endeavors. If you *are* an Empath, you will know this is you, you will not be saying “Hmm.. maybe… hmm…” If you feel (without hesitation!) these apply to you as I’ve just described, then also know there are ways of coping, and I’ll get into them in future articles. With a little self-awareness you can turn your curse into gift, especially when it comes to being able to ease the emotional and physical pain of others. For now, take consolation in the knowledge that you are not crazy!
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Isabella, I'm sorry you have to put up with vulgarity on a topic like this. It always amazes me that writing about metaphysical topics makes some people irate.
ZOHARSTRIUS - Comments that don't meet HubPages ToS won't be approved, so re-post it without the vulgarity if you really want to comment.
This is a great article Isabella. I have always been really sensitive. I don't know if I am really an empath to the extreme sense of the word. I always thought I was just emotional. This article teaches a lot. You are helping a lot of people.
I'm 25 and all my life I have felt weird. I have bouts of insomnia and it can go on for days and I have always been trying to figure it out. One time I had a severe stomachache, didn't eat anything bad or wasn't sick. I felt like this for the whole day and I get a message from my sister whom I never met that my brother, whom I have never met either, was in the hospital for appendicitis. After I found that out my stomachache went away. at that time I was in Vermont and he was in florida. Days before my mother died I was very lethargic, tired, and pretty much felt dead to the world, like I was going through the motions of life but was not living it until I found out that my mother was in the ICU on her death bed, and all of a sudden I felt like I was woken up by the news. Again at that time I was in Vermont and she was in South Carolina. recently there is this gentleman whom I work with and every time I am around him I get violently ill I feel hatred towards him I scowl at him and he has done nothing to me not even with words. He doesn't seem himself and it feels as though he is fighting a demon that is attacking him on the inside and I can feel it. I just want to know am I crazy or is what I feel on a constant basis something that could be honestly natural and is there a way that I can figure out how to handle these things?
Three years ago was the first time someone said to me "You are highly empathic." Since then, through experimentation with "feelings" that came over me suddenly (in parking lots or public spaces), I have learned that in fact, after 46 years, I do feel other people's "stuff." I've learned that I experience headaches that are not mine, a burning chest sensation that is not mine, stomach discomfort that is not mine and probably more. It is so weird, I cannot expect anyone else to believe it. I have developed a saying that works to "test" whether what I'm feeling is mine or not. I say, "Let the feelings I'm feeling now be 100% mine and 0% anyone elses." Within 20 seconds, if the pain is gone, I know it was not mine. Just think of how many Tylenol and Antacids I've taken over the years for pain that was not mine! In the last 3 years, I've felt about 24 headaches. Only 2 have been mine! Another test is that I ask a person near me, "Excuse me, do you have a headache?" and the answer is always "Yes." Same with indigestion. When I know I haven't eaten anything to cause indigestion but have it, I ask the nearest person (typically there is only one or two people around when it happens) and they always answer, "Yes." And one time when picking up my brother's jacket, I felt a pain in my lower back on the right side. When I returned his jacket, I asked him if he has pain there. He said he's had it for years!! So it's not just when around people. Evidently, I feel their pain just from the energy they leave behind on an object. That's when I knew this is REAL. My question is: Can I learn to be Empathic on purpose? The reason I ask is because so far, the "discovery" has been accidental and random. When I'm around a skeptic who has a problem, it would be nice to be able to say, "Do you have a _____ right now?" In other words, I've gotten good at turning it off when it is on, but how can I control (my awareness of and sensitivity to) when it's on?
I don't know if you can help me but I see things and hear things. I once told a friend who her spritulal giued is and it was her great aunt who died. I don't understand what is happening please help. thx I am not looking for money just tryting to understand.
Sounds like its more of a mood disorder or anxiety disorcer then a supper natuarl gift. but i can honsetly say i can relate to alot of that stuff on that page. I am very influenced by peoples diccisions or actions. But its just anxiety messing with your head. think to yourself "what would I do in this sittuation" do it and dont let anyone tell you different. I know your all "empathetic" but theres a point in your life when you got to balls up and take responsibilitie for your own actions. :) hope the smiley face helped with your empathy.
I have pain in the back of my head and my vision sometime blurs and i hear a ringing in my right ear,why does this happen to me?
im 36 and have always known that this was apart of me. It ebbs and flows but recently i have gone through events that someone with this particular set of abilities should never go through. i found out/confirmed that my gf of 14 years was having an affair the entire time...my son is not mine, pictures altered, she was bisexual, the endless things i knew that she denied. She was gifted in a different way. My question is, why has it left me with no sense of identity....beyond the obvious.
To RockwoodON: you would not understand if you yourself are not an empath, it is impossible. You don't get what it truly means. There is a difference between being empathetic and an empath. True, people naturally do have instincts to read each other but to be a true empath is much more than that. And it's not a "power", it's a gift from God given for a purpose to help others. I've had someone telling me all my life that is just mumbo-jumbo and I dont listen to him and your no different. You don't know that "nobody has ever demonstrated any metaphysical or parapsychological ability" because this gift is not for flaunting. And I KNOW I am an empath, but I can't control it so how would I "prove it" on the spot? And how would empaths feel things from people who are not even around? Or feel the emotions of thing that haven't been proven to even HAVE emotions? There is a reason that people all over the world know this gift exists because we'er not crazy either.
Tree-hugger
i don't know how to explain it but I take on peoples and places emotions. I feel myself being pulled apart by their grief. I am a thirty eight year old male and I feel like I get drawn into peoples thoughts and feelings. They consume me and I know things and feel things as if I lived them for myself. When left alone everything gets better and I can focus and accomplish things. But when I am around other people I feel there pain and know there beliefs and even the things they would never share with another person. I feel when men or women attracted to me and know there every desire. You might think thats cool, but trust me when I say its not cool. Some thoughts are best left unknown. Its not just that part of it. I find myself taking on there persona without knowing it and its terrifying and draining. Constantly feeling ill and space myself from them until the feeling passes. I even wonder if the things I ca do and things I know are really my own. Does anyone know how or can point me in the right direction on how to control this. I work construction and had to work on a house that was built back around 1901. I had this uncontrollable sexual desires. Don't laugh and don't ask me stupid sexual question please. I was unable too focus or work on task for any amount of time. Come to find out until the mid to late 1930's it was the oldest and most promanient Brothel in the town. Please if anyone can help me learn to control this I would be greatfull. I love helping people and find myself helping total strangers, but cant function in my own existance.
Our brains have "mirror nerones" that fire in response to our watching other people's actions. It is part of our capacity to learn motor skills, and it is speculated that mirror neurones also play a part in empathy. There are clear arguments why the development of empathetic behaviour is good for the survival of our socialised ancstors, and so reasonable to assume evolutionary pressure for empathy.
But to assume there is anything metaphysical going on is complete nonsense. No one, including the author, has ever been able to demonstrate any metaphysical or parapsychological ability whatsoever.
So please don't fool youself into thinking you have a power. The web is full of this sort of hokum. We all have an ability to read someone else's mood - it has been useful for eons - and some are better than others. But it is just neurobology doing its stuff.
And no one - ever - has demonstrated any metaphysical healing ability. If someone says they can, ask them proove it! They would be world-famous and a marvel if they could. Otherwise you are being a mug.
Don't give in to the mumbo-jumbo.
I have an empath friend and one day she looked terrible. I said to her "not feeling yourself today"?
oops, this page is backwards from the last time. disregard my last one. what was 1st is now last
wow,u guys i haven't visited this site in awhile. Judgement on each other is a stone in our own path, please keep our hearts open do not grow cold beautiful people. I was goin to post a prayer to help heal, but its not time yet. Not allowed to miss lead anyone, but to show how we are all one. We can choose angel or demon, and if we harden our hearts pointing fingers, well you are becoming a pooper. In time all things will be clear and restored if you don't believe then swim in your choosen suffering by yourselves. Free will its wild hah... build up, not knock down each other.
I am 14 and I have been an empath for as long as I can remember, but only figured it out about 6 months ago. It feels so good to finally have an explanation for so many things about me!!! Is a relief to at least know I'm not just an emotional freak, but is all still really overwheming for me. I was so happy that I cried after reading this because this is the first thing that really explained what is going on for me. There are other people like me! I knew I was different when I realized other kids don't care about the tree's feelings or feel other people's emotions- or animals. But now stuff like that makes sence. I think it can be a gift and a curse. For example It can be a gift for me when an enemy into a friend, because a girl and I were constantly clashing-always getting into argument because she would pick on my friends, and NOBODY picks on my friends. But one day in the hallway I could feel stress and grief from her and was compelled to comfort her even though I really didn't like her. I asked her what was wrong and she told me everything as if we were best friends. I told her that I knew what she was going through( because I could feel her emotions) and she suddenly felt better and we have been friends ever sense. It's a curse too because it is very stressful and I often feel misunderstood. Like how I can't tell my dad because he doesn't believe in that kind of stuff and any time I try to drop hints he tries to come up with a "logical" explanation. As for my mom she believes that there are people out there but she would never believe that I'm one of them.
One thing I don't know if it has anything to do with being an empath is I constantly feel the overwhelming urge to press my eye to things: people I love(their hands usually, close family or my best friend), my dogs, trees, objects with sentimental value, or objects that used to belong to passed loved ones. And when I do I keep my eye pressed to them/it until I am satisfied- and I don't understand it!!! Please give me advice about why this might be or what it means!
P.S. Sorry if I misspelled stuff: )
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i was at my cuzzins and he said he saw his gpa and then all the sudden the tv shut off and i teared up and 2 tears fell from my eyes and then about ten min later i was on the puter it was 4 in the morn and his dad walked out so his g pa was here to warn me his dad got somtin to drink and went bac to bed and the tv instantly went bac on and as im writin this now he is here and i am tearin up again
I once knew a co-worker was ill. I came to work, saw her and immediately went up to her and asked what was wrong. She smile and said "Nothing" Within 15 minutes later she had a heart attack. She didn't die, thank God. I don't know how I knew something was wrong, I just knew.
voted up, good hub
OMG.. Thank you soooo much.. I have told my friends many I have met through this gift when they were in pain.. That I felt that I was cursed.. Many of them have mistaken their attraction to think that it was supposed to be a relationship/sexual.. but I sometimes knew different.. "You are supposed to be in my life for a reason ... I dont know what that is yet, but believe me there is a reason..".. I feel that I have a two pronged sword.. My mom was an empath.. and we were warned or shown at a very young age of her capabilities.. she suffered.. clairvoyant and an empath.. it was good and bad.. She stayed home with us... and tried to protect us from everything... I am also clairvoyant, an empath, and I am able to spiritually connect to almost everyone.. I have a reputation as a person who abandons in the social circles.. My ex's calling to warn others that I will abandon them.. The connection is sooo strong.. that this is truly how they feel.. One of my mutual acquaintences.. said she saw a conversation about my abandoning people on facebook.. Really?... I just get so drained.. that I have to let go .. Or I continue to feel their thoughts, pains, wants and needs.. sometimes at my dismay and emotional distress.. I am soooo excited.. I'm not alone... I just thought I was cursed. I have a arranged for myself to work from home.. I stay at home.. and am very comfortable her.. People are always walking up to me.. Some people ask me if I am God, The Messiah, or they simply say "Who are You".. and why are you here?.. I am thankful now.. I know .. Thank You I would like to know more.. Please call me if you would like to talk .. anyone interested in talking.. 3234816554...Text me first.. So that I can answer.. "Empath" will do the trick. Thank You.. Thank You
I would say I am a newly discovered Empath. I have had conversations with close friends before; where I have specifically stated "I can feel the emotions of others around me" A friend told me to look up empath she said I would get a lot of answers. she was right. I know in my heart after reading this article and a few others that came up on google. alot of things make sense now. I have. gone out into public feeling pretty great and excited to be out and about and then for no reason after just a little while all I want is; to be at home and have a nap and be alone. I have always blamed that on low self esteem. not very comfortable around groups of people and the idea of subjecting my self to the public does get me anxious and flustered. There have been times where I think I have been OK around people I don't know if I have subconsciously blocked every one else out and have focused on my own feelings. or if I was just having too much fun. I do find that when I get home no matter where I have been its a great release just to walk in my door lock it and curl up on my couch with a blanket and just rest. because I always come home just drained. I did a student placement at a woman's shelter for a social service worker course and I suffered burnout before I was done my placement. it was terrible I was having nightmares all the time I wasn't eating or sleeping properly and my interest in the work start to dissipate. That feeling of burn out is the feeling I come home with almost every single day. There is an upside to this tho when I find myself around a happy energetic bunch of people I latch on to those feelings. and its great. I Would very much like to find a way for this to be controlled instead of living a life that seems to be an emotional roller coaster that I cant get off of.
Very happy to find this. I'm still not sure If I am truly this. I have always been a very emotional/sensitive person. I feel other peoples emotions very intensely when I'm speaking to someone in pain , in those cases I know it is their emotions ,not my own. Other times I cry ,feel so many emotions , normally they ball up into anxiety because I don't know where they are coming from. This would explain that. I have a very hard time watching the news or other shows where people are in extreme emotional pain. I have had several insistence's where I have felt physical pain , which couldn't be explained by a medical condition. One day I had very bad pain in my stomach.. I woke up and learned that my tenant , who was pregnant at the time was rushed to the hospital and had to have her appendix out. Another time my arm was tingly and painful. The next day my mom called , I told her about it and she told me my dad had that feeling , he thought he was having a heart attack and took a aspirin. My husband has problems in his neck and back and I feel the pain of it , since before I even knew he was in pain , before he told me I told him where his pain was. Those are few of the ones I have identified as possibly not my own pain. seems like it happens to often to be coincidental. I have always had a suspicion of this ,but I thought maybe I'm crazy. It's nice to see others have had some of the same experiences.
I had no idea there are so many of us. I am 48y old and always felt alone, I don't see it as a gift for me it is a curse and I am living like a merit for over 15 years now. I can not even read the news it just makes me desperate. I am not suicidal at all and never was but I did lost fate in humanity. Btw I found out I was “different” at the age of 23.
I've been this way since I can remember, and I'm almost 36 years old.
It's puzzled me - why I have been able to see the underlying meaning behind people's comments. The ones no one else sees. I've mentioned things to people and they say things like, "What are you talking about?" And then later, once the truth DOES come out from the first person... I am often approached by the skeptics saying "Wow.. how did you...?"
Not only that but I feel pain for people. Not like I've been stabbed, but a deep, intense feeling of sadness.. almost overwhelming at times.
And to top it off, people tell me their life stories.. all the time. My boss laughed when I told her that, until we were both sitting in the airport at a layover and a random lady just sat down next to me and started talking and telling me everything going on in her life. It went so far that she (within 3 minutes of meeting me) got up to use the restroom and asked me to watch her bag. This was in April of 2011. I told her "heyyyy... you should be careful who you ask to watch your things in airport.. there are bad people out there." She said "I trust your face" and left. My boss looked at me puzzled.. "I.. I see now what you mean." People I work with come and sit in my office for 10, 15, 20 minutes telling me of their grief in life - divorces, infidelity, children, etc.. it's sometimes too hard to deal with. I want to help everyone, but I've found at this age I have to "deflect" it.. as I cannot carry everyone's burden. I'm so glad to know there's a name for it and I'm not alone. Now.. what to do with it.. :) *sigh*
I want to thank you for this certain Hub by Isabella Snow, so far this has been the best to learn from. I always knew I cried easy and had Empathy, but it got to the point that I said maybe Im an Empath, even after watching shows like Charmed. Well finally I looked it up and was surprised by what I read, that being an Empath is a real gift. Well finally I talked with a Pastor in Uganda he is a very smart man and has over 2,000 followers and is there for everyone of them. Well I asked him does God give us gifts and explained to him what I was going through and this is what he said "I think thus a special gift you have and I guess you feel what one goes through that you may intervene in helping them or protecting others who may face such pain in the future." I said next to him that I feel deeply what people feel especially the pain and its like I know exactly what to say it just pours out of me that I feel there pain first and dont take care of my pain. He then said "Wait when you see people who don't care about other peoples pain thus when you will thank God for that gift but I should warn you that its psychologically torturing though you have to pray for Gods strength but its a feeling that only exists in good people" I then said to him that I needed to learn ways to control it so I can enjoy life but also help heal others. He said "Thus why I said it happens with good people I just pray that people dont take advantage of you, when they notice you have such a gift they pretend and attract your help" I said next I was afraid to tell people cause I dont want them to think Im crazy and because like he said it is torturing cause I cry when I feel others pain and have a hard time explaining it to people why Im crying. He said "sorry dear lets pray over it that the mighty God may empower you" I told him of a few deaths recently of young teenagers with their whole life ahead of them that I said why God Im 44 and sick take me not them they have their whole lives ahead of them take me he said to me "Oh My God, when you say why not me you are like saying u would take his or her place and die, that is just like CHRIST then he said your special, he felt our pain and died for us, then please keep it up. He had to go after that but Monday we are going to talk again. So those of us that are Empaths yes it is a gift from God its not an easy gift, but he chose us because we are special, but we are taken advantage of, I was this weekend a so called friend stole my purse all my money for the whole month and all my medicine. If you would like his name please let me know he is worth listening and you wont regret it sorry so long this may end up in two posts since its so long so Blessed be fellow Empaths looking forward to knowing you all Tracey Stevens
I don't know if I'am an empath, I do know that there are like voices or things that occur that is - well, odd.
Year prior, I would drive by a particular apartment and a voice would tell me that I'am going to live there. It appeared peaceful, quaint and not a gated apartmtent.
Today, I'am living in that apartment.
Then there is the profound effect on those that have died. I do not watch tv but the news appears when I log out after checking email. When Amy Winehouse pasted away, a person to which I did not know, reading about the troubles and struggles of abuse, it hit me so hard. Particularly when I googled and saw a picture of her before she succumbed to drugs, her eyes, like an angel, I just broke out and cried, a beautiful child. The comments about her was so ugly and to see her, it still effects me. I find that I must close myself off the news. to things, such an effect.
4 YEARS!!! this is the first time i have found a description which answers whats happening! Somebody come back to me please, i cant shy away from the world because of my job and the number of family and friends and they are all slowly killing me! i give and give and and they take and take, i cant watch tv because it hurts! anything horrific sticks in my brain! and the homeless look happier than me! i dotn know hwat is happening to me, but i turn to talk to someone for me and there is no-one there, but all expect me to be there for them. Why do people think i dont need help, jeez i have paid every Child support and travelled 200 miles every other week for my son, and he ignores me! his mum treats me like some sort of criminal and i return it with smiles and bottled up politeness! ive called my son everyday for 10 years and he fobs me off if hes watching friends or simpsons! do i matter........ i dont think i do, which is funny because im so well known up and down the country!!
This is exactly what I am! (except for #7) I've been looking for something like this for a very long time.thank you very much! ^_^
I am an empath, thank you for this page. But, my comment is for Sapphira2409, it is wonderful that you have found what you are looking for in the religion of your choice. I was raised in a christian faith as well. BUT, you mentioned the 1st commandment "Thou shalt not have any other Gods before me", God isn't saying anything about other "gods" being evil it just says that "He" should come first. I don't claim to know anything about your funeral rituals, but I can't imagine why it would be held in a place where you are being watched by "demons". Isn't it more likely that the carved faces are the protectors of souls, Angels, or Arch Angels? Since you are an Empath, maybe you aren't feeling evil, maybe what you are feeling is the emotional state of your passed away loved one not to mention all the emotions of everyone else in that room. As I said, I am no expert but it is what I believe to be true. I hope this can help, and I do not mean to offend anyone.
I don't think I'm this, I can literally feel how people are feeling, and I do fit the not being able to lie to them part, iv noticed I ALWAYS know when someone is lieing to me, and I'm blunt so I point it out. But I can't seem to find anything on it, and this does not fit, at least I don't think so unless iv gotten very good at blocking it out on my own. But I have a hunch this isn't me and it's kinda agrivating because I want to know if anyone else is like me so I know I'm not crazy.
I was "WITH" you until.... 5) Do you feel compelled to care for anyone in pain, no matter who they are and what they’ve done to you? THAT'S where you lost me! I don't give rat's @ss about other people's sh*t! What am I called with 9 out of the 10 signs? A narcissist? Lol!
The worse part I find with being an empath, is people get dependant on the feeling on being around me, and when I have to much negative energy in me, I need to unload it. I'v been able to do it, and transmit it into others (took practice) but half the time, I find I'm escentially a vampire having to take in others positive energy. otherwise i'm miserable. hugs are good for that. getting intimate basically is making the ultimate bond
All of these are ME! I had a Tarot reading this past weekend, and one thing that stood out is that I need to distinguish my own emotions from those of others..
i didnt start feeling these abilities until after the birth of my two boys the first not so strong, but i knew something was there. with the second i felt it more and more, he was a miracle child born after my body had been rejecting him for 4 months he was born over two months early. i dont know if i can accept it yet, i feel almost like an outsider when i let my abilities through. i feel almost like i will be thought of as crazy. i can feel the before and after emotions of a conversation or meeting with some one or just a get together before it happens. i know the feelings that will occure and i almost hate it specially when i know it will be bad and i cant do anything about it. i can feel when someone does not take me seriously and it makes me mad that i know what they think and the feelings they wont show me, but they dont know and i cant say much or do much over it. the people i draw in close to me i can tell what the outcome of their decisions will be good or bad and what they will be feeliong when it does occure even tho i cant tell when it will occure i just know its coming and i cant stop it or say anything about it i know i have to let things happen on their own. i do give warnings and i do let someone know if things turn out bad to prepare them for whats coming if i get that feeling of its ok to let them know, maybe god letting me know i can tell them and if i dont get that ok feeling after getting that knowing ability i wont say anything. im mostly scared and worried about letting these abilities free with myself, im scared to attract any other abilities since i am now just understanding im not crazy and their is a name to what i can do. can you be an empath and clairsentient, im not even sure if i want these abilities but i cant let them go im not sure what i want to do yet. i know its almost a struggle to live it with it knowing things others dont knowing whats real on tv with peoples emotions, its with everything its uncontrollable i almost hate it.
hi
thank you for your aticle! i am defo an empath and as iv discovered with more human intereaction comes more pain. I feel the pain and happiness of every look, glance or action aimed or not aimed at all people. so im constantly in a place of judgment, pain and disgust at how mankind is soo self centerd and unaware of there actions at all times. It does completely break me everytime. I wish I could be cold like everyone else and turn of my feelings and empathy, because i cant seem to understand how others are not like me and how we treat and think of others. even if people have done me wrong or someone i love wrong, to find out they are in great pain still hurts me and i want to help them! whats wrong with me. its a hard lonely exsistance being this way and have only ever met one other near to me in this way in all my years on earth. and it hard for her too. I would love to meet others like me. or even know theer are others and that im not just an over sensative freak! that should toughen up
Thanks so much for this post.
It is so nice to see that there are so many out there. I just had a psychic reading 3 days ago and was told I was a healer. I figured out a few years ago that I am an empath, but didnt realize how the two went together. I used to call my home "the house of misfits" because it seemed all the kids that were "misfits" would flock to our home and felt safe here. When I enter a room of children, like my kids classrooms, virtually every child will come and hug me. At first I was uncomfortable with it and thought they were needy; now I dont think its the case. I have always had complete strangers tell me their life stories and what they having problems with. My friends and I would joke about it. Obvious that if you have this gift people are drawn to you. I believe that an innocence factor with children says a lot. acceptance is a lot easier than trying to justify or worry about it. The older I get the easier it is and the happier I am. I used to get horrible migraines, they have stopped since I have accepted the fact that this is a gift and here to stay. stay positive fellow empaths!
I was doing an online bible study when I by chance came across all your comments. I don't really read much other than The Bible ( I am a christian and proud to be one)and think I am an Empath (wheew, what a relief)! I never for a moment felt I was mad, nuts, a pyscho but I always felt other people thought that of me and still think that today. Its the best ever feeling to know I am not alone because other people have experienced the same things as myself (thats positive thought number 1).I've been this way since I was about 4years old and always just thought I just liked to stay home and be in the company of my family. As a teen I went through depression, anxiety, etc and still have it today I'm 47 don't socialise much, maybe twice a year if they're lucky! I can't work or go to church or go to a mall for that matter because if I do I feel other peoples emotions and it ends up sapping my energy levels to the point where I can't even think straight, in other words the only thing I can do is lie down and rest up. I'm a maori from New Zealand and when someone close to us dies, we have whats called a tangi (funeral) that lasts for three days and we sit on the marae (meeting house) where all the relatives meet, celebrate the persons life who passed on and so forth and anyway there is a heck of a lot of emotion going on and I can feel everyones emotions and I just feel drained from it all but in saying that I stay there and I persevere with it until the end of the third day. After that I sleep for days to get my energy back again. Another thing is our ancestors say they believe in one God but in the meeting house there are carved wooden images of faces and my opinion is that they are different gods and as the first commandment and God clearly says "Thou shalt not have any other gods before me", the demonic evil forces are running rampant on these maraes and I can feel them too and it makes me ill all the time and as a result God has punnished and cursed our ancestors past and present by way of illness (diabetes, kidney and heart disease, stroke). Now, I will only go to a funeral on a marae if it is an immediate family member and make sure I have Gods Word tucked away in my bag somewhere. Today, even though I go through what I go through, I'm just so blessed to know that I have my saviour Jesus Christ walking with me and that is how I get through (he gets me through everything) so no, I don't feel so alone now because I cast all my cares to him.
God is Love.
Is it possible to gain these abilities later in life, or must one have these abilities from birth? I've always been a little different from everyone else. Ever since i was little, i've seen things: shaddows that no one else can see, links between people, that sort of thing. I've never really thought much about it. I've always had strange and often frightening dreams, much like night terrors that have always been there and never went away. I wake up from them, and i can't move. Like my mind has woken up before my body has. Again, I've never really given to much thought to it. But lately, i've been having some really wierd things happening to me. This year, i started at a different uni, made new friends. The other day i started crying for no reason, and just wouldn't stop for at least an hour. I found out recently that one of my friends broke up with his girlfriend at that time and was crying at exactly the same time as I was. for about an hour. I can tell when somethings wrong with people, even before they show any signs. I know what my friends are doing, even before they tell me, even when i'm no where near them. Lately, i can tell when someones lying to me. When people argue, the shadows i see become thicker and darker. I have dreams, and then elements of the dream happen in real life, things people say, clothes people wear, situations. The weirdest thing is, I actually start feeling peoples physical pains. I can't take them away (although i have been told that for some reason beging around me makes them feel better), but often i'll get a stomach ache in exactly the same spot as someone, or i'll get a head ache when around someone with a head ache.
The weirdest thing by far is the feeling of connection. I feel connected to people, not just in a social sense, but in a physical sense as if a string were binding me to people. With some people, it's as if the string is pulled tight, about to snap off. I feel rejected by these people, like they're trying to get away from me. Some people it's like the string is tangled and loose, for others it's just right. It's hard to explain. These connections can be with pretty much anyone i meet, even peole i don't like. I know people, I know their true intentions, their secret desires, their deepest fears, just by talking to them. I've proved this over and over again by actually telling them, and they're amazed. Am I crazy? Does everyone feel like this? Or is this something else? Is this a ninteen year old's subconcious plea to be different, or is this something real?
i am a impath.
Hi, well it's nice to know were not alone. I live in a smaller town and I think that helps, I have been in places and just got mad for no reason, especially Walley world. I think it's the anger and resentment of the employees I pick up on. Late at night. I am completely disabled for the last 3 years but It has made me highly aproachable to people who need a shoulder. I have always loved helping people, I am always being placed somewhere for a reason, sometimes I don't understand at first but in hindsite I figure it out. I have even been known to read between the words of people and figure out how they are feeling. I have always been able to embrace this gift and have never seen the world as a place I didnt want to help. I have been put in situations as a young child that would have crushed most but I just saw them as challenges and another opportunity for a hug. So many hugs so many people who just want to be loved in a world that dosnt show love easily, Ya know what i mean? Im lucky this gift has always been with me and I have been able to embrace it. The Holy Spirit truly gifted me and I have used my ability to put Bibles in the hands of people reaching out in such pain, they are drawn to me and being disabled helps them not be afraid to talk to me.The Holy Spirit gives gifts we just have to choose how to use them. Deamons dont give gifts of love
your too intelligent fretbuzz
I agree with that
This article has helped me immensely! I started researching Indigo Children after a woman I know suggested that my son, who was diagnosed with ADHD, might actually be an Indigo. I believe she is right and I also believe I am one as well. This led me to Empaths. Suddenly everything makes sense. I have always been so strongly affected by other people's moods. I can be happy and smiling one minute, then in a complete funk that I don't even understand. In fact, this just happened the other day at work. It probably doesn't help that I am a hairstylist and I am touching other people and absorbing their energy all day. At times its exhausting, other times its rewarding. I have been told its like I can read people's minds. People also open up to me sometimes without even meaning to do so. By the end of a haircut I have learned their whole life story, usually the first time we've met. I also strongly feel like I must solve their problems and occasionally I do. I have a hard time walking by anyone in need without my heart feeling wrenched out of my chest. I also have "sympathy pains", especially if someone that is close to me is in pain. The most troubling things to me are the fact that I have dreams that come true and they usually are my bad dreams. I also do not know how to control this or block other people's negative energy. There's so much more but I don't do too well with translating my thoughts into words. Thank you for the information. Now I finally understand myself.
My grandmother has had the gift of healing and seeing things other people can't since she was young. She has done a lot of good with it, she learned from and embraced her abilities. She has passed this gift on to her daughters, and granchildren, but only the girls. In some of us it is stronger than others, and what I find funny is that the ones who really want it, have not so strong abilities. There are 7 women in my family (not including my granma). Three of which are her daughters, and the rest granchildren. I am her second oldest granchild. And to be quite honest although I am able to see the good my granma has done and appreciate her abilities, I am the only one who does not wish to have it. But, it so happens that I am as strong if not stronger than my granma (which she tells me all the time). And I do not know how to deal with it. I've known for a long time that I am an empath. But I do not know how to control the enormous feelings i get from other peoples which are extremely draining. At this point in my life it is even more difficult to handle. I recently got married and am living with my in-laws until we can get our own home. They are very nice, but have some issues within their own relationship. Which I feel constantly and at times it is so strong that I missinterpret them, which is causing a lot of arguments with me and my husband. And no, I have not told my husband about this because I am afraid he will think i'm nuts.I hate going anywhere anymore because I hate constantly knowing what people are thinking and feeling. In particular I despise when people are being fake, and lying. And I can't tell them that I know how they really feel, because again, they will think I'm nuts. My granma says the sooner I accept my abilities, the easier it will be to manage them. But i'm afraid that it will do the opposite and be even stroger than they are now. It has gotten to the point that if I am too overwhelmed with others energies, and I happen to be around an electronic (commputer, video game, dishwaasher, etc.) I brake it without even touching it!!! I feel other peoples illnesses as well, in particular my granma's. She is ill with cancer, and whenever she feels sick I feel sick, but I don't usually find she's sick until after she gets better, for example I had major migraines that came unexpectadly for a whole week. They would just pop up and leave me floored, and as quick as they came they would go away. Later on that week, my granma was hospitalized and we found out that she had a tumor in her brain. I also have that strong conection with my husband, which sucks for him because he can't lie to me or hide anything from me. And when he does try to hide anything from me, I already know it, but I also know he is just waiting for the right time to tell me. Which means that I have to wait until he decides to tell me, even though I already know what he is going to say verbatim. It is so annoying. If you are one of the people who wih they had some kind of ability, then all I have to say to you is, be careful what you wish for.I'm glad I found this article. It makes feel like less of a nut. And although i'm afraid, I see no other choice but to learn about being an empath and how to deal with it. Other wise I WILL go crazy.
I have always wondered why I had all these other emotions and feelings that did not make any since to me at the time. Out of the 7 signs I read I have all of those! I get so upset when someone stands right in front of me and lies to me! I know they are lying and most everytime I know if they are tring to deceve me or they are sparing my feelings. I also feel animal emotions.
Thank you for writting this because now I can do my research on this and learn how to stop or control the emotions I get!
I love being able to first meet someone and know usually right away what they are up too and what there true intintions are. What I usually do to someone who is lying to me and they are not doing it to spare my feelings and are out to do harm or be decetful I tend to argue with them until I get so mad I have to walk away! Its like I feel it all through me that what they are saying is a lie and they are not good caring people!
Thank you again you have help me so much!
Tina Louise!
I have the opposite of what most say here. I have the overwhelming need to help people and to be around people. When I try to remove myself from it it makes me feel physically sick and my mind spin and feelings overwhelm me. I think that maybe my way of dealing with it that I learned is to help people to listen to them and help after I have done that it gives me a break from the empathy for them and their situation until another comes along. The thing that exhausts me is the people that are bad people the ones that are ok with how they are are actually feed on their misery and that of others. When I am around someone that that it is exhausting to me and overwhelming. I need to find a way to block that out which I have not found yet. The other is that when something is going on in my family or friends lives even though they are far away I get an uneasy feeling and can not sleep or focus on anything but that feeling. What makes it worse is sometimes some of them think that it is better to keep what is going on to themselves. When that happens I feel like I am searching for what is wrong and where that my intuition and my feelings are misguiding me when in reality they are not.
I learned I was an empath at a Christian prayer seminar. During group prayer I felt prompted to repent of all involvment with mediums and psychics. After that the Holy Spirit started to help me decern when emotions are mine or someone elses. I also became aware of physical sensations that we not mine as well. If you think your an empath try going to a prayer training at a mega-church and see what happens. It has been very usesful as a prayer team member. The easiet emotion to decern is grief. I believe that's because our Father wants the greiving to be comforted. Great article. Thanks!!!
Hi Fretbuzz
TRUE CHRISTIAN’s, are aware of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. However In case some have forgotten here is a reminder. Hope it helps you to no longer “Be conformed to the things of the world, but be transformed through the renewing of your mind”. Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of GOD.
What the bible says about the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)
Not only does the Bible tell us that these 9 gifts are available to all believers, but then it takes it one step further and tells us that we can actually try and stir these 9 gifts up with the Lord. Here are 5 very good verses telling us to not only desire spiritual gifts, but to also not be afraid to try and stir these gifts up with the Lord:
1. “Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy.” (1 Corinthians 14:39)
2. “… and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.” (1 Corinthians 14:1)
3. “Do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophecies.” (1 Thessalonians 5:19)
4. “Do not neglect the gift that is in you … Meditate on these things, give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.” (1 Timothy 4:14)
5. “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” (2 Timothy 1:6)
These 9 gifts are a tremendous help and aid to not only you in your own personal walk with the Lord, but many of them can be also used to help other people out as special needs and circumstances arise in their lives. Notice the very first line in this verse says that these 9 gifts are given to each one for the “profit of all.”
1. The Word of Knowledge
How exactly does the Holy Spirit transmit an actual Word of Knowledge to us? The Bible says that the Holy Spirit will bear “witness” with our human spirits. It can come in the form of a thought or an impression on your mind, or possibly come in the form of a vision or a picture in your mind’s eye.
2. The Word of Wisdom
A word of wisdom will give you the ability to be able to properly apply the knowledge that you may already have on a particular situation
3. The Gift of Prophecy
The gift of prophecy is when you get a direct Word from the Lord to usually give to someone else. And when I say a direct word, I mean the message from the Lord that will be given to you will literally be word for word. When you get one of these, you need to try and either write or type all of it out if you are in a place to be able to do so.
4. The Gift of Faith
The Bible tells us that we all have a certain measure of faith that has already been given to us by the Lord. If God is asking you to go into a burning building to rescue a child, there will be a very good chance that the Holy Spirit will immediately manifest His faith and courage right up in you so you can take on this dangerous assignment.
5. The Gifts of Healing
Not only can the Holy Spirit directly heal you with your own personal prayers to the Lord, but He can also use you as an anointed vessel to manifest His healing power through to help heal someone else – if you will only have the courage to speak out what He wants you to say to that person, and then lay hands on that person for the healing power to be transmitted into their body to the affected body part that will need the healing.
6. The Working of Miracles
An intervention in the natural universe by God = A phenomena that transcends natural laws = A divine act by which God reveals Himself to people. If you study the Bible very carefully from start to finish, it is literally one miracle after another with both God the Father and Jesus Christ. The Bible says that God does not change, and if both Him and Jesus were constantly doing miracles in both the OT and NT, then God will do miracles in our day and age.
7. The Discerning of “spirits”
The first thing to notice about this gift is that the “s” in the word “spirits” is with a small “s.” This means that it is not referring to the Holy Spirit. The only other spirits that are out there that this gift is referring to are the following three kinds of spirits:
1. Demonic spirits = One way that the Holy Spirit will help you discern and sense demons in someone is through either a sense of smell or a sense of feeling. Some people will get a real sick feeling in their stomach, like they want to vomit when they either see or get around someone who has a demon on the inside of them.
2. God’s angels = The Bible tells us that God’s angels are also spirit beings. They are ministering spirits.
3. Human spirits = in addition to angels and demonic spirits, the third kind of spirit this gift is referring to is just our own human spirits. For instance, someone could have a bad spirit of pride on them. It will not be a demonic spirit giving this person this kind of bad pride, it will just be his own natural spirit,
8. The Gift of Tongues
The gift of tongues is simply the Holy Spirit giving you the supernatural ability to speak in a foreign tongue that you have no knowledge or ability to speak out on your own. “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Romans 8:26)
9. The Interpretation of Tongues = Like the interpretation of an Empath
“If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God.” (1 Corinthians 14: 27-28)
“Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.” (1 Corinthians 14:13-14)
I had a very bad life and i used to think that my emotions i was having that changed dramatically through the day was by a personality disorder. I looked personality disorders up, took online tests nd self-diagnosed myself. Recently i have found my mum nd dad who me nd my brother were split up from when i was 4 nd he was 7. We had not seen our true family for 11 years nd decided it was time to search. As he lived in our birth place, he had easier access to finding them, while i waited for the result. when we did find nd meet up with them every weekend, we found out a lot nd just yesterday i experienced my dad’s healing powers, only as we were talking about how i tried it out a few times and as I baby, my dad had a very bad shoulder and I used to lie on his left shoulder but for some reason, I crawled to the right one nd just laid there. My body heat soothed his shoulder nd helped it recover. He said he thought it was as if I knew. Also he told me how at their wedding I wouldn’t leave my dad’s side as they were doing their vows. He said it was as if I knew there was something going wrong or a negative feeling from someone in the room. I was two at the time nd he didn’t think I had empathy or healing powers like him. Anyway, his hands hovered over mine nd almost suddenly I had the heat from them. Then he switched to empathy healing nd the heat swapped from a hot wave to a cold breeze. I done the same to him but he only felt the coldness. Then he explained in full detail how he heals. I knew i didn’t have healing powers but i felt almost certain i was an empath through many times of concentrating when my two dogs or cat are injured. Every time i do it, their heads turn to look at me. There was one time when my dog caught an injured bird. I picked it up nd slid under a gap between a fence. As i was holding it, even though i knew i couldn’t help it, the bird was looking at me all the time until i left it hidden in the bushes away from further harm. At school, i am also the only person my friends can talk to. They feel as though they’re going mad with all their problems or they need to go home through feeling too ill nd every time they have a problem they always come to me for help. i thought it was weird how i could help other people whether I’m giving advice or just standing/sitting there nd letting them pour their emotions out onto me nd i could actually feel all that hurt, anger and sometimes even excitement. Then when i went back to my carers, I would sit in my room alone, away from the other foster kids, away from the carers, away from the dogs nd sit in my room reflecting on the events of the day. So, this morning as my parents weren’t awake, i decided to go on my laptop nd research more into empathy. My dad gave me a rough explanation from a book he has but i felt like i wanted more. Reading through this website i now know that there is nothing to be afraid of anymore, that i am not mad nd i have no personality disorder whatsoever. As i was reading through i was nodding nd smiling with the knowing in my gut that i have inherited yet another amazing thing from my dad. My dad has a lot of things that are different to everyone else nd i also know that i do belong with a family nd not someone's foster child. Thank you so much for this information nd i will come back from school, town, even the park feeling much better than i used to after experiencing everyone’s emotions. My empathy healing has only been used on my pet’s nd unconsciously the bird so i will wait until someone is physically hurt so i get that last 1% doubt of if i am or not an empath. Thank you so much for helping me :)
I just wanted to say thanks-something I already knew-but just needed the reminder-being a loner sometimes gets very lonely-atleast there is understanding for myself as well as other Empaths even when most of modern society just thinks "we are out there". Thank you again, peace and love in your journeys
Great articles!. I absolutely love this one it helped me a lot.
Little background. I am a Christian but not one of those in your face kind. I let people be who the want and if asked I will explain what I believe. I am certainly not the devil or the antichrist. Just a person with an extra sense of what I thought was just good intuition; I assume it is God given since it has always brought me and others around me good. I can’t say for sure when I noticed it but I have know since maybe 3 or 4 I was able to sense things others couldn’t.(now I’m 35)
This article is like looking into my self a bit. I would assume I’m not an empath, not because I don’t feel everything mentioned in this article, but instead because when I leave a place full of people like a mall or church I am not drained but quite the opposite. I am energized with positive engergy and want to stay longer. It is very often hard for me to get to bed because of it..
I can’t watch sad things however that does bring me down so I try not to listen to the news or watch movies with sad endings if I can help it ~ that always gets me in a bad state of being.
People can’t lie to me with out me knowing. Sometimes I just let the lie go because it is not worth explaining how I know. Without trying I can fill in people’s sentences or know the next line of a movie with out seeing it previously. I can feel the pain of others if I let myself. I don’t try to do that though. I can’t control it really, it happens when it chooses. Meaning I can’t read a persons mind on request but I can get the feelings of others.
Oh yes, I am constantly bombarded with people telling me their problems. It is not just friends and family but coworkers, acquaintances and completely random strangers off the street as well. ~So much so that my friends make fun of me for it because if some weirdo off the street is going to talk to one of us it is 99% of the time me. I don’t mind it though actually I enjoy listening and when I can trying to help them.
It was overwhelming in school but now that I am an adult I guess I learned to block things out better. (Day late and a dollar short but hey I survived it) Now instead of feeling sorry for the person’s problem and focusing on it; I try to help them find a solution that helps keep my sprits up. Obviously that is not plausible in all situations. So now when needed I tune others out or focus on their positive engery.
I haven’t tried healing others physically so I don’t know if I can. I am afraid to ask due to the stigma behind it all.
I have tried the detox bath to cleanse my body and mind. That helps when I do get overwhelmed.
I would love to learn to for lack of better words harness the power I have. If someone could give me some more websites or books or something I would greatly appreciate it.
The sad part for me is I can’t ask my family for advice because most of them would think I was the devil for believing such things…
Thanks!
What? why didn't my post get posted? i was a nice post.
you are right, des. it does feel that way. i spend 4 hours around people and i find myself, home and not wanting to even answer my door for days. but tell me, what good is a gift if you can't use it for it's purpose? it's draining, yes, but it's also rewarding.
this is amazing...this is exactly how i feel...i feel like i am more emotionally evolved than others, like people dont understand my feelings or anyone elses. I am always constantly helping people that look like hey need help. its like an addiction, i start feeling really guilty if i try to ignore it....also i can sense peoples emotions around me. but the habbit is not to think about there feelings to much, or u start doubting what you already know.
Hi there,
I just want to say thank you for sharing this..
I am 21 and i am an empath, i am one of the ones who you could say are overwhemlmed i have recently spent 7 months as homeless and had a pretty ruff time the past couple of years, and between my own feelings and dealing with them n then trying to deal with others i kind of lost myself for a period of time and then turned to cannabis as it seemed to block it out, n then i came off it and it made everything worse.
I do not have a clue how to control it or block it out so i tend not to go anywhere much anymore, i used to get migraines all the time as well but i have moved away from everything and every one i know and since i have had maybe 1 or 2.
I just want to have a normal life and be happy, is there any advice that you can give that might help?
Thanks
Thankyou so much for this article. I've always been highly sensitive, but recently my ability went nuts on me DX Its overwhelming, how strong it can get. Now I know why I always preferred staying at home lol. But yes, very well written.
aaaahhh. so frustrating. so many people here have no clue what an empath is and their comments are plain ridiculous. Empaths don't feel very social!! I f^%$$#$ hate social life because it feels like you're a doctor on call 24/7 being around people.
i am not saying to build any emotional blocks. please don't even learn to do that. it's damaging to your character. you are a compassionate person, hold on to that. that is a quality, not a debilitating trait.
feed them positive and encouraging words. perhaps do something that you know will pump their moral. like have a party and make 1 rule. nothing sad or bad is to talked about during the party. have some activities lined up that are fun and distracting to reality. a few suggestions, singing w/ helium, memory games like (when you all first met, silly things you remember about those days) who's got the weirdest stories that are funny. even a sports game or something that requires physical exercise. that builds a persons adrenalin and helps them to get out aggressions or stress. you get my point.
as for whatever the problems are they are dealing with; allow them to vent and communicate to them what you are feeling about that. let them know that you have an insight that makes you sensitive to their emotions and because you are their friend you can feel their pain. being on the outside-looking in also gives you better perspective. you don't have to say you have empathic abilities. that would freak them out. just that you are sensitive to others feelings. then give them suggestions to how to handle those things or just give them comfort showing you care. sometimes being there helps a lot. giving a hug can be important too. when you hug someone, fill yourself with ALL the good you can and believe you are transferring that into them. they don't have to know, that's between you and God.
it took me years to get it down how to be there, but to be there and have it not effect me. every situation is different. so not knowing your friends in particular is hard to say. maybe you could give me some examples (without mentioning names, of coarse). here are some from me:
i have a friend (age 67)who has a heart as big as the world. she is there for everyone but her. animals included. lol when i am around her, my senses are stronger, but my bond with her is over 20 yrs old. i can feel her even when she isn't here. she is worried about how she is going to make it financially and its consuming her. she shouldn't be having this problem, but she gives her money towards her grand-kids for sports activities. yes, that's honorable, but she is sinking and they don't know that. i pray for her, talk to her about what she is doing, even nag her a little about taking care of home first. but she is stubborn, (as am i). so i look around for ways she can win both worlds. ways she can possibly refinance, payoff all debts and lower her payments which will help her and her gkids. her husband died a few years back, so i go with her to care for his grave site, i ask her questions about him that i know are going to get me a positive feeling from her. i show up at her house unexpected, (knowing she isn't busy that day, and ask her to go with me to fun places) i compliment her life on anything i see positive. i attend all her grandkids games with her. but i don't bug her to death. lol that's what that was sounding like, so wanted to clear that up. ;)get the idea?
i have another friend (age 27) who found out she has a multitude of serious health issues, got fired, and found out she was pregnant all on the same day. her in-laws think she is faking it, but her family and husband are supportive. i took her to the emergency room the other day. we were there 5 hours. she is going to be ok in the long run, but it's kicking her behind right now. that one was tough on me, but i hung in there. i could feel everything she was feeling and man oh man she wasn't doing well. i kept her mind on positive things, but still allowed her to vent the negative. i reminded her that God may be pointing her in a specific direction and i would help her all i can to get there. (Remember; when a window closes, He will open a door.) so for every negative, i acknowledge it and returned a positive, a word of support, an option of hope. and a reminder, that she wasn't alone. after i got her home that night, i told her that she needed to get to bed and so did i because i felt her pains and it wasn't a nice feeling. we laughed and she felt better that someone totally got her. i went home a slept for 18 hours. keep in mind, she is married, so i will talk to her over the phone, but i will not get in the middle of her marriage over it. i will encourage her to talk to her hubby and doctors and will let her vent or help her find the right avenues to get straighten out. yes, being a em path can drain you sooooooo much. but i see it as a gift.
then again, there are those situations where the first thing i ask myself before getting involved is: what would the Lord want of me here? sometimes it's just to be there and comfort as much as i can, then step away. i leave those situations with one encouraging statement. 'if you need anything, call me or come by, i will do my best to help out'. i never say 'to help you' because that makes them feel like they can't take care of their own things. then a week or so later, i will check on them. that shows them i cared enough to keep them in my thoughts. that, in and of itself, can mean more than you know.
but if someone is whollering in there own self pitty, i will not participate. i will give them something encouraging to think about and walk away from it. they need to stand up on their own and put forth the effort first.
(pick you battles, win the war)
i give what i can, when i can. but i always let God lead my path. Sometimes He is working in their lives and doesn't need you to interfere. sometimes He is working in your life and presenting you with a situation that requires you support. you have to learn how to listen to what He is asking and you will know what to do. I read some things in here where some don't believe in the Lord. I don't know if you do or not. but if it weren't for His guidance, i would be totally confused. I researched the Word and found most all I answers there. I love to share them, but i am not going to smack anyone over the head with His word. I will, however, always confess He is my guide in life.
i get accused of being a psychologist a lot. But i am not. I am just another person, nothing special. I have been through things that i can't even say, but i use that and HIM to help others get it right. hopefully. lol
Ladyart thank you very much for your kind words, what you wrote makes alot of sense and im deeply greatful. Would building a emotional block work to block out the feelings of my friends? they mean a lot to me and i would hate to leave just to feel myself again and it would kill them in the process too, they have lost a bit over the years and its not fair to do that to them and i wish to be there to help them through this. Again i thank you, it was very kind of you to go in depth about how to handle this. :) Your friends sound lovely and that is amazing that you could do that and still do i believe, would it be possible that i could have a few tips on how you were able to step back and help but not be totally tied to the situation?
Also do you happen to be a psyhcologist by any chance?
Thanks again.
Wow. It's all starting to make sense. I knew something was different in a an amazing and sometimes tragic way. My doctor gave me the analogy that some women (people) are carnations, pretty, strong and sturdy, and others are orchids, beautiful, exotic, and also fragile. It was such positive imagery and so true.
I recognize now I was taking on the pain of the (highly functioning) addict/alcoholics in my life. It was not MY pain. I am well. That differentiation set me free. My tendency to be a vacuum for others pain needs to be harnessed. The analogy of allowing the bees to swarm 'around' and not 'through' you is powerful. Then it is a gift. Thanks to everyone who's shared and helped us learn. Life is good.
alright i agree with you on the most part but there is one thing your wrong on... empaths don't always know when they are being lied to... if the empath is in love with the person who is lying to he/she then he/she wont be able to tell... love is an overriding emotion it clouds judgments and tells us what we want to hear, which isn't always the truth
christie S.
I owe you an apology. i was writing you and addressed it to the wrong person. I am sorry for that. I hope you read what i wrote, if not, it was 15 hours ago and should have been you, not danasha.
dont forget about yourselves. we can do alot to help and understand others but at the same time we need others to help us aswell. i think alot of empaths trouble doing this, if you cant help yourself or ask for help your emotions will build up and create serious problems in your life. i thank god im stil alive and well
its good to know there are alot of empaths out there..the world needs them.
doofus, it sounds like you are crying out for attention. what has been going on for three years?
in the end, Satin kills everything, Jesus saves those who believe in the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
you are right that nothing, no one, escapes it. But the Bible is a book that was interpreted by man and inspired by God. it is THE BOOK to be a guideline for how we should live our lives. HE also gave us all the right to decide for ourselves, which path we choose to take.
I will pray you are ok. you can talk to me. i care.
danisha, have you tried to just be alone and meditate on YOUR feelings? you can't save everyone. you're not crazy, you're sensitive. negativity will drag you down. stay away from it. if you have friends and family who are depressed, feed them positive words and a supportive attitude, but let them handle their own monkeys. remember, you have to choose what monkeys you will allow on your back. pick your battles, win the war. if you are having emotions that you know are not yours around your mom. question her. ask her why she feels the way you are seeing her feel. perhaps your imagination is drawing the wrong picture. talking to her will help you and her. not to mention build a stronger bond between you both.
as for studying; make sure you are not disturbed while you study. set your mind on what you are learning. sometimes it doesn't seem important enough at the time, but it is in the long run. as you learn to control your feelings about others and you, and you soak up everything you can in school. you will know more how to handle your sensitivity. that's great that you are catching onto these feelings while you are still young enough to get them down. you sound like an extremely intelligent young lady. the darkness you are feeling is not you, it's the friends that are negative. you need to stay away from that, refuse it. don't let that in. when i was younger, i would make it a game. at parties i could tell people what was about to happen, what someone was like in depth, how a football game would end, etc. etc. it freaked them out, but they did not treat me as if i were weird, they laughed with me and thought it was cool. then they began coming to me for counseling on their personal issues. i didn't mind, but i had to learn how to step away. you can do it, you will be fine. just catch your mojo. ;-)
i mean can you tell me a french site, im having difficulty to understand the video. Thank you for the information
how to control it, i can't study because of it.
I can't believe this has been going on for 3 years..
In the end God Kills EVERYTHING
Nothing escapes it, the Bible is a book written by "man" to be a guideline for how people should conduct their lives
Please to heaven and back help me out here! Im barely 16 and everytime im surounded by people i feel so much that it becomes a point of numbness, its been like this my whole life, i can just look at my mum these days and feel exactly what shes feeling. Most of my close friends are facing depression adn its tearing me apart as well i need to be there for them and help but i dont know how to feeling like this and to add to it when it started to appear my feeling where growing dark too, please someone explain to whats happening am i an empath or just some freak of nature that understands way to much beyond my comphreison?
Or am i just normal and as my friends dub me retarded.
yes, xena, i hear you. i don't really even tell my family about it, but i find quiet ways to relate things. i think that's what pulled me here. i just really wanted to get that out there. you can't tell people, they look at you like your nuts. lol
I have been an empath since I was eight and your right it is quite hard. Though its not only a bad thing, unless around alot of people. But i couldn't imagine this life without.
I am an em path as well as a Christian. I don't see how anyone who is can deal with personal relationships. Hats off who can!! I have learned how to live alone and I don't date. Dating is too stressful for me. The drama involved seems to be too much. I try to live every moment in what God would want me to do and He gives me peace with that.
I am writing here because I can just tell what is going to happening over time frames, what people are truly feeling, and when someone close to me is in need. Going for a walk is draining and i don't even need to see anyone on my walk. each home throws emotions that effect my walk. So i try to focus on our Lord and pray to myself. I can't attend church, go to events or anywhere there are more than one or two people, without coming home and feeling like i have to sleep or rest. i am drained of ALL my energy. it's disheartening sometimes, but ya just learn to live with it. two yrs ago, i told my family that the earth has shifted and the weather was going to go bonkers over the next 3-5 years. they just smiled and changed the subject. now look at the weather. hmmmm. i told my children, who are married and on their own, that over the yrs 2010-2012 there would be a great deal of financial stress and to save food, med supplies, camping gear, etc. they will be glad they did. again, they shrugged me. Now? My son and his family moved in here and are struggling. My daughter and her family are seeing the crunch and getting worried, my parents, I don't think they will make it through 2012. Many others around me are dropping like flies financially. all the chaos i have been saying is happening. my way of handling the knowledge and seeing it all coming has been my faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ. I don't worry, but take heed and prepare not just for me, but for anyone i can.
hey, cm devoid, i know what you mean. also, i never understood why those paranormal shows act so freaked out when they experience something. there is nothing to be afraid of. i think they are just acting though. i have had paranormal encounters and i think they are either funny or cool. but scary?? really?? not even.
God Bless
That's what they call it... Well, I can certainly feel other people's feelings or what they're feeling and my left hand would usually hurt. I can tell when people are hiding something from me again my left hand will hurt. Then, yes people always open up their problems with me. Then I can't breathe when I see animals or people are hurting. I feel like it's my responsibility to heal those who are hurting emotionally. I know empath can heal people but in my experience I can choose to feel and when not to feel.as well as correct the negative energy that people have. Before I was told by someone that I'm the kind of person that people would talk to. I can control my "energy" to the path that I wanted. Also, sometimes I wanted to be alone because I can feel my heart smiling. Empath's can make a room feel light and happy. Empath's can make you feel better emotionally and physically.
I just discovered I was an Empath today, and I ended up here trying to figure out why my emotions were always out of whack but I KNOW this explains why... I don't ever get out of the house much because I live in a rather bad neighborhood and whenever I leave the house I just feel really overwhelmed, but I managed to link up my depression with one of my close friends that's suffering from depression and I'm probably just feeling her depression! This helped so much and I'm going to start looking into being able to control this more.
Thank you. C':
I forgot to add... being an empath is like having to scrape dog shit off your shoe. Just have to find the right stick.
wtf, wtf, wtf! To those self proclaimed empaths, I hope you're real, time to discharge (if your're and empath you know what I mean). Otherwise you're a bunch of wannabees. And as wannabees you don't wannabee an empath. As empaths you self heal, takes a bit of doing, but it's achievable. As far as healing, what a drain on the system. No wonder we die young.
I am so very grateful for those that profess to make Empathy a known and real thing. I have recently discovered that I am Empathic at a level that other Empaths around me have called "Tactile Empathy"... I am still in shock. It is utterly frightening, and sometimes soul-crushingly frustrating for me, especially when the pain and sorrow you feel is being expressed by those no longer with us.
Truth be told I hesitate even now to push the post comment button for fear that even here I might look crazy... but this is very real and those who experience it for themselves understand clearly. In order to make me feel like this incredible, upsetting gift isn't wasted, and that I'm not wasted by it, I have been working on trying to volunteer my time to paranormal researchers. I can almost hear the proselytizers stampeding now...
All I know is that I was fine and doing well. Then after leaving my friends my jaw is hurting and my stomach is hurting. As what was going on with her.
But this has happened a lot with her and I.
I am most definitely an Empath/Clairsentient. I have known this for many years and to fundamentalist Christians who call it demonic possession, well I am a case in point of that being utter nonsense! I grew up in a very religious Church going way, I was baptized etc etc and I must say I even have quite a firm grasp of Christian Scriptures. I understood things as a Christian at 6 years old that most adults only get to in their 40's. At a very young age I understood what the Pastor was trying to convey, I prayed earnestly to Jesus and was truly a model Christian (which kind of freaked a lot of people out that a 6 year old was like a little Pastor). Anyway, by time I was 14 I just didn't see how the Protestant Christian faith correlated with the Bible and I converted to Catholicism, which still up to this day makes the most sense, even Biblical and it is the truest Christian faith in my opinion/closest to what Jesus actually taught. I regard myself now as a Universalist, I am no longer interested in Organized religion of any kind. I find great solace in the teachings of all the great Masters from Jesus to Buddha, Krishna etc. I practice Buddhist meditation which I must say is an excellent way of keeping the negative side of being an Empath at bay, in fact Buddhism has helped me become a highly productive Empath with all it's techniques of strengthening the Mind with various Meditations, Mantra's etc. So yes being an Empath can be devastating but I was borne this way, so it's certainly no demonic/satanic possession. It is a gift from the ultimate Divinity and can be used in the most extraordinary ways to help others. I do not let myself be guided by human made dogma. The Truth is what it is and it is my firm belief/sense that ALL faiths lead to the same result eventually. Like all Rivers eventually reach the Ocean. I suggest investigating Buddhism and Christian Mysticism for all those Empaths struggling to gain control. The Mahayana Buddhist schools are especially good, especially Nichiren Buddhism and Zen and for those with a flare for the more in-depth, highly detailed and extremely esoteric I would suggest the Vajrayana Schools in Tibetan Buddhism, which is just basically an advanced form of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism but highly intricate and advanced. Find the Truth within yourselves! Only you can Save yourself by embracing and engaging the teachings of the Masters, whether it's Jesus or whoever it's all the same at the end. Unity! Only LOVE is!
A little late to the party, so it seems here. Found your outstanding explanation on Google. As a Christian, and an empath...I hope Flex finally came to realize Jesus Christ Himself..yep, that would be our Lord, and God Almighty, the Alpha, the Omega is, was, always will be EMPATHIC as one of the written about miracles He did. Since only 20% of those professing to be Christian ever read their Bibles, the statement didn't surprise me. So here's a hint. 1Cor12. Holy Spirit given gifts. Go from there. Please? As for your definitions, were you following me around? lol! Thankfully, I AM protected by the same love and blood of our Lord in helping others as they're lead to me, or I'm lead to them. I have learned how to 'bubble' myself in the mall. But you are correct. I have with a couple different people in my life our own built in XM stations, as I've nicknamed them. It's like Muizak...they're always on. I can not turn them off. I CAN turn down the frequency. For living, this is necessary. But if it's a 911, the signal goes off so loud and clear, if I can't (or shouldn't) reach them, until THEY settle down, or I find out what's up, I'm a walking zombie. My first recourse being aware of anyone in distress..and here's the wonderful gift of our Lord...is I pray about the person/situation and immediately give them over to God. HIS love and healing energy is far more effective (omnipresent, etc.). Back to Matt7:7 and John14:14 to name a few,'anything you ask of Me in my name and believe, I will do for you.' Most Christians focus this on themselves only, forgetting we're truly here to love others as much as ourselves. So, ask away for those who need the assistance, usually more than the asker. What better gift to give? Each one of the points you wrote about describes me to a tee. I HAVE come to appreciate the "airwave" gift God gave me, and use it as a tool for His glory and good. Thanks for this post! God's blessings to all! ~j~'s
I just wanted to know why I absorbed everbodys emotions it hurts my head!
Hi guys ^___^ I would like to ask if lighting up a miserable room full of people by filling them with happiness simply by being there would be a great example. Once you leave the room, you would feel all of their sorrows. To the person that said such people are of evil, I would like to point you to Galatians 5:14 "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." It seems to me that once you are able to truly see through the eyes of another then you can understand why such a law is important. I do not want you guys to twist God's word into words of hate any longer. You should read more of the bible if you wish to live by it. It is in God's hands alone to judge and not yours. It is also important that you look at Behemoth who is chief of the ways of God and would also show extremely strong Empath characteristics. I am the happiest around the noble people of God, because I bring them joy and they bring me the same in return. It is truly a great exchange. I also want to know from the poster if it is possible to leave a path of permanent spiritual energy behind you so that people are happy even after you leave. Your topic has gained my interest very much. I have honestly dealt with problems when I was within a large crowd of people who's hearts were filled with evil. If you do what you can to attract friendly people into your life it can become a gift instead of a curse. It is what you make of it. It also seems that I pick up characteristics from people if I spend a large amount of time with them. My face even seems to change a bit. I speak in many voices that it seems I have learned from others during my journey though life. I am very unusual... I have always known it. Seeing this post really made my day better. Seeing that person say that such people are "Possessed by the devil" made me laugh, and they have completely misunderstood the word. Jesus himself showed characteristics of an Empath. I can not believe this person would pose as one of faith and then say such a thing. Please do proper research before you say such things in the future... Thank you. The following is to the poster. There is no other with this ability as strong as me. Feel free to add me. www.facebook.com/lefthandedfool
I will say I am pleased with this article and pleased with how many people have commented. Lets start with the fact I am an empath. I was born this way and even my elementary school realized how unique I was. I would spend recess helping a younger kid stop crying, or I would stand up for anyone who was being bullied. These are not the traits of a "demon". God would never allow a pure child to be possesed! These are the qualities of LOVE, NOT POSSESION!!!! A child who puts others needs and feelings before their own is a rare selfless act. It is one that a true empath can not help. Being selfish is just not an option for a real empath because we put everyone else first. We would spend our last ounce of energy helping someone who needs it, and that Mr. Frett, is not the signs of a evil person or the "devil's work".
I was "jumped" and put into the hospital a few years ago by a group of ghetto girls who lived in the building next to me. Three months ago I risked my life to stop the SAME girl who jumped me, from being stabbed to death. I risked my life for someone who put me in the hospital and left me 10,000 dollars in debt. Where is the devil in that?
Being an empath is both a gift and a curse. It allows you to see the world in a very unique way, but it can also make you physically ill and even emotionally ill. For a very long time I did not understand that I was empathic and that I absorbed energy. I worked in nightclubs and night after night I picked up all that dark energy. I got so ill I ended up with a brain tumor and many many other health issues. It has taken me many years to learn how to filter energy. I will ALWAYS struggle with it, but even though I can block it out, I am not supposed to. Nobody is empathic by a fluke. We are all special people here to help others. Choosing to accept your abilities for what they are can be frustrating, but it is necessary to fufill our purpose. I can block it out if I want, but I am here to use my gift or I would not have been given this ability. Do not let energy overwhelm you empath's, embrace energy and make it work FOR you!
Thank you, for you posting this. This has helped me a lot. People though out me life has asked me how do you know that, or how do you know were it hurts,or how do you know, you always know. Even you don't know that.....how could you, you have no proof!.....AND lets not forget all kinds of names. That have been named on this page and more. I have looked a EMT, before. I think it is good. It helps you to nurture the inter child. In my line of work I have see a lot of want a be. This is not easy road. You were right, when you said that some look at it as a curse. I did.Going to massage college helped me a lot. I found others like me :-) Now I am at peace with who I am.(others may not be);-) Not every one wants help. Please keep that in mind, on your new road. For those of you just finding yourself. Some want to hold on to their pain, just remember that is their choice. You can only help as much as they will allow. It's always good to respect boundaries. Good luck to all of you. For those of you that are struggling with your Christianity, Jesus was an outcast. He healed and was also called the devil. When that happened to me I would tell myself I'm in good company. I believe love God with all your heart, mind, soul and body. Treat others the way you would want to be treated. That will take a life time. Isn't that all Jesus was saying? He also said grater things will you do. So all I am saying is Believe, and trust in yourself.
love love love this article!
there is definitely not enough information out there on people like us.
i never knew i was different until i got to be about 15 and saw the different ways the people around me were grasping (or WERENT grasping, more like) what i like to call, "the fabric of reality".
and it's because we are indeed "fine tuning forks".
im mainly writing this post to help those who have asked how to "turn it off".
well, you dont.
sorry kids.
but you can "fine tune" it.
a tuning fork is a great example.
not sure if anyone else has experianceed this, but when you are listening to a tuning fork, you can hear the collective "hum" of all the notes at once, and it slowly dies off to a single note.
fine tuning my empathy has been much the same as that.
when being bombarded with vibrations that arent mine, especially when i am in a group or opening my mind to the world around me (usually this happens unconciously), you listen for that single "note" you are trying to focus on. if you direct enough energy into searching for a certian vibration in particular, the others seem to fade out.
it's kind of like background noise; your brain learns to filter that out when you are listening/doing something important.
if you are wanting to block out everything but your own vibrations, just concentrate on the energy YOU are sending out. being aware of your own body greatly helps in this situation. i like to do what i call "internal mini meditations", which means though i may not be quiet, or still, or anything normally conductive to "normal" meditation, i am aware of every single cell in my body, and the physical energy of life it gives off as it is doing it's job. becoming aware of my own body and energy helps me find an anchor in that collective "hum" of the universe. once i have found my "anchor" its easier to throw out small "feelers" into the world around me. which makes it A LOT easier to protect myself from being overwhelmed.
its more like a single conversation on a teleephone wire versus a wave.
i would never, never reccomend trying to turn it off though.
our empathy is what connects us to the world around us in a totally different way than anyone else.
if everyone was an empath, there would be world peace.
because we, of all people, know what you do to a single human, you do to humanity as a whole.
and we know that not by what we have read in books, or online, or by what someone has told us; but because we literally FEEL it. and you cant deny that; to do so would be to abhoration to nature.
not sure if this makes sense to anyone but myslef, but just thoguht i would try (:
and if anyone is interested in talking further, or has any knowledge AT ALL pertaining to this subject, i would be very delighted to learn and share things with you.
my email is thecollectiveconcious@gmail.com
well all i have to say is thanx lol i got all teary eye. before i read this i thought i was crazy that there was somthing wrong with me that i wasnt mentaly stable but everything you just posted sounded as if you where talking about me ....tho this did help soooo much i now have more questions i had never herd of this i dont know much about it theres other things i do that u dirnt say so i dont know if its just me or everyone that is empath so if some can anser my questions at rawrritsme@gmail.com my name is senisley thanx
i am a empath an im 14 and she is right it can be painful sometimes to be an empath all those emotions flying around in your head it dosent mean you have a demon in your head
Hi Isabella. I've just had such a vivid example of my empathic abilities sort of hit me in the face. It's been obvious for years, only I never saw it. Just mostly suffered. I developed habits designed to keep me away from people and in particular away from horribly sick or injured people without realizing why. I now know that it's because their pain bleeds into me. It's ok when I can help out, but when there is a medical condition I can't resolve it is too overwhelming to be in the same place. ANYWAY....you mentioned that one of the signs of someone being an empath is that they can't walk past the homeless without helping out. Not sure this is true (at least, for me). I think one of the abilities involves understanding real versus fake need. Many - most - of the homeless in Toronto aren't truly in a place of need. There are obvious exceptions, and I believe the empath can identify them easily. Anyway - just a thought. So glad I stumbled on your article - three years after you posted it! Cheers!
Oh and P.S.: other articles on empaths indicate that it's difficult for the empath to form intimate relationships. Wonder what your thoughts are on this? (Frankly, I agree.)
I am a empath to, but my life is so complex and beautiful at the same time i want to reach other empaths to share experiences.
You can always leave me a message if interested
Wish you all a colourful & powerful day !
Vides7
This is not something to debate. I have it and have no choice about it. I suffer depression and anxiety because of it. I have had suicide attempts. I live alone simply because life is too painful. I can't socialize. It's too difficult. Others think I don't like them, but it's not that. Family is all that I can handle, and when they are ill, many times I am too. It really has NOTHING to do with religion.
I'm a christian as well. Being telepathic and empathic worried me. I thought God was against it. But i love him and pray every morning. I don't believe it's evil, we are all made differently by God. As it says in the Bible;
I KNEW THEE BEFORE YOU WERE IN THE WOMB. Wow!
So i have concluded that i'm meant to help those who need love and compassion. Being telepathic is a bonus, just means i'm more spiritual, after all we are spirits, living in a body.
talk soon x
since I was a kid I could feel other peoples emotions and they loved being around me, but it would drain me whatever they felt I felt. After a while I thought I was just weird, and resented others for putting me in moods then leaving as if a weight was lifted from them. I even went so far as to enroll in independent study to avoid people. I started wearing dark clothes, and listening to different music trying to scare others away... and slowly I stopped talking, smiling, and having fun because that could invite others near. I'm 20 now, and still cant stand big crowds, and being around others still makes me feel weak, but something changed. My boyfriend left church because he felt it was all about the money, and learned a lot about auras. One day he was explaining all the things he learned so far to me, and I just knew. I said babe I can read auras. I really don't have an explanation for how I knew, but everything finally made sense.I understood why I loved being near my boyfriend everything I felt near him made me happy, and energized yet calm not weak. My entire life until about two days ago made sense. I look forward to learning how to control this, and really appreciate articles like yours so thank you very much.
You know if we all sat back and looked around. we are gods children just beaten up our back yard still. some break it up some clean it up, like a bunch of 3yr olds.
Wow. I learned that I am an Empath. I was raised as a Christian and have recently decided that there is more to this life that just Christianity. I respect everyone's beliefs and just chose to open my mind and spirit to receive as much wisdom and knowledge that God allows.
I've lived my life as a empath, and just found all the answers to why I lived in the ways I did. But, one of my hobbies was looking for lost mines in Utah. So many have looked for them. I found almost all, Does anyone sense things that have happened in places? I can't explain it to people, but if you have you'll know what I am talking about. Battles, or suffering comes to mind.
Fret if I may.
I have been a christian since I was a boy. But that being said. I was born an empath, so yes this is very real. And that also means that not all empaths are demonic, but could possibly be a gift from God himself, sent here to help the people who need it.
hi to everyone on this hub. I enjoyed reading this, thank you.
I'm a mixture of alot of things. I was told many a times, that what i have is rare. I know i'm an empath, i'm also telepathic and very intuitive. I was told i'm a healer.
They said i have evolved in spirit. that makes me want to learn more about my abilities. Don't know how to go further in this and a bit frightened. I can feel a much more stronger power within me, but i don,t know what i'm supposed to do with it. i have smothered it, because the power is very strong and i don't know what it wants me to do. I'm in my late 40's . Can any one help me?
Thanks
Ruby
hey isabela i have a friend that i feel is an empath. at first i thought it was random things but as i read more and more of this article it makes me more certain. there has been many times in her life that she has expierenced her phone ring before anyone actually calls or even more recent when her swimming coachs passing. she was in new york with visiting her grandmother while he was in new jersey coaching and she was expierenceing sever chest pain to the point where she was crying and that same day he died of a stroke and this isnt the first time she has had moments like this. she has been experiencing emotions and "feelings" that she gets and cant explain since she was very little.she feels sick and says things are not right something bad is going to happen or good and it does accurately and almost instantly. even in her dreams she cant fully rest she would dream thing buh pays more attention to her emotions in her dreams later on they come true.she has told 5 different people that they were pregnant months before they ever found out.she sees you and she knows it's super freaky . i keep telling her she has an ability of some sort and she should really enhance this ability so please get back to me with some excersises or something to help her hone her abilty or even to give your opinion on whether or not you think she might be an empath.
p.s.- and not to mention she is really into peoples auras and energies. please help me and help her!
thank you
I'm a empath, it was pointed out by another. I was glad to find out. I had been using it for a long time, but did not know that I was different, just more feeling than others in some areas. Now I understand it more, I realized how much I depended on it. Its natural, and not weird to have the gift. I am thankful for it
Ok, have an idea. Stay tuned in here in a few weeks. I'll post a prayer and watch around you for the answer. I have to be careful when i pull up words, so give me alittle time to ask for help in the spirit.
I like this last one,the realm of arc angels. Every time i pray for clarity for all his children we get earthquakes. GOD as my witness. The only thing i can see is a strom in a year and 3 months, not sure of details. Speak truth always even if it hurts. I was told to ware the sword but I hurt like hell learning how to use it. Now i wait. No i am not crazy, time tells all.
I also am an empath, a christian empath, and no it is not fun. I have learned to block off emotions from individuals but have a hard time within a group of people. I just had to come home from a family gathering, roughly 15 people because I was getting so overwhelmed with the mixture of emotions that it was beginning to make me feel sick, anxious, depressed, etc (the majority of the people have anxiety and depression disorder) I am a bit anti-social and would prefer to be alone. I've been like this all my life and this gift has been passed throughout generations, so has the gift of healing which my mom and I possess. I know I am not demon-possessed... I have seen people that are and have felt people that are and I CANNOT be around them... I begin getting very sick and feel like I'm being attacked when that happens. I've had that happen a few times and because of my faith, and the realm of arch angels I ask to be around me to help in battle, I have been fine. Most people would think I'm nuts and the only reason why the few that know this do not think this about me was because of my gifts working in their lives. So, we are not nuts, we are not possessed, and this gift is not fun and comes with some sacrifices from time to time but can be beneficial for others on the receiving end. Our gift is a great gift for helping people... I plan to help and continue to use my gift for good.
i have migraines, and the cause/trigger seems to be a mystery. i get random pains in my chest when i think very deeply and emotionally about something. i HATE socialising because i feel as if it drains me and i often like to sit by myself and day dream. i am very Claustrophobic and when people chat a lot or ask me loads of questions, i panic. if i saw someone emotionally hurt, no matter who they were i would feel sad for them. i appear hard to everyone i know to avoid people thinking that im weak and hurting me emotionally as i am extremely afraid of that. i find it hard to trust people and sometimes i find that i cant laugh around people other then the people i've known for more then half of my life. (thats around 7 years). i alwyas have to sit next to a window in a vehicle and i always care about what people think of me. (i spell checked this comment, and made sure that it made sense) bright lights and loud or constant noises freak me out. i always keep the curtains drawn in my room. when i read a book in a characters point of veiw, it takes me a while to 'step out of their shoes' as they say. Even with all of this...i am still confused as to whether i could be an empath.i find it hard to think of myself like that, i can't explain why. can someone help me by telling me if i am an empath, and also give me some tips on how to handle it?
if so please email me: zubairaaziz@live.co.uk
"Most Empaths have the ability to heal. Yes, that means physically."
With all these people declaring they are empaths, one might think we could cure a major disease/disorder or something...
What I'm really getting at is that when you hear hoof beats in the forest, look for horses not zebras.
I'm pretty sure, based on the sheer number of comments, the relative unknown number of empathic individuals, the lack of reports of miraculous healing (though most empaths can perform it), etc, most people posting on here are not actually empaths, but are more likely to have empathic qualities or traits.
Going through your list:
I also tend to feel overwhelmed in public, but I live in NYC and I really don't enjoy being touched by strangers.
Sometimes, when people tell me about their illnesses or I read about an illness or medical disorder, I feel like I could have it. I chalk this up to mild hypochondria.
I often feel overwhelmed when watching something bad on TV or in real life, but I feel that that's on the spectrum of human emotion. Some people are more emotional than others. I cry at the drop of a hat.
I also know what the people around me are feeling and really saying. This works best with people I know, though, and children.
You know, I have a soft spot for people in need. It could just be who I am as a person: a caring, (relatively) emotionally stable individual. Do I always give the homeless man some change? If I have change, yes. Do I stop to help someone who has fallen? Of course, who doesn't?
Man, oh man, do my friends open up to me. It's always about them. It's something I talk to my therapist about. Even my therapist. Today's session was 20 minutes about my therapist and it didn't relate back to me! It's okay. I'm cool with it.
I do not heal people.
For the record, I am not an empath, though I have a very high EQ, especially in reading other people's emotions/body language/etc and empathizing with them. As a human, I can relate to the human condition. I've been through stuff, other people go through stuff. I get it. Does that make me a special snowflake? No. Good for you if you're an empath (
Ok, My name is Aaron and apparently I'm empathic lol I used to just call it realy in tune with another person. But recently (and thanks to a friend who told me what it's called) I have been looking online for ways to control it more I used to just do deep breaths but stopped assuming that the worst was over my friend told me that meditating helps. Well anyway lol I'm seen by all of my friends as either "really nice" or "completely weirdly awesome" (gotta love my friends lol) and I guess it's because no matter what I always feel the need to help them (even at my own discomfort) and as a junior in high school I assumed I was just going crazy or something but now that I think back on my childhood I realize that no matter when I can always tell when something bad is going to happen (I usually feel it first in my not so much my head as my "being" but it escalates into a full body feeling mostly around my throat and chest as if there's a weight on me) and it's really weird because I can make friends with everyone based on my first meeting with them all I say is "Hi!" in a happy tone and when they respond I feel a "vibe" from them I sometimes have to change the way I act around them for the first few days but I eventually start to feel as if I'm losing myself within them emotionally so I have to start acting "normally" (XD I'm far from it!) and because I sense and act upon their feelings (which apparently I've been doing all my life) they like me no matter what (I've atually never been turned down for a friendship when I ask although some people's emotional habits bother me so much that I slowly disconnect from them so I don't hurt them and then eventually ignore them unless they notice me or need help) I feel like a sociopath but when reading about empths I feel all the things other people do I find comfort in solitude,I use music as an escape (but only certain songs at certain times), I sometimes will leave my house and sit on the small jungle gym infront if it late at night that way there are no people near, and other things like that (don't want to spend years on this list XD). I would say that if I focus a bit I can feel others emotions that aren't near me (like miles and miles away) but in school lately I've been feeling overloaded and it's driving me ragged with all this back to school crap and clubs and then other people's emotions on top of that I feel drained by the time I get into the class that I only like because I have friends in it (actual friends not the random ones I say hi to often lol like we are REALY close and I'd help them no matter what :D) and I had to explain to him what I've been feeling lately and he understood and was like " oh if that was what it was I wouldn't have said anything in front of the class" (he knows I get embarrassed easily and thinks it funny to make me blush at times XD (gonna kick him for it one of these days) but when he does I feel everyone's emotions about it and it just bugs the crap out of me)….anyway XD I know this provably wasn't what most people wanted to read at some random point in time lol but you have and for that I thank you -^_^- if anyone wants to contact me for any reason (idk why you would though lol) my email is Renebob1@yahoo.com (my mom has called me Rene scence I was little so it's now my email name too lol) : P
Hi Leonard,
It is my understanding that the goal of Orthodox Christians from baptism is to continually draw themselves nearer to God throughout their lives. The process is called theosis, or deification, and is a spiritual pilgrimage in which each person strives to both become more holy and more "Christ Like" within Jesus Christ.
If my understanding is correct then would it not be a prerequisite that we discuss this gift within a religious context or with religious overtones? Just about everything comes with an owner’s manual, and in order to properly operate it most of us need to refer to that manual.
I will agree that we can leave different religious views and philosophies out of the conversation (such as whose philosophy or religion is the best or the true one). But since some of us do believe in something greater than ourselves don’t you think that there will always be a religious overtone in our conversations about our empathy, such as where do you think it comes from, how do we use it properly, like any gift, idea, can it be used in a negative way just like any new idea or new invention, and etc. etc.
Hi Steven,
I am not trying to save you I do not have to because my belief is that we are all saved by grace. (LOL)
However I am interested in any and all philosophical, theoretical and religious views of others, so I would like to ask you where you suppose these energies come from?
While I do profess Christianity and believe in Jesus Christ, I also believe in the Big Bang Theory, because who am I or anyone else to say how our world was created? The Big Bang works for me, but in order for something to bang, didn’t something have to exist to cause the bang? Or didn’t something have to exist to even begin banging? If not what are your views, I am genuinely interested. I have grown up believing so I cannot see any other way; it does not mean I am not open to learning new ways.
Hi James,
I would like to believe that we all have the ability to be empathetic = the ability to identify with and understand somebody else’s feelings or difficulties, on one level or another. Hence the word empath =
You FEEL like a very sociable, friendly person, and you probably just don’t realize what an influence you have on people in your circle of friends, either positively or negatively.
You FEEL happy and go lucky, from a middle class or better family and you don’t have a care in the world, other than trying to figure out who you are or who you want to be. How am I doing so far? (smile)
This is who YOU are, and if your circle of friends are on the same level as you this may be a reason no one comes to you with his/her problems because it is just socially unacceptable to wash your clothes in public, so to speak. It also is likely that it is just not the time to use your gift, but the time to understand and prepare to use it. You not being or feeling compelled to help people in pain such as the homeless may be that you simply do not understand how and/or why they are homeless. Do some research on how and why people become homeless you will be surprised. If you are simply bipolar go to this website “BEING BIPOLAR SUCKS” at http://www.byz.org/bipolar/index.html and learn to laugh about it, because it is still who YOU are! (smile)
Hi Anna,
That is one of the greatest deceptions of not understanding or being able to talk about your gift!
Traditional medicine and traditional therapies can’t help you simply because they do not believe in what they cannot see, diagnose, and give a pill to fix. (smile)
I am sure some of us have all gone through the same disappointments and anxieties as you have, simply for lack of knowledge. It is written ‘My people die for lack of knowledge”
Now that you have found your empathy family your life will be much easier. You must learn that you cannot discuss your gift with everyone and expect them to understand, the opposite will happen.
I am so grateful for Isabella’s webpage, because I have never ever been able to discuss my gift as freely and as openly as I can with all of you. Friends have been polite and family seem to just put up with me, so I learned to keep my thoughts and feeling to myself, and then I had to learn who and what to be around. I have been called anti social and/or worse names, (LOL) because I had to make the choice to either hang out at the malls, Movie Theater and/or concerts or stay away because I know it is better for me mentally and physically.
The trick is not learning how to control your gift; the trick is learning how to control you, your own space, time and environment. “Surround yourself with like minded people”.
Do not go to the mall when there is a crowd, go first thing in the morning or be the last one in the evening. There are ways to enjoy your gift and your life; we just need to learn what works for us as individuals. While we all have the same gift, we do not all live in the same social structure all of our schedules are different, so we need to learn what works for us, and DO NOT FEEL GUILTY that it doesn’t work with our family and friends schedules. I even learned how to deal with the different personalities at work. I STAYED BUSY, I stayed completely immersed in my work and I let my co-workers know, that while I really appreciated the invitations to lunch, going out, or whatever, that because of my personal obligations I couldn’t. I even said I was in school and had to get home to do homework so not to seem rude and offensive. Being alone does not mean you have to be lonely; it’s a state of mind like anything else. I choose to SEE my being alone as my being set apart; “Many are called but few are chosen”. This keeps me from seeing myself as lonely. Actually I am more peaceful when I am by myself than when I am around other’s because I feel their negativity, I feel their sadness and sometimes it just isn’t anything that I am supposed to do for them. Seeing and feelings other’s pain is just a confirmation of your gift, it does not mean that particular person or situation was meant for you to do anything about.
Hope this helps.
I liked the topic and information. Is there more information out there regarding empaths? How do people with this gift/burden learn to develop and control it, or turn it off? I've been able to suppress premonitions, but not my sensitivity to people.
I am Catholic Greek Orthodox, the first, the oldest and last word on Christianity. The three great faiths, are the only legitimate ones, the rest are cults.
I like my Western European based way of life with the sensible 10 commandments and all the rest of that religious stuff that allow for the comfy ways of life we take for granted in Canada and the US. For all the atheists, remember that.
GOD is a matter of personal faith, and interpretation. But for the purpose here, religion is not the issue, so stop bringing it into the discussion.
...i havent read all the comments, so i dont know if anyone has asked this or not. i am clairsentiant, and i am wondering if my habit of strongly projecting my emotions on other people, and collecting the emotions of eveyone around me...is this at all related to empathy?
Reading this has brought comfort to me and I connect with all of it. Ive always been an Empath and have always felt a little different, overwhelmed, etc. etc. Now I am learning about it and am very happy to have such a gift. Thank you for sharing your knowledge of this subject with the rest of the world.
I read some stuff in here from other users about demonic possession and I find that a little offensive. Just because you arent an empath doesnt make them demonic or posessed.
I just read Isabellas comments and her words about what other people had said about her aura were very similar to mine. That it is bright white and my soul is very pure. At the time when those things were told to me I did not have an understanding properly of my empathy or auras etc. It is something I have developed, understood and controlled on my own. I also would take some ones suffering and suffer rather than them.
For all the people that are talking about religion and saying this is a bad thing I feel quite sorry for you. Your minds are closed as I am absolutely positive I spread words and actions of love and peace more than you ever have, even just through you ignorant comments. As I said previously I am not 'religious' as such. Each to their own. But I have had a few encounters that I am not able to explain very well , mostly to do with energy , one when my uncle was dying of leukemia...and it was the most peaceful, calm, strongest energy passing through my chest...I know how it sounds believe me, but I can only tell you truthfully my experience...all my life I questioned the other side, questioned everything in fact...but that night when he was slowly passing away ( he was VERY religious catholic man for the record ), we was all in his home as he chose to die there rather than a hospice, and my heart was breaking watching my family fall apart with grief infront of my eyes, but then I experienced a very strong feeling of energy passing through my chest, infact passing is a relaxed word..it was more like a whooshing , it was very strong I have never felt energy that strong before, and i did not feel scared anymore, nor did I feel despair. I felt warm, relaxed, I felt love and calm...and all the years I spent questioning ''is there more''...were confirmed to me. With that feeling (i still find it difficult to explain in writing) , it confirmed to me that yes there is definitely something more than what we understand about this life here on earth.
This is not the work of the devil, I feel so close to god. And I know he understand my reasons for not following a religion. I know he understand what I do with my life and my thoughts everyday. And I feel close to him from experiences I have had. But I am not ready to dedicate myself to a religion right now. I have an exceptional gift and thankyou god for giving it to me. Thankyou for my abilities to love and be loved, thankyou for me being unselfish, compassionate and caring.
This is the first time I have ever commented on a blog post ( even though I work on the www 8-10hrs a day ). I have never discussed what I am about to write now with any one , ever. The reason why I am writing and I talk about myself/character is because I believe I am who I am, as I have listened, experienced and learnt from my empathy experiences. can not remember how old I was when I was researching and first started to understand I am an empathetic person. I am not sure whether I am fortunate, strongly ignorant or I am just very accepting of myself being an empathetic person...but at the same time (I know this sounds contradictory) I am not confused about my empathy. I do not think I was born empathetic..I believe life challenges have blessed me with strong empathy. I am a very warm person, and I attract many strangers who love talking with me. But at the same time I do not have any close friends. I wear my heart on my sleeve and I have very strong morals and values on all topics in life. I believe I am a fair person and accept my bad points and downfalls as well as my good points..always trying to improve myself morally. I do not read newspapers, magazines or watch the news as I find it overwhelming. Real life articles and stories are a no go as they reduce me to tears and there is nothing I can do about it. I live a very solitary life however I would never stand by and watch someone or something suffer, mentally, physically or emotionally. I always forgive (people take kindness for weakness), and I never respond to some ones bad actions with actions the same. I believe in karma and for me to respond the same would make me bad also and that I do not want. I wake up everyday and say thank you for the important things, 2 beautiful healthy children, food, a home. Animals are also a great weakness of mine for some reason? The only way I can describe my empathy is that I feel everything right to the core of my heart. I feel other peoples pain, even if it is not real ( a movie for example) my emotions would be that I just went through what I watched / read etc and you have to deal with that emotion as though it just happened to you in real life. I have learnt to deal with it by always thinking positive. I believe from every life experience and challenge there is a positive view and aspect. And I believe your life only goes the way you choose it go. When I speak with people the feedback I receive is that I make them feel better about their lives, I make them feel good about themselves and they walk away from me with HUGE smiles on their faces. I am open minded and I never judge people. I accept and respect other peoples religions, morals and beliefs and I treat people the way I like to be treated. I prefer to give rather than receive. When I walk away from a person, a group, a couple etc and know that I have inspired them, made them feel good...it makes me feel fantastic. I have had 2 people (strangers) and different times in my life literally stop me , stare at me and tell me I have a huge white aura. One of whom happened to be a buddhist. I like to think they are correct. I wake up everyday and try to be good a person. I have learnt to turn my empathy, my very easy persona of connecting with people mentally and emotionally into a positive experience of inspiring words, of understanding, problem solving and showing people love in different ways. I would love to answer any questions if any of you have any? I am not religious although I do believe in god. The reason being and I am only speaking from myself no one else so please respect that...is that in my generation I have grown up understanding about war, famine, global warming, terrorism, corrupt governments, different religions cults and sects. I know in my heart there is a god, there is something because I can feel it. But I am unsure exactly what I believe in. I am unsure what is the truth. So, I wake up everyday, say thank you , appreciate what I have, and try my best to behave and act in a way which stereotypically speaking is good. For those of you who want to get rid of it , I understand it is difficult but the older you get the easier it gets. The more life experiences you go through, the more you research, the more you understand yourself, the easier it gets. It is a very powerful trait to have, and once you have it under control it can also be very useful providing you use it in a fruitful way. It would be very easy for me to be deceiving, spiteful and conniving with my understandings of people mentally and emotionally. But I choose not be. As I said, your life only goes how YOU choose it go. Keep researching, speak with others like us, keep positive, try to learn to switch off and on when it is necessary or not. I also feel energies very easily...I was once told to learn how to control my 'openess' as I attract good as well as bad because I am so open..(he was talking spiritually at that point). I do believe that I could take myself further spiritually but have decided not to delve any further for the time being. When my children are older I will learn how to meditate, how to fine tune myself further. But for now I am happy being a happy and positive Mum, inspiring, calm and loving friend to all. X
Unfortunately, I have this 'gift'. I don't want it at all because the emotional roller coaster it makes me go on is torture. I am also a Roman Catholic that goes to church and I don't believe this is the work of the devil. I just think that some people were born with the ability to sense the vibrations other people give out more than others. I feel this especially with family or ex-boyfriends--people I am very connected with...but I also feel people when I'm walking about in a mall or other area. I wish I could get rid of this :(
I don't agree with this having anything to do with a man made religion. There is some kind of god I'm sure, but there is no devil seeking to cause us harm. It is a difficult to manage gift. Demons, possession please save it for the ignorant and the parasitic priest who prey on the fear of the unknown. I am an empath. I had feelings of suicide since I was 6 years old. No reasons for it, but one of my parents was which I didn't know for many years later. The only thing that helped was drugs that turned me into a zombie, (that's big pharma for you) until I met some friends that changed my way of thinking and I quit the ssri's cold turkey. It is understanding your gift and not trying to diagnose and fix it. To seek medical attention is dismissal, which is, to quote spiritual suicide.
I'm not going to read through all the comments - there are too many! But I'm an empath too and this article was spot-on. For years, I was actually diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder and took medication, because I couldn't handle a lot of what I was feeling. It was horrible and debilitating!
And for the record, I was once a Christian and dealt with the same thing then that I do now. I did not feel that I was being possessed, and nobody in my church - who I talked to about all this stuff going on around me and inside me - felt that I was either. In fact, they thought it was a spiritual gift that I should try to control and use! Go figure.
Thank you for this article. Ive become far too tired.
If Lily has written a book, I would buy it. The things she said is just amazing.
Lately I felt like feeling symptoms of others. It's very hard to explain and prove, but I am beginning to believe this dimension.
Just a memorandum to any Christians and non Christians out there who are still reading this... "The greatest cause of Atheism in this world are Christians who deny this with their lips and go on with their lifestyles. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." DC Talk from their Jesus Freak Album... FYI I am a saved Christian. And I still feel the suffering of the world on most days. This is not a possession. This is a gift one of the Spiritual gifts that is given by God Himself to Christians, those who have a relationship with Him. Yes, there may be people who may not have a relationship with God but still have similar abilities... it just means they are special and unique that is it. They may be able to do more than the average person. There are those who were born with it. What empathy is... scientifically speaking is a neural sensitivity in the brain. http://mysilentecho.com/lesson1.html Can tell you the scientific specifics. However from the religious perspective, it is not a possession it is not evil in fact we need more of this in the world. It gives me the ability to teach my children pure love, the way God would want us to love eachother, compassion, and true concern for society. So, if you say that this is a bad thing... you are not a Christian yourself and should stop using God's name to send your own personal views into the minds of our youth.
Please Fretbuzz, After things like the earth is 7000 years old, and if you think Jesus was a Prophet/God or just a Prophet at the time your head goes under the water makes a difference weather you get heaven or hell. And that God only wanted us to try and love others as our selves. Or that God said don't eat Pig meat only because there wasn't refrigeration back then. Next Age I vote we have an unwritten law. Anyone that says I'm a christian And we Christian's believe.... Gets Crucified :-P
Hi Mac, all empaths are different just like all preachers and school teachers are different. Everyone has different gifts. Your gift may just be that of a listening and non judgemental ear, just knowing when someone needs you to ride somewhere with them even when they say they don't want you to,knowing whose on the phone when it rings, and or knowing how to get A's in class without studying or doing homework, when nobody else can. There are no big gifts or small gifts,they are all gifts that are needed to help someone at one time or the other, even if that someone is ourself.
I have a question: I have some of this sympthoms but I can not heal and people rearly confide in me.
Does that mean I am an empath?
i agree with your theories on this as i experience this every day
Isabella,
Hello, I am an empath. I've known this for a long time, ever since I was eight years old. I just want to share some thoughts for non-believers. You do not have to believe any of this but take things into consideration. I am saddened by comments from people who think that this ability is evil, the reason I do not like this is because I am not evil. If I was I would enjoy when people commented saying that this ability is derived from evil sources--it's not. I am not only an empath but I can see auras, does that make me evil? No. I am anything but evil and empaths feel what others do for a reason, so they can help, nurture and love. Every religious spokesperson that I have come across seem to say the same thing about me, "you're very spiritual and your soul is very pure." Now why would people say that if I was evil? Every empath I have came across seems to exhibit more white and purity in their auras then those who ridicule them. Think before you speak. Empathy is a gift not something that is chosen or taught so that it can inflict pain on others. People who believe empathy is for devil-worshippers obviously aren't educated properly. I CHOOSE to do what is right, and continue to dedicate my gift to help others. Does that make me evil? Nope.
Hi Scottyb4996!
First thing, I'm glad your wife is okay with it1 (smile) Scottyb being an empath is just like everything else in our lives, it is our gift and as a gift, it is under constant attack, and it will sometimes get you off of your path. The way to tell is if you have given this person all the help and information and support that you can give, (and it sounds like you have) And if this person does not take your suggestions and get out of the situation, then it is just a distraction, that has come to vere you off your course. You do not want to hind, or stop your gift at anytime, because the one time you turn it off, just may be a life saving moment for someone. My suggest is to look at the individual and your role in this persons life. You can take the horse to the water but you can't make him drink it, so the only thing you can do at that point is leave them there with the water. It sounds like you have put too much of your own emotions, into this situation, because you are a caring person. You can care, and know that you did all you could do, and simply let that person go. Your wife loves you and respects you, do not confuse this with acceptance of you giving her time to another woman.
Your friend also knows your heart, and it may just be they are taking advantage of your goodness. People can say anything, but action is louder than words. If your friend is truly in harms way, your shirt isn't going to help at all, and It's time to tell your friend to call a shelter and get out of there, and NO EXCUSES. Do that tell your friend if she doesn't get out the situation then she chooses to stay there, you respect her decision, but as your friend she has to now respect yours, and that is go to a shelter because it is causing too much of a strain on you worrying about her, and it is time you get focused back on your WIFE and your JOB. You will find that as soon as you give these instructions, you will feel better. The trick is Knowing when to hold em and knowing when to fold em, without the guilt. Guilt is not a gift, and if you feel guilty about telling your friend the truth, that is a clear sign you have veered off track, and on going down the wrong road. BUT it's so easy to get back on!
May God, Brahma, Vishnu, Jehovah, Krishna, Ein Sof, Yahweh, The Tao, The Way, The One, The Universe, The Collective Consciousness, The Creator, The Dharmakaya, and all other labels; whatever force that makes us act morally instead of immorally, always be first and foremost in our lives.
After all
A Rose by any other name, is still a Rose
Hey, My mom says shes an empath but its sort of hard to believe that this sort of thing can be true. So i googled it and I saw Isabella Swan article and I reconsidered the idea. I mean I'm not my mom so I don't know if she experiences any of the 7 signs. All I know is that know one can ever lie to her, she can always tell. Whenever someone describes some type of injury to them my mom asks them to stop because she can like feel it. Once my mom grabbed her leg and started tearing up cuz her friend told her about how her leg got broken and how much it hurt. She is always positive and when it's just us two in the house I feel good and the area surrounding me is udescribable. My mom also does not like watching t.v and whenever something gorey is about to happen she has to leave the room. Also when my mom was in labor she got a seasection and now the scar is gone and it's only been 13 years. Sometimes when my mom's friends aren't feeling good emotionally my mom always makes them feel better by giving them a motivating speech. Does this all mean shes an empath. If it does is it possible i could have too. If so that would be awesome, I've always wanted some type of special ability.
I'm an Empath and I really need help learning how to turn it on and off. It always seems to be on. This ability didn't come with instructions and I need help. I can feel people's emotions so strong that I can even sometimes "see" things. I can see details of their house or what kind of car they drive. Details of what they have in their house (pictures, nick-nacks, ect). I have a friend from high school that I just reconnected with after 15 years and I have been having the most intense Empath moments with her than I have ever had. It's affecting my work because I can "feel" and "see" everything she is doing and feeling. She is going through a scary divorce(he's psycho) so her emotions are on high. Whatever she feels I feel. I had such an intense "viewing" one day while I was at work of her that I felt like I wasn't at work. I felt myself sort of in between this world(reality) and another place. Everything around me kind of blurred or fogged out and I was 100% where she was. I saw every detail of where she was and I could even smell her surroundings. That is the first time I've ever had it that intense. I also gave her a shirt of mine because she wanted something to help calm her at night(my wife is fine with all this). I could tell one day that she didn't have my shirt by her because I could feel my shirts feelings! What the hell? I could tell the shirt felt neglected, as if it was sad it wasn't doing it's job of making her feel better. I texted her and asked if she had my shirt with her and she said that right before I asked she went and got it. Why can I feel the feelings of objects(only this one time)? Is that even possible? Am I just crazy?! I really need help on how to control this. I have my own feelings and emotions. I can't handle other peoples too. I feel drained at the end of the day and all I do is sit at a computer for hours a day. Someone help me control this please!
Ahhhh, so there is a name for how I feel and what I have been KNOWING since I was three years old! Thank you Isabella for sharing your KINOWLEDGE, which I believe (know) comes from our Creator. People often ask me how I know this or that, and I tell them I have KNOWN things since the age of 3, and I tell them our Creator KNOWS ALL THINGS and being made in His Image, I at least should Know 1/4 of what He knows.(smile)
There is absolutely nothing satanic about helping people, there is nothing wrong about feeling another's pain, didn't Jesus do all these things?
Being an Empath is a GIFT from God through the Holy Spirit. It is the GIFT called Discernment. It's nothing spooky and it certainly should not be considered a curse!
(1 John 2:20) But you have an anointing from the Holy Spirit, and all of you know the truth.
(John 14:26)The Comforter, even the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said unto you
(Matthew 24:14)... Many are CALLED but few are chosen
(Romans 8:28)We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are CALLED, according to His purpose.
It is the GIFT of DISCERNMENT from God. He/She who has ears let them hear!
So...all this suffering and mix of feelings that i get sometimes it can be from another people? interesting now i know that i'm not that insane, but how can I be so sure that I have that gift?
Honestly I came here looking for an answer to my questions & I found it. I know after reading this that I am an Empath. I really thought I was crazy. What drove me to look for answers after years of feeling out of place was 2 nights ago when I ended up in the hospital because of excruciating pain in my abdomen.. The doctors ran test after test and said that there was absolutely nothing wrong with me, which made me feel insane because the pain was SO real. I found out today that my younger sister (who's on the other side of the country) was in bed with a virus that was attacking her stomach. She said at first she felt pain but then it went away and she just felt drained, I really believe that I felt her pain and took it from her, without even trying. This is a scary thing for me to accept but I'm trying to come to terms with it. Thank you for this article.
--N
Not sure if i can help. I would love to truely, however i have seen my own death. Plus the x on my life line sorta confirms my site. I don't like computer crap, cause of it assurences.(there are none) There will be many world changes yet to come, population will be reduced naturally for the couple of years. If you seek truth you will find it, as i did the upper room. ask the heavens and you will receive. Stay away from things that steal your joy, even judgemental christans. Hope is the essence that unfolds miracles these are the days for them to be seen. I can send letters, if i have an address
I have discover that I am an empath and for the last five yrs I have been wondering why I had so many emotions coming out off me here lately I have been very upset I have a 3 yr old and a 4 yr old and I feel like all of our emotions are clashing all I can do is cry I had to leave church bc my 3yr old was been bad and all I could feel was negative energy I could not handle it I am to the pt that I feel like I'm losing it ...please help!
just want to say I LOVED this article and so glad I stumbled upon your hub.
Interesting, that last one was. Not worried, everyone has freewill. Yes I've thought about us in one room also, but why put such beauty in a box. The power can reign outside and cover all. Vision all of now with our mind body and soul holding hands say with this ring i thee wedd in the name of the son. I say that because even in the matrix have to have a point of orgin, plus i can't afford to renounce my throne. The upper room is real, been there, practically live there so i don't have to go through the things you all describe. I've had red eyes follow me around as a child, a metallic black thing with long fingers pin me down knocking jesus out of my mouth, and another pull me out of bed twice the same nite. Havoc and other peace stealing energies are attracted to people with light to fed, and i do understand the matrix, and much more. I am a tree. I've had repeated books from the bible before reading it, elders have brought to my attendion, which made me cry so hard. I've been broken down so many times to be reminded not to leave anyone behind. Sometimes thats all i know. HOLD on friends. I believe in yas
Interesting that your post draws so many comments from contributors who acknowledge themselves as belonging to a certain faith i.e. Christian, Buddist...I know I am an Empath and have since I was a very young child - and as an Empath I also know that I like anyone can use abilities to be good or cause havoc - I get the sense that many contibutors here relate their Empath ability as being a gift from God- whereas I absolutely know that my ability is selfdirected and managed, and I know through my infinite connection with everyone and I unfortunately mean everyone that their is absolutely no such entity as God. The Empathic connection that exists or collective universal tissue that is empathic energy matrix is in itself if you must absolutely put a name to it GOD - put the energy and focus of developed Empathics in a room and I can show you miracles - miraculous power.
LOL - I feel the pull and necessity of the many already wanting to condemn these comments to protect their personal religious beliefs, please don't worry or look to try to save me - I already know
I didn't come from a good background or happy childhood, but I am coping now since I have made use of EFT. EFT really helps with coping with being an empath and all of the unpleasant energy that goes with it (whether it is coming from bad memories, the environment or someone else). It clears the bad feeling stuff. Brad Yates has a bunch of free EFT videos on YouTube in which he talks you through the process. Give it a try. It makes a big difference.
I always had this ability, but half a year ago it began to become much stronger. At some moments I really thought I was bipolar, but found out that I'm not) Now I'm trying to learn to handle it. I'm just happy to learn that I'm not alone) If there are other empaths, who need to talk about their ability, I'll be glad to share experience. You can mail me at alebrofw@gmail.com. I'm not native English speaker, but I can understand you well)) Thank you very much, Isabella!
Oh my goodness! I am a high level empath and I can tell you it is NOT always fun, actually it's not fun most of the time unless you manage to control it. I have also turned to Buddhism because the Middle Way is best for Empaths, no extremes, otherwise it becomes too much. I have decided to practice emotional economy in order to conserve energy and also to do meditation before going to someone who I know has issues that I absorb.
I found me nrg being drained for years, i now tend to stear myself clear, otherwise it leaves me fkat, and then i question my own empathatic actions, me being selfish has saved.my sanity.
My sister and I have recently realized that she is an empath. We are both thrilled and relieved. It explains everything about her, and we are recalling instances from our childhood faster than we can recount them to one another. We are excited to enter this journey together. She WILL be a healer. We knew this right away. Everything about being an empath matches: from people telling her their lives' stories in the supermarket, to her having an undeniable connection with animals, to why she flips out when she doesn't have her camera with her to take pictures of trees and sky and birds, to her hollering for us to pull over and help someone, to being physically sick during Waco, Oklahoma, Columbine, Katrina, etc. And for the first time in MY life, I have a sense of spirituality. We know now, we don't need to protect her, we need to teach her. Then we will allow her to help us. We can also stop dragging her out into crowds, stop saying NO when she wants to help a kitten, stop telling her to not be so sensitive, and not be so frightened when she cries a lot. For years she and I have been playing a game in the supermarket called "See How Many People We Can Make Smile" We knew all along, we just didn't know we knew. Sign me Gr8Fl and Encouraged!! WHEW, what a vent - a load off!
THANK YOU! This explained a lot! I thought I was just Bipolar! I was told I was Bipolar, but there is none. Oh, thank you!
I know exactly what you mean, I sometimes embarrass myself by being so empathic, and these emotions are totally opposite to the cheerful person that I am, sometimes my nearest and dearest feels very confused about who I am, and in turn it confuses me also.
oook so yeah im preatty sure im an empath only i just started to come to this conclusion about a week ago and have been trying to figure our exactily wat do i do now?? i have been having very seriouse depression lately that i now relize is the feelings that are going through my familey and right now. at the moment there is a lot of fighting going on and lots and lots of negative emtions that i just DONT WANT. unfourtunatly i havent a clue how to filter them out. also ive discoved that i think (not entirely sure here) that i actually send emotions to other people. i dont try to do this and i dont no how but it only happens when i get really really overwhelmed and just cant controll it. please please please if anyone out there has any tips or tricks on how i need to handle all of this please say something because im beginnging to run out of options and this is probably my last hope
i was doing my daily research like i've been doing for over 2 years, and found this article and read almost every comment (took a while but was very interesting). love the article.Is an empath myself and i do agree it isn't something that is that great but we live with it and filter and develop it to maybe make it a bit easier on us.
Be careful with words, they make or break us all, being that we are one my friends. Words are prayers/ spells for those who don't understand there is a god. The mood swings come from those who refuse to carry their own wieght. Trust you are all worthy of HIS compassion, again i say trust. HE said HE'd pore his spirit on to the earth when it is time to call all nations. Hate the pain not people, ask to stop all things that take your peace away in the name of JESUS CHRIST and fill you up with something new and true for the greater good. Trust you are all heard please. Love u all...
interestingly me......!!! :)
I was told by a psychic medium that I was an empath, but it doesn't sound at all like I meet the criteria based on this page. People rarely seem to want to share feelings with me or approach me for any reason (lol), I do get overwelmed when in groups and when around certain people as if I did walk into a mall or something I get a certain "flavor" for the types of people they are, and what their motives in live likely currently are, but I wouldn't say any feelings I feel completely overwelm me. I do need my time alone as I do get drained much easier in groups, but I think my feeling of other people's feelings might only be moderate. I don't always feel compelled to help people in pain such as the homeless, but I do tend to think on them. Perhaps because not enough of the time do I know who else's feelings I am feeling assuming at all that I have some empathic traits. I'm not sure what to think. Are there tests for this type of thing? I would certainly hate to think that as before I was simply bipolar. lol.
I thought for years that I was bi-polar or suffering from some kind of mental illness because I have had all those feelings that were mentioned above and more. Trying various medications that would do absolutely no good,I decided that I would test myself to see if I was really going out of my mind or if I was an empath like which was suggested to me. End result I am not crazy at all! I have been an empath for years now, so many I can not remember when I wasn't. The reason for my post today is because although I know I am an empath and have learned to let the emotions of another person(s) when they are happy or mad radiate through me. However, when they are sad I have a serious problem after taking the bad emotion from them and getting rid of it. Sometimes I cry for hours and other times not only do I cry for hours the first thing I want to do is run away and find some place where I can be alone and I pray to god to help me through this horrible time I am having. It is so hard to get rid of the negative energy, does anyone know why!???????
Its really too bad there isnt more information for empaths on the internet. This has been a most interesting read. The best part is the number of people who have commented about their abilities. I thought I'd share a tip for the empaths who are having difficulty managing all the feelings.
Take the time to learn how to internally compartmentalize all the feelings. Basically its like putting them in a box. The first step is to identify and seperate your own feelings into their own box. The box isnt to turn off your feelings...its to give you a safe place to find them when you become overwhelmed. Many empaths never learn how to do this. It can take years to learn so the sooner you start the better. Keep in mind that it will not stop you from crying at a commercial or sad movie ;) but with practice you will be able to identify who's feelings are who's and will have a place for the "unknowns".
I've practiced this method for nearly 40 years and can mentally move in and out of the "uknowns" box. Trying to figure out exactly who/where a feeling is coming from can be fun. (Though, I dont always like what I find.) I imagine all the feelings in that space are a photo of a crowd of people with no faces. The ones with the strongest feelings are in the front which allows me to focus on an individual to identify them. Sometimes I can and sometimes I cant. It sounds weird but it does help.
Good luck!
Empathy is great. Well, yes it hurts the empath, but it really isn't so bad.
Seriously glad that I found this article. My life has been literally crazy since I was a child. I is really taxing to feel people on an emotional level. I HATE it. Really hate it. I suffer from depression, bipolar, panic and anxiety attacks, Geez you name it, I have it. But now Im wondering is it me or everyone around me. Its hard to say for sure. Being in a relationship is almost impossible, lets face it, all you other Empaths know what Im saying. Its not easy being in a relationship with one of us and most people cant handle it. Its sucks to know that you are being lied to, I mean know right down to the core of your soul, but you cant get the person to tell you the truth. Its enraging. Lost of few relationships this way. They always blame it on my being paranoid. But as always , I find out months later that what I thought to be true, was. Its really a sad ass existance. And Im really just learning that there is a name for what I am. Thats really good. I finally feeling like maybe I can deal with the mood swings, and the feelings in my stomach that sometimes just make me freakin crazy for days on end. If anyone out there wants to talk about it or just trade stories, catch me on facebook, (melody mccluskey) send me a friend invite, or just email me at melodymccluskey@hotmail.com. Looking forward to sharing stories with someone else who isjust as "crazy" as I thought that I was lol
hey i just read the article and i think i might b one....but im not sure. i always no wat the people around me are feeling even if i dont want to. also at random parts of the day i start to go through serieous mood swings specfically at school and i can ever figure out why and only make myself more irritaed because of it. im prone to depression, anixity, and servere headaches or migranes. when someone one lies to me i usually no but not always. i wanted to talk to my family about it but they think im just reading to far into things...am i? or am i an empath cause if i am i really need to find a way to block people out becuase its just getting overwhelming. so it u think u can help please please please comment back. thanx :)
Hi. Wow. I think there is a trend. The Highly Sensitive Person and the empath tends to be an artist. Or if they are an artist, they might just be empaths. And the gift of talent of art can be multiple. When you are one of the Highly sensitive people, you tend to have multiple artistic gifts, including creativity. That can be like 3-5 gifts, etc. Singing, the visual arts, playing instruments, and when you perform you know how to deliver emotions, you could act, you easily adapt artistic ideas. Well, just a thought. I could be wrong. But I've seen such pattern with people. And most of the time, the Highly Sensitive Person is misunderstood. I'm not sure if I'm an empath, or I just learned to block 'caring' for others since High School or College. I have always been depressed since childhood, or maybe I'm just a very fearful person. What's true is I know how people feels or when I look them or even knew that my College Classmate was lying right at my face, I know how my dog feels when I saw him, I know what people mean when they say things. I know somewhere within me I have a block or something, mentally and emotionally and I'm no longer the same as before. I don't know. Since I decided to "not feel" when I was either in High School or College becuase people find it ridiculous about what I say saying I'm overly sensitive, it's just how I look at it, blah blah blah... And I have always cried due to being very sensitive. and so in my teenage life, I hated being very sensitive. Nobody understands. I sing, I draw, etc, and yes, emotions seem to magnify everywhere, every learning, every picture has a lot in it than how people usually see it. There's a lot of meaning to almost everything than they are. How do I know if I'm really an empath? This may sound ridiculous and I didn't know about being an Empath til just last month but somehow ever since I know there's some block in me mentally or emotionally that's preventing me to be really just me (Somehow, I practiced not to care in College). Or to put in perspective my being Sensitive. And I feel like, I'm not functioning as I should.
Anyways, yeah, Jesus Christ is an Empath, Himself. In my Opinion.
Thanks for this Article Ms. Snow. =)
Hi. I don't know if I'm an empath. I'm very sensitive to the world around me and I feel very sad and down and emotional if I see people in pain, whether it be emotional or physical. I also have times during a day where I'll feel sudden anxiety, fear or saddness, even if I'm in a great mood. It will hit me, and no matter what I do( I've tried deep breathing, positive thoughts, taking my mind off it and going to a therapist) it won't go away, until it subsides. I have extremly sensitive hearing and smell and I can understand and sense people's emotions, even if they don't tell me. I've been searching on google on empaths today and found your great article. Thank-you for this! But I have a question. Am I an empath or do I just have anxiety isshues> Please let me know. Thanks!
i really liked ur article and enjoyed reading each signs of it. thank you :)
I enjoyed your article on empaths and appreciate the time you spent working on the details of what it is like to be empathic.
I really appreciate this information being shared. what's a little strange is when i learned the word "empathy." after that i understood what i could do really well (this is without believing that i was an empath.) but when friends or people i just walked by i could 'feel' how they felt. but it wasn't that way for everyone, it seemed like i could feel that way for those who seemed to be feeling highly emotional i guess.
years later, i still felt this way but i put it in the back of my mind.
so i when i had a myspace, my own little quote or blog thing, i wrote down..."i see the world emotions at a time~" i meant that because i do, in colors, in words, in nature. i still find it a little curious when i linger on things that my friends have moved passed.
i guess i've been slowly coming in to the thought more and more...on my facebook page i wrote that my supernatural ability is: I'm an empath by nature.
i felt this rang true even as i wrote it. but i'm highly into x-men, comic books, anime..etc.
But i've been called back to GOD. i can announce aloud that i am filled with the HOLY SPIRIT.
I believe that JESUS is LORD, that HE is the Son of GOD and that HE died for our sins. I believe that GOD has given us each our own specific purposes in this world and that we should use them for HIS glory. to advance HIS kingdom. more importantly, i believe i am an empath. but i believe GOD is preparing me to fully deal with and use this gift for ministering to the broken hearted, and broken spirited, and even those who broken physically. i believe that the healing that happens is the work of GOD. YES, a person's hands might be the ones on the hurt individual, but the power is forever and always coming From the HOLY SPIRIT. whether you (anyone) recognizes it or not.
i understand why i can't walk through a mall, why i don't like huge crowds at events, and why i truly truly feel pain that has been delivered to someone. even on tv, i actually feel the pain. i understand.
i just thank GOD for this gift and for the understanding. i've always had a need to help those who really need help..when i passed them by i could feel it. but i've never acted on it unless i was by myself. just talking to them sometimes would be enough to lift their burden. I'm going to continue to pray about my empathic tendencies. the bible does call it DISCERNMENT. i'm going to pray about it and search more into this.
thank you.
oh, and any responses will certainly help me out. thanks for sharing everyone. this helps more than we can say, really.
I have been reading this and alot others all night long. finally I feel like I have some answers. I have always been extra sensetive to the point that just for one example when I lived in Washington I would call my mother and say to her that "dad's in the hospital isn't he?" and of course she would say yes. I HAVE gotten to the point that I rarely go out in public because I am over whelmed with others feelings and I get physically ill all of the time. I find that I am more angry as every day passes and I truly believe it is due to all of the anger and fighting around the world. I too am a christian and I know the Lord has a plan for me I just wish I knew what it is to be. But I guess we all ask ourselves that atleast one time in life. I wish I could just meet in person one other person in real life, not online that is like me. Ifeel so alone.
Well, I have to say I am glad to have just found this word yesterday. I never had a name for what I was experiencing although I knew it wasn't "psychic". I am more comforted to find this information for my niece who experiences these feelings because I have been trying for a long time to explain them to her. It is very easy at times to mistake them for depression, since the deep sadness doesn't seem to have a "reason" at the time, and it is so very deep. Most of the time when I have felt it something has happened shortly after, and sadly, the minute the "bad" thing happens, the deep sadness is lifted. Even if the incident is incredibly sad for me, it's a different kind of sad. Not the same pain. I have had so many experiences with it that I've grown to recognize the feeling and know that it isn't me. I am also lucky to have people around me who have experienced my sadness and then an incident occurring, enough times to know that what I'm saying is true. So I have found that the feelings only get stronger and more frequent with age but I don't get as upset as I did when I was younger because I know what it is and I know who I am. I'm thankful to have websites, a name for it now, etc. to share with my niece. I was often fearful that she would mistake this for depression and medicate herself for no reason.
I cannot watch any suffering on tv because I can't bear it. My husband has often found it annoying that I have to leave the room or change the channel. This information will also be useful to share with him.
I also find it useful to discover a reason why people do trust that I want to help them and they don't shut down even if they don't know me. I do understand what they are going through and I don't always know why. I've always felt it a bit of a burden that I "have to" help people. That annoys my family as well b/c it's not "my job"....however, I have come to terms with that as well. If I CAN help then I need to. For me. It's what I need, I don't know why, so I just accept it.
Bless all of you. And for the Christian, I too am Christian so if this is the way we are, I believe it comes from God just like everything else.
Being an Empath is probably the most amazing, but most difficult thing in my life. I've known that I was able to 'feel' as I say, other people on a very deep level since I was a child. I find that the most difficult part of it, is when someones emotions are so potent, that when I am close to them, they take over my own emotions, and I lose rational thought of my own. I on numerous occaisions have actually got up, and RAN as fast as I could, as far as I could, then called the person and said , 'can we talk like this?' and even that doesn't fully help...I can read and feel people so powerfully over text, IM, Phone, Email, Even snail mail. I believe for myself personally it is more of a curse than a gift, however that is not to say it is not a gift either....I'd be dead if it wasn't for my empathic ability many times over...but I'd also be a lot farther in life if I wasn't affected by so many people all the time, confusing myself in more ways than I care to state....
It's refreshing however, to see so many other empaths discussing what we are. It's nice to know I am not alone, and I am not insane...
If any other empaths care to talk about the subject of our empathy, as I really think it could be beneficial for at least myself, to learn more about us, from others like myself...Email me, Living.Drug.Free@Gmail.com
Dragostini
I find all this oddness comforting. i can't say i don't know why or what i am blessed with this shared burden, cause i believe i know. i've experienced many odd events along with visions. i must say the strangest, was when i was chatting with amanda about emotional pain when she was a child. both of ours stomachs were turning same time. i look at her said wow my stomach feels weird, she says me too. then i saw a five prong energy of light spin in her up through her heart, up through her head and connected with my hands. i went down. we both looked at each other saying what the f was that. her first comment was can u see the energy moe, i said cool beans u can see it also, woo thank god cause i thought i was crazy. she stated to me wow god is real. i said yes my father is. thank u beautiful people. love you all and please believe in the greater good for all of us even to cover the dum ones
Hi Isabella,
I hope you are still commenting on the article responses. Thank you for writing it. I have been an empath/hsp since childhood but I didn't know what it was until a few years ago. Everyone just called me "sensitive" - not necessarily crying but I could pick up on things others can't and "see" things other can't see or "crazy". I also take on other's illness through touch that are not contagious. The doctors don't know what the cause is and I heal without explanation. This has happened several times in my life. I also pick up on good or bad things (vibes?) that are about to happen (especially bad) but I don't think that has anything to do with being an empath. My question is how can one learn how to thwart negative energies of people who send psychic attacks my way and build the positive energy that allows us help while using the ability? Although it is draining I'd like to really learn to use it to heal and help without "hurting" myself. Are there trustworthy people who have mastered the "gift" who can help others develop theirs? Thanks!
**and yes having the ability while growing up in the "ghetto" was not fun.
I'm a decent empath who picks up on anything projected to me. Anyone I start to crush on I can empath physically or emotionally when they have extreme emotional reactions. My physical symptoms tend to be off but in the general vicinity...recently I had a friend I newly met project emotions and I took them in and read into them...they weren't easy to read. I described the place and had a hard time explaining the emotion. I have also heard, felt, and seen things before they happened. Sometimes abilities can mix. Just putting my personal experience/beliefs out there. And when I'm lied to by someone I love I trust them but I keep feeling and seeing the truth...doubting myself. I don't want to screw up an amazing thing if I somehow am wrong. That's why I doubt myself. Fear of loneliness if I'm wrong. If someone is shady or isn't willing to be fully honest and open with you then empaths will go depressive crazy if they are being lied to because they want to trust when they know they can't.
Hello Isa, I feel like i'm every word you've just said... Some of those abilities are strong and some are weaker but it describes me... I used to heal like you've said but i'd feel drained, exausted after doing it... I learned Reiki and it really helped me to control my energy flow, in order to be able to block the negative energy and at the same time not "exchange" the illness with other people. I always know when a person is lieing(i was only mistaken once), and i can tell a persons personality just by looking at them, and sometimes a mear picture is enought... i've leanded to "control" it a little bit but how can i develop the gift and at the same time control it better? By the way, i live in Portugal.
Best regards, João
I was very amused at the entries, particularly by those who called themselves 'empaths'. :) THIS TERM OR DEFINITION IS ACTUALLY SELF-LIMITING. The reason is that all of you are finally discovering what Aboriginal First Nation people have known all along since ancient times. All people are born SPIRITUAL BEINGS. We are foremost created spiritual beings. We are all energy and this energy is pure and comes from the Creator, by Jesus Christ of Nazareth, born as flesh and made manifest upon our lost world. Jesus is the Son of God and he is the Light. Light is pure energy and streams from God who is the Source of all Light and Life. Life is animate Light. :) All human beings are spiritual beings but not all are HUMAN. Those who cannot and cannot care about other human beings have a spiritual condition called "being evil." These unfortunate people are spiritually deficient and lacking in God's indwelling Presence within them. They resist the Holy Spirit who indwells all human beings who acknowledge and have God within their hearts and souls. The very premise of the Bible to ask Jesus into your heart and be 'saved' is asking for spiritual rejuvenation - being 'born again' and being renewed more dynamically with the presence and power of GOD indwelling within you. It is a rapid and instantaneous 'evolution' of soul and God's Way to advance human beings to their original Eden unfallen state. It is by reconciliation to Himself through Jesus who made the sacrifice for us. I currently have all 7 traits listed and MORE. I did not ask for more but I was in a state of willingness for God to accomplish HIS WILL within me and my entire LIFE. This is what He requires from each of us. Then we receive "life and Life More Abundantly." This means more spiritual strength to the point of transmitting healing and miracles to the unfortunate and needy around us. We become like Jesus! Imagine if everyone in the world became spiritually like Jesus. This is what God wants! - this is His design and intention. We are spiritual beings encased in physical bodies. Those who are not 'empaths' or regenerated humans always act as if they are purely physical beings and that is the extent of it. Those who are enamored with the powers of God and using it for selfish objectives, want spiritual power but without God's direction. They can actually have this but to their own soul's hurt. They will invariably implode from within. There eyes will be pools of blackness - no Light. You can actually see it if you look into these disturbing pools of lifeless blackness. So you are becoming aware of something that you should have been aware of naturally LOL - you are human beings! Real human beings! more to come ---
I am an empath. I have been one my entire life. As a child, even before I knew what it was, it made me ill. I was always hospitalized. The doctors said "I was a nervous child". Nervous indeed! I hated being in crowds and walking into a place not knowing what may come.As I became older, I would go to the mall so my grandmother could shop. But I could never, never walk past crowds so I would go in the early mornings. Even in high school it was torture. I was very much a loner. I would go into the library. My mother used to tell people I was just "shy" and "reserved". When people were not on good terms I could feel their anxiety, anger, sadness and knew when they would want to fight. I was just a mess with conflicting emotions.
I can always tell when someone is lying to me and why. I would confront them and they would lie more. I am married now. I have picked up my husbands ailments. I can tell when he isn't happy before he comes home. Just like my father or mother when they were on their way home from work and I was very young then. It's all of the above. The 7 signs. My daughter is also an empath. She is young and I am teaching her how to cope with it and we are learning together how protect ourselves. We can also walk into a place of history and pick up the emotions and feelings of the people who onced lived there. For her, she becomes ill at times. She comes down with headaches if it was a "bad place". It's like a curse. To explain further, it always (as a child) started in my stomach and my stomach would go in knots and hurt terrible and I would shiver and shake and my skin. I would have goose bumps and I would do one of two things run and hide or just sit and deal with it. It was exhausting and I was sick for days on end. Now I go into meditation and prayer.
This helped a lot because for the longest time I couldn't fully understand why I would snap on my friends when I would go to the mall with them. But it was because I was so overwhelmed. That part made me laugh because of so many things that happened at the mall because of being overwhelmed. Everything on this list was a definite answer for me and telling me yup you're empathic.
wow, thank you so much for writing this article -- I've known about being "highly sensitive" for a while, but I think I'm starting to face the truth about being an empath, and being on the healing path. I think it's easy for me to feel like my feelings are not legit, but this really helps solidify the "realness" of being an empath.
I am 65 years old. My father, his twin brother, my brother, my husband are all ordained ministers. I am an empath. I recall having experiences at an early young age. My father and mother would ask me questions that related to the church. When my Uncle's wife was seriously sick with cancer, I went through the final stages with her. I got relief when she passed over. Yes an Empath's gift is important to life. Empath's follow your heart/gift. No that higher consciousness is "leading you" and teaching you how to Love.
wow knowing this now is really a releaving feelling, for 2 years i was actually thinking that i was going crazy. but i still need some help some times i explode and i can't controll my moods. i really would apreciate some tips at least on this matter. i really wish to go back and have a normal life.
Thanks for spreading the information to those who needs it.
Good list of empath traits. Keep up the good work. :-D
I just found this blog and for the first time in my life I truly do not feel like I am nuts.. I feel I will never be in a ever lasting relationship, I know the instant someone lies to me. I have been learning to deal with it, and forcing myself to go out and socialize more. It take great concentration to shut out everyone..Thank you for writing this, things make so much more since..
As an Empath, I have been one all my life, I am severely distressed at the amount of negativity towards others of the same spiritual family...by those who profess to be followers of Christ. Jesus was an Empath, so was Mary Magdalene, as they were high priest and priestess of the Essenes. (Mary Magdalene was never a whore as has been promoted by the Catholic Church in their efforts to denigrate her status as a spiritual leader among women.) To deny who they were and what they could do is to deny the Talents given to them, and us, by the Heavenly Father. They are the 'Fruits of the Holy Spirit' that are made manifest in the True Sons and Daughters of the One True God. To deny this is to commit the greatest and only unpardonable sin of all...to Blaspheme against the Holy spirit. Judge ye not lest ye also be judged!
I happened upon this article while looking for any kind of explanation as to why it feels like I take on other people's emotions and sometimes even traits. Like I'm an emotional mirror or something. In conversations with people I often feel like everything has been said before, at least the things regarding feelings. Lots of things come off as easy in life, but they don't exactly feel important. The only things that ever feel real and important are feelings. Lately when out in public, anger is constantly looming around me. It makes me feel really paranoid almost to the point of never wanting to leave home. Sometimes I think maybe someone out there is just playing a big joke on me, but I can't imagine anyone that would want to do that or even someone capable of it.
it's in the url.
I can remember from a very young age that I have always wanted to do something that helps heal people. I want to fix everyones problems.I have been depressed since I was a teen and now I'm 42. When I was yound I dreamed alot, more than I do now, lots of deja vu. I never realized until now that this may be why I get so overwhelmed at malls, supercenters, crowds. Can it be that my negativity that I draw from others comes out through me and thats why I can't make friends?? I feel so bad all the time physically and emotionally. Japan hit me hard too. I feel like over the last few years I have started distancing myself from people. I am a LMT and sometimes I have felt really bad after a session, even drained.Some clients want to tell me all their stuff but I thought it was because they were just complainers or hypocondriacs.Sometimes I think I'm paranoid because I pick up feelings from others that I can't prove that they are feeling and no one else sees it. I'm not sure on #4 & #7. This is something I am going to need to pursue and start paying more attention too. Thanks so much Isabella for this site.
I have known i was different my whole life. I been able to control my empath abilities for so long it has become second nature to deal with it.When im in a crowded room is kinda hard sometimes but i just concentrate on me and i dont get lost in the background.But by all means dont take it was or is easy for me, I still have them hard days like what happened to Japan.I hope this maybe helps someone with understanding that it might take sometime but you can and will be able to be yourself,empathic,and be able to tell the two apart.
I just fold out about month ago that I am empath. I am still learning how to deal with it. I can't find anyone to help me. I live in staley nc so I'm trying find someone to help me out
Thank you so much xxx
Hey melissa I know what your goin thru a little and it gets easier if you let it message me back if you are interested in help if I can give it
I have always had a little voice in my head that said that I was an empath but never really KNEW much about what that actually meant. I thought that empaths were supposed to LOVE being around people and LOVE to help. Dont get me wrong, I love people, but find the most peace spending time alone at home with my dog. In the past I have also had a tendancy to have people in my lif who are sick and always wondered why. WOW...now I understand and am so happy that I read this! Now, as far as the negative comments go from this post, just let them be. No need to feel anger or anything. They are just living their own reality and if that suits them, than fine. So be it. Its not for ANY of us to judge...just to be the best we know how to be and do what FEELS right.
I am soooo confused.
I just looked at all of the signs, and I can relate to every one, except of course the last one I'm a little fuzzy on. I don't remember healing anyone... but everything else is pegged on me.
I don't know if I'm just super sensitive and intuitive or an actual Empath. Maybe everything is in my head. Seeing as my family is super screwy and thinks I'm nuts, I'm not sure what to believe.
I just watched a movie that I cried through the entire time. I felt like I was the protagonist herself. Everyone else, of course, was unmoved both physically and emotionally by the film. They were excited, but not as devastated as I was. Everything hit me straight on.
Then I don't even know if this can be included but these super strange things keep happening! This is about the fifth encounter these past couple of weeks I've had with the situation but today while walking into one of my classes a girl was talking about an injury she had gotten. It was just a small cut. I wasn't even paying attention or looking, but before she finished the first sentence I cut my finger open on the metal part of my binder. This isn't the first time something like this has happened. Also, I constantly seem to be experiencing the same pain and ailments of others constantly.
Am I making this all up? Am I nuts? I used to think it was just because I secretly wanted to be an Empath, to be different, but I really don't feel that way. I just feel connected to everyone. A lot of comments I've read so far are from other Empaths who are completely aware of their place, and I was hoping maybe someone could give me some advice or help me figure this out? Replies would be absolutely fantastic...
Nowadays every one wants to be a empath... how fun must be to feel love... to understand others... you think that been an Empath it's like Phoebe from charmed... WRONGGGG I'm an empah... sometimes you don't even know if the feelings are yours or somebody else... and can you be mad at people?? I would love to be able to be mad for a week to a friend who's being a jerk... but i can't... i allways understant and feel why they are doing... Even with some years of filtering... i can't even say good morning to a person without feeling their morning bad humor... And helping others it's a pain when you are exausted... and you can't even say NO, the dam emotions speak louder... you have to help... I came to accept my abilitie, my power, my gift or whatever... but i get really mad when someone says "I wish i were an empath so i can change the world" News flash... you don't need special powers to help... if you really want to... Sorry if i sounded a little harsh.. but this is the result of shearching several foruns... and some people don't have a clue of what their are saying.. dealing with our own emotions it's hard enough... imagine dealing with everyone else's... by the way nice article Isabella Snow, sorry about my english i'm portuguese =)
I have always known I was something and 'clairsentient' was the only term I could find that seemed to somewhat fit what I have gone through my whole life. But reading through this article, 'empath' is a more accurate term.
I certainly fill every one of the criteria in the article and more. In particular when there is intense emotion in someone nearby, such as raw grief, it slams me in the stomach and results in gut wrenching sobs and tears. However there is always an upside. For instance, intense joy is awesome!
It is difficult as an empath. I find I cannot stay more then 10 minutes in a crowd of people before the crushing chaos of so many peoples feelings threatens to overwhelm me. A trip to the grocery store is extremely uncomfortable and I usually run in and out again as quick as possible.
The strange thing is that I didn't realize what was going on with me until I reached my twenties. I didn't understand why I was able to understand and help people when no one else could. What I didn't realize was that I was utilizing this empath ability and reading their emotions, understanding exactly how they were feeling and responding so they knew they were being truley understood. I didn't realize what I was doing until I caught myself at it. Realizing that I was silencing my mind and 'reading them'.
The thing with empaths is that when an empath says 'I understand how you feel' or 'I understand what you are going through', it isn't just commiserating words. A true empath understands inside and out EXACTLY what the person is feeling, because they feel it too. So it is a gift and one that can change other people's lives for the better. It is also of course one that can be used negatively, but I am not going there.
I was rather glad to read one of the previous posts describing an empath's perception of the world and I think that was spot on. Certainly for me. Music is an emotional journey, each note felt exquisitely. Nature holds a more radiant glowing beauty. It is a whole different perception of the world and one that I felt a bit isolated in because no one around me seems to experience it in the same way.
I really think empathic abilities are something to be explored and built on, not feared and despised. I am learning that with intent I can block out those intruding feelings. Something I have discovered only recently and am working on. With some practise you can easily recognise what feelings are not your own and maintain a certain distance from them. In other words observe them, rather then being sucked into the experience of them.
Overall, my abilities have had a profound effect on my life, all the way through. To be honest I wouldn't be me without them, they are very much a part of me and I don't think I would be parted with them for the world.
Hello All
Being a 40 yr old Empath i find this page a star shinning in the darkness! May i commend the author and all the comments! There are many of us out there aspiring to cope with the fact we feel and see everything. If recent events are anything to go by i know i have been greatly effected by the plight of Japan's people, the unrest in the Middle East and Africa and that big changes that are heading towards us all in the way we live our lives! Although i feel i see i know what ever is showing me does not show all and have begun indepth studies on the Em field, moon phases and siesmic activities. It seems that great changes are happening in these area's also! I have always wondered why some people see and feel these things and not others! Is there a purpose? And if so what is it? Is it linking to other Empaths? Maybe we should all join in a meeting and discuss this and find out what our roles are and be supported in the face of what we do?
Anyway lol enough of my rambling!
Again a very impressive page and again thank you for sharing Isabella Snow and commentors!!!
I am confused.. I have been researching highly sensitive persons, empaths, and the difference between the names given to different pshycic abilities and am confused about where i fall under..
can anyone help me differentiate where/who i am?
I am highly sensative emotionally, I cry all the time, about little things and big things. ads on television, atrocities, as well as other peoples emotional pain. i feel tired and bogged down emotionally all the time, which effects me physically. I am drawn to people going through emotional pain, I'm always the one at the party who is comforting the girl sitting in the curb cause shes had a fight with her boyfriend..
and when people say "i feel like.. ugh i don't know i cant describe it" i can say "you feel like this.. because of this.. and it makes u feel like u should do that.. and u wanna do this.." and they say "EXACTLY".. i would be wealthy if i had a dollar for everytime someone told me, "I don't know why I'm telling you this, I never told anyone before", be it someone close or a perfect stranger. I make friends very easily but I am not always a good judge of character. Sometimes i feel like i KNOW when someone is not good. other times I have been very much unaware of a persons true character.
I have had experiences where I havnt been able to sleep and dont know why, and then discover the next day my Brother was the same.. In Afghanistan.. I have days of sickness or the best way I can discribe the feeling is feeling 'Unsettled' and I don't know why. Sometimes i may find out that a friend has had a bad day, other times i never know where it came from.
Can you be empathic without being a true Empath?
or are there varying degrees in ability in Empaths?
I don't feel the strong swing of emotion people have been talking about on here when walking through a shopping centre but I have had dreams that I have that ability. It is how I have described myself as feeling sometimes because I just feel so weighed down. But I havnt been conciously aware of doing it for real. As a child i was diagnosed with 'anxiety' as i would feel sick everytime my mother was about to take me out of the house for the day. As an adult (25) i only feel that same sick feeling in times of highly excitable or stressed events.
I can't seem to tell when ppl are lying to me because I believe in the good in people. I do not lie, therefore I never expect someone to lie to me, and it always surprises me when I find if someone has. I feel pain very acutely, I get what I call 'random pains' that can occur any where in my body at any given time that I never know why, and they pass just as quickly as they come.
I do feel a strong need to help anyone I can, no matter if they have not been particulary nice to me, or a perfect stranger. I ended up injured far worse than the original person involved at a car accident I attended a few years ago. But I don't regret stopping. If I hadnt been there she would have been killed, but I got cleaned up instead and only broke my back. But I am alive and walking. I believe I was there for a reason.
It is a running joke in my family that the female line are 'witches'. Knowing the phone is going to ring, or who is on the other line before they speak. We have all had our fair share of experiences/encounters with those who are no longer with us whether it be a visitor in our homes or a more permanent presence. I asked my mentor if there was a presence in my house one time and she said yes, and she wants you to talk to her. So I tried, my first and only time, and I recieved images and feelings, one image of myself playing the piano as seen through her eyes. I felt as though she was making sure I was ok and helping me develop my gifts. I believe she was a friend of my mothers from her childhood and once she had helped me, she returned to my mothers side.
I guess what I am trying say, although very long winded, is that sometimes I feel confident that I do have some abilities but most of the time I just feel vulnerable. I don't know where to put myself (why do I feel the need to catagorise myself?) and I don't know how far my abilities go or how to control them. I don't know how to protect from taking on everything around me, every sad story, every emotional event, weighs down on me, I feel helpless to stop it and I don't want to turn into a depressed sad sob who nobody wants to be around because I in turn bring other peoples energy down..
Please help me. I am a happy person. I want to be happy. I care about people. A lot. I want to feel in control. I want to learn how to feel confident. I want to gaurd against internalising others emotions/pain and/or attacks.
I want to be wonderful.
everything she said in this article is dead on. it's a constant stuggle for me to live life because on top of this. i am also a visual type learner. put me in a social setting and someone's words aren't matching up. i pick up on it right away and i hate it then when i do question them about it. they get defensive cause it seems like everyone goes through life wearing a mask and i hate always being able to see that mask. yes it can be a gift however for me it's a curse and constant stuggle to deal with. 26 years old and still trying to cope and live with it.
Thanks! Sometimes I just worry that we name things simply for the sake of giving them a name. It's comforting to know that I'm not the only one! Good luck :)
hey - I'm sorry I dont have time to read all the comments, so this question may have already been asked, and if so, then don't worry about answering it.
Is it possible to have only partial empathic ability? That must sound ridiculous- empathic ability sounds ridiculous enough, though I think I believe in it. The thing is, I'm wondering if there is a spectrum of empathic ability, just as there is a spectrum of emotionality in individuals. For me, I think I have something going on in that realm - either empathic realated, or else I just have an emotional trait of being very sensitive. What do you think? To give an idea, often times, people overwhelm me with their emotions, and after a full day of working with people I almost always feel sick in more ways than one. And I have a stellar immune system. Maybe I'm just over reacting.
Thanks for your help!
I agree with Caitlin. the same thing happened to me. I was always very adept at felling others feelings and other of the symptoms. The writer is right, it is NO fun. but there are some things you can do to make it better. Google it. In this day and age there are a lot of posers, but only a fool would pose as this.
Caitlin...if you believe it, it is real. If it makes you feel better then you are not wasting your time!
From looking at the response of your article, I see that a lot of people are going through the same thing. However, I need to know… is it real? Is what you’re saying real? Or is it some sort of warped wishful thinking? Two years ago, I worked up the courage to go see a counsellor. I had moved schools due to a particularly rough year, and I was looking for a new start, and a way to repair myself. After a really hard year, I was emotionally spent, my self-esteem, and my general mental strength was depleted. After a couple of sessions, I mentioned that I felt like a ‘chameleon’ of sorts. I told her that I often felt what others were feeling. Like I took on their emotions. Whenever I was around someone if they were happy, I was happy. If they were sad, I was even sadder. And I didn’t even have a reason to be sad, I just was. She then told me that I sounded very much like empath. Now looking at your article, I see myself in the majority of your ‘signs’. Your comments about feeling completely overwhelmed watching the news or something sad, is so reminiscent of me it’s not even funny. Whenever I watch something that remotely tugs at the heart strings, I cry. And I don’t mean one or two tears, I mean full on sobbing, like it’s me in the situation. And I’m 95% sure I am not bipolar haha. Also your comments about knowing if someone is lying or whether or not they have good intentions. Do you know how many times I have been called a ‘bitch’ or ‘judgemental’ because I have met someone for a second and I just KNOW that they’re not genuine. I’m very good at picking up emotions in others. Look basically I identify with your article whole heartedly. I see myself in every one of your ‘signs’. And whilst it doesn’t affect me so much anymore, because I have learnt techniques to stop myself being a sponge and absorbing others pain, I just need to know, that I’m not being ridiculous. That this is real… and that I’m not wasting time thinking this is real when it’s not.
Hello Isa,
Thanks for being vulnerable enough to share your intuitive knowledge of being an empath.I hope that we all come together as one to save humanity on this earthly plane.I pray that God will give us the strength and courage.All,empaths and healers,channel the Universal Love to Mother Earth and all lost souls so we may live in peace and harmony with all beings in the galaxy.
Love,Light & Peace,
Holly
Hi...I have never considered myself an empath and am still not sure. For over 20 years I have felt such a strong anger whenever this one person is around me. I keep trying to forgive (what I don't know since she is not "doing" anything to me)and to let go...through meditation skills etc. Nothing ever works. Then someone just mentioned that maybe it is NOT MY anger that I am feeling but hers. Boy if that could be true, I feel like I could really let it go and try to help her instead of wasting time trying to forgive. Has anyone got any experience with this or have suggestion as to other areas I may look at? I too, know that I have very strong feelings when watching even commercials, etc. Always prefer to be in smaller crowds or alone and feel peoples energies to some degree. People do tend to trust me very quickly and lean on me for advice.
"I understand too many people may just swell these things up and shrugged it off as something as demonic possession, maybe they're right. . .and maybe not. No one can really tell it all,.besides not everyone deserves the truth,..so even if i say something now it may just cloud you up even more,,as much as how clouded i have been for the past years trying to figure out the thing about this empathy. I too find it hard to believe about psychics, powers, magics because there is no living proof for people. so whether empathy is some sort of powers, psychological illness, state of mind or whatever, atleast i know its real atleast for me"
....I forgot to mention. Making sure you get a full night's rest and not missing out on too much sleep during the week definitely helps me in many aspects of my life like At school, and work, and it helps me think clearly so I'm not so overwhelmed.
I swear I'm crazy. Last summer a new family friend, who is an empath, told me that I was.She sensed that I was going through hell, as I absolutely was. Normally I was good at hiding it, but she ..just.. KNEW!
She could see spirits and I asked how I could do that as well. She told me to meditate/clear my mind. So I did. The result was that I ended up having an experience with a dead relative. So I stopped meditating. I decided if I wanted to pursue being an empath I was going to wait until I was in the right state of mind. i.e., NOT in a bad place like I was.
To those looking to block out everyone else's emotions. It takes practice and time. How I personally do it is when I begin to feel anxiety ridden about anything, I close my eyes, and start thinking about my heart beating at a slow, steady rate. Then I put up like, an energy field/ wall around myself.
I had to do this especially because the new house I moved into is haunted. I rent a room, and I once asked the owner if a child had died in the house. They said "no". But one day when walking into a certain room I had imagined in my mind a young child running through where I was walking. I just thought I was making a good guess. Days later I found out that infact, I waS right. A child had died in the house years ago. Also in the same house, I asked if anyone else had seen a man standing in the door way of the living room. The same person again said no. But everytime I would vaccuum, I would just stay away from that part of the room for some reason. I felt like I was being watched. And in my mind I imagined a guy standing in old time clothing: a white linen shirt, leaning agaisnt the doorway. When I told the person this, their jaw literally dropped.
There is also a doll in the house whose head moves to the side. Everytime I ask someone to straighten it, the next morning its turned again. I hate dolls, I always have, even growing up. I always felt like I was being watched growing up.
I have also had very vivid dreams.
I stopped havig weird experiences when I started thinking logically. For some people who are much stronger than others in this field might not be able to do this, or might.. I have no idea. I just know what works for me. Like I said, I started say "ghosts aren't real" over and over. adn I put up the "wall" inside my mind and it helps control my feelings and any others I pick up.
In people, I'm better at detecting sadness and anger.I can always tell when my best friend is sad or angry. I just say "what's wrong?" and they always look surprised that I know.
And in school I was friends with many different people.
I hope I'm not crazy, cause that would really suck. I always thought magic was cool when growing up, like harry potter magic, not regular card tricks. I always wanted to help people though. I feel like some people I am just drawn to, especially the weak, and the sad. I have one very close friend and it took me months to detatch myself from them. Every emotion they felt, I felt. There are probably many methods to getting rid of this attachment so that you are injuring yourself when they are in much distress, but I just mentally "cut the string" between us. Putting more distance physically also helped me. Sometimes I would have to leave the room if they were so upset. I would just get this sick feeling. And as soon as I had left the room I'd be fine. Now when that person's upset, I just focus on relaxing them, and sending good energy with my mind.
But having this isn't all bad. Sometimes you have good feelings to share. Like, a family member asked me if her spouse was going to pass a major exam. She was unsure, and so were several other people. As soon as I was asked, I said "Yes. They will pas. I'm sure of it". And what do you know? They passed. I call it a lucky guess, but who knows what it was.
Once again, I hope the empath was right about me. And I still really hope I'm not crazy.
And I also hoe I helped someone. If anyone has questions I could maybe answer. Ask away. Yeah I'm new at this, but Its always good to know your not alone.
I have been ever since I can remember and now people do talk about it more often. I thank the Lord for the gift he has given me and my children.
I didn't know what it was called and have kept it secret for years but I am an empath. People are drawn to me and do not know why. Complete strangers will tell me their most deep dark secrets and tell me they do not know why they are telling me these things they have never told another soul.
I have Fibromyalgia from healing people. I take their pain and then have to deal with it. I don't know how to release it once I take it from them.
I 2oo am Clairsentience, and an empath, and these feelings r driving me crazy....such a huuge relief, when i ACTUALLY feel normal..i need 2control it, but don't have the time..what do i do?? Ur right when u say, it feels like a curse..my words exactly..but i also know its a gift
Hi My name is Nathan khan and i read through your article and was quite happy with the answers that i got i am an empath but i dnt find it a bad thing and at times it can be fun i wouldn't have it any other way although i believe that also has to be with being having slight precognitive abilities i like being an empath i have helped so many of my friends with my ability and i use it to make sure those around me are ok and although in crowds or even around one other person i can suddenly have massive mood swings i guess you could call it i like being more aware of what those around me are feeling it lets help me determine how the people around me are goin at this point in there lives and if i sense sadness or depression i try and be a friend and if i can help them through it
Ive recently learned what an empath is and that I am an empath. although i agree its not always fun. I am glad that i am unique in this way and i am eager to become more in death with it all. It is not devilish in any way. If you have the abitlity to heal then heal. Yes it can become overwhelming but you need to figure away to work with it..this I know because again its new to me and i am trying to figure away to keep just the positive in!
I am a full Christian, but I have realized that I am Clairsentient. I DO NOT believe in any way that you can't be Christian AND Clairsentient!! I know this is quite childish , but I believe in vampires also. No, not the kind that hiss at holy crosses, and melt in the sunlight, but the Christian kind. I believe that no matter what you are, you can mix Christianity with that unless you are a devil worshiper, or an anti-Christ.
First of all, great hub, and it helped me a lot. I think that I *am* an empath, but sometimes I think I'm not. Being a teenager sucks. whenever I get randomly happy or sad, I just think nothing of it, or that'll pass, or that i'm crazy, or its just one a moodswing (being a girl doesn't help at *all* when your an empath too .__.). but whenever I visit old historic places, for example: St. Augustine, I feel *strange*. I can sense other prescences, old energy. It makes me act strange too. When I visited the old Light House where two little girls died I think there and climbind back down the stairs, I felt really weird and hummed some tune that I didn't know. I didn't feel like *me*, and when I got back outside, it faded away. And sometimes I know when someone's angry sad or mad, and it affects me too. Whenever I feel old energy, my hands tingle and feel prickly. I'm not sure about the "healing" though. I have a friend that can see auras, and she said mines green on the outside and blue on the inside (which is awesome, my too favorite colors and the personality that describes the colors of the auras pretty much describe me too) So I dunno if i'm an Empath or not. I just think that their my emotions and forget about it.
Hello Isa (if you dont mine me calling you that),
I'm Starr(yeah thats my real name lolz), I'm 15, black, and I am an Empath. It makes life, school, friends, etc quite difficult, especially because I'm black and other black people at my school look at me and the fact that I try to stay away from most people and think there is something wrong with me. I've noticed that in my area, blacks usually hang out with blacks and have one type of drama, while whites usually hang out with whites and have another type of drama (not being racists, but this is the area I live in). I have been lucky enough to find other psychics at my school and we're best friends.
So I've had this...."ability" as I call it, my entire life. Or at least as long as I can remember. It's how I've always navigated my life, keeping away from people I dont feel right around and place that make me feel like I might throw up... knowing about people, people always coming to me with their problems, always knowing which guys like me (as shallow as that one sounds..), etc...But recently, I feel as if my ability is weakening or something. I havent been getting feelings as strong or making good decisions based on my intuition. So I'm wondering if it is possible to stop being an Empath? Or maybe my heart is just too clouded? I dont know whats going on. Any help?
I'm not sure what to make of this whole thing. Im actually in the middle of an episode, a very long and brutal(for me anyway) episode. I have struggled for many years trying to find out what my episodes meant but could never put a finger on it till I heard this term on TV I then looked it up and it eventually landed me here.I'm 43 yrs old. Im a strong, independant business woman. Well... I was a strong independant business woman until this year July25th 2011. July 25th My husbands best friend of almost 20 yrs was killed in a terrible motorcycle accident. My sister-inlaw had just recently divorced and started dating our friend 4 weeks prior to his death. 3 days prior to his death I suddenly took ill at the flip of a switch. I had gone to work at noon and was totally fine, and in a great mood doing business as usual,by 1:00 an hour later my head was on the table I could not function, all the sudden I was struck with a terrible feeling of dread, depression, hopelessness, out of nowhere and could not understand what was going on. I did end up having to leave work and from then on in for the next 3 days I slept, I could not get up not to eat not for anything. The 3rd day my husband came to see what was wrong this was out of my character completley. I remember my husband saying what could possibly be depressed about and I told him I didnt understand my self. I have no reason to feel this way im stumped myself. My husband drew a bath for the both of us thought a calm surrounding a quiet talk maybe we could figure something out. Well during this peace full moment was happening the phone rang. It was my sister-inlaw Jen. She had been waiting for Mike (my husbands friend) to come to her house for dinner and the night. She says to my husband I hope mike didnt get in an accident or anything, well that scares me when someone says things like that I feel that its bad luck it jinxes them I told my husband please tell her to never say that again, and I need you right now. He hangs up and phone rings a few more times till my husband answers the phone as soon as he answered it I seen his face and I jumped from the tub and grabbed my clothes I just knew this was not good. My husband then said someone had called Jen and said there was a horrific motorcycle accident a few blocks away. From that day on Seeing my sis Jen in this state of finding her prince charming and making verbal wedding plans to burying her sould mate I automatically felt struck with dreadful emotion. As if I were her and more.I barley made it to the wake, I made a show but soon would have to retreat to home and the couch where I would remain for days, the funeral the same thing. this continued for months, I cried for my sister inlaw I think long after she stopped, I could not stop the feelings of dread, and loss, I know how I would feel If God forbid I was ever in her position, the love I have for my husband and the loss I would feel, was to much for me to bare. In this time I went from this strong independant woman to a weak, cant function kind of person. I lost my job , ruined my credit almost my house and my husband. But he was definitley depressed from the loss of his very dear friend. I slept for a month straight a few days in between I would be up and then Jen would stop over and we all would cry and back in bed I would end up. Crazy it seems, Im not on medication, Im normally the happy go lucky, I have a great husband, awesome home we have built together we have 2 businesses. I never wanted for anything,But this death crushed me, but i had told my husband many times I just felt as if I was channeling Jens feelings and was feeling her feelings as If they were my own, I feel that I felt the brunt of them it so overwhelmed me so much I couldnt function, I actually scared myself. I am actually shocked that I accidently found this name Empathic and it describes exactley what Ive been trying to explain to my husband, I think he thinks Im crazy, He's even told me he thinks just from this episode that im bi-polar, I assure anyone Im neither crazy or bi-polar, Im quite well in fact I feel this is my answer to understanding whats been happening to me. But this has been happening to me since my midteens, just not to this extent, feelings of dread hours before an accident, I would have attacks of sudden depression everytime they ended up with a freak accident of sort and there were 2 motorcycle accidents the same days of my attacks. I just never know who what where or when, I just know I have terrible dread feelings of doom and gloom and in hours before or by the end of the day someones dead. Scared me so much when I would get these feeling I wouldnt let my mother leave the house and she would just ignore my plea's for her to not leave and tell me to stop, but when the accident happened she would be a little shocked at how I acted and what transpired, I have had these feelings and it ended up with 2 boys drowning and I had smelled chlorine all day and complained about smelling water all day, then bad feelings of dread and a distant family member was killed in a freak accident in a junkyard, to my mothers boyfriend killed in a motor cycle accident, to my husbands friend. Who do I talk to about this, is there anyone to talk to? Or do I just keep it to my self as I always have but now being able to put somewhat of a name to it.
I cannot thank you enough!! I am "normal" I'm not bi-polar or over emotional! After being forced to watch all the latest natural disasters I'm so drained I want to curl up and "re-group" myself. I now know what physic ability my mum passed onto me. Thank you thank you thank you!!
I am an empath. Ever since I was a child, I've always had social problems as well as behavior problems too. The doctors always said that it was some sort of disability. First it was ADHD now it is Autism. But I've learned to accept that it's being an empath. I've noticed that when I listen to music, and if I am really tired at the time and have not slept in a while, and I listen to the music, it's as if I slept and I'm wide awake and ready for another day. It's really amazing! Another ability that I've noticed is the power to take in other people's sickness and feelings. It feels like I've got the weight of the world on my shoulders. When I watch a movie like Saving Private Ryan for example, It's as if I can feel Ryan's pain for his fallen brothers. As if they were my comrades. Or when I'm listening to a song I just don't hear the music. I feel the music, the composer's emotions as they wrote the lyrics and what they felt as they wrote them. Or when I read a book. I don't just read the book. I can visiulize the entire story. It seems that with my gift I can help those in need. I just wish that there was someone who could help me. I sometimes feel that there's no one I can talk to or open up to.
I never heardor read the word empath, until now. I always wonder what was wrong with me or if I was going mental. I noticed that I started smelling things that I saw on TV or things I saw on pictures; it is not often but when it happens it freaks me out. I also noticed that when someone is sick, suddenly I start feeling the pain of the same area; I used to say something, but not anymore, cause I don't want people to think that I am a hypochondriac. Not long ago I started giving massages, and what that person feels at the moment I feel it.
I wonder if I am a little of an empath.
I wake in a cold sweat... cant breath stomach in knots... like someone is punching from the inside out.. Visioning my guys anxiety, send him a text to tell him to be careful today... he calls me and says he just got word that he has to go in front of the board at his job... ok well this is one of many times I feel things, has not happened for many years... I do feel everyone around me. Its sometimes nauseating sometimes its painful, I get overwhelmed right now because I am going through my own issues.. after a 10 year bad marriage, I met this person and scares the hell out of me because I fell so strongly he is my half. I feel him when he is gone half way around the world, I feel him when he is near ... I feel him when he is happy or upset... I cannot get him out of my head to concentrate on my own issues.. its crazy, I need help.
I have strong senses for everyone , by a voice or a picture , I always knew when my husband was going to attack me hours before.. so i did what i could to diffuse it, sometimes worked sometimes did not... My daughter and I have an amazing connection as well... She is 16 and on that roller coaster.. So I have it coming at me 2 ways other than my own.. Its maddening, and I cant deal with my issues when all others are reeling in my head.
I am an empath, and to me it is no laughing matter. To me it is just torture. Sometimes I just want to die. I live today because God allows for me to; he is literally about the only one that I enjoy talking to because it feels as if he is literally about the only one who can possibly understand what I am feeling. It is pretty bad when an empath feels so overwhelmed that she cannot handle living. Empathy is more than feeling the emotions of others. Empathy is not judgement, nor is it naivity. It is a true knowledge of what is really out there. Maybe the reason that I, as an empath, am somewhat confused about my abilities, is that I have not been here forever as God has and therefore am not free from confusion. People learn things for their entire lives. The same applies with empaths growing to understand more of their abilities. If we as empaths had already lived forever, then we would be in total understanding of ourselves right now. I am living proof that every rose has its thorn. I would like to see how other empaths think about what I have said. I am not used to talking to other empaths, so I am pretty nervous about the reponse that I am going to get. (:(:(:(: I am 17 years old, by the way, and I have been self-aware since birth; however, I came to some sort of spiritual revelation when I was 12. When I was 14, it just about drove me crazy, I guess you could say. Now that I am 17, I don't even know to think. When I was 12, I looked into a lady's eyes and I could tell beyond the shadow of a doubt that she was the same way. She winked at me and said something along the lines of "I know." Often I have felt so overwhelmed that it feels like hell and it also leaves me with the fear of being lost inside of my own mind. It seems as if empathy is having a knowledge of eternity itself. Do you think that this is perfectly rational for an empath or do you think that I am a psycho? I really would like to get a response to this, because it is very much troubling me.
so i am not an empath by merit or choice its because of my borderline personality, and yes most bpd are empaths. for i wanna use my gift but the pain feel from other infacts my conscience i would say soul but tibetan buddhism dont believe in soul or atman. so i aint saying i am right on i aint normal people can at times show mental illness like traits. my mom at times is a control freak it effect m mental so i have put boundrie. i can tell people and get into people heads by behaviour and antaylitcal thinking . for christens i ask this and you will counter with this: what about jesus he healed and our answer he was god. i will tell ou this satan could less about us we are insects according verbtim in your constitiion the holy bible so why would satan care. is because revalition. the guy who prospied this by your own church at the time catholic had said he was craz. i aint agaisnt people faiths just the igorance. if it magic read your bible magic isnt againt the bible. the stories goes their civil war god tells a pagan king which means this wouldnt effect jewish and for u jesus discontied moses laws that black magic needed to be outlawed and then to save his country go see a white magic person he never said it was agaisnt god just that sitituion. so in theory both black and white magic is oka and rember the bible contradicts itself why counicl nicie made the bible from 50 differant bibles. i aint the devil in gods eyes i talk to entity that would the concept of god in dream yoga he says everything used in his name which is not makes him suicidile, which is riduculus he cant die that doesnt mean he cant torture himself. note buddhist dont recognize god but they do recognize hindu gods as asuras and devas but note this is absurd then hinduism is differant religion then buddhism so you would say they shouldnt exist on some level they do which mean so doesnt god now is he a creator or all powerful nope just delude like the rest hindu gods. remmber this a buddhist perspective.
tempus_erus@yahoo.com no fundies trying to convert your violating my 1st amendment right. it applies to household and church not public which internet is public.
I would like to try and understand more about my empathis abilities as they control me and cause me to have bad headaches as i have been told? I just want to choose who i want to help and to feel ok to go out in public and be able to switch off from what people are telling me through body language. My Friends call me a mentalist take that how you will but i just need some professional guidance! :(
Finding Truth - Perhaps the vision you had was of a past life and not your future. The purpose for having that may be to help you understand your present life. People who are further advanced spiritually are given greater challenges in life. The reason for that could be that in future you will be able to heal others because of your understanding and empathy. It might not be hands on healing but could be through counselling or some other way. In the meantime, it would help you to get some healing yourself.
Thank you, Thank you, i have always felt alone in my mind. Being molested as a child and having the Gay beat out of me the way other kids do chores, always made me wonder if god hated me. not only was i physically and mentally abused i carry the emotional weight of the world. I cant go to bars without feeling sick and dizzy. I cant stand still in crowds. People are always hungry wherever i go. Then there is the Insomnia.
I had a vision of my future it was like a memory that i never had. It came to me in a flash. I was living in a cave old and alone, wearing the skins of animals to keep covered. I had a sense of my life. I felt like i was expecting someone. As if people would visit me seeking advice. Part of me feels happy knowing i will find peace, yet i must sacrifice a life full of friends and family.
I am learning to cope. I always thought i wasnt good enough to feel anything for myself, that i didn't deserve to have feelings of my own. I have always felt like a mirror reflecting peoples emotions.
I always annoyed people growing up because i am like a Chameleon emulating you. I would change the way i talk, my body language would match you to all your imperfections. I never knew how to stop it, i still catch myself emulating others, even to the point where i find ghosts of my past popping up and taking over.
Thank you, For using your voice, For i have been waiting to hear that others can feel the world the way i do. That i am not alone with my pain. That there are others helping me sift through a WORLD of pain, joy, and indifference.
Sometimes it's more like a Curse, but sometimes a gift. The real question for me is, what could I use it for?
I too have only this week realized that I was an empath ! I'm 51 years old ! What a relief in so many ways is all I can say. I ALWAYS KNEW SOMETHING ! Now begins the rest of my life. I have to learn how to control this rather than it control me, but now I have hope. That is something that has been at the very least "fleeting", especially this last year. I will be checking regularly here. I have found all of this to be very "grounding" for me. Thank you all !
I've always had a natural affinity with other people, but when I hit middle school, and everyones emotions we're out of whack, my empathy hit me, hard. I couldn't tell my grandmother (who I then lived with) because I didn't have a name to put with my 'illness'. Finally, around 8th grade, I made a friend in who I confided my ability with. She told me her mother had very similar abilities, and that's how I learned about what I had. After a little nudging from my friend's mother, she convinced me to tell my grandmother. Come to find out, this ability has been in our family for generations!
Now nearing the end of my senior year in High school, I've learned to block out the majority of other people by using music in public places.
While this ability has it's ups and downs, I enjoy having it to help those who are close to me, but my boyfriend has to pull me from abandoned animals more often then not or I would be the crazy cat lady down the street, lol.
I just wanted to say thank you for writing this artical for those who haven't been able to put a name on this wonderful yet terrible gift.
Emotionally yours,
Tyliie Nicole
Hello All, I just stumbled upon yall here and thought I'd drop a line or two. We have had a yahoo group for along time(about 5 or 6 years)We just started a webpage called Empathic Revelations and would like to Isabella and the rest of you to join us. We are a work in progress, but we have a forum and chat. We are a support group that supports empaths with their gifts that many didn't even know they had. I enjoyed reading the posts here.
I had someone the other day ask me if i was an empath. I just stared at him. Because i don't know. What I do know is that I have been fighting off depression for years. Docs run tests but never find anything. I get sick all the time, but not actually sick. Im tired no matter how much sleep I have had. I do not like going to the store, my kids school, public pools, etc. Anywhere there are tons of people, I feel like im going to implode, or pop like a water balloon. The only time I ever feel like a normal human being is when I do what i believe is my life calling. Massage Therapy. One on one with people, i find incredible flowing healing energies. I ignore people the rest of the time. I don't want to hear their problems because well.... i have 2 girls and a husband, plus pets in the house. I think i get a constant barrage that i feel i can never get away from. I have tried vitamins, excercise, sun exposure, etc, all the crap docs say, but the only time i feel is normal is when im alone. Completely alone. I don't know if i am an empath, but thank you for your comments here. It gives me some ideas for research ^_^
WHYICK UP ON THSE OF NEG-EMO PERSONA'S ? i.e. espcialy Phciopathical-Narsosist and those of similar or varied of the like, and fell so resentment and distain twards them when i encouter them ? (I REALY LIKED THIS ARTICLE.) & WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THARE ARE ANY GROUPS,CHATS,CORISPONDCE SITES, ECT.. WERE EMPATHS CAN MEET OR CONNECT WITH OTHER EMPATHS, OR SEEK GUIDENCE FROM OTHER EMPATHS MORE LEARNED OR VERSED IN HOW TO BETTER CONTROLL,SHARPEN - (i.e. focas), AND UTILIZE THIS NATURALY OCCURING ABLITIY TO BOTH REFINLY SENSE AS WELL AS INTURPRITE WHAT THAY SENSE,-- THE PART ABOUT SENSING LIES, PEOPLES EMO - INTENT AND THE BASIC CORE OF ANY PERSON ENCOUNTERED KNOWN OR STRANGERS PERSONALY MET OR JUST OBSERVED AT A DISTANCE IS THE PART THAT VERY MUCH APPLIED TO ME, OF COURSE I HAVE ALWAYS HAD A STRONG GENERAL DISIRE TO HELP OTHERS IN NEED ECT. AND EPATHIZE WITH THARE PAIN/SORROWS ECT.-(THOUGH IM NO SAINT BY FAR!,BUT ALWAYS END UP GOOD OVER BAD,KIND OVER CRUEL, ect.- Has always been the base of my persona).. BUT IVE ALWAYS ASSUMED AND ATRIBUTED THAT TO MY MOTHERS LOVING KIND VERTUE'S AND MY FATHERS STREN OLD WESTISH COWBOYISM CODE OF HONOR LIKE MIND SET I WAS RAISED WITH, AS THE REASON FOR HOW I FEEL. BUT NEVER EXPLAINED WHY I KNOW WHAT THE FEELINGS AND EMO-INTENT OF ALL OTHERS I ENCOUNTER OR OBSERVE & THE EXACT NATURE OF THARE CORE PERSONA (i.e. HOW THAY THINK AND PERCIEVE THINGS-- AND PEOPLE IVE GOTTEN TO KNOW ANY BACKGROUND OF AM ABLE TO EASLY DEDUCE WHY THAY CAME TO PERCIVE&FEEL ABOUT THE WORLD AROUND THEM..) I HAVE A LOT OF (?) I REALY NEED SOME ONE WHO CAN GUIDE ME HOW TO FIND THE ANSWERSERS LOCKED INSIDE ME HOW TO ACCESS THIS FREAKN OVER AMPED LIGHTING ROD EMO-RADAR DETECTOR THAT THE COSMOS/GOD MIXED IN THE W/THE SNAILS&PUPPY DOG TAILS THAT IN BATCH OF GIGERBREAD COOKIES IM BAKED FROM.. ANY KNOWLAGEBLE ADVISE DIRECTION OR SORCE WHERE I CAN SEEK GENUINE GUIDENCE FROM WOULD BE APRIATED TRUL... w.D.L. 2nd. thank you and again loved the article..
Finding someone I trust to vent to was a big problem for me over the last few years while I was living alone. Bad paranoia seems to set in if I don't have someone that I really trust to talk and cry it out with. Luckily, I have recently gotten that support from family and it is helping a lot.
Has anyone ever encountered a lot of workplace mobbing as an empath? I have had quite a few bad expereinces which I may have some PTSD from. I'm now trying not to run away from everything since I know what is actually going on now. So far listening to happy music and talk radio have been a great coping technique when it seems people are trying to bring me down or a lot of negetive emotions are swiriling around me.
i too, am like brandy owens....i am not an empath...but can relate to many of the things mentioned, for example, i can always tell when people are lying to me...not sure what that meens...can u help?
This really touched me. I am glad there are people out there that understand what empaths are goon through. I was born an empath and it is not the greatest thing to have. I use it to help people though and I am very happy when someone comes to me and tells me thank you for helping them. I do not trust a lot of people because I know there are so many who lie to me. Everything you have said fits like a completed puzzle. Not one piece out of place. I wish I could have the strength to tell my loved ones about my ability. My parents are Christian so they won't believe me and my friends already know but they do not understand. My boyfriend gas yet to find out but I believe the time will come eventually. I've lived with empathy for 17 years and it has done me more good than bad. All of you empaths out there stay strong. You can make it through the hard times just keep trying. Experiment with it find out your weaknesses and your strengths. You will accomplish great things if you don't give up.
If you are an empath, don't be scared. Fret (the first post) is wrong. I am a Christian, and I see it as an ability that was given to me by God. Satan seeks destruction. Empathy is not destructive.
At 56, I have known I was an empath a few years after I heard the word for the first time about 1968. I had knew I had an ability. I had no word for it. At first, I hated it. But, as the years went by, I learned to "turn it off" when I needed to be apart from everything. It's hard, but can be done for a short time period. For the last 10 years, the ability has grown in strength and size to the point that other things are possible if I tap into the power of empathy. But, I do not believe any human being should have that type of power. The ability to heal is terrifying, but it is just part of who an empath is.
Musicluver123, first you need to know...you are not alone - not nearly! There are tons of us out here, and many don't even know they have it. It's OK to be who you are with an ability that will serve you well as you age. First Lesson - A church should NEVER judge you - nor should anyone else. Second lesson...you are 16. Now that you know your ability, don't hide from it, but learn when it is acceptable, and when it is not. You are in control, not the ability. It is good that you have such a wonderful friend who supports you. Third lesson...your ability will allow you to help others, but there is one thing you cannot do when you encounter those feelings like you did with the girls...leave it alone. You can only help people who want to be helped. It does no good to try and calm things over with those who LOVE those things.
I am an older empath. Only time helps. In the meantime before you can cope well, find a focus - one that is specific that you like. When you find yourself in those situations, it's like everything else in life - TRAINING is the key. Practice makes perfect. Train yourself to use that focus. It will be hard at first. But, with practice, that focus will be your best defense. It cannot be unlearned, but you can learn to use it when YOU want to use it. Don't let the empathy control you; YOU control the empathy. It is hard, I know, but time really does help. When you know that you must go to a hyper emotional place (like a funeral), prepare yourself ahead of time with that focus. It doesn't prevent you from feeling, but it will help you get through it much easier.
FYI, apparently I have the ultimate in empathic abilities, and 2 more have come out over the last 5 years. I won't tell you what they are, because you may never experience them, but I have a whole new struggle. I know I will succeed with time. My daughter also has the same ability, and she, like you, hates it. But, she must learn to deal with it on her own terms. Inherited or not? Who knows. I hope I have helped a little.
@ Charles thats totally true! thanks for posting it...its truly a comfort to find so many people...
In all honesty I am truly tired of the religious nuts. I am a Christian. I am also empathetic. Religion is man made. Man interprets Gods message. There are really angels who walk among us. The 12 apostles were given the ability to heal. So many examples that being an empath or psychic is not the work of Satan. So for all the religious people here, I believe it says in the Bible that you shall not judge another man. Yet the most judgmental people are religious?
My name Sara and I'm 16. I just found out that I'm an empath and it scares me. I hate war moves cause o feel the pain and emotion from the character so strongly and I can't stop it. Today at school I walked by a pack of girls and I was over come with anger and jealousy and two minutes later there was a fight down the hall. I told my best friend and she supports me. I want to use my gift to help others come to go but Idk how or if my church will judge me.... Idk what to do.
its most painful when you cause pain to the one u love and wen they don't understand you. but though it is painful i cant regret it...because its part of the reason for our existence...this is a lovely forum. will help a lot of people i think
Thank you for sharing. I believe I am an empath, but did not know that others were like this. I feel others pain so intensely and find it difficult. How do we ease the pain - theirs and ours? I feel sorrow, grief, fear, total sadness, physical pain throughout my body and horrible headache pains. When I am near someone anxious - I feel their anxiety. As a child I was very close to animals and helped many wild animals in need and returned them to the wild. I feel that I have been able to help many. I am sought out by complete strangers. I never understood why complete strangers would sit beside me on a park bench and share their personal stories and their pain. I try to leave others with hope and joy. But I am so exhausted at this point. If anyone has any answers for me please email me at rozeboo2@yahoo.com.
I am tired, and feel most of the time like the life has been sucked from me. I am 50 years old and have felt others emotions around me my whole life. I have had this gift I now know since I was a child. Although I did not know what it was until about 8 years ago when I walked into a small gift shop to inquire about a large sculped angel sitting on a bench outside the shop for a price. When the owner approached me to ask if I needed help as I told her I could not find the price on the angel outside. Through a very short conversation with this lady she said things to me that made me cry instantly and then said she was not psychic but was an Empath and then said to me so are you. Now how she could have known that is such a short period of time I didn't know. I did not know what it was so I went back to work (as I was on my lunch) and looked it up. I immediately began to cry and thought to myself, I have been THIS my whole life. Most of the time I am so exhausted, and have never been able to seperate myself from the outside pressure. When others are sad, in trouble, I have always tried to fix it. But as I get older it is totally sucking the life from me. I just wish I knew how to seperate myself from knowing whether its just worrying about someone to the point I make myself sick. I am just so overwhelmed.
I found this to be so interesting. (pls excuse the font computer not co-operating.) I was told that I was an Empath and to google it.#5 and #6 were very applicable. I don't get ill, or feel uncomfortable. I feel as if I can "read" immediately whether someone is good to be around or not. When I was 7, I couldn't,t understand why my parents did not want to adopt a 2 year old orphan, with whom I had fallen in love. I have been "taken" sometimes in giving money or things to people, but am not so quick to jump. I started volunteering in hospitals when I was 13, volunteered at Bellevue, other hospitals, played Bridge with the criminally insane at St. Elizabeth's and was a fire and rescue volunteer.I use white light, spirit guides and the Holy Spirit to protect. People do tell me problems, some of which are very personal and you have to be careful to understand, but not encourage their depression. I have learned to 'Give Up" on people when I realize that I can be of no more help. I think supporting someone with alcohol problems can be draining, so if it seems the person doesn't want help, I quit early. I used to think that if I continued I could eventually help..but learned that is not true. I guess I am an Empath, but certainly at my age should have learned some discrimination
And how would one know if they were the evil kind? :)
I have a friend that does this a lot though. Does his best to help others, somehow knows everything it seems, and cries a lot. Me and him are very similar. He's just better than I. This does explain my unwillingness to go to very public places though. And why I feel so very horrid around this lady. She lost her 4 year old... I wouldn't go as far as calling myself an Empath though. Though many people have this odd comfort around me. They tend to tell me things they don't tell anyone else, the first time they meet me. I try and help others I see that are in a bad mood. And yes, I have been depressed. Or so the doctors tell me. Anyways, nice article. :)
haha a friend told me one day that i was an empath. i didnt know what it was so I looked it up. It turns out that i have 2+ friends that are empaths along with me. its an amazing yet annoying gift to have. If someone is really close to me then their emotions are a lot stronger then when someone isn't close to me. last year a person died that was close to most of my friends. the entire day people we're either crying or depressed. i was overwhelmed my sadness and depression. almost as if i lost a brother.
I'm a Christian, but being one myself makes it kinda hard to not believe in it. Some of the things I can just ignore. However, ever since going to college and living in the dorms, I've found myself suffering from illnesses I don't have and acting on emotions that weren't my own for reasons that- until recently, I didn't understand.
ok here is the thing i dont think i'm an empath but i will be honest alot of these have happened to me and i do prefer staying at home and i dont like parties much. i used to have problems in crowds then one day i was somehow able to supress it but that led to headaches so i started taking pain killers for my headache and now i do it without realising it but by the night i'll have a headache but now i just go to bed so i can survive the whole day. at the christian gentleman i found that this was strongest while i was walking on the christian path which i did from age 6 until i was 18 thats when i fell off and actually since then it has lessend so i think empathy is a gift from GOD so that we can be his aids on earth i mean we no longer get miracles but do you think GOD would leave us totally when we are so easy to stray?
i am a big time empath, reading this article, i know that this thing is mostly scrutinized and judged and frowned upon by others.., it has been rough for me all along learning to deal with this sort of thing.. i have not had a very glamorous life, and it has been a rough go,, i often wonder just what is it that i am supposed to do with these talents, etc. or is it just human evolution (btw, mr. fret has some deep seated narrow minded brainwashed issues that, with people like this.. you cannot convince.. so people like this, you will have to let them think what they want to, i know i live in oklahoma lmao.. anyways..)i dont feel comfortable exposing such preminotions often because people are so quickly to pass and keep judgements.. i can also feel when the person is judging me.. go with that lol.. Life for an empath, as i am understanding is not as easy.. because other people say well i dont care, etc. etc. but for us,, we have no choice.. we can Feel.. so we have to care.. people in this situation, it is hard to let go, or walk away, or not speak.. but with trained self awareness and mindfullness through prayer and meditiation.. this is what i have been learning about myself for the past year.. it has been helpful.. i hope others like us can find a way to live with this through learning to separate the mind from the actions.. and learn to control what sort of thoughts appear in our mind.. this is not hooky pooky or demon possession, or whatever. This is Real Stuff,, this is not bad, not evil.. this is who and what we are.. we can go with it and learn to use it in a way that is helpful, and useful, etc. without any judgement coming from others.. i am feeling a lot these days people rush to judgement so quickly.. and people are becoming more and more confrontational and shallow all in one.. it is stressfull indeed..
"brian 2 weeks ago
so i went out for the first time in a long time. i became a healer because of these issues. i couldn't take it anymore. walking into an area and immediately feeling all the sadness(i really used to tune into this emotion more than others for some reason). unfortunately now its anger.
i was in fact debilitated because of this for 6yrs or so and was in and out of the psych wards of hospitals.
only recently within this last yr started noticing the physical pains as well.
so i went to the movies today, and when i started getting the pains, i prayed as well as asking for the permisson of the people in the theatre and then started working on my pains. of course now i come here and find out that there are ways to turn these things off. but im quite glad that i went through what i did and learnt the lessons from it that i needed to.
namaste to all of you,
and blessings especially to any other empaths that are having a difficult time dealing with them and remember you have to ask for help before it comes and in order to receive it one has to meet the helper half-way,
brian "
Thanks for your post brian and isa it really resonates with me and i appreciate that im not totally alone as it always seems so isolated when you hide from others to get away from the emotions. namaste!
Finally answers that I have been looking for Thank you very much for this truths now I know I am on the right path for my answers thank you very much Namaste!!
Until yesterday I did not have a name for what I was. I have always felt cursed but knew I was blessed at the same time. My abilities have saved myself and many friends and family members from some perilous situations. Now I need to no more. I need to learn how to harness what I can do, to control it so that I don't feel like I am going insane. At times I feel so overwhelmed by others feelings and emotions that I cant tell if it is me or someone else that I am feeling. I am so grateful that I am not alone in this any longer. I am looking forward to reading more from you.
I agree. I'm an empath, and growing up in situations of abuse made it harder. It's a poisonous rose. The things I can do to help the people around me make it seem worth it to me; i can take pain if it means others will be free of it. Thank you for making this so beautifully clear.
Matthew: Your question is indeed hard. It; I think would happen with extreme emotional attachment. Not sure, if we will have ability to take pain like saints do. I like the eastern theories on this part as they explain that it takes births of times to practice accepting everyone like us and than participate in there physical pain and taking over eventually.
Great blog. Thank you Isa!!!
When I heard "evolution of concousness" I knew you were speaking of evil.. I know a indigo child. He is deep down evil. He doesent see it yet but all he wants is power. he coudl help humanirty but in teh end he will only help himself. That what evil is. That is satan.
Finally a web site help me better understand what Im going through,many times Ican tell by the knot in my stomache when someone is lying or feeling down or not well even though they say theyre fine. I dont know if Im an empath but the criteria fits. No Im not a nut job just a person looking for reasoning behind being overly sensitve to others feelings and wanting to save the world and everything else in it for that matter.
1 Corinthians 12:4-6
12:4 Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are different ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are different results, but the same God who produces all of them in
this was quite useful but i have one question if i am an empath would i know could i know how to block others emotions with out ever knowing how to actually do so because every article i read says an empath feels everyone's pain while other then the pain every article describes me i can't feel physical pain from other's like if it was my own? i would like your help with this question.
fret- amen, ive read thos all and follow god always. And I'm only fourteen. God has been good to me
learn reiki fellow empaths. You have to learn to block and always keep you're inner centre. Learn how to keep yourself separate. when something happens release it.
I don't know if I am an Empath or not. Out of the things you describe I think I can strongly relate to someone when they are ill- no I don't feel their pain- but I can sense what they are feeling. When I am talking to someone I can tell when they are lying- I can tell what the situation is really about. It's funny because no matter how I try I always KNOW, maybe it's because I'm a Mom??. I don't know why. It always happens, I thought it was only me. I can also sense what people are going to say to me- especially when they are upset, sad or extremely happy- never FAILS. For example during our family Christmas party my sister pulled me aside and before she could open her mouth I knew she would tell me she thinks my other sister would never have children. Also when a coworker pulled me aside I knew exactly what her concern was about before she told me. It's almost like I could read their thoughts before they speak. Maybe I'm good at reading body language or something?? I don't know but I do know that it is interesting reading about these theories. Also people will come up to me and tell me all their problems. Even private things that are painful- it's almost like they are talking to themselves instead of me. As a Mom I try to be comforting and listen. I don't like to generalize. Who knows what other mysterious things are out there in the Universe?
ive always been wondering if there was something wrong with me.. my best friend is pregnant, and i told her she was before she even knew, i have her aches pains and symptoms, and its the same way with my mom, i feel her pain, literally, but me being around her always makes her feel better, and with my kids.. if they are hurt, feverish, in xtreme pain i hold them and it doesnt matter if it was pain from a bad cut, surgery they had, fever that is making them shiver badly, it seems like within minutes they are feel almost 100% better,... am i crazy or am i possibly an empath? i have also been sensing strange things since i was a little girl, presences around me, like im being watched, like there is someone right there with me sometimes.. i used to dabble in candle magic when i was a teen, trying to contact these presences but i never could stay focused, and i now find myself wondering what this connection i have with the world around me is all about.. any ideas??? or am i nuts.. lol
so i went out for the first time in a long time. i became a healer because of these issues. i couldn't take it anymore. walking into an area and immediately feeling all the sadness(i really used to tune into this emotion more than others for some reason). unfortunately now its anger.
i was in fact debilitated because of this for 6yrs or so and was in and out of the psych wards of hospitals.
only recently within this last yr started noticing the physical pains as well.
so i went to the movies today, and when i started getting the pains, i prayed as well as asking for the permisson of the people in the theatre and then started working on my pains. of course now i come here and find out that there are ways to turn these things off. but im quite glad that i went through what i did and learnt the lessons from it that i needed to.
namaste to all of you,
and blessings especially to any other empaths that are having a difficult time dealing with them and remember you have to ask for help before it comes and in order to receive it one has to meet the helper half-way,
brian
thank you for writing this. thank you over and over. finally something makes sense.
I am currently searching to find my place in all of this.... I am not christian but consider myself spiritual.
What I am currently writing about is some type of contact that is typically made after a death or specifically at a funeral that I attend... the person who has died will "tell" me to tell someone something... Now I have never come forward and conveyed the message, probably thinking they will think me nuts...lol
I typically try to keep myself open to the possibility of some type of message, not knowing what it could be... this has only ever happened a few times, as I do not attend funerals often. So, what does make me? I know that the empath fits in other areas, but am trying to be careful in deciding what my gift is...
some of us do not want this. is there something that maybe a doctor can give me that will cut it off? its a curse
I havent known I was empathic for very long, just a few weeks and Im really having a hard time with it. I'm 13, just recently turned, and I'm pracically tripping over myself to avoid that side of me. My house is always full of an underlying layer of tension, so I always thought that was what was making me fake a smile until bedtime then cry myself to sleep. I easily Identify with 100% of what you said Isabel and I'm so happy that so many other people understand what I have to go through, though I noticed that most of you commenters and serious Christian adults. Don't get me wrong, I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and that he saved my soul, but I'm having a lot of trouble with blind faith in my religion, so how am I supposed to believe that my abilities aren't just me imagining things an hoping to God that I'm not normal. If you could answer me privately, Isabel, my email is taylormoe24@gmail.com an if you'd like to do the whole facebook thing, my username is Anne Taylor. To all you stalkers out here, that's a pseudonym. My real name is nothing close to that.
I'm just now starting to come to terms with the fact that I am most likely an Empath. I have all the traits described here and in other articles I have found. I plan to do more research and further personal observation. I didn't even know the term Empath until it started to appear in novels I have been reading lately; I always thought I was just overly sensitive or perhaps there was something mentally or physically wrong with me. It's nice to know there are others out there who experience these things and what I have may actually be a 'gift' if that's how you may want to see it. It really is draining and overwhelming at times.
This last weekend we had a death in the family, my step-father-in-law (someone who I wasn't particularly close to). As he was dying I was having vision of doing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on him, which is exactly what my husband was actually doing at that time on my step-father-in-law to try to save him. I was probably about 100 feet away in a completely different building and didn’t even know that he was dying while having the vision. I even had a vision of my mother-in-law refusing to do CPR because he had just had major heart surgery, which is exactly what happened. It was like I was seeing what my husband was seeing while trying to save my step-father-in-law. I’m guessing this is because I am more emotionally connected to him than anyone else, and his emotions were incredibly heightened while he was trying to save his step father. Then after he died and I went to comfort the family and I was just so emotionally overwhelmed with grief. A week later I'm still so emotionally drained and the rest of the family is still in grief but are able to laugh and joke and tell stories of my step-father-in-law who passed.
These kinds of occurrences are difficult to deal with, but it’s nice to know that my presence may be helping my family. I’m 25 and I’m still working on getting a handle on everything. Good luck to those who believe they may also be Empaths.
Being an Empath has nothing to do with "God" or "Satan."
Hi my name is Rich and I am the least of The Lords servants. I can see that many have posted here as having this gift as do I.The problem I see here is that this gift was not given to you to walk alone with it but was intended for you to walk with the giver of the gift. Of all who have written here, how many are walking with the giver of the gift? How many are born from above? How many have truly surrendered their life and made Jesus their Lord and Saviour? For you see, Only He can read the hearts and minds of man. Satan can not as I experienced in a battle. He pretends he can but truly he can not.I believe that the common denominator in all who posted here with this gift is a water baptism long ago.The desire of the giver of the gift is not that you suffer and isolate yourself from the rest of creation but that you come to know Him the one true God. If you seek after Him you will find Him. If you knock, He will open unto you. Let Him wipe away the tears of your suffering. For those here that are truly in Christ Jesus a praying of The Lords Prayer will take away anything you have absorbed and a calm and peace will fall upon you. For those not in Christ Jesus He loves you and waits for you.
HI IM SHONDA I AM A EMPATH READING THIS PAGE HELPED ME UNDERSTAND MORE MY GRANDMA COULD SEE THE FUTURE MY DADDY MY SISTER COULD SEE ORAS MY MOM TRIED TO WIP US IN TO NOT BEING ABLE TO DO THING AND FOR A LONG TIME I STOPED MY SISTER STOPED OF EVER WHEN I WAS 13 MY GRANDMA HAD ALREADY PAST AWAY SHE CAME TO ME IN A DREAM TELLING ME SHES GIVEN ME HER GIFT I DIDNT KNOW WHAT IT MENT SO I ASKED MY MOM SHE SAID I WAS LIEING HOW COULD I KNOW THAT AND I WAS WIPED I THEN TALKED TO MY DADDY HE SAID SHE WAS JUST SCARED AND HE EXPLAINED I HABE NOTICED THAT MY GIFT IS GETTING STRONGER AND STRONGER BOY COULD I TELL YOU SOME STORIES BUT DADDY AND GRANDMA DIED BEFORE I WAS TOLD HOW TO CONTROL IT. IM 35 AND HAVE WORKED VERY HARD TO LEARN BUT WITHOUT SOMEONE TEACHING YOU ITS HARD VERY HARD I HAVE UNDERSTOOD ONE THING GOD GAVE ME THIS GIFT AND HE IS IN ALL I DO AND WHEN YOU WISH SOMETHING THERE IS SOMETHING TO GIVE FROM YOURSELF I KNOW HOW TO HELP HEAL AND CHANGE THING BUT I CANT CONTROL HOW IT EFFECT MY LIFE SO I HAVE STOPED I NEED SOMEONE TO TEACH ME HOW TO CONTROL THIS GIFT FOR I CAN NOT I FIND MYSELF PULLING FUTHER AND FUHER AWAY FROM PEOPLE AND I LOVE PEOPLE BUT I CANT BLOCK THE I KNEW MY CUZN DIED 3 DAYS BEFORE THE CALL I DIDNT KNOW IT WAS HER BUT I KNEW SOMETHING WAS COMEING I KNEW 2 WEEKS BEFORE MY FRIEND DIED I TOLD EVERYONE SOMEONE IS GOING TO DIE SOON I AM TOLD IM BY POLAR BUT NO MEDS WORK RIGHT WITH ME NONE I CAN FEEL PEOPLE I LOVE HURT FROM ACROSS THE COUNTY PLZ IF ANYONE KNOWS HOW TO CONTROL THIS GIFT I LOVE IT BUT I WANT TO CONTROL IT FEEL SOMEONE WHEN I WANT TO NOT BECAUSE I HAVE TO HAVE YOU EVER WALKED IN TO CHURCH BEING A EMPATH AND SEEING THE GILT OF PEOPLE THERE HEARTS ARE GOOD BUT THE PAIN THEY FEEL FOR BEING A SINNER I STOPED GOING A LONG TIME AGO I PRAY AT HOME WELL ANYONE IS WELLCOME TO EMAIL ME IF THEY CAN HELP OR IF THEY JUST WANT TO TALK. .....sissylove25@yahoo.com oh and as this being satain way or gift God gave these gift to us for a reason he decided for somereason this was for us thank You all and the young lady who wrote this
I'm an empath, but I don't know how to control it and ground myself or shield myself. I'm constintly getting sick from this and have recently refused to leave the house. Can someone please help me? Where do we sign up for a mentor? lol markgirl@gmx.com
Hello,you may not believe this but while many people are indeed empaths please consider this...I personally am not an empath. I dont think I am anyway while I can connect to people and feel thier inner emotions too a degree also having an even need to help people in need becuase I can feel it from them.I believe it more that it is my inquisitive nature as a Gemini that leads too this fact what i dont understand is why I have dreams of the future...thats besides the point.What you have to keep in mind is people need to remeber each person can feel someones feelings instinctivly.Im just posting this becuase I want people to remeber just becuase you can feel emotions from people and help them doesnt mean your an empath but that you emote empathy.Right now by using empathy i can understand how an empath feels and yet I cannot.Maybe looking at your signs can shed more light then jumping to a conclussion that you are more than the average person.Also you have to remember people have the instinctive need to become special and seperate them selves from the mass population.In this they also dont want to be alienated by this.I use intelect and emotion to convey my point which is a natural skill of the Gemini. All in all my point is dont be so quick to catagorize your self on the broad facts and not the smaller ones aswell
Thank You
I LOVED YOUR ARTICLE,I KNEW I WAS AN EMPATH BUT I THOUGHT I COULD JUST FEEL WHAT OTHER PEOPLE FEELS,AND HELP THEM,EMOTIONALLY,BUT I DIDNT KNOW I COULD HELP THEM PHYSICALLY,HOW CAN I DO THAT? WITH MY HANDS?,U ARE RIGHT,I WAS HELPING A PERSON VERY VERY DISTURBED BY ALL THE THINGS HE SUFFERED ON HIS PAST SINCE A CHILD,AND BESIDES DRUG REHAB SO I WAS GOING CRAZY BECAUSE I DIDNT KNOW HOW TO GROUND MYSELF,AND I GOT ILL PHYSICALLY,IS DRAINING,AND U FEEL WORNED OUT MOST OF THE TIME,I CANT CONTROL WHAT I FEEL FROM THE PEOPLE,I HAVE SHIELDED MYSELF,BUT APPARENTLY MY SHIELD IS TOO STRONG,SO I DONT KNOW HOW TO HAVE IT PROPERLY,IS SOMETIMES A CURSE AND SOMETIMES A GIFT,BUT MOST OF THE TIMES IS A CURSE,AND YES U BECOME A HERMIT IS AMAZING BECAUSE I THOUGHT I WAS GOING CRAZY,THEN I KNEW I WASNT BUT SOMETIMES IS TOO HARD FOR ME,I ALWAYS KNOW WHO IS THE PERSON IM FEELING BUT MANY TIMES I DONT HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO TALK TO THEM AND HELP THEM,BECAUSE I DONT KNOW THEM WELL,BUT I TRY TO DO MY BEST,THANKS FOR TEACHING ME SO MUCH,,SANDRA?
Hm... I currently attend a supernatural school and many of my friends are empaths. The founder of our school is an amazing empath (and I suspect telepath at one point although he managed to turn that off with help from God). They teach us all kinds of stuff here... things that can affect your gift, how to steward your give, activating gifts, maturing as an Empath, etc...
Many of the teachers really struggled with stuff like this when they were younger and are teaching us how to tune out the bad stuff.
For instance, it's possible to pick up good emotions more than bad ones, and even to totally tune out the bad emotions. I tried searching for uploaded podcasts of our school sessions but unfortunately there wasn't anything directly relevant to Empaths that was uploaded. (We call Empaths "feelers" in our school... but maybe Empaths is a better word.) So anyway, I'll try to summarise some of the stuff I've learned.
Firstly, understanding who you are and your identity is of utmost importance. Once you know who you are, you'll know what's from you and what's not from you. It's a Christian school, so our identity as saints (which means we're clean and pure and have good natures and by NATURE love to do good and please God) and children of God is inculcated into us. Once I had my identity firmly established (and it's a constant choice of faith to believe I am who God says I am), I began to discern that a lot of emotions weren't mine and I was able to release them to God in prayer and change the situation. (For instance, I would get really irritated at a friend even when I was really trying to love him. Turns out he feels he's annoying, so that got projected on me... after that I was able to minister to him and pray for him and help him get over that lie.)
Secondly, renewing your mind is extremely important. If you are believing a lot of lies, your perspective of the world is coloured, much like wearing blurred lenses. People tend to see what they are geared to see (or in this case, replace 'see' with 'feel'). For instance, if you experienced betrayal and were hurt in the past, and chose not to forgive the person who betrayed you and chose to believe that people are not to be trusted, you'll begin to see plenty of evil intentions in people's hearts, which makes you more likely not to trust them. As you treat them as such, (and our perceptions and behaviour has a huge impact on people), they often begin to behave as such, especially if they are themselves immature and insecure about who they are, thus reinforcing what you believed at first. On the contrary, after you've experienced God's unconditional, amazing love and power, and you've cut any bad soul ties (eg. through personal repentance and through forgiving those who sinned against you), and you begin to understand how amazing God is, you can't help but pick up on the positive emotions, the good will, the love and the hope in people.
These principles work for any spiritual gift, whether feeling or seeing. I know seers who grew up seeing demons but as they matured in their relationship with God and knew Him better and trusted Him more, they start seeing only angels and Holy Spirit activity. Of course, all that I'm saying may sound extremely idealistic, but that's also why I would say that stewarding the gift properly and without any burden is only possible when you know Jesus and have an encounter with God's love and power and are transformed by Him. =)
I don't know really. But all I know is that I was hanging out with a friend, and I was feeling something from him. When we got into the car driving he would talk sometimes, and what ever it was I could feel it even more. I told him please calm down or stop thinking it. He told me what am I talking about. I told him, you know what I'm talking about. So he told me what happen and stuff, and he couldn't believe his eye's. This was the only time it got on my nerves. I could feel the anger and hate so much. Other times, like in high school I could tell when people are telling the truth or is telling a lie for some. reason. It was strange then, but I just got used to it.
Simplyx-I do the same thing!
I'm an empath. I have just learned it recently even though looking back, I've had many signs. I read a few of the comments from a while ago and some people thought being empathic was being an anti-Christ?? That is something I will never believe. I believe God has chosen a few thousand and placed them where help is needed. I'm just learning how to do this, thanks for writing this! It really gave me verification and confidence!
thanks. to everyone.. im not crazy
though i dont think i can feel other"s emotions< but i can sense the emotions of others but i dont know if this is a biological thing or spiritual< however i do believe it"s both because my body is doing something>so that is biology
I'm an Empath for a while, just realized the name for it. I can't focus on anything at all unless I have music, and my mind now plays songs 24/7. I think that it helps concentrate it on a singular input, so to speak, and lets the rest of me focus. It doesn't help me at all with the need to help those who need.. But I'm working on it, so hopefully I find something that works soon! Thanks so much for posting all of this, it's really helping me understand empathy a lot more.
It's natural to doubt the ability of Empathy. Especially considering I have grown up in a family of skeptics. My father read me science books before I went to bed instead of fairytales, my mother is a nurse, and my older sister is a phsychologist. It's especially hard to convince yourself this, although subconsciously you know it's true, when everything you used to know is suddenly being challenged. I am a girl in the middle of converting from Christianity and a great belief in science to what I know is the right path for me, and have known for quiet a while, Wicca. What I don't understand though is how I am still unsure of my power even after what happened just last week.
I was at band rehearsal (concert band) after school only a day after I found out about Empathy. I was playing great, better than usual with great enthusiasm in the music. All of the sudden I felt my heart drop and an amazing dread enveloped me. I felt like I was being suffocated and my arms felt weak. I had to stop playing and breathe for a moment, although each breath took a lot out of me. I was pretending to play for about a half an hour until the feeling had slowly left me and I was able to relax again. I had felt complete devastation and sadness, and I had no idea why. After a while of feeling that I had looked around and found a girl had come in late to practice. Her face was almost expressionless but I could see a frown forming at the edge of her lips. I knew it had to be her feeling this, but over time the music comforted her and I felt better also. As much as describing this to myself over and over in my head only gives more proof as to the theory of Empathy, I still can't wrap my head around it. It's a fantastic though, but also to me, just that. Fantastic. A fantasy. It can't be true, but it has to be.
I'm not sure if I'm one either. Damn - I wish I knew. I have most of these symptoms. And yes, people open up to me but I doubt they are doing it because they feel drawn to me somehow. They do it because they trust me.
All I know is I feel things deeply. To the point of having nightmares in the middle of the night. I feel happiness intensely as well.
I mean...is there a difference between an empath and someone who is just very passionate about life, love and people?
I am not sure of being an empath or not???? I have had sudden feelings e.g) to heal my cat when I felt a lump on his chest and it's still alive to this day.... but did I heal it? Who knows. I was isolated at birth in ICU for having umbellical cord wrapped around my neck. Spent a lot of my childhood alone.. I need to be alone! Especially around Christmas, it seems that the emotion around me is choking me at times?? Wish I knew!
I just realized I am a Empath.I am 45. I always knew I had a gift, wasn't sure until now. I would always joke with my husband, that I am a aquarius. What you do in a reflection of water comes back to you. I know your thoughts for I am the giver of water.....life. I could stand in a room full of 100 people I don't know, and the ones that need help FIND me no matter what. You either believe or don't. For those of you who DON'T beleive...WHY are YOU here on this page? I know A LOT on the bible and my ONLY son is named Mathew. (I wasn't suppose to conceive, GOD blessed me.) I have also taken the pain for others, so they don't have to. My gift to them, with NO expectations back. Please Fretbuzz REREAD the BIBLE! I have know priests WHO were the devil...they molested children. I am no one but GOD's child.
It's so bewildering. Sometimes I think it would be better if I weren't an empath, but at other times I can hardly imagine being unaware or completely self-involved. I wonder if there are any professional or career choices that could use this talent...
Guest- Your story is almost just like mine. After reading this yesterday I was in denial all today. I can't feel everything everyone is feeling but all during school I felt nauseous and got headaches. My hand was hurting too, which is weird because my mom had hurt her hand badly and I had done nothing to injure mine. That's about it though. Besides that I can only feel strong emotions or group emotions. Everyone, even strangers, tend to talk to me about anything and everything. I also feel really weird during awkward and embarrassing moments that I watch on TV or read in books and tend to have to leave the room.
All through the day I kept wondering, "I'm happy? Why am I happy? I'm sad? Why am I sad?" I don't even know how to tell what emotions are mine anymore and I'm not sure when I'm exaggerating it.
I've also recently been seriously depressed. My family isn't exactly... understanding, and my mother is dealing with a lot with her already suicidal mother so I don't tell anyone when I'm contemplating.. you know... killing myself. I get extremely sad all of the time and burst out in tears last night when my sister just made one of her tiny insults.
Now that I know, or think I know, what I am... I realize I can't tell ANYONE. My whole family would think that I'm crazy and I know that for sure. They'd think I'm just being weird and exaggerating. It's so much pressure to handle and I just can't take it. I feel tired all of the time and I just feel alone.
Wow.
Ok, so first off, I'm a Christian, and I don't think empathy is from the devil. Just wanted to say that.
It's very interesting. None of this really applied to me until I hit puberty, age 12 I guess, except for one thing: I hated watching moments on TV or movies where I knew someone was going to embarrass themselves--you know, where the big secret "comes out" or people are put in an awkward situation...it's always made me sick to my stomach, even when I was as young as 8.
I don't know if I'm what you'd call a true Empath, or maybe I'm just not a strong one. I can feel emotions around me, but usually only the people closest to me--my family and friends. Unless, of course, it's a collective emotion from a bunch of people. Some examples:
-I once felt my friend's panic attack--she was in the other room--and I also felt exactly when it stopped.
-Another friend poured her heart out to me after her close family member died and her grief almost overwhelmed me the entire night.
-A teacher at my school died, and at the assembly, I could feel the sadness almost in the air.
-My classmates were in a fight, and I could feel the tension the entire class period.
Other times it's just moods that I will pick up on; my parents have told me I'm moody, and now I understand why...I absorb other people's emotions, I guess.
I've noticed, too, that the amount and type of emotion I feel is directly related to their personalities--whether they're uptight or private or warm or strong-willed...I feel it in their emotions, and all of them are unique.
I'm also almost always good at "reading" people, whether they're upset or excited or whatever. This is a good thing in a lot of ways, but sometimes it can freak people out if they don't know me that well...and sometimes my friends still give me funny looks.
So I guess for me, maybe I'm a weak empath? Because most of these things only apply to people I'm very close to..feeling pain, feeding off emotion, a pull to help people, people randomly wanting to open up to me....I don't feel it with just any person unless it's a REALLY strong emotion.
I never understood why I felt so drained after helping a person talk through their problem...I would feel drained and also feel some of their pain too.
That's actually the biggest problem for me...getting my own energy sucked out of me and picking up on other people's moods.
Any thoughts?
For a while now I have thought I was an empath, of course only jokingly. I was subconsciously scared at the idea. When I read this everything seemed to amaze me. I am very anti-social and tend to get nauseous at parties or public places. Whenever someone I know is sick I help out, especially when it is either of my bratty sisters who tend to point out my flaws whenever possible. Last year alone I was home a lot sick and got really bad migraines in school. Within the last two years I have been getting random sharp pains. Usually in my back or chest or stomach. Just today in class I suddenly got a terrible pain in my stomach that made my eyes water and I had to stop moving. This happens constantly. No matter how many times I go to the doctor though, nothing is wrong with me. I always know what someone feels, when they lie, what the mean by things, and today I even felt strange learning about all of the disappointment, hatred, and excitement of the Revolution. When I'm in a big city with my friends or family I see people who need help and are speaking insanely. My family or friends just laugh and hurry away, but I stop and want to help so badly. It's the same with animals and watching the news. Others just shrug it off but I feel my heart drop. Often when I'm in my bedroom I'll also randomly break out crying. Listing this all know I'm surprised I thought nothing of it earlier. Reading this now I became extremely scared and even started crying. I don't know why, but now I'm beyond nervous. I'm just glad to know I'm not crazy... but can someone please help me know how to control this?
Hello there! I'am an empath. I'm only 16 and I don't know how to control it. Every time I go to crowded place I become ill. Its like all the negative emotions surround me and leave me feeling constantly smothered. I am a people person but I have to spend a lot of time on my own or I just become over-whelmed. I can heal people to, the only person I have told is my mother. She was very ill and she believes that I cured her. I don't know what to do next. I want to help people but am not sure how to control my powers to stop myself from becoming ill, is there a way around this. Help is appreciated, and I will answer nay questions anyone has! :)
I have struggled, and suffered, all of my life because of my emotions. Sometimes all I can think about is ending it because I get so damn depressed & don't know why! The Jon Benet story for example had me bed ridden for a week! I avoid the news in anyway I can because I can't deal with it. I have other oddities but this has been my curse. When I get like this a name or a face comes to mind and I can't shake it. I finally call that person and, sure enough, they verify why I felt them. I feel healed after I talk to them and, surprisingly, they do to. There is more, so much more, like the physical manifestations. I was surfing the net today to find what I could. Sounds like I found my answer. Quick question for anyone who would know, can empaths feel people how have died? Without going in to too much detail and being hung for witchery, can that dead person contact that empath? I have been called weak and thin skinned because of this "gift". I haven't known why I was so damn pathetic. I can't believe the crap I put up with from people, why don't I have a back bone?? Can't seem to get respect from anyone, told by my husband and 18 year old son that I am just too nice and let people walk on me. True enough. I can't go to a shrink for this but I fear this is going to kill me (I have been hospitalized because of this and the doctors are at a complete loss for my physical pain & internal bleeding - spent thousands!! These miraculously healed with the death of my mother last June). Can someone help me with this?
Glad to know I'm not the only Anti-Christ out there. Seriously, though, I've known for years I was an empath and I was just doing a random INerent search to see if there was any new informaiton and came accross this. I can't believe how judgemental people can be, And that one person who is a minister and said that anything the church doesn't understand they call evil is right on. BTW- for anyone who wants scientific evidence on this, it IS out there. It is a central nervous system anomyly. Ihave researched the scientific basis of it and all you have to do is search teh Internet and find it. But this article was right-on! Thanks!
Okay, reading Frets comments just pissed me off and I'd rather not comment on that subject, but if Fret does ever happen to read this: I'm a Wiccan. Shove it.
But other than that, THANK YOU FOR THIS. I was looking at all the signs and going "Yep. Yes. Yeah. That's me."
Thank you so much for this article. I have felt at the mercy of these symptoms most of my life but after studying the fact about empaths, I know they are really a gift to work with. And am now looking into a career in this area, where I can help others.
We are getting back to a time of source energy in the world and the shift is already in motion. We will be connected to a higher and more pure awareness very soon.
As for being a satanic force. I doubt very much whether Satan could feel the absolute elation, peace, humility, and overwhelming joy and beauty in the world as I can in the right circumstances as a satanic force is not able. And coming from a religious backround also know that whatever I am, God made me. Love and light all X
I am a empath. Have been my entire life. It is a curse not a gift even when you do have a grasp on your ability. At times things leach in that you don't want. I say this working in emergency medicine as a certified emergency medical technician. Although the gift as it's called has been useful in my field it does drain you horribly so. I deal with the sick both physically and mentally, the dieing, the hurt and in pain, and at times the dead's family and the emotions and pain when you tell them there nothing you can do to help their loved one. The article is correct, there are no maybes about being an empath. You are or your not. And for those who don't believe you don't have to. Those of us that have this "gift" know for certain it's real because we live with it every day. It's one of the wonderful things about being alive and with our own minds. We can believe or disbelieve what we choose.
As a person that is "saved", and also experiences emphathic abilities I believe that we need to remember that Jesus taught us that the way to the truth and to God is through him and that does not mean just his salvation but his teaching for his teachings are our salvation. Jesus used empathic abilities. It wasn't until the organizers of religion came along that we were told these abilities are of the devil. Why? because of profits. What is the root of all evil? Money. I suggest people use their words wisely when calling an empath (which is someone who feels anothers emotions and helps them) possessed. Many enter the counseling fields and help people. I don't feel this is "of the devil".
Does it get better, or do empaths have to lead a lonely life ? sometimes knowing too much about others emotions can destroy your relationship with them. to be able to experience every emotion felt by others can be seen as a beautiful, yet sad ability. it is very overwhelming and can lead you to view the world in ways which others cant.
I know I am an empath. But I dont always become over emotional. I did during my teen years. But now its not so erratic. Now I just know how others feel,I understand them and sometimes I feel them, but more on a rational level. I think I have become more of a clairsetient now. I have other psychic abilities that are mild, but I dont practice any. I am not possessed like some people have stated on here in the begining of these comments. I have always had a good heart and always want to help others. My urge to help those in pain whether it be physical or emotional is very strong and always has been. I get great satisfaction when I can help and enormous guilt when I can not. To me there is nothing demonic about that. I am very nurturing and have 2 children. I am motherly to all the children in my family, and even to children I do not know. I am a positive person. However as a teen I struggled a lot with depression and confusion. So many emotions. I would sit in my closet to get away from everyone and be alone. But now its more peaceful. Not all the time, but now I feel like I can help more through talking to people, helping people with their problems. I have also been able to cure headaches and stomach aches and other minor pains. I believe this is a gift. Although when I was younger, even before my teen years, I wouldnt have said it was a gift. I always felt overwhelmed and stressed. But now that I can control it better, I believe its a gift. Never was a curse, just a misunderstanding and I felt alone and was confused with what was going on with me. And one thing I should say, God loves all his children. Those who believe that Clairsentients are posesed need to re evaluate their theory. God does not want you to judge. He loves me as he loves you. He has given me this gift to help others. I may not have understood it before, but I do now. There is nothing demonic in helping people. Just like a church helps people. If I didnt use my gift to heal and help, then I would not be doing what I was meant to do on this earth! Everyone has abilities. Some just dont want to believe them, others just dont know how to access them. Everyone has their purpose and everyone has gifts. Its how you use your gift that makes the difference.
This article has really helped to name and confirm some things I've been trying to figure out. I have always been told that I 'have an old soul', that I 'just get it' and constantly have people telling me very heavy life stories when I do not even know their names. Since being pregnant and losing my first child, and having my second I have very intense feelings that I do not know where they come from or why. I despise crowds and have stopped being around friends and family. I was always very bottled and kept my emotions tightly bound but lately cannot contain them especially around those who have suffered tragic losses. I have even stopped seeing my best friend because it is too hard to feel all the pain. Does this intensification have anything to do with the pregnancies? I also had very detailed dreams predicting the outcomes, both very complicated. I've just learned of the term empath and am hoping you can direct me to some resources to help me learn to deal with all the strong energy I feel, especially as I am about to graduate into the community work profession. I am also really relieved to know that I am not crazy and that others are dealing with similar stuggles. Thank you.
Extremely help full info, thank you. Never having understood so many of the effects that this "gift" has had on me iv always thought i was nuts... a little. I know I am not now. How can I stop the illnesses of those to whom im deeply attached from affecting me?, and use this ability to heal them instead??
You are right, there are not enough info out there about empaths, i thought i was one, but i was wrong.
I have something different, i'm 28 and been having these feelings since i was very young, it got worse in puberty and then it started to fade, thankfully.
I sense energies, and i often feel overwhelmed giving me anxiety attacks as if i was trapped in a very small space, my heart rate speeds and i feel without air. happens all the time if i go to a church, i sense this, but i can't see anyone, i hear people whisper in my ears when i'm asleep too. i have no idea what it is that i have. This also translates to real people, where i can sense their energies, i can tell if someone is stressed, agressive, happy, and not two are alike. What is this that i am? just crazy?
Yes, I'm an empath too. Unfortunately it's turning into a bit of an alcohol problem. I just can't tune others out without it, it seams.
I've known since I was a very young child I was different, and over the last few years have come to realize this difference was due to my being an empath, and possibly more. I'm the one people open up to, even wild animals take to me easily. I am a very science-minded person, and I haven't been able to come up with a reasonable explanation for it. When I really turn it on, really allow my 'sense' to unfold into the space around me, it's almost as if I can 'sync' with someone else's emotions so well that I know what they're going to say or do, and even influence their psyche and actions as well. It's an ability that has spooked away one psychologist, and my current psychologist says with some frequency that I read her mind sometimes. I know it's not something to be used or taken lightly, but sometimes it's difficult to control. The real empath part of me, I can't turn off. Are there any resources anyone would recommend on learning more about being an empath, or any of the other things I mentioned? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
can chi be a factor in it
I really, really enjoyed reading all of these comments and such. I love all the opinions people put out; so unlike conversations sometimes! I recently read a book involving Empaths and decided to write my own. Imagine my surprise when i Googled 'Empath' and this site came up! It has been extremely haelpful; not just the article, but the discussion as well.
While i am not an Empath, and do not wish the fate on anyone, i thank you all for your comments. This has helped a lot! :)
ive been searching on the internet to help me understand somethings that are happening to me. me, my brother and sister have different things we were born with, such as my sister can see spirits, my brother can feel them and read tarot cards and me, i see things before they happen, not like a car crash or someone dying, its hard to explain but i can also help people with decisions by feeling, like an empath. out of those 7 things of knowing if you are a empath or not, i believe ive got 6 of the 7. but my emotions are more touchy lately when i watch sad things, i cry easier and things have been happening.. i feel more then i used too now that im looking into actually opening a business with my siblings for the paranormal. i need to understand how to open my mind more, anything you can help me with or any information you can give me would be awesome!!!
Hmmm... I always thought that I just got bipolar around crowds. Doesn't help that I actually work in a mall... I get antsy around some people and feel very comfortable around others. My boyfriend invited a friend over not too long ago, and though he was nice, I really wanted him to leave. After he did, I told my bf that I didn't want him around when I was home anymore because I got such a bad vibe from him, although he looked like a good person. Likewise, I find myself drawn to certain people, but I don't exactly know why... It doesn't matter what clothing they wear, what other people say about them, etc. And the whole helping people thing... I recently had a strong urge to talk to a person I barely knew who turned out to be going through quite a hard time. Nobody else had talked to him about it, and he said he was feeling very alone. I felt very tired after I talked to him (even though it wasn't late and I had gotten plenty of sleep), but I helped him out, so the sleepiness and weak feeling were worth it. Nice to know there are other people who are like this, too!
Hi Isabella, I am a emapth and have been since I was a very small girl. Of course I didnt know it at the time, but through the years I learned to listen to my mind, & my body, even though most of the time its down right debilitating. For the record I am a Christian, & I know GOD does not judge me, because he is the one who made me.I go to church & have a family life too, I pray to God only, & believe in him completeley. Im just trying to make a point to some of the people on hear. Now I do believe that people have thier right to believe how ever they choose, But I also know that its only God who can judge, not people!! No it isn't fun at all being a empath at all, not at all, I spend more days in pain or in tears, than perky & happy, but im learning to controll it more & more, half the battle is understanding, once you understand the gift or "curse" what ever way you want to think of it, the better your going to be in learning to handle all of the emotions & pain. I chose to look at it as a gift, rather than a curse,if it means I suffer for other people & can offer some comfort to them to start healing, that ways more good than bad, but only once you can learn how to controll it. That has taken me years to do, even though I still take it one day at a time. Most of all I pray for God to get me through each day, minute to minute everyday. I just want to say that this was very interesting to me, and Thank you for writting about the Topic of Empaths. Hope to hear more from you. Sincerely rmywf
wow. everything about that describes me. thank you for submitting that. I've sound something new about myself
St.Padre Pio was an empath, but if a person believes that this is "demon possession", they probably don't believe that Catholics are Christians, either. Also, "once saved, always saved" is probably one of the most stupid and destructive concepts anyone could have ever come up with! (re: the 1st comment on here by "Fretbuzz") It's a license to be a lazy & stagnant Christian...
does these things occur in stages or are they altogether? i'm linked with at least five of these... and i've nver tried to heal anyone and i can only tell when someone's lying a few times and i've been able to predict a lot lately... but when in public i do feel either very depressed or very happy or even so sleepy to the point where my eyes won't work with me and i get A LOT of headaches these days(i actually have one forming right now) and i get seriously mad when my friends don't let me help them....
verdict?
I am an empath. I can meet someone new and sometimes I get this like a light bulb exploding with knowledge that this person is in need, is sad, has a loss, suffering, etc. Sometimes I know exactly what has happened to this person. It can be eye contact setting it off, or it just gets downloaded into my mind. I want to help, it consumes me because I take into myself and want healing for this person so that I too can feel better. I tend to be by myself--I prefer it that way, because when Im around a group of people, I feel overwhealmed by the feelings of everyone around me--like a radio tuned to too many channels at once. Im much better one on one and total strangers just tell me very deep things about themselves and tell me somehow they feel I understand. I do. I am a Christian and want to know how to use this gift with others and not be labeled something that I am not, like demon possessed or strange. Its a gift, Jesus had the gift of empathy to its ultimate level and he was crucified. Im nowhere like Jesus, but to know Him is wonderful because He understands empaths. I want to learn more how to make my empth abilities better tuned.
Lord ... this is me.
All non believers...they dont get it!
I have recently discovered how to throw the emotions and energy I have taken in, back at the person who gave it to me. Can I get an explanation as to wtf is going on and how to stop doing it?
hello anyone who reads this...i'm an empath and it's terrfying me. I think im slowly beginning to get the handle on it but sometimes it drives me crazy. With regards to the physical ailments, thats getting me down the most, i was diagnosed with IBS about a year ago, as a last resort because they couldn't find anything specifically wrong with me, but i was suffering torturous cramps, sometimes like labour pains, they thought i had an appendacitis at one point it got that bad, i get migraines, an thought i should blame it on my eyes even though they're fine, and i'm starting to think that i dont have IBS, i'm just picking up things from someone who does, anyway im lost i dont know what to do, i do know that maybe i'd like to try a career based around this, i used to think that it would make me even crazier, but maybe it would help make me feel complete??? who knows.
Hi Isa. Well a very thought provoking hub!!!! I found this to be very intersting and eye opening. In fact I could relate to a lot of it!! Some vey interesting responses too from others. I hav'nt heard of this before reading your hub. A lot of it seems to make sense to me and offer answers to questions in my mind. Thanks for that!! I look forward to reading more. Take care, Audra spirit. x
makes me cry
this isnt a gift. never in my life has this been a gift. how could you say that? this is a curse! who wants to know about every untruth, who wants to KNOW, when they are unloved? who wants to feel what other people feel when the shit you have to deal with on its own is overwhelming? would YOU ever want to be soo unlike everyone else? so strange that people know, some where deep down inside they sense the difference in you you cant have strong connections in life, you end up a shut in because its just easier,this is NOT a gift! you can return a gift.
I have just read your article and it has helped me understand this torture I have been dealing with all my life. I've also read a term called Highly Sensitive people, but I am not shy or intoverted. I am great in small groups, but cannot stand crowds.
I know when something is wrong with anyone. My co-worker has severe allergies- I have never had allergy problems and do not unless I am in the room with her.
My family has made fun of me and put me down- saying that I am "overly emotional". I finally feel like I have some answers. Thank you.
Thanx this really helped these triats that you listed indeed do show the signs that i myself am i empath cuz i do experience all the signs you listed and of course i knew long before i had this gift cuz i am always complelled to help others and feel what they feel and being a empath i know how to better help a person also that i talk to and such im ay not fully understand this ability just yet but i hope in time i do and can better learn to maintian it
Hi, i found this hub on my first Google search of"Empath". dont know if i am an empath yet or not, but all paths and information and experiences that i have endured in my life as well as the specific journey I am on right now after a bitter marriage breakdown leads to me beleive that i have finally found who I am, what I am.
I am going to continue visiting this forum and reading all the wonderful comments within. I will continue my research on this because at 46 years of age and a male, I am completely lost with my life, and am craving a purpose. Thanks everyone.
I read your article and think that is was very helpful in discovering this part of myself. I've always had these very intense feelings and cant really explain why i was having them. Its been years. now i can say that i can kind of put a name to what i have been experiencing. i'VE also gave many strangers and friends readings according my my feelings. sometimes my feelings are so intense that i can create a picture in mind of what is currently or will be happening in that persons life. I am currently trying to find out more info on how to enhance this gift. if you can give me anymore info then please feel free to email me and my URL. =)
My sister is I think an empath she can literrally save someones life she can see spirits she can read text msgs without looking at the phone she can be in two places more than one time she can tel u who u were in ur past life how did u die at what age dud u die and she can tell u what is ur future. Me and my sister grew up togather and till this day we live togather she was born with this it's just happenned past few years she is strong believer of our female godess we r originally from India ( Bombay ) and we r Hindu I think so far my sister has shocked so many of my friends and family by telling them their past their future it is so strange she just saves life and like to heal people she is a very firm believerand worshipper of our god she is very amazing and gifted but she stays sick most of the time and we couldn't figure that out one day she be alright and next 3 days she will be sick with body pains heavy headaches idont know what we can do ??????
Lily and Isabella,
I read the first one and thought, "well, I'm not that one", on the second one, "I don't know because I've never had any proof as such". All the other ones matched me though. And, Lily, when you said this, I felt like you knew me personally. This is so me: "We feel the world around us in differently - we see nature sparkles and illuminates itself - green isn't just green, notice that glow around every leaf? We hear music with our hearts - they aren't just notes and tones - they carry the emotions of the composers. We look at art, not just seeing colors and forms - we gather concept, and possibly a glimpse of that artist's complex view of life. Around people, this gift is even more pronounced - you'd know when they are happy, sad, angry - no body language needed. Sometimes physical proximity isn't needed as well - you just know." I always just thought I was more artsy that other people. And, I always wondered if I were bi-polar. Yet, I never realized that the source of my moods could be other people. Thank you Isabella, for your original post. I'm a Christian by the way. I don't like how you attacked Fretbuzz. Aren't empaths supposed to be a bit more "open-minded" than that? Anyway, I believe being an empath and a Christian are not contradicting at all. It all depends on how you use that gift. I've never told anyone, but I've known where dead bodies were, before the news article would come out about them in the paper. I've never told anyone this. I feared that I would be a suspect. It's dangerous having information that you can't explain to law enforcement. Right now, I think I know where one is. But, there's no way I'd share that with anyone. They'd think I was crazy if they couldn't find it, or guilty if they did. Also, I feel so alone in this way. There's no one I would feel comfortable talking to about this. Anyway, thanks to both of you.
I have nearly all those things and
Just a moment ago I was on the phone to my friend and she was telling about how she has low blood pressure so she passes out a lot
seconds after she said it I felt dizzy and light headed then the next thing I know im looking at the ceiling!
thats not the first time its happened and its the same with emotion if someone is angry near me I suddenly feel angry too even if im not close to that person in any way!
I have had this all my life and it drives me insane! I feel that I have to please everyone so they wont be sad and if they are I always feel guilty and sad too even if it had nothing to do with me!
Im probably not an Empath but I still hate this and Im not a touchy feely kind of girl if someone starts going to me for sympathy about something which everyone seems to do! I sit and listen but all I really want to do is tell them to shut up and leave me alone!
Im really confused am I an Empath or an I just weird?
thanks for all the info from this article, my friends all think its weird that I call them a split second before them or am able to massage away stress, and I have been isolated from humanity until recently, even my first marriage was a sham of love and affection, I just couldn't let anyone come close. This is possibly because I was raised and still am a nondenominational Christian. my feelings were just brushed off as a kind heart, but when I attempted suicide it became a lot more serious to me. No this IS NOT fun, but it is what I have been dealt with. A double whammy since I am also a Taurus (these things coincide with biblical matters, just a different aspect of it) Thank you for putting out a relatively unmentioned topic and keep it up! Maybe one day I wont be looked at as a looney because I burst out crying the minute I go to comfort a grieving friend with a hug...
Fret...... I can assure I am an Empath and have had God on my side many times. I have this gift and am not and never have been possessed by anything evil. The bible was written by people, not God. And even if God told people what to write, the bible has been altered many many times. There is no longer truth to any bible.
Great post Isabella! Thank you so much! I have dealt with being and empath since my teenage years and never knew what it was called or how to deal with it.
Random Question: Do you believe smoking marijuana for ten years will cloud some empath traits? People are always drawn to me. And quite often I literally feel like people are sucking my energy out of me. I can feel the energy in trees and plants as well. But I cannot heal people.
@Fretbuzz.
Dude, my sympathies. I don't agree with what you have to say at all, but I've often picked the wrong place to air a deeply held conviction; and it ain't pleasant. A few years too late perhaps, but here's hoping (although, yes, why the ironclad belief?)
@Isabella:
Thank you lady, for a very coherent read on a very difficult topic. And you're really pretty too. :-)
For as long as I can remember, I have been able to feel people's emotions to the extreme.
However, if I said 'no' to 3 and said 'somewhat' to 1-does that mean I'm not one? cause in answer to all the others were without a doubt 'yes.'
I'm just honestly curious due to the fact that I've made myself a little anti-social to avoid going out in large crowds so that I don't come back home emotionally and psychically drained.
Also, Mr. Fret made me smile too.
I dont care what anyone says..non-believers.They dont believe because they do not have the curse/gift. I would like to ask them if you are so close minded how do you know you love somebody? You cannot see it, touch it you only feel it.....same when you have this. I know because I have it I am ONE and a STRONG one. I even have flashes when I touch someone or an object. You can laugh at me all you want but I swear it to be true. I am not saying it happnens ALL the time when I touch an object. I can do not go out a lot due to the stress and when I do I plan it or try to plan it at times when I think a lot of people are not there. I have had to leave Walmart and other bigger stores before with cart full and everything left there. I am not mentally ill I am not being treated for any such thing as a matter a fact I am extremly strong mentally. I can take pain away from my members of my family and it will go into mine. I know I sound crazy....I know I do....but I swear it is true. You can ask my husband and my daughter. My problem is I cannot control it once I get it....then I have all the pain which I'd rather have then any of them to be in it. For anyone trying to debunk it you cannot. I also have had sleep pary. 6 times throughout my life and anyone trying to de-bunk that....well wait til it happens to you....it is EVIL. I also have drams that happen before they happen sometimes I know things before they happen. I have many witness's to prove that and back it up. Good trustworthy people. All of this started when I was in around 5th grade. I had a light go through my right scapula area of my back and out the left side. Im 36 yrs old and guess what 17 years ago I was informed I have a tumor in "MY RIGHT SCAUPLA AREA OF MY BACK" doctors have no explanations and said I was way young and have no way to explain how or why....all of this is just a touch of my life. If you can go to bed at night and sleep in piece dont take it for granted. Im not trying to be hateful by any means and everyone is entitled to their thoughts. However, I am not a demon,practice wicka or anything else and I am christian-I am no Bible thumper and preach at people but have a wonderful relationship with GOD! God does give people certain gifts/talents. Some may see this all as a curse some see it as a gift while others see us as pure frauds/liers/or "it's just in our heads"......be careful.....it could be your turn and you may end up posting on this site. Bye the way, I want to say thank you for whomever started this site I just happend to come across tonight - Thank you! This is a really good site. I think you should promote your site more so more people know its' out there. It could help somebody....Have a great night all. Surehot1973
I am very empathic. I take on others' emotions, but not their physical maladies... this seems strange to me. Anyway, I feel great empathy for animals, I even project onto inanimate objects. Borderline personality disorder contains some elements of this "empath" label, namely "lack of psychic(mental) clarity between self and other".
I know when people are lying to me. I know why they are lying. I know if they are lying to themselves but believe they are telling me the truth. I know what people are going to say before they say it, I know what they mean to say when they botch what they are saying, and I'll only correct them when I predict they are about to correct themselves. This saves many iterations which may be no clearer than the first attempt. They always seem surprised at my fluid apprehension of their intent... of course they don't say that, but feel them feeling it. Otherwise I don't correct becaue I know what they meant.
One thing that has always bothered me is that ive always felt singled out by strange people who confide too much in me. its almost insulting, because I know they'd be afraid to confide in other people who's approval they more greatly desire. In other words, by confiding in me its like their saying that they don't value my approval as much as the next guy who is quite likely not to care about all the nuances of their emotional dilemnas.
That said I'm not gonna swallow the new-agey explanation. I believe there is a rational explanation for it.
Are empaths more likely to possed by dead things? IE ghosts and other horrors of the night? Also is it possible for Empaths to shut off there mojo?
I never knew i was a empath because i never knew what it was. I would always feel mood swings and I thought i was bipolar but, then what i felt disappears and i'm okay but, i would always see someone who acted like I did. I thought that was STRANGE but i ignored it most of the time. I always knew if someone lied to me because it was a feeling automatically i knew. I feel others emotions a lot more if I touch someone physically. Being an empath ain't fun because I know someone's emotion before they feel it & its stressful. Everything on this article describes me a lot but i wanna know how to turn it off once in a while. I don't dislike or like it much, its just me. haha that's why I don't like being around people much because they're like an open book to me. Most of the time I avoid people much to avoid their feelings but doesn't work. blah
I have recently come to learn why I have been the way I am in learning about being an Empath. Though this article was written 3 yrs ago, it blew me away. In coming to this knowledge and most importantly acceptance - I am growing, the strength of it is growing and I am learning to use it for positive purposes. I am trying to accept it as a gift and not a curse, because OH MY has it been my greatest challenge in life.
I shared this article with my mother because she and I are so alike and so incredibly psychically connected. She too is an Empath. We live in different states but have managed over the course of the past 10+ years to perfect the concept of how to hermit yourself. We run our businesses from home and shop once every 2 weeks at best and loathe every minute of it. Yes, we are women that HATE to shop. I turned my leased car of 3 years in this year with only 6000 miles on it. One friend title me the most introverted extrovert he's ever known.
To my fellow Empaths and Lightworkers: Stay strong, chin-up and cherish your gift. Use it as it's meant to be used, in good and positive ways and our good Earth and Humankind WILL receive it and return it in kind.
May God Bless you all, and all skeptics who read this should closely consider we (humankind) are the only ones responsible for creating labels. Never let a label limit or confine what you know in heart and soul to be true and good. This is especially true for religion and politics - ironically the very two things never to mention at a dinner table amongst friends. Hmmm, what messes we've made with labels!
the name is my wiccian shamanic name isa hun i've never heard about you or yer music can ya email me a song or two please hun my email i use most is nemogothpunk@gmailcom nemo is the name those close to me use for me ironically it means nobody and just as ironically my actual name is nony which means grandmother which is ironic because im not a mother yet here im not carin for grammar or caps or punct which i rarely do but ppl can b mean n harsh so if the first comment gets posted i didnt want the possibilty of gettin slammed for bein ignorant like most spell/grammar/punctuation police do lol ppl w/nothin better to do thm slam ppl for exspression or not typin perfectly r funny as hell to provoke.......i guess i have abit of a sadistic humored side frm time to time
I am an empath. I am also new to both native american shamanism and wicca. For reasons I don't quite understand I feel called to both. For many years I didn't understand why I could feel the stresses of others, even if they never told me. I'm happy to say I'm always the first or second my friends go to when they need an ear and my sister who's married often tells me that which she wouldn't tell anybody else.
I know she'll never admit such or understand, she's the family pet I am just a piece of poopy so to say that barely exists in our messed up family. As much as it hurt me I've come to accept it as is.
I working to discover and understand fully my own abilities and talents, there have on rare occassions been times where I've had a connection to certian others so strong that I've gone to buy an item and have seen them exactly where they were at that exact minute, I was unable to hear what was said and when I told that person about it. You know when I told that person whose place they were where in that house or apt. and at what time they were amazed and told me thats exactly where they were at that time. Now I've got to watch this and who I tell because people who mostly likely tried to put me in an asylum or get me doped up for being crazy etc.
Obviously I understand all of this, tears are running down my face, for whom I do not know yet.
I've had this my entire life. Which makes relationships extremely difficult, b/c I have been bang on every time a boyfriend has cheated, lied etc.
It DOES SEEM EASIER to BE ALONE.
No one on the planet has a clue the pain I endured when I lost my soul mate, as he was able to understand, ground and energize me, keep me up. And loved me beyond words ... not 1 unresolved issue in our 16 years of unconditional love / life together. Thankfully he left me enough love and happiness to last me the rest of my life if need be.
I do use my gift to help others all the time, and it is taking a toll on my body.
I'm spiritually evolved enough to have learned to turn it into good - I often "toss good love energy" out the window of my car, to those in need, when I'm bubbling over with enormous amounts of happiness and energy.
If you don't understand any of this ... I already forgive you and bless you.
I drown in the ocean when I was 8, I died, stopped breathing, living etc., and it was a very spritual, enlightening experience, beautiful actually. This coming from a child who was raised agnostic. So I have several "gifts" no longer viewed as curses ...
Just would be nice to share it with someone who cares and actually gets it, cause it's all part of the deal.
Tired of hiding it. Not ashamed, how does that help?
Thank you so much for putting this together. I found it right when I needed it.
Thank you so much for this article. And yes, you are right... there is NOT enough information on this whole topic. I have empathic tendencies and I believe that I inherited them from my Grandfather. He was a bit of an empath himself. I have pushed this gift away for most of my adult life because I thought no one would believe me. It has only been recently that I have accepted that the things that I feel sometimes are real. Now I want to learn more.
Thank you for the article. It's the only one that didn't sound flaky to me. I know that's rude but I am tired of not saying what's true to avoid hurting other people's feelings. What do damaged empaths need to do? Part of me says stay off the damned internet asking strangers for help, but I have reached an impasse and haven't the pride to sustain a facade. I am tempted to delete some of this because it's becoming too personal and I surely must seem crazy or dramatic (I get that one a lot) but I'm really not. Tonight is a little different because my solitude has been ruptured lately. And I guess what's worse is that I don't trust my instincts right now and they're kind of ... well, I need them. Anyway, if this is dramatic and I'm a fluke like some of the other people I see, tell me. I am looking for relief, not coddling. If this isn't it and you know it in that way of knowing, I need to know so I can look elsewhere. Though I can't imagine where; this alone felt foolish. I've never left a message on a board before. Haha. God, it's so funny sometimes.
how do i develope this skill
With all do respect, show me research and facts. As of now all I find is that it's science FICTION.
I stumbled upon this looking up the definition of empath after taking a personality test. Did i ever hit 7/7 on this. I starting breaking down into tears around point 5. It's nice to know about myself and others that are on the same wave length. The ones that hit me the most was feeling ill when watching t.v. and not knowing why but going 'bi-polar' without being one, and not know why you have a need to help people but you do.
Thanks. I feel a little more at peace
Hello. I too am an empath and have only recently found that out when I was 39. I have tried to heal and fix both physical and mental problems in animals and humans since I can remember. I didn't realize what it was until I started attending meeting with my local paranormal group and decided to work on my premonitional dreams that I used to have. The deeper I dove into spiritual pursuits, the more I learned. Then friends I made through the group who are psychic/mediums/etc. gave me readings and these readings were verified by other psychics/mediums/etc from outside the group. I then began to realize that I am an empath. The demise of most intimate relationships with a husband (ex), and several boyfriends taught me that the reason these dysfunctional people were drawn to me was because I am also a healer...it took almost 40 years for me to figure out why I haven't fit in with the 'normal' crowd as I have always been a 'fixer'. Now at 40 I am slowly learning to develop what I have because I want to help people and heal their mental and emotional pain. I have been draining myself my whole life trying to 'fix' animals and people. Now, for those who think I am possessed, evil, etc. I just want to ask: As a Christian woman who wants to give peace and love to animals and humans, how am I doing the devil's work? Jesus healed the sick and even raised the dead. I feel a calling to do God's work on earth and have done it since I was a child. I know I am not evil; I just am special. My life has been full of more difficulties than normal and I have suffered more because of my gift but each one of those difficulties has made me stronger and fortified my resolve to teach by example how to love and care for those around me. Thank you for the article...it was a blessing for me and very timely!
This article resonated with me greatly. I don't think I feel the pain etc... but I feel the reasons... I sense the truth and the lies. I don't judge but I know. I absolutely cannot walk past suffering. I am rescuer. I have learnt to not let it be to my detriment, however, I have given the shirt off my back. People open up to me in a big way then they say they don't know why they did. People come to me for emotional well being. Dysfunctional people want to be my best friend. That drives me nuts.
So thanks for posting this information... I have just found out that there are actually people like this (even more so) and I do not feel so alone amongst the crowd.
Namaste
I have been a christian minister for over 18yrs and I have seen that anything that most churches don't understand they immediately call evil.
I experience all but 2 and 7, though some have tried to tell me that I have 7, but if so, I have not discovered how to use it yet. Also I don't have all of 1. I can usually tune people's feelings out, or focus on one person to the exclusion of others, though not always.
I also have other attributes that are not listed here. One I call sending, which is creating a feeling in my imagination, and then causing another person to co-experience that feeling also. Another experience is use of the word 'find', which means feeling the essesence of the person in the world. Often I need only know that a person exists to be able to feel them if they are still among the living. Another experience is where a person feels intensely familiar when first encountering them. I have learned that this means that this person and I have much in common.
If you are an empath and you are looking for ways to release negative energies from your body/energy system, try craniosacral therapy, I had several sessions of it and now, after many years I finally feel good. There are craniosacral therapists all over the world, just check it out on google and find a therapist near you. I think it is the fastest and most effective way of cleanaing out your energy system
I often feel super stressed and overwhelmed in situations you've described...I'm gonna research this a bit..
Do empaths ever project there feelings to others?
hey I dont really know how I got on this site but good think i did I am someone that weird things but really weird happend recently well they have been happening for a long time but this year is intense .. and I think you can answer some of my questions well I hope .. if u have msn or facebook please add me siati4@hotmail.com .. please it would be very apreciated thankyou
Isa,
i have come to realize recently that i too am an empath.
my family put me through therapy after therapy saying i couldnt control my emotions. i grew up in a home full of hatred. my parents were drug addicts in and out of prison and they hated eachother for it. it has been several years since it all happened but i still find the flood of feelings coming back to me. as a little girl it was difficult to feel so much hate and not understand why i hated everyone. im learning now to control it and luckily enough i turned 18 and moved away giving myself space to sort my emotions out. im always told that i am one of those people who leave an impression on others and after reading your sight im begining to understand so much more.
Blessed Be,
NIM
things like these articles have always been a pleasure to read, though ive long since recognized it i find others experiences very enlightening. Learning to control it has been difficult as i am not the only empath in my family, and making my peace with God has been an issue for me as i was convinced for years that trying to find the answers was spiritually wrong. Physically i have suffered health wise, taking on the illness' of close family members and close friends emotions has been difficult but i find that it gives me a sense of peace to be able to help someone. Even if im only relieving their problems temporarily im glad to do it and wouldn't change it for anything. Continue to use your understandings for the good of everyone, and what you cant fix or sooth send to God. Faith is the answer, no matter how much pain you take in pray for it to be relieved and let it leave you. Empathy is suffering in its strongest sense but dont let it rule you. God bless
if anybody reads this empathy is not a tool of the devil but in my own opinion it is a curse of one i cant be ten feet around another person with out being overwhelmed with thoughts of hate anger or suicide or utter joy its like ive stuffed fifty years of emotion in my head random ppl open up to me in public on busses or the ferry im lost email me if you think you can help
I have been struggling with these emotions for most of my life, and the first experience was the night before my father was murdered. I had an overwelming feeling that something bad was going to happen to him at the exact time he had passed. My mother and father had been divorsed for 10 years at that point, and I remember crying prefusely feeling despair. Since then, I can feel despair, anxiety, frustration, and other emotions prior to events happening, ex: earth changes, massive death, and emotions of others' despair before they even tell me or I see it. I get angry when these things happen. I feel sick to my stomach and want to scream. Is there anything I can do to channel these so that I do not feel so much?
The healing part is where I get off the train. As I do not believe that it is done by the empath as only the Almighty can heal a person in combination with ones belief that they can be healed and the persons belief may be and is aided by the others belief.
This may have been covered in all the previous comments and if so I apologize for the repeat.
The older I get the worse this gets. I can be at the grocery store & simply pass someone & get a sudden headache. Some people have stronger negative energy & there negative symptoms...usually some sort of pain comes onto me. I am becoming more of a recluse, not a good thing at all!! No friends & can't be around some family members now. When I have to work with someone for my job, I get there negative feelings. Recently I've been working with a woman who I know is an alchohlic...so now I have stomach & intestinal pain. Had a date a year ago then the next day I suddenly had sensitive teeth, I just sense & know that it came from the guy I dated. Plus the problem with me is that all of the pain\health problems stay with me, although they are not as intense. However, painful enough that it's just safer to try & stay at home alone. I've had many other random pains from other people throughout the years too. Any comments or suggestions please. Thank You. Ellen
This article helped me because now i know im a empath at first i thought i was going crazy. so i told my mom and she told me that i needed help and she sent me to a mental hospital but as soon as i walked in there i was feeling depressed, angry, happy, sad, hateful, lonely, and hyper all at once. i nearly fainted i wanted to be alone but i also wanted to help these people. though i was only in there for a week i helped a lot of people get over stuff. but soon i figured out that i could change moods too. i learned i could do this because one day my best friend was feeling sad because her boyfriend broke up with her i just wished she could be happy again and then she was happy! it freaked me out. then i told her about it and she said that i might be a Empath she told me to look it up. and i found this article and i now know im a Empath. oh and im only 15...so yeah i was really freaking out!
Reading through the list, some of the items ring true, but not all. So am I an empath? Here is my story..help me decide:
I had the strangest thing happen to me yesterday. Sometimes in the past, I have felt sad or got an adrenalin rush when I saw an ambulance drive by....never really thought about it... just noticed the feelings. Well today, I was en-route to the South Side Quillens a little past 3:30pm. I heard a siren and felt a sudden sadness within me to a point it made me cry.. pardon me I was NOT sad when I got in the car....I saw a cop following the ambulance, another ambulance and cop and a first responder by the time I tot to Quillens. The closer I got to Quillens the sadder I got. I had to try really hard not to cry while bringing my package to Quillens (and pardon me again, I'm NOT someone that cries easily, especially not in front of people).. so I come out of Quillens and just burst out in tears... can't control it... and I felt this overwhelming sadness... I saw another firetruck come by as I was heading out of Quillens... and I went back home..told my husband (in tears) what was going on... he said he thinks I'm an empath and that possibly someone had an out of body experience in the crash and I felt their emotions. Just now I read someone died in this accident... and it's leaving me speechless. I'm not sad anymore... that quit about 30 minutes after the accident happened. ... so was that an experience of an empath? .. I always take other people's feelings on..when someone is upset I get upset.. I've always had a problem with that... I hate being around negative people because of that. Sometimes someone can walk through my door and I feel an immediate heaviness in my chest... WEIRD!!!
So now..... if I AM an empath.. I wanna know how I can change that... or at least control that so I am not open to peoples emotions as much... I cannot believe what I experienced today. It was an awful feeling.. not something I want to ever experience again. It was just such a deep sadness... such a horrible lost feeling...
it's still bugging me that I would feel something like that.
Someone told me to research this and I'm glad that they did. You said you were going to make another post on how to cope. I didn't see it show up in my google search. I would like to read it because I hate being around negative people. They make me feel so depressed and it takes me a while to recover. I feel like it affects my quality of life. If you have information that can help me please email me at virtuous_beauty7@yahoo.com
Thanks for the article. I'm all of the above and do not know how to control it.
I feel other peoples physical pain. I either take the pain away from them and have it myself or I know when I have pain it maybe someone else's or is someone else's.
I know when someone is lying to me and I have in the past told them they are lying. Not a good idea if you want friends. LOL
I have also had something else happen and I'm going to put myself out on a limb here and expect a few scoffer's because people don't believe others or they think your insane.
I also googled Stigmata and empath. I've had invisible stigmata for a few years, now that I'm aware of what it is. My husband had mentioned it to me shortly after we were married. I had been complaining about pains I have and he asked me if I had ever heard of stigmata and no I hadn't. Then I read about it and ordered a book. Yes that's me. 100%.
Now I need to figure out how to handle it all. I've done this most of my life that I can remember and now I have a mission to find out how to deal with it and put it to good use. It's all coming together for me and hopefully one day I'll be able to help someone.
I can't have friends because of this and it freaks them and me out! I want a normal life!
I've been an empath my whole life. I realized I was one about a little over a year ago, so I've been trying to learn how to control myself. I actually met someone over the summer who is as well, we used to talk about it .. then yesturday we were talking about feeling this car coming, which came of course. so I asked him where it came from, the left side? and he agreed so i asked him where and he told me his upper arm (which is where i was feeling it too) so I was like where? and we both started rubbing the same part of our arms. that's the moment I knew that I really was.
Because months before, (I'm not sure if you felt the crazy shift in the universe last December.. but it was completely overwhelming and everyone thought I was going legit insane because the I was acting. I could hear thoughts, and energy frequincies were so high I felt like I was above my body for almost 2 weeks, I became physically sick from the intensity- I wasnt ready for the shift.. lots happened. ) but i had a friend during the time and he could feel the energies too. so we would spend hours experimenting, trying to see if we could really feel it and such.. then tried telepathy.. which was a crazy experience (which i still am capable of, but in a different way than how we were practicing) but after that I knew what i was experiencing was real because someone else did too.i still wasnt 100% sure, i was 98%.. but yesturday and then again tonight, we both felt a discomforting engery right near or collar bones , almost in the increases where it meets your chest and shoulders. and thats when i knew that deffinatly, without a doubt this is real.
people who don't believe don't have to, it's not something they need to understand because it's not consuming their everyday life. it really is a constant struggle. and it's so confusing and completely overwhelming.
that is the best word to describe others' vibes, overwhellming. especially when they're negative vibes and you have no idea how to channel it or sheild yourself from them. it's so discusting and uncofortable.. sometimes even sickning.
Just wanted to say thank you.
I sent my friend this link, he's actually an empath who just learned what he is. and he's one of those who try to isloate themselves.. it took until me, to open him up and make him realize. he told me, like many others, im the first person he could talk to like this. I feel like I'm deffinatly here to help people understand and heal.
Hello, my name is David and I’m 18 years old. I don’t think I have to announce that I am an Empath to everyone here, mainly because other Empaths could probably tell just by reading the emotions from this message, as well as everyone else’s messages.
First, the comment that someone made about how an Empath cannot be lied to. I think that is true, because I was already aware of that reason while being around liars and bullies all my life, but still I never can tell what they are truly thinking. I’m glad that other people came up with this idea, because it just proved that my speculation was correct this whole time.
I am aware that each Empath has his/her own specific powers that they can use as well as each one having their own set of weaknesses. I am also aware that most people who are Empaths are struggling with these powers. Since everyone else is sharing their stories, I guess I can share mine too.
My empathetic powers are much different than most Empaths have, the reason I am saying this is that I am proving that not all Empaths have the same powers equally. I only feel the emotions of people who are within 10 to 20 feet of me. Whenever I am injured, my injuries are fully healed within two to three days. If I am around multiple people with a high frequency of anger or sorrow, it does not affect me all that much because I have dealt with it most of my life. I do not usually feel physical pain from others. I try to distance myself from most people plus my own family. I have very few friends that I talk to (Mostly 5 to 10 online friends), but only one friend that I told about my power. My friend is a clairvoyant and doesn’t seem to be bothered by anyone with weird powers. I’m sort of glad that I choose the correct person to explain myself too; otherwise other people would have found out and would probably start more fights with me. Anyways, what I am worried about are the different weaknesses that each Empath has, because from reading every post on here I have not seen anyone write about this type of problem.
About once or twice a month, my powers start to implode upon themselves. First, I don’t feel anymore emotions from people. Second, I feel extreme super depression from the collected emotions of the people I absorbed them from: basically all the emotions I absorbed just combined into depression. This is weird because at this time I don’t feel any anger or other emotions that I usually felt, just depression. This depression effect only lasts for a few hours, after that, its like I start a clean slate with no built up emotions. When I go through this problem, I stay away from everybody, the reason for that is that when I feel no emotions at all then I will know if it has passed; otherwise I would be picking up more emotions and become confused.
I’m guessing that my powers implode like that due to a build-up of emotions, plus it probably does that so I can relieve myself from any unwanted stress.
This problem happening every month makes me think it is like when a girl has her period every month, except I’m a guy. Oh, and to some of you reading this, STOP LAUGHING! Yeah it may be funny how I compared by problem to that, but it’s not funny, in fact it is extremely overwhelming. Lets see you guys absorbing constant negative emotion from everyone around you that hates you, and watch your powers implode. Cause I’ll be laughing my ass off at you. (Sorry to anybody else reading this, I kinda got worked up…but thank you for reading it through to the end, and sorry it was so long). I am grateful that this place can be used so that people like myself can express ourselves freely.
Also, my personal questions to Isabella
Question 1: While I was doing research, I heard that some people’s powers remain dormant until they either have a Near Death Experience (NDE), or awaken at a certain age. My question is: What is your opinion on these statements.
Question 2: If an Empath has a specific dream about someone they know that is in pain or injured, is that a message that the Empath needs to heal that someone?
Question 3: Have you ever heard of an Empath ever having a problem like mine, if so, any suggestions on how I can benefit from it?
Oh my gosh. Isa, thank you sooooo much. This article has helped explain everythin! Youre awesome! Thank you again!
Im just curious, I have certain ppl that i "PREFER" to be around because I feel almost no feed back from them emotionaly,is that a normal thing for empaths to feel? I mean they actualy have a bit of a soothing presence.
Ok i read the article and 2 or 4 comments,
but my point is i was searching why sometimes i feel so many emotions and (sometimes) cry for no reason when in public,and it led my search to this article it basically describes me.Sometimes i feel i need to get away from everyone i eventually do and then i feel like a hermit.It gets annoying to feel so many emotions and i get frustrated.Ive had so many experiences with my friends that they describe me as emotional and that i understand them and make them feel understood and relieved.Its hard to explain other experiences that i have and had.I never thought their was such thing as an empath and what it meant but this explains everything and i just want help on how to control it or if their is more research on this on how to deal with this.
I've gone back and forth on this one. I've always felt it, but I don't want to believe in it because I don't wat to be different. Why others equate it to religion is beyond me. To me, it's like another 'sense' almost like hearing or smelling. I can "see" someone else's feelings...I feel for them when they cannot. But here's my question: what if I am just projecting on to them what I would be feeling if I was in their place? Is this just my own narcissism? Maybe they are not really feeling what I think they are feeling....maybe it's just me putting myself in their situation and feeling what I would feel.
Whatever I am, whatever I am doing, it makes life very difficult; difficult to have close relationships because I am feeling my feelings and also yours. I know where your pain is, where it comes from, and what you need to do about it. I cannot shut it off - it's a part of who I am. Does this make me an empath? If so, I wish it would stop.
my mum always told me i was an empath and didn't really believe her thought it was a load of crap to be honest.. but now that she's talked to me more about it i've come to realise i probablly am. i no what you mean by its definately not fun because it certainly isn't.. and i really want to learn how to control it because like i said it really isn't fun and im not quite sure how or what to do.
I know im an empath, reality has proven that more often then i could count, but almost nothing in this artical checks out for me.
This is why :
I can sense emotions of others ( per individual, not groups ) and only when i focus on a person.
Stuff doesnt just randomly pop into my head.
When i do sense emotions of others, i can very easily differentiate between their and my own feelings.
No mix ups.
I cannot heal. Well, i can use a band-aid, but that's about it.
I can VERY easily ignore people in pain, even though i can feel their emotional turmoil and upset.
I simply block it out and walk on, if i choose to.
Even though i can easily know when people are lying to me, i cannot determine the reasons. I can however feel wether it's motivated by anger, fear, love or other things.
And nobody even mentioned it yet, but as a side effect, i find being able to read other people extremely usefull when trying to manipulate the world around me to my advantage.
Thanks for the info.. What I'd like to know is how to protect yourself and get off the rollercoaster? Its no fun at all...
Not quite sure how to start.. but here it goes. I dabble in tarot card readings, don't read others too much, just myself. At anyrate, after googling Tarot, I came across the "empath". I've always been sensitive to others, their feelings, their emotions, taking on their pain and hating every moment of it. I often wish I could be stone cold and heartless. Alas, that is not me and I know that if I even wished myself that way, bad karma would follow me around on a constant basis. I've been very depressed lately.. well, I found out last week that my close childhood friends' brother died. Im also finding out that my fiances friend may have lukemia. To say I have ups and downs is an understatement. I'm not bi-polar because I don't go from one extreem to the other. Im not unusually happy, then unusually sad...I'm more of a "wait, what is THIS feeling" about now and why all of a sudden am I feeling uneasy? It's hard to pinpoint sometimes and that's what irritates me. I'm sensitive to the core and am contantly 2nd guessing myself. Which, is not good. I sometimes feel as an outsider.. I have many friends and acquaintances and get along with people fine..but I am quiet and reserved more so lately than ever. I don't know if it's a special power or not but I need some outlet to it and need to know how to manage it. I mean, how can I say "Hey, my name is Erin, and I am an empath, let me help you" without sounding crazy. Especially to those who don't believe in the Supernatural. And, I don't even know if I would call it supernatural, more spiritual than anything. At anyrate, I needed to tell my story, so thank you.
I have not let learnt to accept it yet.....
I have always known I was different, always. Deep down I knew it. I couldn't explain it until now. I guess I wasn't ready to know. But then last night I was really thinking about it, about myself and what I could do, and that is when 'Empath' came to me in my mind out of nowhere. When I was looking for somewhere to start looking. I'd never heard of an empath before and what an empath is, until I was ready to know. And I've been up all night looking into it, and I just know 100% that I am an empath. And it is a curse, and a blessing too. But I am happy that I know what it is and I can regonise things I never understood before. I always thought I was a freak and weird and different, and yes I am different but it explains a lot. Also I am a devoted christian, I 100% believe that it was god that gave me this gift (that is also a curse), and not satan. Having the power to heal someone is not an evil act, and it is not a distraction from god. You contradict yourself when you preach this babble about people who believe in spirtualistic stuff like psychic abilities or empathic abilities are all going to hell for being possessed by the devil. Because one of the things the bible teaches is 1. forgiveness and 2. grace. Grace to forgive people who are truly sorry for their sins whatever they are, who are truly good. Where do you draw the line at who should go to hell and who shouldn't? Where is that line placed? For example if an adult comits suicide thats a sin right? according to extreme christians that sin is punishable by going straight to hell right? So then what happens in a very young child does the same thing? Are they really going to hell? Because they felt they had no other option? Same with empaths or psychics. Is it so wrong to heal people, and help people with our abilities. Maybe it to exploit them like many people do, but to use them in a good way, to help people and show kindness, and then to say were going to hell for that. You are not a true christian if you can say that. If you can preach who is going to hell and who isn't. To say there's only one way to live and only one thing to believe in and if you don't comply then your possessed by satan. Absolute rubbish. As an empath I know I am not possessed by satan. And neither is anyone else who is an empath or psychic. I know that, completely. It's not a guess, I know.
What if I think I am empathic as I have half of those seven things or more but not all? Am I blocking it or rejecting it in some way? I feel like I cant always tap into it and sometimes I feel like I dont want it but Ihave been really out of whack emotionally sometimes with no explanation. I have been searching for answers and I feel lost and confused. Can someone help? Please, email me as I am tired and may forget how I found this site. aryah2010@live.com
Hi, I stumbled upon your website while searching up Empath. I think your hub is very interesting. I hope you don't mind but I have a few questions I would like to ask. Are empaths born with this ability? Or can they develop it when they're an adult? Can empath predict what's going to happen, for example - future events? Lastly, would an empath enjoy watching horror movies? Thanks in advance! =)
Misty Richrads 8 months ago
for a while now i have been experiencing mood swings feeling fatigued and even have serious headaches when my sister comes home from work, when my moms around i feel depressed and sad and when my stepdad's around i feel uncomfortable and uptight. i use to think it was just me going through my awkward moments but the other day i almost snapped on my mom for no reason... my mom and i were cooking and there was nothing wrong i felt calm but as soon as my sister stepped into the room i felt aggrivation and irritation towrds my mom i wanted to scream at her for no reason.. i had to dash out of the kitchen and i locked myself in my room for the rest of the evening afraid of what might happen if i came out.. i thought i was bipolar crazy even but then i remembered this episode of CHARMED were one of the sisters was picking up what people were feeling. I felt silly at first to even consider something supernatural but i thought anything would be better than crazy, and that how i stubbled on to here, which i'm so thankful for. Now i know that i'm not crazy and i'm not alone and more importantly i can learn how to control it...thanks Isa
Kat 8 months ago
Very interesting, indeed...I must say, the comments from 2 years ago threw me off a little. I do believe in God and I also believe He can use humans to heal...like priests for example. Yes, He does warn of the anti-Christ doing such things...BUT the anti-Christ will be one man...not many. This anti-Christ will fool many like a celebrity, so to speak...he will bedazzle people. And actually, correct me if I am wrong, but a man will clear the way for the anti-Christ. The anti-Christ will come in and "save" the world...at least that is how it will appear.
Anyway, in saying all that...I believe empaths are very real! I am looking more into the subject and I cannot say whether I am willing to accept the title of being one, but I do wish to be able to control what I feel from others so I can enjoy some peace of mind. Also, I was told that we all possess certain "gifts" and can pray for them. If these gifts were not part of Christ and religion, then what of the prophecies? Would that not include some sort of "psychic" connection?...vision??
I do not understand why some are so close minded to the existence of both religion and psychic abilities. We are not to worship anyone above God but we can believe in His worldly servants...those who are anointed/gifted. Those who are...are specific in performing a task for God.
I agree with not totally being "down" with the whole empath thing. I suffer and it is not fun, but I embrace the opportunity to work for God. God will grant us peace beyond anything possible in this world. He never said it would be easy...but He did say it would be worth it. I also agree with the gentleman who pointed out not to just go along with a "religious head"....(LoL)...ask God himself.
NashiraJade 8 months ago
I recently found out I was an Empath. This article also proves to be me. My boyfriend is into the spiritual realm and I've always had this knack for sensing people's emotions and the energy they emit is also a factor for me. I can feel the energy change when a spirit is in the area. I hang out with a couple of people who are into the spiritual things and me, being the only Empath, always seem to know how they feel or if a spirit is coming or already there because the energy surrounding the area changes and shifts.
It wasn't until I got with my current boyfriend that I found out what my ability was. I just always knew I was different in that aspect but I never knew what it was until he told me that I was an Empath. All you say in this article is definatly pertaining to me. Thanks for posting it.
paragon 8 months ago
to be honest, ive spent a lot of my time shielding a lot of my empathic abilities. i draw in energy from people too easily, and it gets to be too much. people in general are uncertain or worse, pessimistic and fearful. Ive noticed that ive (over the years) only been around a select few people. they all have similar attributes of either being emotionally nullified (dont talk about emotions, but rather things they do) or very positive people.
ive also had a few gf's where literally, when id touch them, id warm up. these were very happy relationships when i look back on it.
human and mind are two things that we have not utilized fully. I am constantly looking for new ideas. While I do not have all 7 of the traits, when I am around the right people the best always happens.
dEjA 8 months ago
This article really helped me help my friend. Even though i am not an empath i can feel his pain and now since ive read this articla it has helped me change his perspective of himself. He used to think of himself of Weird and abnormal but now he has accepted it. And I have told him that he is not abnormal he is special and has a gift. Thank You for writing this article it has helped many people and I hope it helps many more!
>>>>> I think I have finally found out what is wrong with me and my life.
People cling to me. I have had so many perfect strangers walk up to me at bus stops, in the mall, down the street ect. ect. and start talking to me about their personal life, The pets they have had that have passed on, their children, health problems, financial problems. I cannot see people or animals suffer because it kills me inside. As well as watching any kind of movie that involves cruelty or extreme acts of bravery, I have to choke back my tears.
People talk to me and I can see right through their words, I know how they are feeling and start feeling the same way. Also I always know the truth and if they are not telling me the complete story.
Helping people is so important to me that I have sacrificed many many things and opportunities that I have had for myself. I always know the consequences of my actions and a lot of the time they result in me being on the bottom of the pile while those around me rise up.
When someone needs my help and I cannot help them I start feeling unyielding guilt and shame and will go to severely extreme lengths to help what ever way that I can, It almost feels like it is a duty of being the soul that I am. If I cannot it will bother me until I make myself ill.
I prefer to be left alone although I am not paranoid, I find peace in objects, not of dollar value, but of peace value. I love trees, my back yard is a forest that I planted myself when I was 8 years old many many years ago.
Hi i agree with what you have descibed with the need to help perople and the emotional connection to people and the knowlage of aliments, when you said it comes with all the emotions of otters it seems that i have unconsiously adatpted to this or nearly blocked it out as i have always had a stong sense of what others where feeling witout knowing of sorts but reacently it seemed the emotions i was used to feeling had lowwwered alot and i felt lonely and for some reason deppressed. now it seems i can only connect with people i am talking to rarely but my strongest connectons are with my friends a good example would be me and my friend where out and i started to get really bad pains around my body when i told her what i was feeling she seemed to be surprised as she explained she had had this pain as well around the same time she had, i have a friend who i was having a conversation with and he said that i was the first person other than himself he had ever met to know and feel what otther people where thinking and feeling he also told me he knew what peoples likes and disslikes where as soon as he met them in a way and i understood what he was getting at. thank you for this artical as i now know the reason as to why i have always felt the need to help people when they where crying or upset. i hope this will continue to help people.
You're a moron if you believe this. Where's the reason and science behind this good sir?
Check out the work of Donna Eden. Beautiful, practical energy tools and skills that balance/protect energy inflows. I'm an old empath. Until I was 35 I had only a vague clue as to what was going on with me. Now, I'm 60 and I can, on most days, know if its me or them. If it is extreme I know I'm picking up something. It isn't always someone I know, but there is a remote connection like a thread in a conversation. When the information as to whom I'm actually connected to comes, the feeling immediately dissipates and I feel as light as a feather. The Eden exercises keep the normal, low level everyday interfering type stuff completely absent. In some ways I feel the heavier energies I take on are part of a group soul that endures in a loving way the pains too great for a single person; a sort of vent.
I am so glad you wrote this. I have been struggling with being an empath, and I didn't even really realize why I felt the way I felt for the longest time, but now it all makes sense. Its hard to talk about how you feel when you can't explain it for one, but also people don't understand because of how much more intensely you experience it. People will shrug it off as dramatic, and then I withdraw and retreat into myself. I feel like I can now move forward and learn to heal being more aware of my abilities, so I can separate myself and not internalize these things I feel and think that something is wrong with me. Thank you.
Yes, sometimes I do go to the mall and cross into the cafeteria, and sweep my eyes over the sheer amount of people eating... then I feel a sudden urge to turn back and march straight to the car. Like I want to run away and sulk in my house. I feel incredibly small when I see other people...
Also I have sharp pains in my side when thinking about my grandpa (who is incredibly sick) and my brother (who has unknown pain in his abdominals and neither he or his doctor knows what it is).
Thank you for the article. :D It was very helpful.
Thanks for the article, Isabella.
Now i know what I'm experiencing this entire time.
i am an empath and it hurts.
I have always been so confused about myself, empathy, and what I am and am not. Very...your key word, I could never say that I ever was VERY affected by other people...but there are so many other things that sound like me. For me it's not about being phsycic or special, it's about understanding myself better. I'm always looking for myself. People open up to me all the time, and I have to help them. Sometimes I actually think that my purpose here on this earth is others...and not me. Then there is the way I use my energies. I like to concentrate them all into one place and then reach out into people...that way I feel them completely. I think anyone can do that, but idk if everyone feels emotions that way....
I just can't understand hate...I just can't. It hurts me...alot to see things like that. Then there's what Lilly said in the first paragraph of her post so long ago. All the time...tree's aren't just tree's. Their the age on that tree, their a story of the age of our earth. Music isn't just music, the tones float into my ears and wrap around my thoughts. They infect them with their emotion and power...and then I'm just a house for it. Just a hollow for music's power. I know not everyone feels that...but I don't have a name.
i was worried to say the least...my mother (who, to note, dosnt believe in anything spiritual, even heven) told me to reserch empathy cus she saw a german film with an empath and said he acted scaraly like me...so i reserched a lot, and everything fit...but it was all circomstantial...untill i read this...where you mention people feeling compeled to share feelings with you...(id like to add i hate when people do this, it gives me a bloody headach...which i find out is BECAUSE of me empathy...its a bloody viscious cycle!) yes im complaining...but im glad i know that if i had to name why 'i can read people like a book and they seem to whant me to' then i can call it empathy...thanks!
I so completely recognized myself in this. EVERY last one of those. I nearly cried reading this. I dont have to try and explain myself so desperately to people anymore if they ask why i am the way I am. Thank you so much for writing this up!
This article just adds to my confusion because there is a lot of debate. I have this feeling deeep inside that tells me i am, but also there is a spec of doubt that i am not. your article has given me much to think about and all i can say is thanks.
this really helped me understand what im feeling as long as i can remember i would feel emostions out of now where for no reason i didnt understand why i can feel the emostion of music and it is a great feeling its hard to feel listen to a song that you like really load and just sit theree and listen the feeling is emostion and physical your outer body will feel it to
I am grateful to have read this article. It was shared with me from a friend. I believe I am an empath. I am Christian and don't think this ability is against God's teachings. From all the other comments I've read, I see people who possess this gift are able to good with it. I'm not going to make myself sound like this almighty powerful empathic healer. I'm not. This article helped me to break down this ability and to better understand it. I'm pleased to see there are others who I can relate to. My thing is I've come to find that I can control this empathic gift when one on one with people. I'm learning to control it when dealing with the collective outside. I usually hide from the outside world and now I know why. Now I feel like I can heal myself from the fear of the outside world effecting me emotionally. Now I can embrace this gift. I guess my point is thanks- a BIG thanks - for sharing this article with us.
For all you non-believers...it's because you have never experienced this. It is not 'demonic posession' that's hilarious. It's a transfer of feelings, emotions, and energies and until you've had to experience crying for no reason because someone you are talking to is extremely upset you do NOT understand how horrible this can be. It is a great feeling to know that you can help other people relax and calm down but until you learn how to absorb their emotions without letting it affect you for a long period of time it can be very frustrating and exhausting. This is not a gift I asked for but now that I've learned how to use it I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. It's very true about being lied to....I know instantly...it's not fun to always know what's really going on...sometimes it would be nice to be ignorant and believe the lies. I have random strangers approach me at the supermarket, or Walmart, I haven't known these people for more than a minute or two and they are telling me things that most people wouldn't tell to their best friend. I am like a natural therapist....it can be scary at times sometimes I just want to be left alone to my own emotions!!! Shielding is VERY important!!
Hello, I have recently and without the help of this article come to the conclusion I am an empath. I instinctively do not like being around people, such as the mall situation, because of the chaos I feel. I suffer from VERY severe depression that I believe is a result of my abilities.I cannot go on sites such as sixbillionsecrets because of the pain I feel for those in question, not exactly the current pain they feel, but the pain they felt during the incident described. I also feel others happiness though that is usually less pronounced. If anyone can help with controlling my abilities, please feel free to e-mail me.
I believe I am an Empath. I also know when someone else is too. I have sometimes even unknowingly heard peoples thoughts. Not realizing that what they had said was not out loud. Being an Empath is and can be very lonely.
For instance, if you are in a meeting with some very angry people, sometimes it feels like little needles poking you all over. This is something that I have never mastered to control. I am just usually very uncomfortable and try to leave the room as soon as possible.
And yes, as far as feeling the Pain of other people it is completely different than Sympathy. When you are an Empath, you can and sometimes do, actually feel what that person is feeling. I would like to learn how to take that pain away from the other person, that is not something that I have mastered. But, could only be done on an individual basis. Too many people around and it would not work. And as for the Satan thing. I say Hogwash!!! I know my gift comes from God. Just because you can't understand something does not make it wrong or not real.
thats all I have to say about that right now.
I would absolutely love to talk to Isabella Snow.
A lot of this is just generalities. Some people are good at reading other people because they can pick up on the physical ques that the other person is displaying. Some people get others to "open up to them" for no other reason than the other person needs to express something. People who can empathize with others are generally referred to as good people because they take the time to care about others as well as themselves. Those who are overwhelmed by real life or fictional images probably have coping issues and don't cope well.
I'm an empath and my mother is too. So, I was taught how to use this at an early age. :] I'm currently seventeen and I haven't had a problem with any of it since primary school. I'm just lucky I guess, but I'm really, really thankful that my mother taught me how to control it all. Sadly, I now have trouble controlling my own emotions and may be hospitalized because of it, but it's better than not being able to control the influx of others emotions.
I just realize today that I'm empathic. I physically feel tired all of the time, I get migraines, A LOT! And everytime I go to the doctor and get a physical or blood work, they say I'm fine and I look at them like they must be missing something. I'm like, That can't be. There has to be a reason why I don't feel well all of the time. And of course no one understands why I'm tired all of the time and want to sleep or need time outs away from others. I love being alone. I've been like that since I was younger and all of this has been going on this I was a kid/teen. And the part you listed about getting over emotional when watching TV and such, I can't watch certain movies because I feel what the actor is feeling. It's really bad. I'll get panic attacks and feel really sick. I also read in another article that empaths usually feel depressed. That is something else I've been dealing with and would make sense because I feel depressed when I have no reason to. I try medication and it works sometimes, but for the most part I still don't feel well. I also get these weird mood swings and don't know why. Now that I'm aware of this, I need to learn to cleanse and protect myself from being drained of my energy.
The positive side of an empath is not much acknowledge...there are lots of wonderful, uplifting living occurances to be in touch with...an empath can enjoy existence...yes, I feel happiest when I am helping others...it is the healing of the soul that is my greatest gift...finding comfort in the things one has...I sense the energy of my surroundings and am most uplifted when I am surrounded by children, (my students, I'm a teacher) or when I am out in nature...the lives I touch are many and yet I have learned not to overwhelm myself with trying to help those who are unwilling to be helped...empaths do not need to be the company that misery loves.
I recently found this article and....wow.... I cannot thank you enough! I had NO IDEA what was "wrong with me" and it is not something I can explain to others because nobody understands. ESPECIALLY because I am a huge believer in God and believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins, etc. and there are so many believers who feel as frettbuzz do. I have always thought the same of things like this but I can tell you with most assurance that an empaths abilities have ZERO to do with works of Satan. I have come to discover that what an empath has or feels or does is all scientific. Humans by default only use 10% of their brains. Well what of the other 90%? Just as there are individuals with birth defects or those with super human brains, all people are not of the same genetic or chemical makeup. Empaths are as such. We are somehow linked into a part of our brain that 99% of others are not. So the next time someone refers to you as the anti-christ ask them not to make fun of you simply bc you were born different.
this is insane, my whole life i have always been the exception to the rule, but your words made me cry. i can't believe it, if you saw what i look like you would have no ides that i write poetry, and draw and love art. i have always had this thing with animals, i can catch birds with my bare hands, when i was around two i was at the beach and i was walking in the water with my mom and reached down and picked up a fish. i can't believe what i am reading it is blowing my mind. now my question to you, i always want to be alone to me in nature i love to just float, and to watch the stars it puts me at peace, but for some reason out of the thousands of people i know in just 24 years, i have 11 girls that i am drawn to i call them my unicorns and i don't know why. and thoughts on what they could be, i also know a unicorn in the first time i look into her eyes even before we speak.
I believe there are more things in this world than what we can see. As for religion yes I have faith, and I believe in God and Jesus Christ but was Jesus not a spiritual healer. Was Jesus not the son of God who raises from the dead a no one believed him??? The Bible was written by MAN. A Man was (in my own words) inspired by God to write the words in the bible which have been manipulated over centuries to control people, money, land, politics, and power. I love my God and Jesus Christ and yes I believe he died so I can repent for my sins; but that does not mean that there are not forces on this earth that we see and that don’t exist due to human ignorance.
Furthermore I don’t know what I am; Empath, healer, ect. All I know is that I feel peoples pain, I never watch the news because it makes me decreased, I know when people are not honest with me from the GATE, I get pains in my stomach when I feel something bad is going to happen, and often never realize d that is could be a gift. I often get vibes from people and am not wrong about my vibes. I always thought that I was just an intuitive Aquarian until recent events and the realization of past experiences. I also notice that I always have a cat and a dog. All my life I have had a cat and a dog. Never bought one, I always found them on the street some where. Cleaned them up and took them home. I never realized that there is a possibility that they can be my protectors until today. I will give you some examples of how I came to the conclusion of what I think is going on:
Ex1: As a child I was always talkative and loved to sing. I could sing before I could talk. My mother told me that I used to be visited by ghosts or spirits as a child and I would talk to myself and play alone a lot.
I can remember always knowing when I will get in trouble or when something bad was going to happen by getting a pain or knot in my stomach. This would be the early warning sign for me. I would always watch cartoons because real TV freaked me out. My child hood is very vague due to traumatic events I have blocked a lot of my memories from my child hood. But I remember always feeling that I can feel people’s energy. I would often say “Go over there with that; don’t rub your attitude on me. “ Not realizing that this may have been my way of blocking people out. I have always been considered the lone ranger of my family. I’m the only one that comes around for special occasions only. I never realized how much I isolate myself from people and things. It was not until I because a social worker years later that I realized that I have a gift to understand people who can’t talk or walk, speak , hear etc. (Counselor for people who are mentally challenged , Intellectually disabled. I was such a great counselor that I was promoted to Asst Psy in less than a year and had no prior experience in the field.) Realizing this has opened so many doors that I wish I could close. Since working with my clients I believe that even spirits affect me. It has taken me a long time to control myself and learn about my personality, but I honestly feel like I am affected by people who are not even living. (Please tell me I’m not crazy)
My family is big believers in spirituality and religion. There was always a bible in my house and church in our hearts and souls my family is African American and this was instilled in us for generations. My mom used to tell me that if I ever felt that someone or anything was trying to communicate with me to tell them to go away and she said to close your eyes and pray to god. She told me this as a child and to this day I have never forgotten this.
Recent events
EX: My god mother was telling me about a situation with my relative who is being abused by her spouse and during her telling me the situation I blurted out her new born sons Name (didn’t even know she had a baby, and have not spoken to this girl in years) Finished all of my god mothers sentences, and told her that the girls is not ready to leave her spouse and will not take the plane ride back to NYC. The part that freaked me out was I was right about everything.
Ex2: A close friend of mines spouse was in a serious car accident and during a period of about three months I helped her take care of her two daughters. During this time I felt very compelled to help her. I don’t know why. It’s not like she really needed me but I really felt like I needed to be there. I would always tell her that he will be fine. . . I don’t know why but I really felt that he was going to be fine. I told her that his leg will heal and he will be okay (he was in a COMA but I was not worried) He awoke from the coma and went through a series of surgeries and was doing well. I felt a not in my stomach one day and she came to the house and told me that his leg won’t close, and the last surgery didn’t go well. I felt obligated to see her spouse (whom I really don’t like because he gave me bad vibes when I first met him years ago. I only met him once prior to this day) and gave him a mini pedicure. I cut the hairs off of his toes and everything. I don’t know if that help but he is home on crutches now. His leg is not fully healed but healed enough for him to come home.
Ex 3: At the current moment my friend (who I described above) and I agreed to live together so we can help each other out, but since we moved in to this new apt ( which I love the apt and found it myself) I have not felt comfortable in the house. I can’t sleep there, or eat in this house. I always find a reason not to be there when she and her spouse are awake. I come home really late just to get sleep. I never noticed it until she asked me if I’m Bipolar because I never sleep and am often Cranky to the point where my attitude is very nasty. It’s not that I am nasty I just feel like she is lying to me about something and I have a feeling in my gut that something is not right. I can’t pin point what it is but something is going on between her and her spouse. I often find myself telling myself over and over I knew some this is going on, I just can’t figure out what it is. So I just leave and find other things to do that are away from the house.
Ex: today was the breaking point. . . A friend of mine from high school who I have not seen physically since 2006 hit me on up on the internet and we began to chat. The last time I spoke to him was six months ago. As I looked at his pictures on his page I begin to feel a pain in my chest, and a knot in my throat. I asked my friend if he is still was dating the girl in the picture and he said no. I asked him if she broke up with him and he said yes. I asked him if he feels a pain in his chest and a knot in his throat and he said yes and described the same pain and in the same locations where I was feeling my pain. I started to feel weak in the arms and I told him not to be nervous I feel your arms shaking. My friend was in total shock. We held a lengthy conversation and he told me that I have a gift that’s beyond this world because I was able to tell him how he felt now and how he felt 6 months prior. Six months ago we held a conversation over the phone and even though it was a chipper conversation I felt that he was lonely and confused and he (today) agreed that this was true. This was the only reason I begin to research inner emotions, and this is how I found this page.
I read some of the blog and felt the need to share my story. Like I said I’m not claiming to be anything or anyone but me, but there are things that occur everyday that you can’t just ignore because you don’t understand. If anyone is able to give me some insight I would really appreciate it.
Thanks a mill
re: #5
"no matter who they are and what they’ve done to you?"
Excellent summary, however- this statement may need to be "reworded" it is not quite accurate- as it leaves too much room for unhealthy assumption. An empath will not invite an abuser back into their life/seek out to care for... (ie: sexual abuse, physical/mental, child, etc...) Thank you so much-
It is just impossible ..
Im not sure on this i whould say i can feel peoples pain but i whouldnt say it hurts me maybe i draw off the energy i can draw it out in others i mean there fears i feel them hell sometimes i can read them in people just catching there eye maybe im not a empath maybe im something bad becose who wants to see peoples fears ? or maybe im crazy. (ive never told anyone)
Well written on some of the experiences of Empaths, Isabella.
As a fellow Empath, I highly recommend staying away from malls. And crowded area if possible. Way too many energy and you get drained fast. And take good care of yourself...sometimes we have to be selfish and take care of our needs before we try to help others.
There is SOLUTIONS for us empath out there...
Hi everyone, I'm from Malaysia and I'm 13 years old. I'm not exactly sure if I am an Empath, but I want to ask this question if this is related to empathy. Whenever I feel other people's happiness when they are in a group or something, I feel drained. Is this really empathy or it's just that I am jealous of them? (I do know the basics about empathy. Like feeling what other people feel, etc...)
My name is simon.
i am a devout christian. i have such a strong faith connection and relationship with God and Jesus Christ.
I have been saved, and physically felt God's presence in my life.
i go to confession at least every 3 months. i KNOW God loves me.
i am also an empath. i can testify to the truth of being a saved christian, and having psychic abilities. i am not possessed.
God gave his disciples special gifts. at the Pentecost the followers of Jesus were endowed with special abilities. tongues of fire and light were emitted from them. they were gifted with the ability of speaking in tongues.
If i am damned because i have this gift.. then so must be every other God loving/fearing christian.
I have read a lot of comments pertaining to religion and empathic abilities! Remember all that we are every part of our being is a gift from god. Empathic or not! It's what we do with those Abilities, or decisions that we make, that determines what kind person we are. Seperating the two only causes conflict within yourself, And pleases the man downstairs. The thing is we are extremely aware of our surroundings and other people feelings and intentions! Who is the only person that your leaving out? YOU! That's right you ! I can only say this way, being completely aware is the combination of knowing how people feel and bein able to sift thru it immediately still being and seeming completely normal. It takes focus though, constant focus! When you first start to practice it will drain you psyhcologically, But the more you do it the easier it becomes.
A few years ago I first heard the term empath and became curious since the word itself resonated very deeply within my being. I believe I fall within this blessed group of people and am grateful for the opportunity to feel some of the things that others are feeling. I use it in a helping way and do not let it overwhelm me because
I believe it is my purpose on this earth. I try to "work" with one or only a few people at at time and keep the others on a back burner for future encounters. You see I believe that my gift is to be the eyes, ears and mouth of a loving "god", creator, being, or whatever one might perceive the original source of love to be. Sometimes I only listen. Sometimes I get physically involved(such as displaying affection or actually giving advice or tangible help, depending on what the problem is), and sometimes I defer to my higher power to intervene. It can be exhausting but that is when I ask for help from God and sometimes I am released from the burden when "He" takes over. Other times I am forced to see it through. But let me say that if I were to be taken from my earthly life today, I would feel satisfied in knowing that in some small way I made a difference.
i have a question for isabella snow. if an empathic can heal and make people feel better does that mean they can also hurt and make people feel worse? i'm just asking bc i fear i may be an empathic and if so i do not wanna hurt anyone.
I need assistance. Any and all help would be appreciated. I am 23 yrs old. My entire life even as a child Id been someone people easily opened up to. My first several jobs were working with children/special needs children which i loved doing, i also spend time taking care of my elderly sick grandparents and my sick mother who has fibromyalgia and severe back problems. I am someone you could always talk to (and people always do). I feel an overwhelming need to help anyone who needs it. Growing up on numberous occasions (and still to this day) my friends/family have to force me to not stop and pick up every hitchiker, stray animal, or help every homeless person I see. (infact just yesterday my mother yelled at me cause she found out I picked up a hitchiker in our rural area and drove him like 5 miles down the road). Throughout my whole life this has gotten me hurt my need to help those who needed it and even when i know its someone who will hurt/betray my frienship i still am there for them. My friends have told me that when we are all together the whole room can feel what im feeling if its an overwhelming feeling (whether it be happy, sad, angry, or in pain). Like i controlled the mood. After being around people i feel exhausted. I would watch (or still watch) an intesely emotional movie, and cry for 2 hrs after and then any little thing could set me off for another few hours after that too. Around my junior year of high school i started getting really bad anxiety attacks (that i can best describe as it felt like my skind was crawling) in class (weird cause even then i was a very socialable person and involved in lots of extracirriculars including band, colorguard, and editor for the school paper) and would get intense bouts of deep depression for a night and then be fine again the next day (i have not seen a connection to a person but that isnt to say there wasnt one there, i did not consider this possibility until recently) although i did find out that my parents were going through the almost disolution of their marriage in the same house at the time. I have been told i suffered from depression and when the meds for that made me sick I was told i was misdiagnosed for bipolar 2 (as in type 2 bipolar, note bipolar also) i no longer take the meds for it they did not make me feel right even my mother often said she didnt think that was a right diagnosis. Starting around the same time as the anxiety attacks I started having trips to the hospital. I was later diagnosed with poly cystic ovarian syndrome (cysts on the ovaries) which does cause pain, but even with all their treatments and surgeries i always have pain, and not always just abdominal, also back, neck, headaches (intense headaches), knee pain (my sister has bad knees and has had surgery on both and is going to have to have one redone and my same knee is flaring up badly but i didnt find out about my sister till after the knee flared up. Any insight would be great. Im basically kinda getting my life back after being bedridden almost for 2 yrs from the pain but i still have lots of pain and i tend to self medicate to block a lot out i think
I have a question.
How do you become an Empath
Im not asking coz i want to be one but coz i believe i am
i feel what people feel i know what truely goes on in their heart. I dont know if i was born like this or whether it is a result of the death that i have experienced in my life.
But i know that this life of mine is filled with pain and suffereing.
Something no one other then other empaths will ever know.
I'm a empath also.
I knew about this by my cosin who is a medium and things online etc. I am depressed cause of it, i dont even know whats going on half the time... everything you said in the posts is 100% me, without even doubting it for a second, that is me in everyway possile. And this cristian might as well say we are the devils children.
Im no sure if god is real or not, but if he is.. then i love him for creating such a beautiful planet and everything else that comes with it.
I dont know why people feel the need to be psychic or obtain empathy, its draining me.
I am a hermit, and i think its cause im unable to shield myself from peoples emotions.
I cant sleep!! i thought it was normal depression cause ive been crying etc but.. empathy can make you like that like you just said. Ive sensed things like ghosts, and heard them, sensed peoples emotions, including my mums and told her excactly how she is and she calls me "My gifted child" hahaha :) Nice mum! lol.
Its so scarey cause, i dont have any other empath friends, and others may think im weird the second i mention myself being an empath and psychic.
Im scared they will hate me. I dont leave the house that much, and this constant cough, stuffy nose and buzzing ears(which is die to me being blocked up and allergies) but i heard empathy can give you buzzing ears.
I just dont know, but no matter how much sleep i do finally get, i still feel tired(maybe thats cause im slightly aneamic though.. i take iron tablets and allergy tablets lol)
But i know for sure, that was i exsperianced twice, maybe more is no coinsadance. Something saved me from under them infaltable islands at the swimming baths, and someone i hadnt seen for 8years, shows up 5-10mins after i mentioned him to my sister.
Its to weird to not be anything... no human can guess someones coming after 8years! thats rediculous.
I can sense if someone is good, or bad! but, these have been past boyfriends, and i chose to ignore my empathy! and every single one ended badly! i knew it... everytime my stomach churns and i feel like i want to get up and shout or somethings like that...it's telling me... this is good, or... this is really bad! if it's bad, i get a slight throbbing headache.. or just feel sick.. or, that there just something that isnt right. I'm getting the excited feeling now as im typing lol.. its like butteflies.
U could not be more right when u said about u imagine that many of depress people are just empath that dont know what they are.
I was one for many years before knowing. From a very early age, I would cry for no reason. I was nicknamed Butter. Even in the most happiest festivities I found myself overwhelmed with sadness unexpectedly. When I grew older I was able to see how shortly after, someone I knew would call me or visit telling me of something that was causing them pain. Got so I would ask them was u going thru this or hurting more between this and this time? Yes, was often the answer. I was also accused more than once by my mom that I was the devil's child because I can sense people who were ill (terminally in many of the cases) and they didnt even know. My grandfather was my youngest experience. Being a strong farmer there were no signs to the naked eye that inside he was riddled with liver cancer. Being the strong silent type no one knew. The day I ran out in the middle of the night barely 6 years old screaming that grandpa was gonna die, my mother slapped me, shortly after when I reached his home to find him unconscious on the the bedroom floor I was told it was my fault. So, yes it was not a GOOD life at all. Depression lead to suicide attempts and so on. Yet, strangers of all ages and sex come to me and opening up for NO reason at all even seeing me not at all an appealing person at the time. Hair unkept, hand me downs too big and extremely boney with a real thug walk and I am a girl, never stopped them. The fact that I was a teenager didn't matter to them at all. I often heard people say, "I don't even know why i am telling u this" yet the went on. Often ending with "Wow! I don't know why but just being around u makes me feel so much better". They would go on their way and I would feel as though I been poisoned. Stomach always upset, bursted my 1st ulcer at 18. Heart always heavy. I truly felt as though they dumped all their trash on me. I have huge medical reports of how many ways being an empath can screw u up. Sleep disorders, ulcers, gastritis, migraines, endless mental disorders when u dont know how to deal with it or that u even are one.
I can go on and on with stories that lead to my understanding that I am an empath, but what I really want to express is how learning about it helped me so much.
For years I thought me a freak. A misfit who surely had to be possesed by evil. Specially those times when I would meet a person for the first time and speak before thinking saying things about them they preferred unknown.
Most hated that they could not get away with lying to me, although I often brought out the truth so matter of factly, not judgemental at all. As I come to accept it as almost natural for most people to lie so easy. Let's just say I am the kind of person u either love or hate no in between.
My whole life I always heard the world "intense" being used when describing me. I realized now that "VERY" is often the gauge to a sensitive. we simply feel everything VERY much. It become very difficult to be around many people at once. We can becomce very depress feeling so many things we cannot change.
The good part about understanding what u are is knowing how to avoid being in situations u cant deal with. I learned I cant shut it off and on, so I can simply avoid mass quantities and I can work on perspective, trying to find the possitive in everything so that all the negativity does not overwhelm me.
Sadly, being an empath all my life in a family with far too much sickness and chaos for even the average sensitivity person, I became D.I.D. I have no doubt that most D.I.D. people have an empath personality.
In my case only 3 are, the other personalities are the ones that help me desensitize in order to survive this curse like gift.
It's either that or snap permanently or become catatonic. I suppose like all things there are degrees of emapthy even for the sensitives. I feel that those that can deal with it without ever having ended in a looney bin or into drugs or become a hermit or anything of the sort at some point in their life are just less sensity than other empaths. I am practically a hermit. I leave my house less than a dozen times a year and that is mostly for appointments. It limits the confrontations therefore keeping me useful for those I can help. I rather deal with less people I can help than too many that I become useless to all. I wont even pretend that understanding what I am makes life normal. It doesn't. It just makes it easier to work with it.
I can happilly say I have not attempted suicide since 1981, nor do drugs since and I have a pretty good life. In fact I love my life even though I have to limit my presence around lots of people. I feel like the most blessed person in the world cause another good thing about being an empath is that we can appreciate things more, feel them more, colors are not just colors, smells are not just smells everything heightens, so u can imagine what making love is like :)
Yes, being an empath is very very challenging, but once accepted and understood, and u modify your life accordingly it can be Nirvana.
i have no idea what to do, i can just feel everything and it's ruining my life. i dont only feel what people are feeling , but i can see what people have gone through, past and present and it's getting worse. one second im happy and i decide to go and socialize. but then everything turns to sh*t. i have no idea what to do. i've tried accepting the gift that has been given to me and everytime i get a vision i try to control it. but whatever i try, i have no power over it. i have no idea how to control it. can you help?
Hi thanks for the info but I think I am because I do feel those symtoms but I have never seen it as a curse not since I was a little girl who saw things no one else could but now as a teen I see that I like feeling what others do it makes me feel great even when I'm so tired and feel terrible with confusion of others I still love being an Empath.
wow. i'm glad to see so many fellow empaths in the world. yes, being an empath sucks because the world is filled with lots of people that are depressed, sad, bitter, angry and if you rub elbows with these people well you get the same energy. so i guess it's very important to associate with people with positive energy. i just found out i was an empath like last week. this explains why i get scared easily watching horror movies, i am very sensitive to other people's feelings and yes i can tell wether someone is lying to me or not. wow, i'm really glad i've found this link and found bunch of empath's like me : )
I googled emapath and just read your fine article, thank you. It resonates with my experiences. I've learned instinctively how to tune things out to a degree but it's not easy. I used to drink heavily. After I regained my health - more than once - I started noticing the level of other peoples health and their characteristic energy like never before. All I have to do is have a conversation with someone, or just be in their presence, and I get a very real sense of their health and mental energy. When my mom was in respiratory ICU I had trouble breathing for days. When my Dad was having colon surgery I had an upset stomach and no appetite for days. Those are just two examples. When I was a kid, I used to wonder why grown ups were so dumb, actually numb compared to me.
I re-balance myself by playing guitar, walking in the woods, taking pictures... I also spend a lot of time alone. I fit the anagram of what Gary Null identifies as a Creative Assertive. Creative Assertive people, like the Empath, are not on the same wavelength as most other people, just for starters. It's always good to remember that most other people don't see and feel the way we do.
I practice mindfulness meditation to focus my empath abilities
Thanks for posting the 7 signs! I am a empath and have had this ability all my life. And although some people think its fun all the time, it wasnt for me. I grew up in a house with a bunch of negative energy and a very ill mother. I was constantly in pain, constantly thinking something had to be wrong to be in so much pain. Until I learned I was an empath and I felt other peoples pain and energy too. And not only that but I can see and hear spirits, can get confusing, scary and painful. Still trying to figure it out!~
I dont understand how other empaths deal with people as well as they say. I physically hurt whenever I am in large crowds. I have know what I am since I was a child. I am always "sick" and it's miserable. I have unwillingly become anti-social and only align myself with what i suppose you would call the "purest" of people. I simply am unable to block the emotions that are not my own. It's an awful existence.
Great article!!!! I'm 13 and recently ive been seeing auras. I got a book from the library about it and it started talking about empaths. So, i got curious and googled it and clicked on this site. After reading this, I now realize im an empath too. Im kinda scared and the fact that im VERY involved in my Catholic faith and wait Frettbuzz or whatever said is worrying me. =( so am i like evil now?????? Thanks 4 the AWESOME hub 2!!!
This article was very casually written, but actually dead on. I'm an empath, and work professionally in the metaphysical field, as well as an author of a book on developing your natural psychic abilities of which I also teach classes. I am developing a website centered on psychic development, like you said, there's not much info out there. But this was very on the nose.
Like many of the commentators here, I've been trying to understand what's wrong with me and why I'm so sensitive.
For the longest time I was resigned to thinking I was crazy and trying my best to not show it.
Over the last couple of years, I've noticed a change. Either I'm somehow getting more control over it, or I'm getting stronger. Or heck, maybe both. However, I feel like I'm ready to see this as something other than an affliction.
I have a real affinity towards animals, nature, and trees especially. However, I also seem to have a strong sensitivity towards what I think is residual feelings. I love history but have a real hard time going in museums or historical places. I get overloaded to the point where I can start describing things, people and places. It kind of scares me because I've also felt other things.
Is there any other place or articles you would suggest where I can get more information? It's been hard to deal with this and I would like to learn more. Unfortunately, as you said at the beginning of your article, there isn't a lot of credible information on this kind of thing out there. So anything that you can suggest would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
i dont know exactly why im asking questions about these things i personally believe that anything is possible just not to me. i am at a loss though. i used to be able to control everything but ever since my first tour in iraq it all just shutdown and i became completely numb. i used to have to fake all of my emotions and it felt good not to feel anymore i was alot more sociable being numb. and then i got married and it blew way out and now i cant control it anymore. i never really tried to figure this out but now i cant stand it im so overwhelmed and now things are happening when i dont want them to. so since i never tried to learn about any of this im at a loss. my whole life wierd things always happened but they were meaningless things and i have always kept this my secret. but when i got deployed really really really i mean really wierd things started happening and all of the other deployments after that. i dont want to say what they are because im sort of embarrassed and shy about all of it but i started looking and i think i might be an empath only because alot of the stuff thats happened is it but im not sure because there is alot of other stuff that cant be possible that happened to me too and I know its me thats doing it because it happens too much almost defensively but now i am scared of the things i do and i just wanted to know what are all of the things that an empath can do because some of these things are completely not possible. i wont name them but please let me know.
thank you
I'm so glad you wrote this and I happened to find it. For a few years now I've been thinking it was likely that I'm an empath but I thought it was maybe just my imagination. But after reading this, I'm sure I'm an empath. Except for the healing part... Well, I can take away the emotional pain of others for a period of time but I haven't physically healed.
Although I can understand why you would see it as a curse, I can see how it's a gift as well. Just regarding that we know how to control it.
is there a way you can learn how to heal and im 14 i had no idea about what was going on uptil now some kids at school thought i was weird but i knew i wasn't i felt bad after this so now i hav an excuse and this is a gift it may not appear to be one but i belive it is... and im a strong christian. so people like mr fret who dont listen to other opionions, your a butt- head but i agree with many of you who say that this isn't anti-christ like. it CAME FROM GOD. God created all right? (Genesis 1:1 God created the heavens and the earth.) and i say everything in it... so be glad you have a gift personal from God :)
I have known that I am an empath for some time now and am experiencing something about which I haven't seen much written. There are a few people in my life who almost always tell me that I misunderstand how they feel. I don't mean once in awhile or even a majority of the time - I mean at least 90% of the time. Has any empath out there ever experienced this? My gut feeling is these people resent having their feelings known by me in such an intimate way. These are people with whom I have been remarkably close, who would say that they know me better than I know myself. However, our lifestyles and values are very different, and I have hidden significant parts of myself from them (such as the fact that I am an empath) because I don't want to experience their judgment. At least two of them would probably laugh if I told them I was an empath. They flat out would not believe me, as they perceive me to be insensitive. I believe this is because their energy literally paralyzes me: my thoughts, my reasoning and my ability to act on those. I avoid these people like the plague, and feel terrible about it, because like I said, I have been very close to them all at different times. There should be some kind of empath mentoring program. This is so difficult. My whole life I have known there is something different about the way I relate with other people. My relationships with the people I love the most are strained because of what I am. It is isolating and heart-wrenching.
hi and thank you for opening up my eyes .
I have been noticing changes in me and thought i was depressed or something just wasnt right.
But i have come to the relization that its simply empath which now makes alot of sense to me.thankyou so much.
How do you control this ? Is it a psycic ability??
I have been this way since I can remember...I have always had the innate power to "read" people, especially when words and energy collide. At those times, I can actually see pictures of the truth flashing by--in other words, when someone says to another "You are always so happy" and the energy I am recieving does not coincide with the remark or the emotion implied....then I can REALLY see into people.It is like no truth EVER escapes me, ever. I cannot be lied to, secrets cannot be kept from me, nor can emotions be feigned. I accept this--though, my children have taken to calling me "a hermit' because being in crowds is too bombarding at times...actually, every time I get into my car to venture to town, my stomach knots up...and it is not "anxiety" per se...just a dislike of what I know I will be feeling (or plethora of feelings) once I get where I am going. I embrace who I am, though I, at times am overrought by who I call "seekers"--those who migrate to me with their sorrow, disappointments, worry, guilt, etc... I am sorry Mr. "saved" but cluelessness and easily-led come to mind while reading your comments. You are completely entitled to believe what you will, but I am afraid you are one of the very many who "think" they know and are doomed to a life of waiting for miracles to "happen." My heart goes out you...when in death you realize the truth could have been LIVED...
:) everyone dont you see how foolish you are being?
whether god or evolution the opposing side thinks of it as BS
and people obviously feel for this to get attention
how come every article here with any other worldly topic has to be bombarded by people arguing rather then a common solution?
look i believe that all people feel for eachother some people have grown sour and block out this feeling
and if someone gets pissed at this comment because it goes against what they believe im ok with that
believe what you want if it makes you feel better
im sorry to anyone i have offended but
also many explainations magnetic fields sonar placebo effect dont instantly give it an otherworldly definition cause thatd be cool to have a power and/or complain about it
For me being an empath depends on my day. Some days I am in my room, in my bed pretty much hating life and the next I find it fun and interesting how easy it is to read people. As a child I was told I was very intuitive and had a mature understanding of the world around me, so it is safe to say that I was probably a very young beginner empath. In about 4th grade my parents remember me going through a huge depression and they took me to multiple therapist. I guess I completely suppressed my ability until I was taking classes to become a level 1 reiki about 3 years ago. After the introduction to the class my teachers did something called attuning, which is supposed to open up the spirit and mind. Like you are being reborn and your senses are in full swing. They told me after that I would probably become more intuitive over the next couple of weeks and that I should take care of myself by performing reiki every night on myself. Low and behold about a week later I went into full blown empath, so bad that I would walk into rooms screaming at my family for no reason, hysterically crying after walking by a girl in the hall of my high school and randomly feeling overwhelmed in a classroom of only 15 kids. Finally about 3 weeks later I figured it out by myself somehow. It just came to me almost as if someone spoke the words to me. I didn't have a name for it yet but I was able to feel the energies radiating off people, animals, the earth, everything! I was scared out of my mind and yet fascinated. I asked many for help but everyone including my reiki teacher had no clue what I was talking about until my father who is very close to me just dropped the "E" word. A couple of weeks after that I noticed an energy I could not for the life of me pin point and it turns out I can feel the non living too. That very well could be the reason why I completely started suppressing it as a child. I was known for night mars, night terrors, and irrational fears of rooms which were never consistent. Which freaks me out to no extent! But then about a month later my great aunt died and even though I had not seen her in 8 years I knew she loved me very much and was proud of me. About 2 days after she died a new positive energy full of love appeared and her name immediately popped in my head. I could even smell her and at some points I swear I herd her! I spent a good 3 days with her at my side and honestly I couldn't have been happier. I do love her very much and I know she is happy. Letting go of her was so easy and every now and again when I need her she pops up within minutes. That is a major positive about this gift! I have been told by many psychics that I can do much more than that but I am too afraid to. For example I have the tools to even see the non living and maybe talk to them but guess what... HELL YES THAT FREAKS ME OUT! and if it did happen I'd probably faint. Communicating with the after life is one of my biggest fears! I am 19 now and I just finished my freshman year at MICA in Baltimore. Possibly one of the worst years of my young life! It started off great and then in October my grandmother who I was extremely close to died, only a couple months after my great aunt, her sister. I drove home 3 hours to see her and by that point she was considered just a body in a vegetable state but being an empath, I knew she was there still, stuck inside that useless body, waiting. To see her like that was extremely hard but for her I was going to stay strong. She wasn't in pain and completely at peace, just waiting. I began to brush her hair the way I always had and I could feel her falling into a sleep. It was weird cause everyone in the room figured she had already moved on but I knew she was there saying her goodbyes, sleeping at the moment. I was truly happy just being with her brushing her hair until my mother quietly told me it was time to leave. This was my mom's mom. Immediately my grandmother woke up because her energy levels became more aware and I could begin to feel her slipping, leaving. I immediately started to cry because at that moment I realized she had been waiting for me to come home to say goodbye. My mother told me to say goodbye to her and I kissed her on her forehead. Then unable to hold back anymore I rain out of the room hysterical. We left and by the time we got home we received a phone call that my grandmother died shortly after I left. I now know what the energy leading to death feels like if that makes any sense. I can now tell when someone or something is going to die. Just today I drove by a baby raccoon crossing the road in broad daylight and I stopped and almost cried. later on that day while I was driving back the little raccoon was dead in the middle of the road. That time I did cry.
Quick question for other empaths, have you been to a wake and realized how scary a dead body is? I can not get a single energy reading from them, like an empty hunk of flesh. Hopefully I won't defend anyone with that last statement but when I walked into my grandmothers wake I almost screamed. She wasn't there just her left overs, her main material item in this world and they dressed her up to look like she was sleeping but no reading, non what so ever. I was not able to go back into the room for the rest of both wakes. Happily though she did show up to her own funeral for the mass and was there and listened as I sang Ave Maria for her in the church. I love her so much and there is not a day I don't think about her.
For a good week while I was with my family I was ok, everything went down hill when I returned to school about 5 days later after she died. Suddenly her death sunk in and she hadn't come to visit me yet to say goodbye or something which at the time was very selfish of me but I was going through a lot. I started to fear that I was going crazy and that my Aunt never came to say goodbye and that there was nothing after death or that my own Babci (polish for grandma) was mad at me for something. Also everything I had worked on over 2 years to try and protect myself from the random energies from other people attacking my life, was completely destroyed! Not only was I depressed out of my mind and hopelessly lonely, I FELT EVERYTHING. It was then I discovered how much one of my roommates hated me and the worst part was I could not figure out why. Thankfully I had my own room and there I stayed beating myself up emotionally. Once I was beginning to get over my grandmother's passing she came to my brother, mother and I in the same night in a dream. In each dream she had a different way of saying goodbye and telling us that she was more than happy and ok. I woke up feeling much better. Sadly the whole empath part of me was still worse than every and every day my roommate's hate towards me got worse and worse. I eventually figured out that she was envious of me go figure and for what I don't know, but she turned one of my best friends at the school who helped me through my grandmother's passing, against me. I guess the stress became too much for my body physically and I completely fell apart 3 weeks before school ended. My knee popped out of place really randomly and easily which hasn't happened since I was in 7th grade and then a week later my back was in so much pain I couldn't move. Turns out I have a herniated disk that was pinching a nerve that ran down my right leg. I was on bed rest for 3 weeks and my blood levels were so all over the place doctors thought I had 5 other thing wrong with me, like juvenile diabetes. 2 weeks later I was retested and I was totally and completely fine. A month and a half later and I am doing much better and trying to finish my finals. Also I have the empath thing under control for the most part but I keep very little people close to me. I only hang out with about 8 people 4 of which is my family. I am proud of who I am and what I can do but getting it under control is incredibly hard. It really can be such a beautiful gift when you begin to understand it you just have to be careful a lot. If any other more experienced empaths have some little bits of advice in which to take control of your emotions and your life
Wow this kind of helped me out understanding what is wrong with me. I am a 14 year old girl. I took a quiz on Facebook and it was something about *What is your Supernatural Gift?* and I got an Empath. So I read the little description on it and I was just awe struck because it was exactly what I was experiencing. So I googled it and this was wht I found. The way you explained those things really stuck out out to me. And now I pretty much understand what ability I have. And no, it is not always fun. I just like the part where I can understand wht my friends are feeling and I can help them out with it. So really god bless you for posting something like this. I just want you to know how much this really helped me!! Thanks!!!
This article is very well written...in more ways than one. So many of us feel so alone in the world. I know I do. I was born August 16th, 1987, during the Harmonic Convergence. I don't know if you have done any research on the topic, but many of our Crystal and Indigo children were born on that day. My abilities seem to get stronger the older I get, and the harder it becomes to shield myself from unwanted energy. I have Crohn's Disease, and PCOD. Having these two diseases, and being an empath...no easy feat! Reading this article gave me a sense of comfort, and for that I thank you!!
Reading this made me cry!
THANK YOU SO MUCH for putting such good words on a very difficult matter.
I really do believe I am one, I match all of these things, other than the 'healing' thing, which I wouldn't have a damn idea on how to find out, would it consist of making everyone calm around you, that was just extremely sorrowful, but now you feel that?
I too have been an empath all my life. I can sense the emotions of others around me, I can read other peoples hearts, as well as channel other peoples emotions. I too have all but the healing part, which i think is why I stay away from crowds or places where there are more then 2 or more people around, because the bombardment of emotions around me that I feel overwhelms me. I always thought I was weird too, this is wonderful to know I'm not the only one out there
I am an empath, and have known since I was 8. Well...I knew something was up. When my parents got divorced I could always feel my mothers pain. And, since I was only 8, I was, naturally, in pain too. I thought of my gift as a curse, but now think otherwise. I always couldn't sleep, and woke up at odd hours of the morning. I attempted to run away from home twice. I was always a loner, wallowing in self pity. I got good grades, read a lot, and didn't talk much. Then,when I was starting junior high I made my first 'real' friend because I saw her in the school counsellor because of depression. I thought we would be a perfect match. I was right
Now, years later, we are still great friends. I have learned to turn this curse into a blessing. I hope this helps some empaths who just don't understand what's happening or feel all alone.
Best wishes,
Sarah-Lynn.
I have all my life felt different. I have always been drawn to people that are in need. I have felt the pain of people, moods of people, and even the emotions of people that I would walk past. Never knew why I had an overwhelming need to be alone, I become overwelmed with clutter. Everyone called me moody, and I thought I was mentally ill. I have worked hard to not feel this way to the degree I have shut down emotionally. I don't which is worse. Help, how do I find balance and embrace my gift,
Hello, I really found this article very helpful...someone told me I was a Empath...and as I was reading this, many of these things applied to me! Many times I feel overwhelming emotions for no reason, I feel overwhelming emotions everyday...when I see a person in pain, when I watch the news...for everything. I see spirits and I sometimes...can feel them very strongly. This is all very weird...but I don't know...thanks for the article. I am very compassionate, and I do cry often, for every living creature...everything. Am I just overly sensetive...I don't know, It feels very strange at times...
You are absolutely right about Knowing if this is you or not. I have never been so sure of anything before in my life. Thank you for being the first light after Uriella explained to me what has been happening for 35 years...I would like to comment on Fret at the very top...I stop reading after a few because I started to feel about him the way he was feeling about us and I was able to Knock it off. What a wonderful thing light is when you use it...He obviously does not realize that what he was describing as the Devil was exactly the way he was acting and it just never ceases to amaze but now it makes no more Crazy....YAY! MUAH to you all and Double MUAH to all EMPATHS!
I just read this again, and then again a few more times
and Im speechless I mean this honestly relates to me completely..I cant even describe it, and if you think about it , it would explain why people think Im bipolar, since my moods would change depending on that of what Im picking up..I mean Im still edgy because Idk if this is real or not...but Idk..its just..so weird
Hi a lot of this relates to me but people just tell me I know how to read emotions really well. Im seventeen and recently diagnosed with Bipolar, but its like when Im with people I can ...feel what they feel even if I dont agree or dont want to feel that way. Im a very very emotional person but it all depends on who Im with and how they are and idk its..strange. People do open up to me ALL the time Ive even thought about being a pyschologist but ...I wanna know..am I really an empath..is that..possible..
I'm a Christian... I can't "heal" but I have all those other signs/symptoms.. and i know I'm not demon possessed as "fretbuzz" said 3 yrs ago.
I am a believer because my friend is one and I think I might be starting to become one.
Thank you for writing this article. I am glad that I found it because it helps me to understand myself a little better. I have recently discovered that I too am an empath. I can feel the physical and emotional pain of people around me and at times people I don't even know. I have panic attacks when I take on the emotions and pain of others, but I would not change anything. I feel this is my calling and I would love to learn how I can use these abilities to help others. Nothing makes me feel better than to see someone heal. I am glad that there are others who understand and want to do good things with their gift. Thank you for sharing your story and advice.
This post is very helpful, I have been told and have know i am an Empath for years now, i just needed a comfirmation of that... ever since i was a child i was wanting to help people, animals, and plants in anyway possible.i remember as a todler picking off dead leaves on a rose bush and my mom coming out of the house yelling, "what in the world are you doing?!?" i simply replied, "im trying to help the plant mommy, its hurting." i have always been called by all of my friends to get asailed by their problems. i enjoy being looked as a go-to guy, i get uncomfortable in crowds and cant stand pep rallies at my high school (way too much emotion) i go hide in a secluded place to get away from it. i am not just an Empath either i am a Seer, i have prophetic dreams and deep down feelings. i had it figured out when i met my witch friend and she is like me also.
thank you again Isa
Hi, thank you for posting this is was very helpful. I knew the minute I started reading yep, been there done that and have been looking for something that could be shown to others in difficult belief systems that could not grasp this. It's real and it's not fun. I will come forth and say I never asked for this, didn't want my eyes open to it and wanted to walk away and reject said gift. Both a blessing and a curse. I have been told through friends this terminology. For awhile time was told I was an energy user and at that time I was tied to my parent's faith and dismissed it. I know "energy users" who can tell exactly where I am and tell you when I am coming to visit. He knew when I was on the plane and no one had told him I was flying. I come from a long line of healers. Was told by my grandmother it did not make sense I had this ability because God had told Papa he must "transfer it out of our bloodline". Papa "taught" an in-law and Papa had the ability to stop heavy bleeding. Many in the family attribute their "gifts" to God which they are entitled to believe. The non-believers are divided between it's a mental illness or demon possession. Drugs do mute it or make me drowsy enough to just not pay attention. Still have not learned how to block would look forward to any advice that could be given on this subject. I have gotten to the point I won't leave the house unless one of my friends makes me. This is a combination of a physically abusive soon to be ex-husband, living in a foreign country, and right now because if I feel one more person's feelings I might set my hair on fire. It's overwhelming like drowning on land. Someone shows up at my door and I open in I guarantee you in ten seconds I know if it's going to be a bad day. Nonetheless it's nice to know I am not lying or "insane". I never use the term empath with nons I say I am an emotionalist. Thank you. -Le
I have been helping people with problems since i was a little kid.people like to talk to me about there problems.I didn't know what this was until i watched an episode of star trek.I was about 6or7,they had a lady who could take your painthey said she was empathic.I knew thats what I was instantly.there's 8 ways toknow your an empath,the only one i'm not sure about is healing.Oh and by the way I'm also a 100%disabled desert storm Marine. The gulf war is hell on me,Ifeel there pain.We should have finished it when we were there.Can't even watch anything on tv about iraq war.Guess I know why now,you would think that every joint in my body screaming in pain every second of every day would be enough.I guess not good thing god made me a Marine so I could take it.
I live my everyday life as an empath. It grows and grows. I do not like being misunderstood, I do not like feeling compelled to give those close to me warnings of things that are going to happen because when it does happen, I get negative comments.
I do not like walking into a room having my whole mood change. I do not like it when being close to someone who is holding back anger and I feel that anger and show it.
I do not like feeling the sorrow. I don't always get why I suddenly change like this until the other person reveals they felt that way before my mood suddenly went downhill.
I do not like it when people approach me treating me as though I am someone to exploit for their own personal gain. I understand who those people are and will just go along with it but never complete their idea of exploitation.
It's all a learning lesson, this thing called life. On top of that I have a mild form of autism. This world is overwhelming and staying balanced everyday is difficult.
I have to deal with this but it is also a gift. I can spot a person up to no good way before anyone else can. How I react to it isn't always pleasant and I'm often asked to leave in favor of this sly con artist but time reveals the feeling was correct.
This isn't demonic possession. It's a gift but can be a curse if you allow others energies to drain you or affect your own space and mood.
i have a question i have been doingmy research about empath and what i have been finding i have some of the signs i dont have all the signs but i do have some so i am not one hundred percent sure i am an empath but recently about a feweeks ago me and my friend noticed that whenever she was not feeling well i would always txt her without even knowing that she needed help after i realised what i was doing i started noticing that i was picking up on peoples emotions and i hadnt realised till i started feeling angry and sad without having reason to be can someone message me please my yahoo is gangstateen34@yahoo.com i just need some help and more information thank you ahead of time
I am 30 years old, and I had no idea what's going on with me till today. What a relief! What a relief!
I still need to work on how to deal with it better, since I have the tendency to withdraw to not get drained.
All my life I have wondered what was wrong with me, as a child I placed in Charter for 2 months for "emotional" issues. Over the last 5 years or so I have questioned my "psychic" ability and then let it go a passing thought. Today at 28 years old I KNOW I am an Empath (possibly more). My life has been filled with unexplainable emotions and "feelings" once I could swear I could hear the thoughts of everyone around me (actually haven't been in public much since then). Anyways I am hoping that by accepting and beginning to understand who I am allows me to ignore all the negative energies that this world is filled with. How to not let the true things I see behind the "masks" everybody wheres affect me so. Or actually if I could just turn it off....perhaps I could go more places and talk to more people. Anyways Thanks for this thread and for describing me to a T. I now begin the journey of understanding how to control me ability and use it for the betterment of those around me.
I am tired now. I am a healer of pain and have actually diagnosed to the point that I have told people what I want their doctors to test for, blood disorders, internal organs, the exact areas that need to be X-rayed and know when surgery is necessary and know when someone is going to die if they do not get proper treatment and know when it's too late for them.
Where ever there is a problem within the body I can feel it it in a way that I cannot explain. The problem is that if there is anyone that is within a close proximity to me I can feel it and I am drawn to them compulsively without hesitation to try to help them.
Though the people I approach are highly receptive, it's the people around them and me that are not understanding and think I'm a nut.
I know when the illness is physical or mental and can tell the difference. But I have a problem and need help with it because when I am drawn to a person it is a very strong compulsion and I need help with this.
Any Advice?
please email me at taylor_stone@hotmail.com Thank you
i'm an empath, its kinda weird but i'm learning to master it... i kinda figured it out recently cause i would have all these strange feelings and able to figure out how someone is without even knowing them, but my friend is an empath too so he's helping me
This is strange because I've actually experienced these things. Like the healing. I've actually tried healing like that and I have no idea why I did it. It confused me. Thank you :)
i am really confused because i am like a human empath but at the same time i am a clairsentient. i do not sow my feelings much because i am very closed. some of these sympthoms the author explained has happened to me and i like being alone except when there people in the room who are also hyped up. can some one please help me?
Wow.
Now I understand how I'm different.
I'm not crazy.
Thank you,
Mallory :)
I want to thank you so much for this article :D it describes all of these things that I've been feeling my whole life and attributed to being bi-polar. Thanks for that!
I think you did a very good job with this information and with this article. I am an empath but have learned along the way to discern what gets in and how to process it. For example, as a healer I do not "take on" others pain, but I know they have it. I can however pick up emotional/mental/psychic pain and derangement, including of animals and plants. One has to learn to discern. Television is out of the question and has been for 20 years, although I can buy a dvd of a show with the ads edited out.
The work of Elaine Aron ( Highly Sensitive People) and meditation and much work on myself has helped.
empaths...satanism...anti-christ...all are true. well sme people are gifted to help and heal...sent by god & there are others who do not know but are having powers that hurt...pain...& kill.yet they do not know...worst part is people who are misguided with their powers..& due to bad influence...destroy!. & as we all know we use only 3% of our brain,there are so much powers & strength we have left dormant we first need to awaken our chakras & mid chakras especially the sixth chakra..the chakra of the third sight or as it is called 'the third eye' it unlocks psychickonesis & telepathy & telekinetic....thats all ive gotta say..for more info bout anything this is my email adress...gavinrakesh@gmail.com im in face bok also..as "Gavin D'mello "
Hi this is very imprtin too me... im 13 and i am an empath well im pretty shure i am and iv just found out and am so confused about it but i do love it at the same time. I have had a ghost attack me in sexual and physical ways and i need help on controlling it please help me
thanks so much xoxox
ps: my last name is actually snow not coping u i swear on my life lmfao! xD
-snow
I just want to say Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this article. I don't go out very often and that doesn't even save me from the invasion of feelings I get daily. I haven't been out during the day in a very long time. I prefer to be awake when others are sleeping and vice versa. I've moved three times in the past year because my neighbors have experienced the loss of spouses and divorces causing me crippling waves of emotion that caused me to think I was losing my mind. I can't watch T.V. without falling apart and the S.P.C.A. commercials absolutely destroy me reducing me to tears in seconds. whenever one comes on and I'm in the room my Husband or Son will jump up cover my eyes and tell me a joke or sing a silly song in my ear untill it's over. Luckily after all these years my husband noticed a common link between my emotions and the trauma of others. It started when I very reluctanly went to work for a friend during the Olympics in Vancouver Canada and was surrounded by 20,000 people at the least for an entire 10 hours. I couldn't even drive home. My husband picked me up and I started sobbing. He asked me what was wrong but how do you say every time someone gets near you you feel their anger,sadness,shame,murderous rage etc. it just sounds nuts and oh ya,when I feel these things if the emotion is strong enough I will also see flashes of bad things that people have done. Woah, ya...crazy right? I thought so. Anyways, I begged him to just leave me alone that night because I guess I needed to instinctively ground myself or something but this made him angry and hurt and defensive and the more upset he got well, you know, untill I was just a blubbering mass telling him about the people and the feelings and the flashes and that's when it happened. It was like all of a sudden he wasn't upset anymore he had figured it out! It just all fell into place in that one moment and, he started searching for an answer. When he read me your list I asked him if he was joking because I couldn't believe how exactly this was explaining me. I just couldn't believe it. I still don't know how to control it but I know what it is and I don't feel crazy anymore and it's all because of this one miracle of a woman and her life saving, sanity restoring, broken spirit healing article. Thank you!
Thanks for this article, I was raised to believe the same hogwash that fretbuzz is "not preaching". I am a christian and an empath possibly even more but since I was taught it was bad I almost ended up drugged out of my brain instead of learning how to shield myself from other's emotions. Open your mind God made everything even the big bad devil. We all answer to him. Again thanks for the articles I'm about to read more of your work.
Wow! This is a really great article!!!
After searching the internet for answers, this is truly the best out of all of them.
Out of all my family members, I believe in these psychic/empathic/medium stuff. My mom hardly believes in any of this, which is sad. For a long time I've been searching for answers to figure out why I'm this way. I feel like I can pick up on emotions and (almost) feel like there's a certain aura/glow around them. I've researched and researched until my only conclusion could be an empath. This is by far one of the most helpful articles I've found!
Thank you so much!!!
-Ellie
i can see the future. hen people are sad they automatically without warning willl start telling me everything. this happens a lot, especially wiht my friends. but sometimes it is random strangers. im 13, a random girl who was crying in a bathroom, told me everything that was going on out of nowhere. i didnt even know she was there. people think im crazy for claiming i can see the future, my own father makes fun of me and tells me it bullshit. i found out from my mom it runs in her side of the family [being able to see the future and since peoples feeling and having people vent to you without warning]. my mom tried to convince my dad of it he wouldnt budge. he thinks im completely insane. ive taken many psychic quiz... im passed everyone... only missed one answer out of 30-50 question on a test. i had a almost perfect score each time. isa. ur acticle summarizes me exactly right down to the point. as soon as i read the titles of each paragraph they described me right to the point. than the paragraph following stunned me that it was completely true about me. :)
as for fretbuzz, im Christian. i believe god died on the cross to save us from our sins. he gave me this power to help people. im determined to continue to help people using my gift, but as you call "the curse from satan". it a gift from god. god is the father, god is the son, and the Holy Spirit. yes i go to church. i love my church. i have very religious views, but if u r willing to tell them i am not going to go to heaven, and im part of the "anti-Christ", i think u you are wrong. god loves each and every one of us. he made us, who we are today. i believe he gave me, my gift of empathic, to help those in need. :)
The hardest part about being an empath for me at least in the beginning was how to block out the many emotions I was experiencing.
When it first started I was not only feeling the emotions of people but I was actually hearing their thoughts and in some cases their verbal sentences spoken from miles away.....
I could actually sense the thoughts of leaders in other countries...
I subsequently as a defense mechanism found that through intense concentration I could greatly lessen the emotions I was feeling and the voices.
At present I don't hear any voices unless the emotions are particularly strong. I have discovered as I have gotten older that I'm less and less empathic unless I sit still and tune in.
I have many stories wherein I have used my empathic skill to find people in my life who were presumed missing.
My empathic ability began soon after I got saved and received the Holy Spirit and was born again.
For me this ability was given to me by God in accordance with his will and Jesus had this ability as well.
When I am in the presence of other Christians who have the Holy Spirit I feel like I amplify the spirit; it's like I boost the signal. It becomes stronger. The more who have the spirit the greater the amplification.
After long periods of worship I often have prophetic thoughts that come true; In addition I am given to know struggles that people are having in their lives. I sometimes tell them that God knows and has heard their prayers. I am sometimes used by God to confirm for his believers that he has heard their prayers.
Wow.. I thought I was crazy, until a friend told me i was a very powerful empath. So, I did some research.... and all the traits describe fit exactly what i've been feeling... i would like to know more about empaths...
Grounding energy!! Being an empath can be cool and interesting, even enjoyable, fun and rewarding, it doesn't have to hurt!! It usually does though. Right now I have alot of energy stored up in my under arm area and under my knees. This sounds weird, but it ultimately materializes on the body as ringworm. So I have some skin fungus formations under my knees and pits! Before it affected my physicality with this skin fungus, many friends told me I needed grounding. I was sending my energy out too much, and not bringing it back in, just absorbing it. When I hear a friend bitch, I start to get the beat going in these places-I need to find a rhythm that releases this energy to self heal. I think by the time it accumulates physically it is sort of serious, and deffinitive change needs to take place, either with excersize or what? Color, Fuscia!!
hi,isa ,my name is yolanda and im only thirteen and expieriance these feeling you have explained regularly,but not exactly the same. I feel only strong emotions such as ,extreme pain, overwhelming nerves, strong love,etc,etc
am i not an imapth is it my mind playing games on me. becuase at times i talk to people and whitout them saying a word about it i know they are sad and i feel like crying, and there are days i dont even want to go outside,exaple: my mom gets an intense migrane and i get it to tho i had no knolage of her evan having a migrane. and i read this and i felt better, i just want to know becuase to be honest its scaring me.
-yolanda
Im 11 almost 12. I am an Empath. Everything I feel around me with kids my age is horrible. they are all deluded by TV and Technology - I use my computer alot though but not TV. Being an empath has happened to me in the last 6 months now. I have developed it. It's sometimes wonderful and sometimes I feel like dying. I play national level tennis, so I'ts whats im putting my life into. An empath like me understands things of which others can't comprehend. We have had the power to turn it on since the day we were born.
I personally want the empathy to go away! It's too powerful for me to control!
I mostly feel the pain of other people.
I may not be empathic, I might be self absorbed too much, idk.
Is it a gift or a curse?
you non-believers who say you read the BIBLE...what do you think Jesus was and his followers? Give me a break, you are hypocrits!
I'm not sure if I'm an empath, but I know that I'm not clairsentient. 1) I do pick up other emotions, but it's rare that I experience it as purely/intensely as they do. It tends to be more cerebral than physical (for lack of a better explanation). 2) I do not experience the physical ailments of others, but with touch (and sometimes without) I will know the person ailment AND the rememdy. I sense it in my body more than feel it as physical pain. 3) I am not overwhelmed with emotion when watching something horrible. Once again, I feel it, but it's typically more mental and rarely overwhelming. 4) I ALWAYS know what others mean and I have an extremely keen sense of intention that is hard from me to comprehend at times, but I've learned to trust it explicitly. 5)I am extremely compelled to care for people in pain. I often find myself approaching complete strangers who look forlorn and the homeless around my neighbor know me very well b/c I'm always giving them anything have extra wheter food or money. A few times I've given people the clothes and shoes off of my back! literally. People think I'm showing off, but it's a compulsion that I've actually had to learn to control. 6) People are always opening up to me and I'm not the most approachable looking person: I'm over 6', over 200lbs w/ course features and a stoic expression; yet, people always come to me for advice and marvel at my insight into people and situations. I've even scared more than a few people with my insights so much that they never spoke to me again. Some have run away from me in tears. I end up feeling like crap b/c I don't know what I did or said wrong. 7) To my knowledge I cannot or have not healed anyone although I get this powerful sensation that I can. My wife is massage therapist and energetic healer and she begs me to become b/c she says that I massage like a professional therapist and she marvels at my insight into other ailments and the remedies for it. She says that I already do all the things that she is learning in her healing school, but I have not interest in medicine of any sort.
I have a question. Most of my friends are usually upset and depressed, and I constantly feel the urge to help them. But each time I do, I feel like I physically took their pain and put it into myself. I don't mind, really, they come first. But is this something that could kill me emotionally? Could it make me depressed to such an extent that I'd need help? I do have my ups and downs, but every time I have a down, it seems to get worse and worse.
i have read your 7 questions and i am excited, i want to know more i have been this way all of my life i know things about people i sometimes don't want to know i have had the shared pain which i have learned to somewhat control myself, but there is so much more i don't understand things that aren't mentioned here and yes this is the first time i have ever tryed to contact someone about this and only my mother knows because it is not something i feel people will react to nicely, and your right i have no friends and boyfriends i don't keep around long, i have taught my self to walk away and not be emotionally connected for so long that it interferres with my well being. also i am catholic and i really doubt that satan has anything to do with this lol i don't have a url or html but i have facebook.
Well...I was suggested to this website. And from what I've read and from everything I've learned today. I'm an Empath. I feel others emotions, I never know what I truly feel. I've experienced the dead. I've encountered things people only dream of.
It's strange to finally be able to define myself as sane. I thought I was crazy, but when you feel your grandmother cross over the same second she died, and you felt the swarm of emotions a week before your brother committed suicide, there has to be some truth to what I have read on this site and others.
Isabella,
Thank you for this post. While I've been working on channeling my gift of empathy better, I still have those times where I must take off the entire weekend to simply recoup my energy. My empathy runs so deep that even if a friend tells me of a story that impacted one of their friend's or loved ones (someone I've never met) and it involves pain, I can feel it for months. In fact, I am still trying to get over a very disturbing event that a friend shared regarding her boyfriend and it was literally months ago! Sometimes, I will just be waiting for a taxi and I "see" the event (which I never really saw) in my mind's eye and it bothers me the whole day through. I can feel a shiver constantly roll down my body.
I am looking forward to more posts on how to cope with being an empath.
Thanks again!
Be well,
Laurie
Is it possible for an empath to pic up emotion from lets say an angry presence like a spirit and with that become angry for no reason?
I understand how you label it a curse.
Sometimes it hurts so much just to be in the same room with someone who is upset or sick.
When I was a teenager, I was so frustrated with all the emotional highs and lows that I withdrew from everyone.
Eventually, I was able to temper it slightly.
It still makes me feel overwhelmed sometimes, especially since I work at a domestic violence shelter.
Some days I feel as if the weight of the world is crushing me, and other days I realize that the pressure I'm feeling helps me to help them.
Overall though I'm exhausted by it.
I hope I can learn to manage myself better as I get older.
Thank you for the post, I always hear the words "Empath" and "gift" in the same context and it helps that someone else feels the strain.
Hi Isabella
In case you are ever criticized or judged by a Christian again (as at the very beginning of these comments) know that another name, Biblical name that is, for an empath is having the gift of Discernment, it is a Gift of the Holy Spirit. You can find information about it on the web, I encourage you to look it up :)
Thanks for the article. It is nice to know that there are others out there.
Not all christian are like the frizz guy who's coments are at the top. we aren't all ignorant to the appearent work god does threw his followers. and the first sign for that kind of self centered person is when he said you shouldn't evangalize. lol remeber "Jesus said 'go and make disiples of all men....' " a true christain cares for others
that was awsome if i can say so, and i think i might be an empath, thanks
Wow. I've been wondering all my life why I was so different, why everyone would use me as someone to let out their feelings to, why I have such horrible reactions to someone's stories of physical pain, why I'm depressed when I have no reason to be, why I'm claustrophobic without being claustrophobic, everything. I couldn't even stand to be around the people I call my family and friends most of the time because even they drive me wild with just their presence.
And all this time, I've been an Empath? Wow. It makes so much sense. I can only laugh in relief after reading this--I finally know what I am!
And it's true (and I'm saying this after only knowing for, what, five hours?), being an Empath is no walk in the park. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by SOMETHING--what I now know to be others' feelings and such things--that I break down and I can't handle it anymore. I remember once, I went to my first pep rally in high school during my Junior year. All those years before that, I didn't want to go; something just told me that it wouldn't be pleasant for me. And then one day my friends had had enough and dragged me along. The entire time I was there, I felt like everyone was pressing against me from all sides, and it was so loud and horrible and completely terrifying...I couldn't hear myself, but I could hear the girls behind me talking about the horrible breakup that happened that morning, the guys a few rows down from me getting "excited" from watching the cheerleaders, a group way over to my right getting angry about the people in front of them screaming the whole pep rally... It was so terrifying and horrible that I had to be escorted out of there by a couple of teachers, and the nurse had to put my in a wheelchair. My dad picked my up about twenty minutes later, and a little while after, when I was finally home, by myself, I was better. I couldn't understand it, and came to the conclusion that I was claustrophobic.
There were several other incidents like that, and many other things that have happened throughout my life that just FIT with everything that I've read today. I've been wondering whether I was an empath or not when I found out that one of my friends was one (funnily enough, we both have an unusual attraction to each other and at the same time can't stand to be in each other's presence for very long), and that's what made me "google" around.
I'm honestly happy that I finally know what I am.
I just wanted to say that as a Christian, I have struggled with accepting my gift untill recently due to the fear of being judged by other misunderstanding Christians. Real, true Christians, reserve judgment for God, and read and understand the Gifts in the New Testament, that God has bestowed on us! I agree that Satan can, use our gifts to take away from God's glory but I believe that if we have a intimate relationship with Christ, we will allow Him to guide us in using our gifts! I appreciate your article and hope so many others learn to accept this as a blessing!
Hey thought id add my two cents worth, first of I think the article is very interesting, but to a certain degree I honestly believe anyone is capable of picking up on other people's "feelings,energy,thoughts" what ever you want to call it just some people start of with it or pick it up without realising and i think the reason why most don't is that they have difficulty working past their own feelings.
-I also think that although it can be difficult to deal with peoples feelings once you view it in a positive way it can be quite useful.. by picking up on and often knowing what peoples problems are it becomes easier to help them fix it or simply show them you understand (many people become sad and frustrated because they think others don't understand them or they are so different)... YES! this dose take a lot out of you but don't forget if you replace the sad feelings they feel with good, you'll pick up on that two and if you start picking up a lot of good from people around you its not so bad. EG a person i know went through a bad patch drink,drugs,blades etc and he felt ashamed and couldn't talk about it but I some how knew i was able to help, that persons a great friend now.. note we weren't friends before i only knew them a few weeks.
Back to the article though the first point made me laugh because when I walk into some crowed areas I.e shopping centres i often cant concentrate, lose my breath and need to get away asap or if some ones with me I can concentrate on them and i'am fine. Honestly thought it was a form of panic attack or something but it wouldn't make sense as iam good on stage, power points or even at the cinema.. seems places were everyone's concentrating on the same thing dost effect me at all. The article made me wonder could this be related.
Oh and finally I just thought how funny it is when no matter what people talk about or do people bring religion into it and quote the bible. And I know ill probably get some smart comment back but the truth is its just a guide to what's black n white when in fact we all have to live in that grey area and try to make the right choices, high level empathy like this article may simply be a test to make the right choice.
Id be happy to hear and positive or negative feedback on my thoughts, thanks.
interesting reading some of the posts for years i have always been able to tell when someone is lying it could be so subtle and quick when i pick up on it though cant always explain whats behind lie for so long friends have thought i was paranoid is this normal my moods do swing without explanation and i do get down this has been pretty helpfull
I wish i was an empath, I do have the part where I do feel for people even if i dont know them or I just recently met them. I just want to be able to find the pain, even if its mentally, and just take their burden off them. Im not looking for attention or anything, its just that I have a very seclusive lifestyle and i get depressed about everything that deals with ppl and emotions. If only i could figure away out. *sigh* I guess ill just not amount to much in life, just finish college, pay it off, get job, own house, go to work day after day after day, retire, and live the rest of my life by myself & alone like how i am now. If only i could get my hands on cyanide things would be so much faster, if anyone knows where i can buy some hit me up pleasssse.
Wow, I just realized what has been wrong with me all these years. I always considered my sensitivity to be a curse. My empathy has given me so much pain that I also started "hating people" for it. So much so, I was quite happy to be a hermit for the rest of my life. Thankfully, that hate did subside. However, I try and avoid the news because reading some stories would just tear me apart inside. Sometimes, I'd have the sensation of my heart dropping to the floor. I also have powerful emotional dreams where I experience the most awful emotions possible - a combination of utter despair, loneliness, loss, emptyness. Dreams like that leave me depressed for days.
Thank you for your article. By the way, I'm also a Christian empath. Hopefully now, I can channel this into a gift rather than see it as a curse.
two words.
GREAT ADVICE.
I have always been able to "read" people for as far back as I can remember...I usually say that I pick upon certain "vibes" from people. Instantly I can tell a lot about someone just by being around them and interacting with them briefly. Until recently, emotions have been pouring in during interactions especially with children. Every since I had my first child, I don't quite know where the overwelming feelings come from, is it possible that post-childbirth can atribute to being more "in tune" with people in terms of their emotions? I find it very very difficult to watch shows...because I feel so connected to the characters that anything bad/good that happens just sends my emotions soaring or spiralling. Is this possible...I knew I had a connection with people earlier in life, but do u think that one can aquire the emotional aspect due to being a new mother?
My mother has always told me that she also has the ability to "read" people...makes me believe that it is hereditary. I recently had to go to a funeral viewing...of someone I didn't know but I picked up on the excruciatingly sad feelings...I couldn't even walk in without the tears falling immediately.
okay, so i a clairsentient and i think i might be and empth. in you're article i am most like numbers 4, 5, and 6. i am not overwhelmed all the time. sometimes when a close friend is upset i can feel the air around them is a lot thicker and harder to breathe through. i'm not sure if that makes me a full on empath. if you can help me sort this out it would be great! thanks:)
Can anybody tell me anything they know on the possibility of empathing someone elses dreams/sleeping problems. I cant find any information on this, but am sure that something related to this has happened to me lately...
i am an empath. i feel that i know this with all my being. somethings arent as strong as other things, but, what i do know if i an very easily affected by people more than most. people always say not to let other people's moods affect you, but i do not have a choice in the matter. i'm no hermit, but i an not party animal either. its too exhausting.
i knew i wasnt crazy but at the same time this brought me peace of mind.
I just want to state that I recently found out that I am a Sensitive Empath. I can feel energies and even spirits. I also can read people's auras.
I also want to state that I was brought up in a Christian family and I am one as well. I believe that these abilities are a gift from God; he's letting me feel people's auras that way I don't get into trouble. When someone's aura would make me uncomfortable, I stay away from them. It never means I hate them (someone actually thought I did and I had to explain to them that I didn't...and it was because I felt uncomfortable around him.) I never believe it's because of "demon possession."
I get drained easily throughout the day if there's a crowd. This sunday when I go home (since I'm in college) for spring break, I'm definitely going to meditate and practice shielding myself. It'll be more quiet at home than in this crappy dorm. Even Christians meditate and use "mantras."
My boyfriend can feel auras too, it actually helps us. But I'm more effected by it than he is.
Also, this article is awesome :D and it gives you exactly what an Empath is. Thanks Isa
omg it finaly makes snese EVERYTHING on this list has been hapening to me since i was verylittle and it has only gotten worse, to most promenent trait is how injured weak and hurtting ppl are drawn to me all my friends have some sort of mental emotional or physical problem and they always come to me even when i dont want them to and i ant walk into a building with out getting overwhelmed by its energy and sometimes my mood will change for no reason and then ill find out that my best friend is on her period or another friend is really mad at her parents for taking her cell or that my bf broke his toe or something like that and i always tried to tell my self it was coincidence cuz i thought i was mad to thing otherwise
this has been going on for years and at times it has made my life hell, i thought i was just weird or imagining things or over reacting
but now i final have anmae for it, and other ppl who have it too, and to mind out im not insane is always nice
I also have very sentitive fingers I feel them tingling all the time and if i put them close its like the charges are passing between them. Sometimes it feels like tiny little shocks, very very tiny though. I still am trying to cram it into my head that I'm an Empath... it's so unreal but explains so much!
I am 14 and have recently found out that I am 100% sure Im an Empath but I have questions about them.
1) When you touch someone skin to skin does anyone else feel a tingling go rigt up their arm. I can't hold loved ones hand for that reason it bothers me
2) Does everyone else get stared at by strangers. I don't know if it is i am pretty or it is because im an empath
3) Are old souls more likely to be empaths? I have been called one and it's a random but interesting question.Is anyone else both an old soul AND empath?
That's about it. And I agree, it's not that fun alot and it gets on my nerves when im out shopping trying to have fun and suddenly i feel like i want to yell at my mom and storm out of the store. Very frustrating.
I knew i was an empath when i saw the 'it isn't glamorous' part. I hate it when my mom gets mad and my head hurts for a second or when I'm out in public and im going wacky because of all the gut feelings. Also are Empaths usually stard at when they go out like people are drawn to look at them? Seriously I think it is going to take practice for me to try and block it when im trying to have fun.
wow this is cool. I was reading each one checking them off with a yes like it was a to do list...
I'm terrified. What do I do?
Thank you for this!
Hello,
I have a question?? I feel as though I am an empath, just trying to deal with all that is thrown at me, emotional and daily life. :-) I know you all can relate. My question is: Sometimes I will be in a social situation where a person can make me feel almost competitive. All I have to do is see the person. The situation is always a positive one but I get the feeling that we are bouncing energy off of each other. I get confused. could this be another empath that causes this? Again, I don't feel negative at all just a bit competitive and I recognize it right away because I am not a competitive person, I just try and work my hardest. Thanks!
I am 43 years old. I have been told for years I was too thin skinned, too emotional, to empathetic. I have been called a gentle giant, and a mother hen. My mother used to accuse me of being a hypochondriac as a child, when she would get a migraine I would complain of a headache as well. At one point in my life the pain was so intense all over my body, but sporadic, I began to think I had fiber myalgia. I have always known when people were lying to me, and why, and could provide the real reason for their duplicities. I always knew when men were attracted to me, and when people meant to hurt me. I would joke my "spidey senses were tingling." I have dreams that come true down to the smallest of details. I always thought I had very vivid deja vu.
It is so nice to know what has been plaguing me all these years. At one point in my life I went to the elders of my church, and they poopooed me. I told my therapist and she said it was a result of PTSD. But it never fully made sense. When my children were in danger, I would suddenly feel the urge to go check on them, and help them narrowly escape trouble.
I no longer associate with any "churches" because of their view of people like me. I didn't ask for this, I have actually asked for help alleviating myself of it. I don't go around telling people I "know" things. But I make good choices usually because I "know" what will succeed and what won't. (unfortunately it does not work with lottery :)) But I have always been able to influence people and know just the right words to say.
It is nice to know I am not a bad person. However, I have joked on several occasions that I am the Anti Christ.
I'm 50 and only in the past year have discovered the concept of and Empath.
Since I was a child I was described as "too sensitive". There were times my mom would find me playing in my room by myself asking why. Did I have a fight with a neighborhood kid or my sister? My reply would be.. "I just need to be by myself for a while."
I can deal with crowds if they are happy, like a parade. But get me in a mall where the emotions seem to bounce off the walls and I get over wrought. I used to think I was claustrophbic, though being in small spaces by myself is rather comforting.
My husband has noticed through the years when I get over stimulated and guides me to a place where I can be alone and just take slow calming breaths.
I have troubles with media, be it news, movies, books, commercials where a person is in emotional or physical pain, particularly when it has nothing to do with an action on their part. My hubby doesn't quite understand those reactions.
As to healing. I don't believe I can heal, though when my husband complains of a stiff neck or back I can run my hands over him and find the true source of the pain. It's like a light electric charge on his skin when I touch. A feeling like when you wet a finger and touch it to a pan on a stove to see if it's hot. That light buzz with a touch of heat.
Anyway, I can do that and find the real source of my husband's pain which is usually far from where his muscles hurt. I'm not saying I can heal it, but I can massage the muscles that seem to be causing the pain that radiate to other areas.
I'd never presume to say I can heal, but the empathic abilities and my strong fingers have relieved my husband of some nasty neck and back pains over the years.
My personal belief is that people who are "Empaths" had some issue in their early lives that allowed receptors, which shut down for most people, to continue to be active and to even thrive.
I wish more people would take this seriously and instead of having it be a "Star Trek or Next Generation" character it would be scientifically studied.
Just happy to know, even if it's been 3 months since anyone posted that I have had my say. -amber
Ever since I can remember I have been empathetic to the extreme. I recall being in first grade and my family and I were expecting to receive a beagle puppy in a week, I had left school on the bus that afternoon having a strong feeling that something very bad had happened, when I arrived home my mother said that she had really bad news, and before she could say anything I looked up at her and said, "The puppy died." I have no clue how I had known what had happened, I just knew.
Now I am 16 years old and things like what happened when I was little continue to happen. My emotions tend to mimic those around me, which often gets quite confusing to me because one moment I might be having a great day and the next moment I become really grumpy. When I am around many people I get overwhelmed, anxious, and stressed out, so I tend to stay at home a lot. I also just switched to a very small school because I could not deal with a school of 1,800 students. I can never be lied to either, sometimes if someone lies to me and for some reason it bothered me I can't help but look them in the eye and tell them that I know what they said is not true. Am I an Empath or just overly sensitive?
I ran across this article, and it jumped out at me. A few keys things hit me:
#3: I can never watch commercials on TV about abused animals, or third world countries. It's hard to explain, but it feels like I'm being run down just by watching them. One of my friends actually poked fun at me because I started to cry one time.
#4: I've made many people angry with this one, and I've freaked people out. I always know a guy's intentions for them asking me out, and I've always been able to tell when friends hold things back from me. I met a guy at a bonfire, and he was talking about his niece but carefully picking out words. I could feel that his niece just brought on joy and pain intermixed. The joy was obvious but the pain was very well hidden. When I asked him why seeing her every day hurt him, he looked at me stunned then told me how his sister had killed herself and abused drugs, that his niece was his constant reminder of what his sister did but the joy came from knowing that his family was doing their best to give his niece a loving home. This is also the reason for my most recent break up. I knew he was keeping something from me, and I knew it was to spare my feelings. When I finally got the courage to ask him, he told me that he wasn't happy with me anymore but thought he had hid it well enough to the point I wouldn't notice.
#5: Now this one kills me. It literally breaks me down. The first time it hit me hard with a stranger was a few years back while I was on a date, he and I went outside the skating rink to cool down and I saw this girl crying. I walked away from my date up to this stranger, wrapped my arms around her, and told her things were going to be okay. She clung to me like saran wrap and just cried. I actually started crying with her. We sat there like that for a very long while, then she said thank you and walked away. I never knew her name.
#6: My friends always called me the "therapist" of the group, because EVERYBODY always came to me with their problems. People speak very freely to me, about things they don't tell their best friends. My mom does it too. When she has a bad day she usually talks to me, she's even come into my room crying and confided parts of her life that most parents keep hidden from their children.
I'm not sure what all of this means. A friend of mine that practices Wicca told me before I absorb energy from people, and that's how I know things and feel their pain and why people's moods can impact me. That was what I had accepted. I don't feel an onslaught of emotions in crowded places, I just don't like them. They always make me feel really uneasy. Up until my friend told me I absorb, I always though I had a tender heart and was very intuitive.
Recently though I've not felt like this very often. Part of the reason is because I avoid people. The other part is because I've learned to shut down my emotions, almost like I can go numb on command.
Can you offer any good books on this topic? I would truely love to learn more and see if this is a part of who I am.
Isabella,
I just wanted to say thank you for explaining that. It's very funny how you put it into words I could never figure out how to do that when I get those feelings. I love how you say No your NOT crazy because I call myself it all the time, or my boyfriend thinks I am for going up to some random person and talking to them because I knew they needed to talk aobut something. I especually was surprised to find out that my healing gift is a part of being an empath, I on occation give close friends and family who are in pain or are just upset a massage. It's not sexual at all but I can transfurr thier energy to me, it took me a while to learn how to manage it because I would end up face first on the bed afterwords dead asleep or just couldn't move for some reason and they would be bouncing around feeling great.
This gift isn't an easy one but it is a part of me and even if it may hurt me(I can NEVER be in a store for longer then 20min) if I can help even that one person it makes it all worth it. It's nice to know I am not crazy and that other people have this gift as well and that you also let people know this is not a very FUN or whoohoo kind of gift because it takes a lot of engery and streangth to be able to control it.
I wish you all nothing but the best and to live everyday as if it were your last!
Best Wishes and Love,
Heather
I am an Empath, this I know, but I also believe I am psychopathic in ways because I cannot feel my own emotions, only those around me.
I had posted a comment on yahoo asking for someone to explain to me the weirdness of my feelings such as the following... I have no idea how to place all of this together or if I'm even suppose to, however I can forget about this for a moment and then other times out of no where I think these thoughts. It's been this way since I can remember. First, what's bothering me the most is at times I feel as I am out side looking in at my self (only for seconds does this happen) and I place together a death of myself and a feeling that I felt while dying. I KNOW I SOUND CRAZY it's however, the truth. Next I have thoughts here and there about the planet and how it goes on and on and how I hear people think when your dead you are dead and sometimes I feel that way and others I feel like I small ant (if you'd say) being looked down on from someone. Next I have had feelings of my mother being very sick and not making it through the night - and this happens and feels so real and I can't sleep when I have those thoughts, then I have thoughts that my son didn't make it through the night in his sleep. These things scare me when they cross my mind I try not to think of them or finish the thought but they just dont go away. It was a few weeks ago that we attened a theme park and I was watching a show and Had a very strange feeling and thought to myself If any one was going to die or had died adn then the next day a young lady did. Thing like this happen from time to time and I dont know how to figure all of this out or how to deal with it.
I did get a responce that told me I was empaths and I needed to figure out what I need to do. I'm so torn, I do feel outter body experiance time to time but only when I'm alone and in deep thought about the world. I have gradually became very moody at certain people for really no aparent reason and I dont know why or how to not be angry when talking with them I just need some guidence I suppose am I just crazy.
Ok well, im not trying to fit in or whatever by saying this, but a lot of this stuff has happened or does happen to me all the time, my mood changes from being happy and then im sad or angry, and i realized this because my brother is often angry about something and it affects me instantly, without me knowing hes mad, this often creeps my friends out as well because i can be talkative and fine and then suddenly be very sad or angry. Also people i havent known for more than a day or two start to talk to me about their personal problems such as boyfriend or parent problems. I also know when someones lying to me and when i continue to tell them to stop lying to me they finally fork up the truth. Im not lying about this and i was just inspired to share this with you, theres more i would like to share but i have things to do.
I am an empath and also a Christian in that I have salvation only through Jesus Christ. Supernatural abilities can come through us from God or Satan. The difference is: God sends it to/through us without our looking for it. From Satan is is devined, (the person is going after the vision, thought, etc.
i think i am an empath since about 4 years ago i have been feeling negative vibes from people. when around people certain people they start off as slighthead aches then gets to be sharp pains sometimes even bad chest pains, and if i am too close to certain peple i feel as if my whole inner being is shaking or roughly viberating almost like im being zapped or shocked and i feel really nervus and at times sick to the stomach also dizzy and weired almost drunkin feeling. after about 10 mins are so it goes away. i use to think they were just panick attachs but i really dont think so now i just know there are something more to this than that. the more i read about empaths the more i do think that im one. all i know is i hate this. its very uncontrolling. at first i thought i was going crazy also but i talked myself out of that lol i know thats not true. i also have dreams of what may happen days from when i dreamed it. about 3 months ago i saw a flash in my head of some one dropping his wedding ring and like the day it really happened i was so blown away by this i just tried to deny me seeing it. i liked the guy and all but never thought about that happening was it wishful thinking and it really happened ?? but like i said i saw it as a quick flash in my head and afterwards wondered why did i just see that happened. Can anyone tell me whats going on with me i so deperatly want to know. i cant talk to anyone because they may think im coo coo lol but i nkow im not and all this does sound to be starnage to people who are not into i guess psycichs and all the other stuff related to it or them. some one please help me i need to know who i am and if its a gift or cure and what i can do to make it easy on myself to where these attacks dont make me crazy or become some mean person. thanks email me at spga1@yahoo.com
I'm an empath and this article has helped me that words can hardly describe. But I have one question: If you're bipolar,could this contribute to the way you feel things differently? I take presciption drugs to control my feelings,but I don't have any ailness to trigger anything to cause the "bipolar" feelings. I've struggled with this all my life,and started taking meds when I was 21 years old. When I was younger,I used to be homeschooled for most of my teen years because I felt different angles of emotions from everyone surrounding me. I got into many fights and could'nt explain why I even felt rage. It was like I was a time bomb,waiting to be triggered,every waking second of the day.Not until I read about empaths did I see someone about it. She said I definitely was one and she explained the reason I often felt as though I were bipolar.Thankyou for this article and I hope you reply.
I am an empath...and I am saved.
It amuses me that "Christians" (Not all, just a certain few) think everything that is different is demonic possession. I've always knew that I was an Empath and have accepted that even though it is very frustrating at times, it is sometimes helpful, and I know that sounds really weird. I didn't know what name to put on it till I was 13. I do hate that I've isolated myself, but it was for the best at the time, I'm really glad I understand it all better and can cope with it now. I like this article it would have been helpful a few years back. But really, thank you for #2, 3 and 6 I didn't know those went along with being an Empath as well.
I am 15 and im empathic. Everything you wrote in this thread. Relates to be 10/10.
I will admit that I have not read all the comments left behind here. I would say I am an empath and honestly I call it my cursed blessing/gift. I am a christian and the first comments from that christian hurt. I am not demon possessed (I do blieve that exists I have seen it) but that is not what I wish to say. I have been very sick for a few months so my shield that I normally have up is weakening. I truely believe that the empathy I have is given to me by God, why I have no idea. I will say I do not believe all the new agey stuff but some of it I see truth to, not all. Thank you. That is what I am trying to say. I likely will forget to come back here to see if you've responded, but it is so encouraging to know that there are other people out there like me. I thought that I was alone and sometimes I thought I was crazy. So, thank you for letting me know that there are other people out there like me, that is such an encouragement to me.
Hi. I just read what you wrote, Isabella. I wasn't sure, if I am an Empath, but when I spoke to my friend, she linked this article to me. She said that she had a bad migren. Few hours later I got a horrible migren. I thinked first it must to be for example that I wasn't drank enough water or I wasn't slept enough, but when I though it...
I drank enought water.
I slept enough.
I think I am an Empath. I feel sometimes others physical feelings, sometimes others strong emotions... and so on. But I haven't though this whole thing just ever, so I'm little confused. :) And the real problem is I'm not to be able to protect myself from other people. How can I learn to protect myself? :p (Sorry my bad English)
Love this article. Really gives some insight into why I can't be around people all the time and why people are so drawn to me, even when I don't want it and why people feel comfortable with me, almost immediately.
This has helped me explain to people what it is like for me. Thanks so much.
I want to add the ability to know when things, good or bad, have happened in a space. I have not purchased houses because I knew something bad had happened, only to find out there was abuse and really strong negative emotions from the former owners.
Ive been wondering if what happens to me is something more than just my imagination or something wrong with me for a while.
i dont know if i really am an empath but if i am i probably am a weak one.
Im 25 and for a little over 12 years(or there about) when ive been near or seen someone who has been injured my body always starts to ache, sometimes a part of my body that coninsides with the persons injury ache and sometimes its my entire body, this in no stop, if i see the injury in a news program it still happens but not if i watch something like an action film.
When i have come upon someone who is hurt i alway stay wioth them till i know they are ok regardless of anything else that is happening.
in every case, afterwards i normally have to walk around my local park a few times before im back to my regular self.
its odd that you mentioned those sympathy adverts for help organisations, becuase i can no longer watch them, the moment one comes on i have to turn it off and get out the house.
I dont know if this will help others who are like me but when im suffering from this and its raining outside i alway go out ina coat and just stand there with my eye closed and my face poreally well
My son has been sick a lot this year and it's been hard keeping him in school. Also, he's a good student and likes school. Recently he has been going to school and even if he doesn't feel well. 1. He came home and told me that his ear started hurting so he asked the boy sitting next to him if his ear hurt and the boy said, "yes, how did you know!" 2. A girl had a bad headache in his class and his head also started to hurt. His head hurt first then the a girl said her head hurt. They were all working in a group.
3. He saw a 8 or 9 year old sitting on the toliet at school with his cloth on and crying. My son is in sixth grade.
My son was scared and ran out. There was knowone in the bathroom and the toliet flushed on it's own. 4.My son walked up to his friend and had a weird feeling that he forgot something important at home. His friend forgot his paper that was 1/4 of his grade. 5.My son got short of breath in class and didn't know why. I had to come and get him at school. It stayed with him for a little while at home then just west away. I wasn't sure what to do and took him to the doctor. He told me to have him do yoga excercises. I'm not sure if this would be good.
We aren't sure what is going on and why he is picking up negative energies at school. Is this Empath ability? I want to get him help so that he isn't so sick. I want him to be able to direct the energy into something that is positive. Let me know what you think.
is it possible to train your empathic abilities and make it so that you're only empathic when you want to be?
because it seems that, that's what i have done
around certain people that i don't feel comfortable around i feel nothing but my own emotions,
but around some people I begin to become empathic,
it's not around people i don't know, just people i don't like, people that i don't want to know anything about or occasionally people i don't want to talk to at that time.
and one more thing,
it seems whenever i'm within contact with someone, i get butterflies, and fantasies unless i don't want to talk to them. does that mean thats what they feel when they're with me?
first off I'd like to say thank you to everyone for sharing. like many on here, when I started reading this it was an instant validation. it was interesting enough to be able to put a name to what I feel; but to read all these first hand accounts and feelings that mirror mine... from complete strangers!? how can I deny it? how can any of you? if empaths do exist, which I believe, I know I have some level of this sense. it has greatly affected my life and it's not until about a year ago that I started to realize things. once I did, I was finally able to address the situation. I simply thanked God for his gift and asked him for guidance. it's not that simple of course, but that is the nutshell. the reality is that it was and can be gut-wrenching, and mind-bending, and ultra-euphoric, and completely horrific. I am strictly speaking in empathic terms, not life in general. which brings me to something I would like to comment on. ALL OF YOU WHINERS out there need to STOP COMPLAINING about this gift God gave us. if you think you have it "bad", you might but you are far from alone. I joined the army before the iraq war and ended up doing 14 straight months in baghdad as a combat engineer. people on this thing are talking about, "it really sucks going to the mall, wah wah wah.." get over it. try to imagine what a war torn third counry for a year without break would do. to say that it destroyed me is a huge understatement. I drank myself black out EVERY SINGLE NIGHT for about a year after that, which was also my last year in the army. I didn't get kicked out or anything. I finished my contract and got an honorable discharge to many a surprise, even my own. it took me a couple more years after that to finally start to live a bit more stable which is where I'm at now. but even after all that I've been through which I couldn't even begin to cram in here, it still doesn't matter. I wouldn't trade this gift FOR THE WORLD. it can be really intense at times and even scary, but what some might not realize, is that you are seeing and sensing what most people are completely oblivious to. sometimes it feels like I'm watching life with the director's commentary on, and it's great. God has blessed me with a burden and has tempered me through many hardships. I know there is a purpose behind it all and I know that it's there whether we are aware or not. life isn't about what we want, it's about God's plan, and we have clearly been chosen on various levels for something special in our own right. embrace your fears and cast your doubts. let yourself go and be free. open yourself to God's plan. this isn't about religion. it's all b/s. God doesn't care. they're all forms of him anyways. jesus, buddha, allha, mohammad, fill in your blank, we're all looking at the same God and all trying to claim Him. it's funny and ridiculous, and infinitely sad. if you find yourself offended by any of this it's because of ego in the true sense. we all need to learn humility and above all compassion. I appreciate any of you who actually read through this. I don't see it helping anyone but who's to say.
this article or blog or whatever saved my sanity. I thought I was going crazy! an old friend of mine had once mentioned the possibility of me being an empath which, at the time, meant nothing to me. I recently moved to a different state and started experiencing stronger things that I couldn't explain. something made me think of what my friend had said long ago and I stumbled across this. the first time I started reading this I probably made it about half-ways through. I had to stop due to the level of emotion. my eyes were swollen with tears. just about every thing I read completely spoke to me. I finally realized I wasn't alone. although I would NOT trade this "gift" for the world, I will not for a second deny that it is an extremely difficult path, or at least can be. I am a 26 year old war veteran. I spent over a year in Iraq in the first years of the war. I know it's easy to imagine the hardships that a war could entail, but whoever might be reading this, could you imagine being empathic in a war torn country? I can't even begin to describe it. I hope I never feel that level of sorrow and pain EVER IN MY LIFE AGAIN. I joined the army before the war but I also enlisted as a combat engineer. this job entails a lot of hardships and a lot of violence, yet the most impacting moment I had out there had nothing to do with violence or any kind of "action". it was at an orphanage and no one I have ever told that story has come even close to understanding. I don't really know what I'm getting at. I want to share but hopefully it can do more than that for someone else. I know GOD gave me this gift and I truly appreciate it regardless of how much it can suck sometimes. it's not about your comfort level. it's about GOD'S plan. BE STRONG AND CAST YOUR WORRIES TO OUR CREATOR.
The 17 year old again, i guess i just could not get away from this page without sharing some of myself. I have always been able to feel things. Feel spirits, if they are goo or evil, sometimes i hear whispers. I will get cold, see shadows, say names of someone that is not even in the room. My mom and aunt and grandparents are empaths, and see'ers. I only figured this out the other day when i was watching ghost hunters or something like that and i had to ask her. Its hard and i wish i could learn how to control it. I look at it as a psychic gift and in that i know it can be improved. I have people always pouring their feelings out to me. My brother jokingly calls me an emotional tampon. When i was with my ex we were together for three and a half years. Which is not much but at my age it is. It was weird because we did not even have to be around each other, if she was sick id get sick, if she could not sleep i couldn't. Most of the time i know how a whole conversation will end before it even begins. I will always try to talk with the departed, i have the unusual drive, like someting is pushing me to do it. Im either always attracted to paranormal activity or just a huge weak psychic magnet for it. all i know is that this article helped me alot and if there are any empaths out there who have any advice for me i would love to take it. my email is preston_jennings@yahoo.com
I'm a 17 year old empath trying to understand this. Its hard but everything you described was exactly like me so i know im not alone. is it a natural thing for an empath to feel spirits? Just something that bugs me because i can do it.
I am a bit confused.
Some of the signs about Empath are true to me.
However, it is the healing portion that hadn't happened yet..
And, does dreaming about the future part of being an empath?
I wanna know. I want to clear things running my head..
thank you.
I never really knew what an empath was before but now that i've read this it all makes sense,
why when i'm at school and someones stomache hurts and mine begins to start killing me, then once i get home and i away from them i feel perfectly fine,
I believe i am an empath
but does this mean when I'm near someone and i suddenly begin to love them then one i get away from them i feel nothing...does that mean they love me?
btw I adore the article it's amazing :)
Thank You so much for posting this. I finally have a reason of whats happenign to me at first I though I was going crazy. You are right there isn't alot of information on the internet about this subject, but I have a question. My Mom and I are bothe empaths and we share a special connection is that because of aour abilities?
I just wanted to say Thank You. Thank you for finally putting into words everything I have experienced since I was a child. Thank you for putting in writing something that I can share with my friends and family in an effort to help them understand what I have been trying to explain for so long.
You are a gift and a treasure. Thank you.
Christine
Today I have realized I am an empath. Now I want to know how to deal with it and use it to help. Is it normal to also feel pain just reading or hearing of it?
I am saved by the blood of Jesus. I also have a spiritual gift given by God. . He gives us gifts and feeds us what we can handle. The day I was saved, is the day my spiritual gift of healing started. I do not question His plan for my life, just accept that He knows better than I. My life is surrendered to Jesus Christ and work the works He asks. Please don't shun God's love as evil just because you do not understand it. Intuitiveness is not evil, it's just being hyper aware. If God wants you to have it, you will. We tend to give ourselves illnesses and pain, that is not of God. And spiritual healing allows God's love to enter you and rid those things that is not of Him. He loves you....in more ways than you can possibly fathom. I am humbled by my gifts daily. You have spiritual gifts to; we all do. I hope you find yours and feel the closeness to God that enhancing His gifts brings you. Living in His will is a wonderfully peaceful feeling. When I heal, it's out of love, not money. I consider it missionary work for my Lord and saviour. I hope you take my words in the way it was intended. God bless, Sarah
I have always been the person people seem to feel more comfortable around than others. I seem to open up feelings and promote a certain sense of "giddiness" in my friends and coworkers. I can always tell what they are feeling and have acted accordingly, chalking this up to perceptiveness and nothing more.... until recently that is. A year ago I met a wonderful man who had drowned himself in depression and alcoholism, i could see that in his heart there were so many good and beautiful things that he had shut off to the world long ago. I made it my duty to help him and in the process fell in love. the problem has been that the better he got the worse I felt! I have always been a happy positive person and it seems as the negativity left his soul it made a home in mine.slowly i became sicker and sicker until now I'm depressed and tired, I don't smile much anymore but he is the happiest he has been since he can remember! It seems that we have switched personalities. I did nothing to overexert myself in his transformation and there wasn't much "drama" involved so I can't blame this on a bad relationship. I simply was in his presence and acted as I normally do. He treats me with respect,caring and loves me very
much doing everything he can to make me more comfortable and feel loved and cared for everyday but I still can't shake the depression! I feel like I'm going nuts! I believe that i may have "healed him" only to take on the poison that was eating him away.We are happy as a couple and I wouldn't have things any other way except for the dirtiness i have absorbed, if anyone has advice for ridding myself of the emotional toxicity I've accumulated PLEASE HELP! It's interfering with my job, my schooling and my family. I want to be the ray of sunshine everyone remembered me as again!( and no more pain would be nice as well) thank you!
Well i got overwhelmed (teared and i am still affected), reading the part of being drawn to people who are in need and being a healer. I am so much that person but what i dont know how to do is fill myself back up with the light, it takes me days of isolation to feel enlightened again, and whats worse the new place i moved into has a shadow , i have smudged and filled my place with light but it wont leave my walk in closet. now i feel i have no where to go that doesnt drain me. when i am trying to heal i dont know if it takes my energy or i take its. i know its human , its an old man. but he hides until i am alone then he sits and watches me.
after reading your article i was in tears..good and bad. im currentlly being treated for bipolar disorder and that never set right with me. every thing you said was true. how ? anytime i talk openly and truthfully about what im going through im treated as "crazy" and now have scince been prescribed meds. please help me. I had a break one year ago and have scince secluded myself as much as possible from the outside world.. to protect myself from all these emotions and ill feelings ive been experiencing. however i do watch tv and found it to affect me as well im lost. i want to be sure that my suspicions are true about having special abilities. i feel it deep inside. its not a hunch..if this makes any sense. i could go on but need to make this short. thank you in advance..please help if you can..k.m.f in texas
Isabella, I found your hub today. I am an empath, and yes,I agree, it is not pleasant. I have been struggling for a number of years with this. Doctors have me medicated, diagnosing me clinically depressed. Although the medication does block some, in recent months I have noticed a surge in my abilility. Events in the past few years have caused great distress with me and being an empath just makes it more difficult to bear. I can't deal with my own emotions, let alone everyone elses. I was actually going to contact my doctors today for stronger medication to pretty much block any emotion I feel. I am glad I have found you. I can do more reading on this now. Thank you for helping me understand that there is help for empaths.
I think I am an empath but I don't know for sure. I'm sometimes overwelmed with emotion.. music, films.. I can't watch the news, it's too much to take.. I do feel I can change the way people feel and the whole of your description fits.. (I'm not very good with words when it comes to myself) but the one I don't know if I can do is heal.. maybe I am a mild case.. but I don't think it's just bad emotions.. sometimes I am so happy people think I am drunk.. I don't know if I can heal but I do know it makes me a better person... about the whole religion thing.. I am a true believe in God and I think my strong feelings of love comes from God...
Hi, I am empath, and I'm really happy there are things like this on the Internet! I've never been able to hurt anyone, and after my mom died, my strength as an empath grew drastically. I have healed people, though physical healing is very gradual, and I'm much better at emotional healing. A friend of mine is an empath also, and told me I'm not insane and that this is real. Sometimes I just know things, like I'll hear something and I will just know it's true. I sometimes sit in crowded room and feel others emotions and put all my spiritual strength into healing. You're very right, it's not fun. I am drained often, i also have a lot of people around me who need my help, and i try my hardest to help them, but sometimes it's hard.
i have known about and understood my ability as an empath for quite some time... i am a bartender and at times have been completely overwhelmed by the pain of my customers. i am also wiccan, and have always found salvation in meditating against my tree. giving all the pain i "suck- up" back to the goddess and she would replenish me. it truly was quite a spiritual/ miraculous event. at the height of "absorbtion" i would have to meditate every other day, i could no longer control it and became so bogged down that i no longer was myself. upon the birth of my son my "powers" have lessened and now i have to concentrate to take someone's pain, while i appreciate the choice now i am also concerned... i have noticed that my son has been exhibiting some of the same signs i used to. he is only 2 1/2! i know that it is natural for children to be open to many realms but am concerned that it may cause problems for him emotionally in the future. i have been an empath as far back as i can remember and have had to overcome many obstacles because of it, i just worry that 2 1/2 is way too young to deal with the pressures... any advice?
Perhaps some of you could offer some suggestions....
I feel a little strange writing about this. I guess I have always had a little bit of ability but I have also felt like I was just crazy and neurotic. After finally reading about this I realize I am one of the sponges that are in some of these articles online. I absorb everything around me and it's truly painful. It doesn't help that I work at the front desk of a cancer clinic. Everyone that comes to the desk is scared or hurting. I've worked there for ten years and am having trouble leaving.
It's so strange. I can read the emotions on peoples faces. I can tell what a person is thinking about me with a glance. I can't read thoughts but the general feeling is there. It comes off of them in waves. I have no defense against it. I wish I could see this as a gift. I would give it away if I could. Well, actually I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Any ideas on what might help??
Well then I stumbled across your blog by accident, trying to figure out why the massive numbers of deaths in The Tsunami, in China , in Pakistan and now in Haiti had me weeping even before the news broke. And the sense of the sudden hole that was just wrong and then the sheer bewilderment that has nothing to do with my daily life. So this is why. Thank you.
And you can block it out? and heal with it?
I didn't even imagine.
wow..I am just beginning to learn more about empaths. My whole life I felt so confused about what was going on with me - to the point I was diagnosed with ADD because I could never just focus. Ever since I was young I just knew what people were feeling and "thinking" not literally but just what their intentions were or how they felt without them expressing it. Public places with lots of people is overwhelming bc of all the different emotions and heavy weight. Never really understood and thought it was actually how I was feeling - in my younger years I was more with drawn and observant of people and amazed at how their actions and the vibe i would get from there would be complete opposite which made it hard for me to trust them - As I got older I developed more into an extrovert because I realized the more talking I did the less emotions/feelings from others I was picking up - but they were always there no matter how hard I tried. It got to the point were I would be extra hard on myself for "judging" people to quickly and not trusting what I was feeling. It wasn't until about a year ago did I finally realize that all the emotions and baggage I was feeling was not my own....the discovery helped me to be a lot more confident but at the same time made me feel crazy lol. I look forward to learning more about empaths, but more than anything how to learn to either completely block out peoples thoughts, feelings, ect or how to deal with it so its not compeltely running/ruining my own life. Thank you so much for showing me that I am not crazy and it really feels good to be finally able to relate to someone else that goes thru what I do!
I am an empath, and I agree very much, it is no fun what so ever. I suffer from depression, feeling everyone's else's emotions. it's crazy.
I am a person of faith and belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ. I am also an empath. I think empath's are the natural healers by the grace of God. I don't think it's evil but the way God created us to be and I still resent when some Christians teach that it is wrong. It is teaching fear.
People fear what they do not understand. Just because you don't understand something does not mean it does not exist. It also does not mean it is evil or of satan. 400 years ago people thought that a birthmark was a sign of satan. Superstition abounds out there and we assign evil to something that is not. I have dealt with being empathic all my life. I just know, I do not have to take a test. Anyone that is empathic knows what I mean. I think there is a lot out there that we do not understand yet. Science can be a wonderful thing. It is a tool to help understand, and figure out things. Scientists of all persuasions make new discoveries every day. Some of those things were once considered unxplainable. People assigned labels to them, like demonic, and evil. How would we have reacted 150 years ago if we saw someone pull out a small square object and start talking to it after pushing on its face. It would have freaked most people out if they heard a voice come out of it. They might have considered it satanic. Today we consider it a cell phone...
I embrace my gift now. I am learning how to sheild myself against unwanted intrusions. I can walk through a crowded room now and filter what I pick up. I am also able to figure out how to help people.
this helped...a lot. i can't be positive if i really am one i guess;but all these things happen to me. and i'm only 14. but if i walk by someone crying or looking upset i will literally start balling my eyes out. and i never know what is wrong with me. does this have to do with feeling spirit's feelings too? because my friend and i were 'ghost hunting' and i would just be able to say if he was sad or mad; etc. but she wouldnt believe me
i'm generally weary of information gleamed from the internet but this seems pretty spot on.
i've never been able to put my experiences into words quite as eloquent as these. it perfectly describes my existence on a daily basis.
i've found that when you tell someone you're empathic, most often, they immediately think you're insane and disregard anything you tell them. thus, i've always just called it "reading people" when asked how i know things about others.
i am an Empath i knew this before i read the article. I hate it. when i go to school i am automatically drained. for the things you said about us not being able to resist helping people. i can do it quite adeptly, but i feel horrbly guilty afterwards. i hate that i can see my friends suffering while they have a large plastic smile on their face. being an empath is not fun like you said. it is tiresome, draining, and over all overwhelming. i have became an emotion junkie from it though. i am able to get 'high' in a sense off of the good emotion, like joy, happiness, lust. i am learning slowly how to block them, but i rarely suceed. thank you for posting this.
Also let it be kown that on a scientific level this has been understood as an evolved human instinct that can be traced back to primates (chimps, monkeys ect..) as in the well know "monkey see monkey do" trait we have all commented on one time in out lives. considdering how monkey see is much more primitive but still directly related to our more evolved and complicated "EMPATHY" this may shed some comforting light on those who are fearfull that its some magical or demonic unexplained ability. same way we once took everything else for magic untill it was explained this too has a valid, albeit unknown, explanation.
QUOTE
"Fretbuzz says:
I do not believe in evangelical faith healers -they are predators that feed on the week."
This After saying how much of a devout christian you are? how do you belive in jesus and spout this crud? Also seeing that jesus said "every i have done so can you do" but you again defy that? And, as an unwilling empath myself, can assure you that it is how the golden rule aspires everyone to strive to be. I am a former christian mainly due to this psycopathic ruler image preachers portray and teaching to follow out of fear of being punished instaed of teaching to follow out of understanding and compassion to help each other and the community as a whole. to further compound the insanity to say seeing anothers perspective is equal to possesion and should be feared itself is just utter nonsense and literally sickening to me and detrimental to my hope for mankind. To follow any of this way so blindly, as to not have any feeling or sence of it being wrong shows a week willed follower being controled by a trickster who creates illusions of power and piety to twist words of moral wisdoms into a guide of by-laws to benefit themselves reguardless of the actually costs to humanity and their own religious beliefs.
Since I was a little girl I have been an empath. Later on in years I thought my intense reactions to people's feelings was that I was very sensitive. I am bi-polar with mood disorder and also attributed my empathic abilities to that. Now, recently I have read articles and took empath tests online and soon discovered I truly am an empath. When my childrent got migraines, I got them, when they had vomiting I vomited. I can feel people's pain and it affects me. It sure beats being callus towards other people and I would rather be empathetic than cold and uncaring. It is disturbing when I watch television shows that have to do with families of those murdered. I react as the family would, although I don't even know them. I totally feel their pain.I really don't look at it as a negative. I have also made many predictions that have come true. I also see auras around people. Once you accept that you are an empath, I find there is nothing wrong with feeling other's pain. I also can feel people's happiness and cry tears of joy for people. One example is when I was waiting for my flight in an airport. I watched people greeting each other when the plane emptied. It was obvious this one couple haven't seen each other in a long time. I cry over things like this. It's not always negative feelings. I might also add that I am a Born Again Christian and I feel that this is a gift from God. For goodness sakes it's not voodoo!!!
thanks for sharing everybody..
I cannot express how overwhelmed yet relieved I am to have found this post. Up until today, I felt like I was crazy and that there was something wrong with me. I'd go to see the symphony and would cry--a lot. I would walk past people and would feel random things and I just did not understand why.
Thank you Isa, for this post. And to Lily, for your input as your comment resonates in my heart. I am going to pursue my empathic ways further and perhaps, come to peace with myself one day.
Reading this really answered odd questions I've had about myself for some time. Something else though is that I'm wondering if there is a word for someone who doesn't necessarily see the future but more or less feels it? Like sensing something bad or good about things that are a going to happen very soon like seconds or a minute away? When I was still very young I would always feel those kind of things from the world around me, I could tell if someone had ill intentions or if something bad was around the corner, once when I was in my fathers garage late at night talking with him I felt the uncontrollable urge to run! I couldn't stop my legs and before I knew it I was standing beside my father and moments later a heavy car part fell off of a shelf that I had been standing beside when I got the running feeling and landed were I had been standing, If I hadn't moved the part could have killed me at that age. Also at over a period of a couple years I guessed correctly that two of my mothers friend were pregnant and that they were both going to have boys. What I'm asking is if its possible for someone to "feel" events rather then see them?
And as for Empath I've always been a quite guy that doesn't really care what others think of me but I can't help but feel what they're feeling at the time like if a friend is sad but doesn't show or say it I still feel down or sometimes even if I'm in emotional or physical pain I still feel they're pain over mine? There was another time as a child that I felt an uncontrollable urge like the one in the garage, I was at a car show with my family and getting time to go home, the car kind of crowded with me, my parents and three brothers so one my dads friends offered to let me ride back with him, he had a really nice 53 Buick and I liked his car, but when I was going to get out of our car I lost all need/want to do so, I couldn't move my legs! My parents chalked it up to running around all day so we all squeezed into our car and drove off. On the way home my fathers friend passed up going up a hill to show off and as we came to the top there was a big and old farm truck stopped as he tried to turns onto the road going left, all we could see and hear ways white smoke and screaming tires as he tried to stop and swerve. The right side of the front bumper caught the trucks back bumper, there was this sickening crash noise and when everyone had had stopped to make sure he was okay (which he was) despite the fact that he had only clipped the trucks bumper the entire passenger front end had been crushed in with hood coming through the passenger side of the windshield. If I had been in the I would bounced around like pinball and probably been impaled on the bit of hood the came through since the car had no seat belts as it was made in the early 50's! So that's two times that uncontrollable feeling saved my life, If you had to guess what would say I am? An Empath? a Clairsentient?
I have often called myself a healer. As a child, I remember seeing auras. As an adult, I know what is going on with people before they say it. I understand what is making them act they way they do. Interestingly, I supervised an ER for years, and now, a hospital. I known as a magnet for busy. I don't cause the emergencies; as a matter of fact, I handle things better than anyone else. However, even looking at statistics, I tend to draw in weird, emergent problems. I think it is something to do with my empathic skills.
I can say yes to every thing in this article...I started seeing the number 11 on the clock everytime I looked at it. I found it odd that I never get sick and people started pointing this out to me. I started using my mind to heal others and it is working. But one thing I have learned about this, is you ahve to believe that it is going to work for it to work!
I have just been thru something very nasty that made me wonder what is empathy all about, i feel it very strongly.
I'm not sure if all of the points mentioned above apply to me, so maybe I am not an empath. But i definetly feel others pain so strongly, perfect example tv commercials. I cry if i see animals being hurt or children. Anyone who I feel is unable to protect themselves, I feel a gut wrenching kinda pain.
People always open up to me, complete strangers, and I am always compelled to listen even tho I feel i have no skills to really help them. They often comment on how they seem to be very comfortable to open up to me, even if they have just met me. I often thought that was just bull they say to make me feel like Im special or something, being most these people were men, but since in our society its quite difficult for men to be emotional, maybe women don't notice it as much as its more natural to discuss things for us.
When I was a child my dad used to say I have healing hands, my touch seems to make people feel very good. I have never tried healing anyone tho. My dad's theory was that i draw out negative energy somehow.
And yes i always want to help people no matter what they have done to me, i could be in agony over their actions but as soon as i see them hurt im the one to comfort them, im the one saying everything will be ok. Perfect example was what i have been thru lately, a relationship with someone who feels no empathy whatsoever, like a sociopath kinda thing. He would hurt me with his actions then more so with his lack of understanding why i could feel the way i do, yet at the first sign of his feelings getting hurt by something i'd say i'd be the one apologizing. As a child if i wanted to sleep with my teddy bears i had to have them all in my bed as i didnt want any of them to feel hurt and unloved, even tho i knew they were just bits of material!
I find people confusing. I am very open very much unable to try and deceive, it just doesnt occur to me. I would never want to hurt anyone's feelings. Its as illogical to me as wanting to poke my eyes out or something, like u'd have to be crazy to even think something like that. I am always surprised and shocked at other peoples meaness and deceit, u'd think i'd be used to it by now, but i always see it as a totaly abnormal action. I do spend a lot of time alone and it suits me, tho lately i seem plagued by loneliness, as a child i could spend days in a row inside doing my own thing, mom had to kick me out and tell me to go play with other kids.
I dont always know what people mean tho, in fact i find it kinda confusing, maybe that is it. I have never thought about it, but I often wonder why people act the way they do as it doesnt make sense.
I dont get the crowd and the physical ailments thing tho I think.
But i sometimes have unexplained things happen. Dreams that come true, knowing something is about to happen, and not being surprised when it does.
I feel emotions so strongly its sometimes very hard to take. I have been on medication for depression. I seem to always end up being taken advantage of somehow, i give and give and receive little in return. It all makes me feel drained.
Do I sound like an empath? It would be good to put a name to the way I am, as it seems different then normal people, but from the description above it doesnt seem to be a good thing! :-)
From having read some things about it so far it seems like it should be some sort of supernatural cool gift u could use to catch people out and make a show out of like Lie to Me or The Metalist. But I have no control over it and it doesnt seem to do anything for me except make me sad.
as a kid i was diagnosed with adhd depression when i hit 16 bipolar and was on a plethora of medications that didnt help. when i holed myself up in my room i seemed to be able to "connect" wiht people over the internet. i could always feel what kinda mood my friends were in. things kept going downhill for me until i decided to make a change in my life. i joined the army. in basic i was in hell i guess i taught myself how to block people out near the end of it. and now i seem to have it under control. when i was deployed i met a friend who did all sorts of crazy stuff with forms of like telepathy and stuff like that i thought he was a bit wierd but i got the vibe taht he was a good guy, later in the deployment he told me that i was an empath i didnt understand what he meant at first and then he explained it to me adn it all seemed to click. well i told my wife a couple months ago (who i seem to have a very strong connection with) that i was one and she didnt believe me. i didnt really believe either to be honest until for 2 weeks in a row everytime she came home from work i would be singing the song she was just listening to on the radio. i dont know what to do. its hard, shes the only person ive unblocked and now it seems that she thinks its a game shes telling all her friends that her husband is a psychic and its just embarrasing. i may not be an empath, i may be, i dont know i just know that i can link with people and it doesnt turn out best for me. for example while i was deployed i was out on a mission in iraq on christmas day and my wife was 9 hours away and i felt the wrost ive ever felt in my life anger fear horror everything was just nuts i requested to go back into the vehical for a break when everything went downhill... my friend was shot the rage and pain i felt was unbearable. it was the worst day of my life. when we got off mission i couldent get a hold of my wife. she had been roofied at a christmas party and was violently raped before the drugs set in. she couldent tell me what happend but i already knew. for the past year ive been dealing with her emotions on the subject and we are finally digging ourselves out of it. i wonder if i had not had this gift if the guy would be in jail right now because i forced the answers out of my wife after lies and lies i finally got it and we handled everything. whatever this thing i have is called i dont want it anymore
Hi Misty,
I love your article. All the points to mentioned in it are so very true.
I've been dealing with issues like this my entire life and always thought I was just too sensitive. Then for a while people told me I'm always negative and should begin thinking more positive. "Focus on the positive", they say. Like that's so easy. I wish I was blissfully ignorant to all those feelings storming toward me all the time. Then they called me hypochondriac. I've been on zoloft, xanax, therapy and nothing helped. There are times I can deal with it easier and times when I get nightmares or could cry every 5 minutes. Just hearing someone talk about their illness gets me going. I hate shopping. I actually love it, but I get dizzy spells and just feel downright horrible in the mall or other public places. I am a loner. I cannot deal with people too long. Sitting down with certain people and having a convo over coffee and all of a sudden I get an out-of body experience. I usually have to get up and leave quickly then. I haven't found a way to control it yet, because I never believed in such a thing before...
im only 14, and i am an empath, its very hard to deal with. and i dont understand it very much. but this article has helped me realize what i am and how to deal with it. even though its hard.
I felt compelled to actually comment on this. I was looking it up out of the blue and I have thought this about myself for a long time. I feel it makes it really hard to know who I am. I have figured it out once before, but I always hang around too many people to be able to hold on to it. I get caught up in other people's heads and forget who I am. I would not change loving people as much as I do for anything, but sometimes it just becomes really hard to be myself. I wish I knew better ways to hold onto my positive self! Im working on it...some day I will get there! Good luck everyone! There are good people out there...just hiding somewhere. It's hard to be who I am because I feel I am much more understanding than other people, and not many people understand me very well. So it becomes hard to grasp the concept of who I am because no one really gets it. Plus there is much more to be than just feeling as if Im an empath, I feel like I am capable of projecting loads of positive energy towards people to make them happy...and I have before, but it doesnt always work all the time. Do you think being an empath makes you have a bit of anxiety also? It comes and goes...Im trying to get rid of it though. Thanks Isabelle and I do sing also...I feel like it projects a lot of positive energy and helps a lot!! :-)
I think I am an empath and so is my 6 year old son. It is alomst impossible for us to control, hard to go places in this world:(
Empathy is a double edged sword...
My biggest strength is my biggest weakness...
While I can use these powers both for good and for my professional life it also leaves me completely drained at times. I can not look people in the eyes or even order food at a restaurant. I simply need to be completely alone until the feeling passes.
I focus through meditation and physical activity because it helps me shut out.
What has helped me most though is painting. I find that if I can channel the emotional input that comes through onto a canvas or paper I do not need to absorb it into myself...
Saying that I am right now in a bad slump with no energy to move or to take any action at all.
Krs
How would I find out whether I am an empath or not. I feel strongly that I am, but there's that side of me that would like to rule out that I am just not crazy. My grandmother has abilities, she always knew who was calling. She'd make predictions about people, weather, things to come. She is a christian woman, as I am as well. She just suddenely turned it off I suppose as its not as evident as it used to be. At the age of 5 I predicted my parents divorce, though I don't believe I knew the actually meaning of the word but I used it. Prior to that I had no recollection of them arguing. Just a feeling. I was a sleep walker, had reoccuring vivid nightmares. I knew when a family member was pregnant before they'd even announce it to anyone. My mothers new boyfriend was physically abusive with her and my sister. However he never laid a hand on me. I would well up with a monster load of anger and energy and spew out a verbal whip lashing which would make him stop in his tracks. My entire body shaking with more emotion that at the age of 9, I even thought possible to contain. From the age I was able to play on my own, I was known to be the child that liked to play by herself in her room. My mother still laughs today about how she would try to punish me by sending me to my room, and when she'd call out that its okay to come out now, I'd shout back that I was staying in there, was having fun. I have an afinity for animals from a young age, in particular felt a sense of tragedy for any dead thing to the point my father insisted that we get me a pet cat so that I'd stop paying attention to dead animals. Really all i was doing was consoling the dead animals and praying for them. I would even bury flies in the ground and use my mothers sewing gems as tombstones. I loved the outdoors, nature, didn't mind getting dirty. To this day I've had best friends, but never the kind that would ask me to be their bridesmaid. I always keep a certain distance away. I like being alone, and find it a requirement for my sanity. However I have an array of very different groups of friends and always found myself not hard up for meeting people. They came to me. I know when someone is lying, I can see right through them. I know what some people are feeling that are close to me but may not be in the same vicinity as me. I cry at the suffering of animals, the elderly and children. I've seen animal abuse videos from facebook that have put my on my knees in a fit of uncontrollable wailing. I have now gone on a medication to control my emotions. I can go from angry, to happy to complacent depending on who is around or where I am. And it never really clicked what was really going on until I related to a few tv shows I saw and starteed researching on the internet. I could go on, as there are so many other examples of situations, etc. But I really would like to know is who or where I can go to confirm that I'm an empath vs someone just needs to keep taking her meds! HELP LOL I really don't think I'm crazy.
Isabella,
For most of my life I have felt I was different than others. I have known how others really felt and considered myself a sponge. Others have thought of me as "historionic" and having personality problems. I was watching a tv program last night about a teenager who is an epath, it got me to thinking. Thoughout my life I have experienced dealing with spirits to help send them to the light, remote viewing, telling people things that I had no way of knowing, feeling messages for others to heal or help them to go on after a death and having a very strong physic connection to my son. Many years ago I was frightened and prayed so strongly, then I found the scripture in I Corinthians 12:4-10. This validated that I was neither "nuts" nor "demonized". I truly believe the gifts of the spirit are very real. I really have a problem with people who profess to be Christians who obviously have not read their bible. My problem now is, I had a nervous breakdown 2-1/2 years ago and so seldom have these experiences. I need advice to reactivate these gifts in order to help others and heal myself. Any suggestions. Thanks for having this website.
thsnk you for this post
Isabella, thank you for writing this. I have realized (some years ago in fact) that I was an empath. I had the blessing of someone who had experience with being around empaths as a friend, and as I began to explain myself they knew what it was.
They however were not an empath themselves and could not answer many of the questions I had, so I was unsure if certain things I was experiencing were a part of my empathy. I tried to find out online, but like you was met by online games instead.
I gave up looking cuz frankly it made me feel alone, faced with all these strong feelings and people who seem attack.. and no way to find out how to face it. It was only the desire to explain what an empath is to someone else that made me look again just now.
So again, thank you! I now know that the things I was wondering about are a part of it and will be looking at your article on how to manage the energies I receive. Managing them has become harder.. I used to just withdraw, but as the economy has worsened, I have found myself in need to live from friend to friend's home as I look for work and the task of managing what I receive has become very tough.
Wow! What a relief to come across this article. I have become so very overwhelmed by this (I don't even know what to call it? Ability? Gift? Curse?) that I have recently saught therapy. For the most part, I have had the ability to put my ability to deeply and intuitely empathize with others in perspective and have the insight not to personalize others emotions, feelings or moods. I think this is due to a number of circumstances... My experience of abuse as a child... learning to shut off emotions or separate myself from my body (almost as if I am on the outside looking in) and my training as a counselor (go figure huh?). I remember when I was young I hated people... I would either sleep for days at a time or use drugs/alcohol to escape from the world (literally!). I now do believe in God, am a Christian and have always known that I have this ability. Always have. At times I am at peace with the awareness, other times I am consumed by it. I can't be in crowds... I become overwhelmed... Some consider this a form of axiety or social disorder. I thought that it was that at one time as well. Now I know differently. I remember doing a bible study at one time on Spiritual gifts and was told I had the gift of discernment. I always knew that. People are generally honest with me... even kids talking to me about their own drug/alc. use or family issues. I think they sense that I know they're lying... so I usually set the stage when talking to others that makes them feel like they can be genuine or honest... Usually because I not only know when they are lying, but also feel they're embarrassment and/or shame in knowing that I know. This ability has come in handy while raising teenagers... although I do have a tougher time sensing things with my younger daughter. I have always wondered why this is? I have not ever explored the ability to heal others, but have lifted my (usually right) hand out as others where being prayed over with healing prayers and have visually and physically felt their illness travel through and leave their bodies. This has happened on a number of occasions... Always resulting in healing on their part. I never realized that I was being used as a vessel in this. I always thought of it as Gods miracle and was usually too embarrassed to shared with the individual that this is what I experienced. I have the tendency to isolate, and have done more so this year than ever. Which is why I have chosen to seek counseling for myself. But my intuition leads me to believe that she doesn't know how to help me. She believes its just anxiety and depression, which I don't deny that I deal with... But its much more than that. And who do I tell without sounding crazy? My Pastor? In fear that I will be told I am demon possessed (as other Christians have stated on here?). My counselor? In fear that she will think I've really lost it? A support system is necessary. But honestly, I couldn't even imagine being in the room with a group of others like me, unless they're in a really healthy place. Cause that would be amazingly overwhelming! I am glad to read this feed. To hear others perspectives and to learn that I am not alone. But I also would like to take the next step in learning what type of emotional support others have taken to prevent from feeling consumed by all this. Thanks.
I am some what of an Empath i can feel how the people feel around me and it sucks! like if my friend is really upset i get really upset. I also cant what to get home from school almost ever day i will spend about half an hour in the woods to get away from it all. A friend of mine is really upset right now and like how you sayed i can understand and it hurt deep down and wont leave.No mater how happy i seen i can feel her pain. Pain is the easy est thing for me to seance, any thing around that is easy i can also feel anger,depression, misunderstanding, and loneliness in a way.I also kinda have a healing power.I also have like 2 friend that have Empath so they now how i feel.
all good things come from god. calling an empath a devil-possessed ant-christ is what the jews called jesus when he healed people and could feel what they feel and knew what they need. saying that god doesnt heal people today is completely ridiculous. if you are in tune with yourself/god, you can usually quickly see if someone is doing something out of love or not and in the long run, their actions will show their true intentions/master.
Being an empath is akin to martyrdom, its hurts, emotionally, mentally, physically, psychically. its caused me to be violently ill, have severe panic attacks, cry uncontrollably about nothing, be terrified, run away from somewhere. you cant turn it off, you can learn how to block, but the blockades don't always hold up under pressure. I would never give it up, as much of a curse as it is a gift, it helps me understand, but is confusing also.
I'm coaching a girl who, for a while, felt the emotions of her housemates so keenly that she thought they were her own emotions. I taught her how to filter through, all emotions will have almost like a signature, it is hard to feel sometimes because the emotions are so strong but if you know how you can feel whose emotions you're feeling.. they feel like that person, if that can make any sense at all..
projectors are bad.. its almost as if they are put on the earth to be the yang to the empaths yin. they are so draining.. and most of them don't realize that they do it.. they are oblivious to the fact that there are people who can feel that..
alot of ppl find it hard to deal with the feeling and other stuff from empaths.. there are ways to control it but it takes time... just try deep thinking and meditat (i cant spell it right..) but if you have any other problems about empath stuff i will try and help as best as i can,, you can email me at kylecoggeruk@hotmail.com, i know being a empath is not easy and sofar i have not found any way to get rid of it,, but good luck to thos how can deal with this...
As I read this I am horrified. This empath stuff resonated so much it is scary. I read alot of people here talk about Bi Polar which I am but well medicated for years. In the past I have asked my doctor why do I still have really strong emotions around alot of people, specifically people in emotional pain, emotional joy, within seconds I know if someone is lying to me. Sometimes I feel I can see right through people. People I have barely known for like 2 minutes. I really thought this was just natural and all my extra emotional stuff was as most people put it to me, "you are just really sensitive" Thanks for this article it has shed some much needed light on alot of behavior of mine that I thought well that I was just a little different from others.
i am an Empath and i hate it most the time other times it is ok but trying to concentrate on anything is hard because i feel feel everyone around me i can't control it and i am begging to develops really bad mood swings i just want it to stop
anyone got anythign cause i have to go back to school and can't take all there emotions anymore please help
Hi, I'm 14 and I'm not sure if I'm an Empath or not.
I mean, On this website I've read comments that are me, almost to the T.
But for a long while I was depressed about my life, thinking it sucked and I wasn't normal compared to the other kids. I'm not a social kid.
Even to this day, I have few friends but the few friends I have are sincere and true.
Like someone said before, I can "Read" people. This includes but isn't limited to:
1) I can tell when someone is lying
2) I can tell why someone is lying
3) I can tell people what they want to hear
4) I can tell why someone does something
5) I can tell what they want
6) I c idk this is stupid.
There are so many things I can Read of a person that most of the time I see the bad to them.
To me it is a gift, Only since I recently realized that other people can not read people as easily as I do.
But awhile ago it was a curse, Well. While other people were out making friends just, getting it over and done with EG. Friendship, Bitching, Gossip, Friends Again and just living a good life.
Since I can read people, I've not been ... Living a good life.
I've been Blocking it off, when talking to someone that I could be friends with, I trap them and.. Make them say what they are hiding usually they don't say anything and just walk away pissed of.
But I don't need them to say it anyway, I.. I just want to hear it from them.
The friends I have, have been completely honest with me. Sometimes after I have pressured them, which now I regret.
Since I can adapt to people, I've learned to put a seal on what I read.
Now I can read further. I use the term read because I'm not sure how else to put it.
But Now that I'm 14, I've learned to read further and can see the long term effects that my decisions or actions OR words will make.
But this also makes some foes, Because I myself are hiding EVERYTHING from the world.
It really sucks, I..
Sorry I'm just writing this as I go.
While I only feel good around people I can trust and have read to be true and.. Just.. Good.
I myself am only good when they are good.
When someone else is bitter, I myself just.. Become bitter.
If they're bitter over an invalid point sometimes after I had spent awhile trying to clear things up, I realized I should have just shrugged and said woah cool. Or something.
Knowing is a bitch, You loose friends and Gain Valuable friendships.
I hope as I get older I will be able to control this, And I hope being aware is a good step to fixing this problem or gift. What ever you call it.
For example, If I met someone. Exactly like me, hiding everything such as : Their lifes, anything that will make them look bad, anything that will idk.
I don't think I could be friends with them.
I just.. This is why I became depressed before..
I got it!, At first it was good, but then as I got smarter and were able to read people more and more. Seeing how they had normal lives. I soon were able to read myself, I cryed and cryed. And It sort of started a chain reaction.
Me being sad, made me sadder. Wandering why I was sad and why I was like this.
Okay Bye, I like to talk about what makes me sad as it sort of clears things up and makes me less sad knowing that nothing is truly wrong with my life.
So Sorry for blabbering on but Yea. Idk when I realize myself I.. Realize myself?
Gawd, I started of talking about me not sure if I was an Empath or just had a good sense of intuition. I looked up intuition and it matches me.
Some Empath traits also match me but I'm not aware of me doing any healing or sensing emotion. Well I can read emotion very easily, What they feel, How they feel it, WHY they feel it. BUT I.. I don't feel sad when someone is sad?
I don't feel happy when someone is happy?
I don't feel angry when someone is angry..
I don't understand, what am I..
Raaarg, I said Bye 5 minutes ago. So Bye.
Well I feel some of those things, and yea, a lot of people come to me with there problems. I do not know, it is all very weird to me, maybe I am imagining it, maybe I am insane...I have no clue.
Oh my God, I cannot put into words how thankful I am of you for posting this article!! It has answered my EVERY question as to why I am and feel so different. I'm only 14 and as I entered high school this year I've been feeling NON-STOP depression, but I just couldn't figure out why because I have a fairly great life. No troubles at home, doing great in school & sports, have the BEST friends a girl could ask for, only a little teenage-heartbreak and a few bumps along the road with friends but other then that everything is fantastic, except for the fact that I CONSTANTLY feel depressed. But now I understand!! Every little detail on this list applies to me directly (ecspecially the part about anyone and everyone opening up to you, and getting bad vibes in large groups) and is just over all spot-on. I'd go into more detail but like someone said earlier "it's like preaching to the choir," any other Empaths feel the same so why go into detail? I truley, truley, cannot thank you enough. You are a life saver.
Always,
Lulu ?
id like some help. reading this article i found that many of these things are true for me, but not all. I believe i might be an empath because im really sensitive to peoples feelings (mostly when they're sad depressing and even painful feelings), tv makes me cry alot lol, and i do always know when people are lying to me or hiding things from me, and yes most of the time ill know why they're hiding things from me too, and last, my heart (or something in my chest) cant not help someone when i see they're in great pain. the example isa used about homeless people is so true for me because my chest just collapses everytime i see them, and i think its because i can feel their suffering, not just their current suffering, but the heaviness of their past sufferings. HOWEVER, i dont have that problem where im overwhelmed in public places. This is why im not sure if im an empath, because i dont receive unwanted feelings. I only feel from people who i let myself open up to, which most of the time is done subconsciously. i think that if im not concentrating on peoples emotions i dont feel them. Because when im at the mall im always with friend and so i dont pay attention to people and so i dont pay attention to their feelings. So am i an empath, because im not an emotional vaccumm, only when i allow myself. Also, why do i get all these feeling from people in my chest?..i feel like i have a reciever there because thatw where i feel peoples emotions..thats where my intuiveness comes from. and sometimes i feel that if someone would let me sit with them in a quiet place and open up to me (emotionally), i would be able to explore their minds and their experiences and emotions without them telling me anything. ive yet to try it but my chest tells me i would be able to do that. and last, im not sure if i can heal but something tells me i can...my hands are always warm, sort of like a nice warm glow that radiates from them...like the suns warmth..but ive never tried. i know i might sound crazy, but im 19 and im about as normal as it gets..im not into occults or whatever. i justwant answers because..im 19 and i dont remember most of my childhood,all i remember is being confused all the time,..not myself at all. and about 5 yrs ago i spent an entire year horribly depressed, and i didnt really have any reason for it.
please if someone could give me answers as to what is happening to me..whether it be empath or something else...please help me.
my email is nunez14cali_guy@yahoo.com
Thank you for this article. I am not an empath but I am a writer and I've been drawn to write a novel where the main character possesses all the traits of an empath. I figured that this "label" would describe her so I went online to find out more about empaths. Your article explains it all so well. And as strange as it may sound, the character has been writing herself and wants to get her story out there. So at the moment,I'm just taking dictation from her.
Thank you once again. The information in the article has been invaluable. Even negative reactions like the one from Fretbuzz help because a character who will share the same judgmental and uninformed views is destined to shove his way into the story. People like Fretbuzz give meaning to the word hypocrisy -- "Judge not lest ye be judged."
This article really helped me help my friend. Even though i am not an empath i can feel his pain and now since ive read this articla it has helped me change his perspective of himself. He used to think of himself of Weird and abnormal but now he has accepted it. And I have told him that he is not abnormal he is special and has a gift. Thank You for writing this article it has helped many people and I hope it helps many more!
to be honest, ive spent a lot of my time shielding a lot of my empathic abilities. i draw in energy from people too easily, and it gets to be too much. people in general are uncertain or worse, pessimistic and fearful. Ive noticed that ive (over the years) only been around a select few people. they all have similar attributes of either being emotionally nullified (dont talk about emotions, but rather things they do) or very positive people.
ive also had a few gf's where literally, when id touch them, id warm up. these were very happy relationships when i look back on it.
human and mind are two things that we have not utilized fully. I am constantly looking for new ideas. While I do not have all 7 of the traits, when I am around the right people the best always happens.
I recently found out I was an Empath. This article also proves to be me. My boyfriend is into the spiritual realm and I've always had this knack for sensing people's emotions and the energy they emit is also a factor for me. I can feel the energy change when a spirit is in the area. I hang out with a couple of people who are into the spiritual things and me, being the only Empath, always seem to know how they feel or if a spirit is coming or already there because the energy surrounding the area changes and shifts.
It wasn't until I got with my current boyfriend that I found out what my ability was. I just always knew I was different in that aspect but I never knew what it was until he told me that I was an Empath. All you say in this article is definatly pertaining to me. Thanks for posting it.
Very interesting, indeed...I must say, the comments from 2 years ago threw me off a little. I do believe in God and I also believe He can use humans to heal...like priests for example. Yes, He does warn of the anti-Christ doing such things...BUT the anti-Christ will be one man...not many. This anti-Christ will fool many like a celebrity, so to speak...he will bedazzle people. And actually, correct me if I am wrong, but a man will clear the way for the anti-Christ. The anti-Christ will come in and "save" the world...at least that is how it will appear.
Anyway, in saying all that...I believe empaths are very real! I am looking more into the subject and I cannot say whether I am willing to accept the title of being one, but I do wish to be able to control what I feel from others so I can enjoy some peace of mind. Also, I was told that we all possess certain "gifts" and can pray for them. If these gifts were not part of Christ and religion, then what of the prophecies? Would that not include some sort of "psychic" connection?...vision??
I do not understand why some are so close minded to the existence of both religion and psychic abilities. We are not to worship anyone above God but we can believe in His worldly servants...those who are anointed/gifted. Those who are...are specific in performing a task for God.
I agree with not totally being "down" with the whole empath thing. I suffer and it is not fun, but I embrace the opportunity to work for God. God will grant us peace beyond anything possible in this world. He never said it would be easy...but He did say it would be worth it. I also agree with the gentleman who pointed out not to just go along with a "religious head"....(LoL)...ask God himself.
hello im a empath and some thing else, i was hopeing maybe if there is a way i can talk to you about this matter, i have all of the things you put down and other stuff,, i was hopeing maybe you could give me some advise on this matter in privet if you have like a email or some thing for me to use to talk to you on i sent a comment befor but i do not think it was posted sorry if it was i did not see it.
for a while now i have been experiencing mood swings feeling fatigued and even have serious headaches when my sister comes home from work, when my moms around i feel depressed and sad and when my stepdad's around i feel uncomfortable and uptight. i use to think it was just me going through my awkward moments but the other day i almost snapped on my mom for no reason... my mom and i were cooking and there was nothing wrong i felt calm but as soon as my sister stepped into the room i felt aggrivation and irritation towrds my mom i wanted to scream at her for no reason.. i had to dash out of the kitchen and i locked myself in my room for the rest of the evening afraid of what might happen if i came out.. i thought i was bipolar crazy even but then i remembered this episode of CHARMED were one of the sisters was picking up what people were feeling. I felt silly at first to even consider something supernatural but i thought anything would be better than crazy, and that how i stubbled on to here, which i'm so thankful for. Now i know that i'm not crazy and i'm not alone and more importantly i can learn how to control it...thanks Isa
Please see the link in the comment above yours.
I am 16 years old, and ever since I was a little girl I was able to take on the pain of others and have others open up to me without any forethought. I never gave what I do any thought - I rarely think of myself. I emerge myself completely in the care of the people who come to me for help and advice. I set them on there way before another one comes to seek advice. Literally people whom I had only met a few minutes before hand have told me their deepest secrets that have burdened their hearts tremendously. I first noticed my healing ability (i guess you could call it that) when I was very little and whenever I would see someone on the Television with an aliment I would physically feel that pain. The first memory I have of this was when I was 6 and was watching a movie with a woman who had a gash on her leg - I couldn't touch my own leg where the gash would have been and it was sore for many weeks afterward. This happens to me very often.
I was just wondering if anyone had any advice because I was just diagnosed with Depression but I am wondering if it is just my Empathy? Thanks.
TO ALL WHO KEEP EMAILING ME FOR ADVICE: See this article on getting rid of other people's energies first and I will write a few more in the next few weeks. http://hubpages.com/hub/Empath-Advice-How-to-Get-R
Good article! I am an empath and growing up I was very confused. I pretty much locked myself in my room by myself until I was 16 and figured out what I was and then SLOWLY learned to control it. It has been 6 years now since I figured it out and yes you are right it is not always as fun as it sounds. It depends on who you surround yourself with and how you choose to use what you have. I personally find it to be a gift because I can help the people I love. I also know the bad side too. The emotional rollercoaster you go down until you figure out how to block out other peoples emotions is one I would never wish apon anyone. I know I also felt like I didnt have a personality of my own because I was always feeling other peoples emotions. There is so much I could say about this subject though...so much I have learned over the years. Once again good article. I hope it helps the newer generation of Empaths to learn who and what they are truely.
wow, i am so freaking happy I found this article. I usually dont know if the emotions I feel are mine, or others. for a while I was hanging around a girl at school, and It seemed nothing was wrong with her at all. All of a sudden I felt fatigue and a sense of imprisonment, like I wanted to self harm. later i had suicidle thoughts. The doctor destinguished it as a serious case of depression... Finally, the girl opened up to me and told me she was going through serious depression... She moved away, and I still once in a while feel a connection towards her. Thanks for the insight, I thought I was going crazy.... Also a word to everybody who thinks we are possesed creeps, I understand you may be scred of something you have no experience over, but just because we'redifferent doesnt mean we are horrible people... To me, this is considered a form of racism. We never asked to be anti-christs, and we never asked to be empaths. God can also manifest his power through us if he chooses.. God is mysterious, and doesnt share his train of thought with us, so how do we know if he hates us and thinks we're horrible people. Seriously, stop shoving your beliefs down our throats, we're having a tough time dealing with it ourselves. Again, thanks so much for the hub :P
FOR AWHILE NOW I COULDN'T EXPLAIN MY SUDDEN MOOD SWINGS. I WOULD GO TO THE MARKET AN ALL OF A SUDDEN FEEL A SENSE OF SORROW OR DREAD, ANXIOUS AT TIMES. I HAVE ALWAYS HAD THE SENSE OF BEING ABLE TO FEEL WHAT OTHER PEOPLE FEEL. THANKS FOR YOUR INFORMATIVE ARTICLE.
ARCHANGEL
I think as I grow older my ability to take in people's emotions has gotten stronger. Most recently I've been able to look at a pictures or even movies and get strong emotions out of them. Either happy or sad. It's slightly weird but at least I'm able to get some clarification from your article. Thank you.
I find this article very comforting and informative. I was a born and raised Christian-Church of Christ to be specific, so all things metaphysical are assumed to be the work of the Devil, or Pagans, at the very least. So in saying that, it has been very hard growing up with this "knack for knowing things" as my mother calls it. I often wondered if I was melodramatic or bi-polar, even going on meds to help this so called chemical imbalance. Thanks to you, I have been able to look outside the "box" that I was conditioned to catagorize my life in, and maybe can begin to live with this. It is very difficult. I have been poked fun at for having panic attacks due to something as silly as a suspensful movie based on real events. It's very debilitating at times. I am so glad that someone has finally stepped up to bat to help us out! Thank you so much for all the info! =)
OMG I am crying right now after reading this article. Growing up I always knew I was different and had strong intuition with people and there feelings but didnt know what it was called. I can feel what other people are feeling in my heart. When people say things in conversation I can tell what they really mean. People dont even have to speak and I know what is going on. For the past few years I have been locking myself in my room not talking to anyone because I just cant take all the emotions. Even my family I cant be around them for long periods of time. If I go to the city or the mall I sleep for two days to recove from the emotions distress. I started a new job in retail and it is killing me. People come into the store who are so rude and I feel so bad for them because I know the reasons why.. without knowing them. There negative energies come into me and puts me in such a bad mood. I can read all my coworkers feelings... i hate that too. How do I protext myslef from other people? i just cant take it anymore
In reference to some of the first comments here.. I don't think that Empaths, or most BORN gifted with forms of "psychic" abilities are against God--I think it is a God-given gift, and yes, it is a cross as well.
1 Corinthians 12:8-11 "8To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b] 11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. "
Acts 2:17 "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams..."
I am an empath I never knew there was name for it before though... I started freaking out knowing that it fit me completely....
I am losing myself slowly because I took someone elses emotions as my own.... to help them get up of there depestion
I really don't know how I know some of the things i do....
I am still learning about how I do this and about myself but this certainly helped me
Thank you for posting this. I've always known there was something different about the way I could read people, be it minds or emotions. I've discovered recently that I am empathic and possibly a Medium. This doesn't make anyone evil. I've tried to avoid this. I've had my house blessed and I myself have been blessed to make sure no evil entities can harm me. Still, I get these feelings just as your article describes. Sometimes I want it to go away. It's painful, physically, emotionally and mentally draining. Still, as a sign of a true empath, I can't stand to let people hurt. I would take pain from anyone if I was faced with it, even my worst enemy. People can call that evil if they like, but it sounds pretty peaceful to me. Very nice article. Thank you. You've helped solidify alot of questions I've been having about myself lately.
i do not know if i am clairsentient or not... i have been experiencing a lot of unusual things, though, when around other people like tingling sensation, and a tickle around my neck area when someone touches me. i would like to know if those are any signs of clairsentience! :) loved ur article!!!
i love this sight i couldnt find very much on it n i enjoyed hearing about other peoples experiances:) im 17 n i didnt really notice anything till a few years ago. i have a friend im really close too and i seemed to get very upset wen she did. at times id cry n have to call to ask her wat was wrong:)i thought it was just because we were so close. i was depressed for almost a year. id be soo happy one minute then go right back to depressed. it can be very overwellming, but i decided to see a psychic in a mall last year. she was very correct about everything, including the unessesary mood swings that happen for no reason. she taught me how to deal with it tho, im very glad i found out or id still be clueless! i never talk about it to people because i feel like theyre gunna say, how do i feel, or wat am i thinking..:s i just really wanted to learn more about it. by the sounds of it theres lots i dont know yet:)
wen i looked it up a while ago i read about empaths feeling emotions from even watching sad stuff on tv. i thought it sounded stupid n denied that was true, but i can see a picture and be haunted by it for weeks. id feel like i cant breath, and picture being there watching the starving child. theres too many songs i refuse to listen too cause they 'make me feel wierd' wether upset or angry or even really happy, it just bothers me. im not really a hermet:p but im incredably picky with friends because i feel like everyone is the same. theyre carless, mean, n lie to make themselves sound interesting. i dont have lots of so-so friends, but i do have a few really close friends n im quite happy like this:)
thanks again for ur site!
Hi Ian. I tend to have incredible sensitivity right at the tip of my nose. lol. It's weird and I can't say if it actually means anything. Plus the tip of my nose tends to get extremely cold even though I live in a warm climate and stay indoors A LOT. It sometimes gets uncomfortable to breathe.
I'm a fairly devout Catholic and I have to say I totally believe that someone can be extremely empathic as a result of God's grace. He gave it to some people who the Catholic Church acknowledge to be saints. e.g the Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich was often taking upon herself the temptations of others. She found herself feeling their emotions to such an extent that even though she was a highly sanctified soul, she felt obscenities hurling themselves against her lips and it was all she could do to stop herself uttering them. So yeah, there's a lot of new-age junk out there but I think this is definitely a real phenomenon, and not a demonic one at all. Yeah, it sucks being an empath, but it makes it that much harder to be a hard-hearted sinner or a disingenuous Pharisee Christian. So good work Iz.
I think I'm an empath to some point. I know when people are upset because it bothers me, even if I don't know them very well. Usually when my family or friends are angry or sad my stomach starts to hurt and sometimes i get a headache. I usually try to get them to talk about it to see if there is a way I can make them feel better. The other day my friend came into work crying and I touched her hand and I had the weirdest sensation. My throat constricted and my eyes watered up. She DID NOT talk to me about anything that happened I just told her if she needed to talk I would be there. and that's when I touched her hand. I've been trying to..well..get more in touch with whatever is going on with me. I always know when someone is irritated with me or when they do not like me. I wait tables so I can tell which tables are going to be nice or who is going to be mean. You can obviously tell by the way they are acting but I feel energies off of them. I have about 3 friends I hang out with all the time because they emit a nice feeling. I feel very peaceful around them and they always have a nice 'climate' if you want to call it. I don't ususally feel bad when I go into crowds, it happens when I focus on one person. I think I sound crazy but this really does happen to me. Is there anyway I can expand on this?
Isabella’s information here on this hub was very helpful for me to get some answers I had not known or thought about it like that before—it makes a lot of sense. I’m not sure if anyone else feels it like this but since I only feel other people’s emotions in different areas in my upper chest, each little section are the emotions of different people (it’s organized that way so that I know whose is whose—this occurred naturally, I have had no control over this empath gift for as long as I can remember). Think of those sections as little circles on different spots on your upper chest. It’s usually easier to know whose emotions you are feeling if you are either A) talking with the person or B) you are over hearing/eavesdropping someone else’s conversation. If a person is going through physical pain instead of emotional then wherever they feel that physical pain so will you (at least I do anyway). Likewise, if you can feel physical pain from others then you can also feel physical pleasure as well wherever that’s at. I’m not trying to sound perverted but that is possible for some empaths to experience that—if you know what I mean…?
Now, about tips I can give to my fellow empaths: what I do (since I don’t like turning off my gift, not that I can anyway—so that I know what’s going on with the people around me) is if I’m feeling someone else’s emotional pain I will have to find a certain way (this varies to several positions as needed) to sit down, and how to keep my arms in a way to not put pressure on my chest, etc. as to not make my own chest hurt even more and confuse that extra pain as coming from that other person (see what I mean?). On how to position yourself to not make your pain any worse is going to depend on your creativity on how to sit and the like without looking weird outwardly so that no one knows what is going on with you. Keep a normal face on too…at least try to (with enough practice you can master that very quickly as I have). I hope this helps you to learn how to live with this (sorry if I’m telling you stuff you already knew…I guess a little review never hurts?). Perhaps you are aware of this fact but your chest area can become very very sensitive to practically any physical touch when feeling other people’s emotions…so don’t let people touch it or it will intensify that emotional pain (I even get that if the emotions are positive too). Though it is just a pinch sensitive when they’re negative. I keep my hands off and I don’t lie down on my stomach either to keep myself from suffering even more. Leaning your back against a chair and keeping your arms on the arm rest is one of the best ways to cope if the pain is too intense or just simply lying down on your back on your bed is good too…but at all costs avoid placing pressure on your chest…well, assuming you feel other people’s emotions in that area as I do. My chest has had so much exposure to this that you can practically see many nerves (veins) through my pale white skin. You’ll find from various sites stating that the way we empaths pick up on emotions and such is by sensing the energy vibrations and frequencies or chakra and whatnot from other people but I have to disagree with them all. Here is why: when I was feeling someone else’s emotions one time they had apparently prayed to God for me to stop feeling their emotions since they didn’t want me to feel their pain and when I had stopped feeling their emotions suddenly out of nowhere it felt like a plug had been unplugged from my upper chest area. I view that as a spiritual cord connection. Besides, as I describe below, distance is another factor to consider and wave lengths emitted by emotions from a fist sized human heart just doesn’t make any sense to me for that to travel for so long a great distance…I don’t believe that is even scientifically possible. Concerning the whole chakra concept, as for my experience, I don’t feel people’s emotions in just one spot (like where the heart is at within my chest) I feel it all over the place in an organized manner (as already described above) so I’m having a hard time believing the chakra explanation—there has to be a better explanation than these points I’ve just refuted. For instance, I can feel so-and-so’s feelings on my RIGHT hand side of my chest and never does it feel to be connected to my heart in any shape, way or form (the heart is on the LEFT hand side of most people’s chest, unless you’re born different and it’s on your right)—am I the only one who experiences other people’s feelings like this…?
Distance (as you might be aware of) is not a problem for an empath, as in my case, I was on the other side of the world (in America) and my friend in the other side of the world and I was still able to pick up on every emotion and physical feeling they went through (it’s a small world after all, huh?). So even if I tried to be totally alone someplace, I would STILL pick up on someone’s emotions, no matter the distance. Of course staying away from crowds is smart if you’re not all that into in feeling other people’s emotions (which from reading everyone else’s comments here this seems to be the majority of you guys). I have come to the point that I can walk in any crowded area and not suffer, even if I feel other people’s feelings. The reason is because of the attitude I have developed to help me cope with this (be positive about this and don’t hate it). I know, for some they might say, “Well easier said than done,” but practice makes perfect as they say. But being patient is also key to this, be patient with yourself in maturing in this gift and be patient with other’s…try to not get annoyed by other people’s feelings, become more sympathetic and sensitive towards them…at least within your heart. I also will advice one more thing, if I were you, don’t tell the whole world that you’re an empath…keep that mainly to yourself and if necessary to your close inner circle. I guess that’s my introverted self talking but I don’t want people to make fun of you or to disrespect the unique individual that you are. I commend you for seeking help from other empaths instead of those who wouldn’t understand. So let me give one piece of advice, if I may, if anyone is interested and is searching for a way to heal yourselves from the suffering you endure, I recommend this book: “Healing The Whole Man Handbook” By: Joan Hunter who is a famous Christian with the spiritual gift of healing—I know since I’ve met her in person when she came to my church one time. Here is the ISBN number for this book: 0-88368-815-8. I hope some who try what’s in this book and see how it works (assuming you have faith in your prayers to God that is and if this condition is met as described in 1 John 5:13-15) will want to turn away from whatever witchcraft you are into (if you are doing anything like this). So if you are looking for a way out of witchcraft because you have already accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior as explained in Romans 10:9-10 then I recommend you read chapter 17 first of this book to get cleaned out in the name of Jesus: “Prepare For War” By: Rebecca Brown, MD; ISBN: 0-937958-26-3. The next short paragraph is for someone who had a question:
To Jackie: Your questions on sexual energy from others, it is from them not you (usually you should be able to tell if it is from you), trust me because I’ve had that experience before several times already (feeling what they had towards me that is). But don’t let those emotions/energies make you be attracted to them unless they so happen to be your type or something (assuming your single and not married I mean, I’m not promoting adultery here). No need for you to go with someone who isn’t your type, right? If it isn’t someone you’re interested in and you want to stop feeling those emotions and sexual energy from them, etc. then just pray to God for Him to make your gift to stop picking up on what they have for you. I know from experience that this sort of prayer works…assuming you have faith behind your prayer. May God bless you all on this hub!
Hey! I have a question.Im a Christian grl and I believe in Gifts from God.It could Eiither be the Gift of Decernment in the biblical term or it could be me growing to learn how to deal w the fact that im an Empath...I live by the missions in san antonio and when I walk through them i have an overwhelming since of sadness and depression...I dont cry but my eyes water for no reason and my heart Ackes as if I just watch someone die...I can barely watch the news...Ifeel others hearts breaking and I cant help but cry w/ ppl,even ppl who dont particularly care for me because of my constant sunny outlook on life...but ive always had ppl come to me and tell me their problems...I dont know how to take what ive been givin and I believe gifts r gifts..What would u call this?
This is Crazy... I have an overwhelming empathy for others. I have had some personal experiences: knowing when people would call, knowing when things have happened in a particular place (house, land, and other environments) knowing when things were going to happen before they would. Those things happen few and far between and I really try to avoid paying attention to those listed. Now for the empathy there is no way I am able to subdue what ever it is. I feel everything, all the time. I know the mood my wife is before she gets home, and I know who exactly she is not happy with when she is upset with someone. Some times she gets upset with me. When she gets upset I don't know why she is upset, but I know for what reason. The problem with that is she gets upset about things that I do not understand for logical reasons, but I completely know what she is emotionally feeling. Over the last few years or so I have been able to control my emotional state with her and others. I have been able to isolate the other persons emotions from my own. Now for someone that gets injured in front of me or anyone that is harmed, that I can not isolate. I feel it as it is happening to me. I do not watch horror movies at all, I completely refuse.
One of the the more difficult parts is when you are feeling good and walk in to a room with tension, not even seeing the individuals in the room. It's like hitting brick wall of emotion, and all the red flags start going off. On the other hand, I have been able to utilize this ability in the past to avoid potentially dangerous people, places, or possible events. There have been a few times in my life that those bells go off in the back of my mind saying, "BACK OUT BACK OUT NOW". I listen to that with out question. Walking into a situation that is unavoidable and to know the emotional state of those around, is nice. I feel this ability has saved my life at least 8 to 10 times that I remember and remember vividly.
I enjoyed this hub. Now I know what it is that I was unable to explain. Thank You.
One thing, does anyone else have a ridiculous sensitivity of finger tips? Is that related to anything or am I just overly sensitive?
This is so unbelievable. I have alway thought that I might be one and the pain described feels all too true. With this recession/depression going on I have felt something "wrong" in the world. I cant really describe it. Its just a "feeling" that something is not right,that there is a lot of unhappiness, pain, suffering. Ive been crying a lot, but its not about me ..its about why I hear and see and "feel" I cant watch the Humane Society ads..I do, but I get pains in my heart and stomach and will cry if I think about it too much. And strangely enough Ive been very intuitive about people as well...Im not sure what to do to not become so emotional. Maybe Im an empath. Maybe Im a mess. Am I the only guy that can watch LMN and cry?? LOL
Ive always been this way. My emotions are close to the skin I guess.
I think I might be an empath. This makes a lot of sense to me.
Wow, I finally found a site on how I have been feeling. I am however a Christian, and I am definitely born again and my whole life is about Jesus and God. So I don't believe it is demon possessed. I have given my whole life to Christ. I have really started questioning what I was feeling especially after I was helping with the homeless, and walked into the room to serve them a nice hot meal and was overwhelmed with what felt like so many different feelings at once which left me wanting to cry. I was so happy I was doing this, and it hit me out of no where. I was feeling it occasionally when in stores shopping but never to the point where it was overwhelming and with so many emotions at once. I'm very strong in the area of prayer. So I was using those feelings of the other person to pray to God for them. So when people have stated that is Demon related...I dont believe that. I am starting to think us empaths can use that ability to pray for others and open God's will. I thank you so much for this site. It has been so helpful to me. :)
you know for some years i realized that i have the ability of empathy but just recently i started to look up things on it and this article really made me realize how empathic i am thank you so much for the help and i cant wait till another one comes out. you have really helped me out.
this is very true for me!!! i have been searching around on the internet and couldnt find anything more discriptive than this!! im 15 and have just found out that im an empath for a few months now, i have all of these! thats part of the reason i stopped going to church, it seemed like everytime i went there alot of people would come up to me and start telling me things that i dont even want to know, and the pastor gave off a VERY VERY VERY STRONG vibe! ive also been in rooms were it is very depressed and boring that i just ask the teacher if i can leave for a while because i will get overwhelmed with sadness and every emotion on the planet that i just cant take it anymore. ive also been to partys, it gets very overwhelming for the first 45 minutes or so, but ive learned to turn my sensitivity down so its not so radical. then it usually goes away and i just rock out lol. another thing im noticing is that i dont even have to be anywere NEAR the person, especially my girlfreind, to know there mood! i can also tell when people are asleep! that gets pretty freaky sometimes! thanks for this article Isa!!
I'm only thirteen, yet, A few of those descriptions fit me fairly well. Often enough, I begin to feel upset, or angry, or happy, etc, with no specific reasons when I'm out, or with people. I've only had a select few good friends throughout all of my life. I can't stand being around people either; I don't like the vibes I get from them. I can't even stay around my family for a really long period of time.
When someone tells me something, even if they have the straightest expression, and the calmest, most even tone of voice, I know something's up. I almost always know when someone's not voicing the truth. A lot of people like talking to me and telling me things, even I don't WANT them to. I 'feel' music as well. Sad songs make me cry, and angry/violent songs make me wish to break things, because I guess you could say I understand the emotions behind them, especially when I'm very focused. I have random bouts of pain as well. I'm upset very easily in crowds, most of the time I just stay away from people, and I don't go out all that often.
When I'm with my significant other, even if we're not in the same room, or we're just IMing each other, I know how she feels (yes, I am bi-sexual. That's not the topic.) I just know when she's feeling down; When she's upset, I get upset too, or when she's angry, I'm almost always feeling the same way. If she's hurting (sometimes this includes psychically), I wind up hurting too.
This was a really good hub Isa, and now I'm asking questions left and right (lol!) I've been reading into empathy, and empaths. I'm really curious, and, I've been trying to figure out if I am an empath myself. But, Am I just socially awkward? Is there an explanation for all of this, medical or scientific? Am I just an inside person? I've been reading some of the comments, and now I'm wondering.
If anyone has some answers/explanations, Thanks a bunch!
~Allysia
this is my first post on here, though ive read a lot of the comments... which is probably the most ive read in a long while. i am an empath as well... from my experiences though my life so far and who i make friends with there seems to be different ways the empath ability can be drawn upon, and appear... it also seems as though it can possibly be somewhat genetic. my sister and i both seem to possess the same type to where we can draw upon peoples auras. i really couldnt figure out what was going on with me while i was growing up till a few years ago... im still very young(19) but i seem to be able to get a better grasp and control of it since i figured out what was going on(figured it out when i was about 16). its nearly impossible to gain full control of it no matter how long you have had this ability and known about it, there is always ways to improve and channel it for better uses.
to answer some of your questions there drift along...
for intimate situations what i find best is instead of trying to reject and turn off your empath ability embrace it and channel your partners feelings/intimacy
turn learn what feelings to let in or not, i wouldnt be able to answer that cause i cant really focus that, but what i have learned to do is just meditate and work on building my mentality up to deal with the good and bad
i have not learned physical healing yet, one of my close friends is planning on showing me how to do that, but what i can do it heal the mind... from my exp. i have a tendency to attract broken girls(usually either mental or spirit) and as long as we have a connection i wind up helping them through there problems and heal them to where we wind up breaking up afterwards which sucks...
please forgive me if this comes as a duplicate.
I only recently was made aware of the fact that I am an empath. For years I thought there was something wrong with my "wiring"! I went to doctors only to be diagnosed first as ADHD then as Bi-polar, but the meds did not help only made me feel blah even more so than before. After reading some of the comments here, I can say that I too self medicated to the point to where 1 wasn't enough to keep the feelings at a level I could handle, so would take more. Luckily I have a strong husband that refused to watch me take 3 or 4 pills at a time to be able to cope with "normal life" (he still doesn't get it totally) I was lucky, I didn't get addicted to these prescriptions, but thats not to say I wouldn't have if it hadn't been for someone stepping in and saying ENOUGH! I don't recommend these types of drugs for any empath, as they can be very dangerous to our kind. I think the one thing that still is so hard to deal with is the intamacy issue. My mind will not let me focus even though my body is, for years I thought there was something wrong with me, I felt inadequate or imbarassed. I still do to some point. I am just learning, and am still very raw at the flood of feelings on a daily basis. I never knew why the news would upset me so much so that I don't watch it, my husband does and if there is something he thinks I should know he tells me otherwise I am in the dark. I don't socialize, I cant even tell you my nieghbors names though we have lived here for 7 years! There is a very close friend that I confide in and only now do we both know that the reason we are comfortable with one another is that we are both empath's as she suffers the same as I do.
I know I am rambling now, so I guess my reason for this post is to ask the following:
How do I learn to choose which "feeling" to let in or not?
How do I learn to turn it off during intimate situations?
How do I learn to focus this energy to not only help myself heal but others as well?
Blessed Be!
Drifting along
For years I have known there was something different about me from the rest of my family and peers. There have been times when I have been paralyzed by a vast amount of emotions just from thinking about entering a crowed room. The most recent "episode" was this year. For a month I lived with a room mate who did nothing but say hurtful things about her own friends. She complain for hours on end from having to lock the door to the office she worked in to how "stupid" everyone else was, one girl in particular who will remain nameless for obvious reasons. One day somethin came over me.I had such a buildup of everything hurtful she said about everyone else and reacted in a way as if it affected me personally. The building I live in has communal restrooms and as disgusting as it sounds I was found throwing up, crying and shacking. Everytime I saw my room mate even before this incident, I felt so sad. Its hard to explain to skeptics but I felt so depressed just listening to her, one reson being because I pitied everyone she talked about and the other reason being because I knew my room mate was troubled. There have been other occasions where I have been otherwelmed not just this one. There are times when I walk down the street and would rather keep my head down because everytime I look at people I feel a rush of emotions. This goes for people I know as well as strangers and sometimes I cant take it. Sometimes I cry myself to sleep and not know why, sometimes Im angry and cant understand it. I have seen specialist since I was 16 and have been told I have a melancholy personality. I know this is not so, Everything written on this site fit me perfectly and its scaring me. I was even given a medical single because the school head councelor felt I needed to be alone as to not pick up anything negative emotions. Whats so sad about it is I feel shunned from the rest of the school and my friends because I cant handle so many emotions at once. I dont know how to be an empath, it hurts to much and few understand.
Make it stop.
This article made me say 'so that's what that is'! I am definately an empath but didn't realise it also involves healing. I can only feel deep emotion from other people. My flatmate who's recently broken up with his ex decided to confide in me and I wouldn't say he was a close friend at the time so it really surprised me. I can feel his hurt, anger and heartache. He's due to go on holiday soon, can't wait for him to leave so I can get a bit of peace! lol
It hurts, a lot.
Can anyone help heal by going through the pain for them?
Emotions are like physical blows, hurt, fear, anger, are all powerful.
Do any of you meet in person?
TIRED!
Can't save everyone, but I can't help but try.
I really enjoyed the comments from those who regard the positive aspects of being an empath. How satisfying it is to absolutely understand what another person is feeling.
I have this ability, it's my pain and happiness.I can feel with my fingers physical pain of the person, feel wrong opinion or lies.. but the best part is feeling love, trust, lightning of the person.. Somebody else may use it for manipulation, it's sad..because you already know it too...
my comment just randomly posted
But I was going to say I can tell when I'm lied to but sometimes I can't tell anything I doubt I am and empath I don't think it runs in my family at all.
I felt these things connected to how I am. In a crowd my moods swing drastically so much so that my sisters ask if it's that time of the month. Also for some reason people like to ask me for help and I mostly just bark back at them, but I do like to help people sometimes. Also my hearts aches when I hear tragedies and other sad things I will start crying and my heart and chest start to burn and feel heavy. I don't really want to have these problems but they just happen. I also easily depress my self just by thinking about anything, but I really think my sensitivity just comes from my being a taurus. I know when I
There's no better truth than experience. In a couple days I'll have a post of some of the things call "downsides" of being an empath.
As we eventually admit to our children there is no Santa Clause or Easter Bunny, God/Great Spirit has a lot to show to those who want to grow up.
Some may not know that it is a scientific fact that our bodies are but zillions of molecules moving at a rapid rate such that we appear solid. The fact that these molecules are moving is also known as energy. Yes, we are but walking talking bundles of energy. It is also known that we this energy can also be seen emanating outside the body. Knowing that we are energy and that this energy exceeds the confines of our physical being, it is reasonable to extract that when we come into the energy fields of others, then those who are sensitive can 'sense' through their energy what the other is feeling.
Physics also concludes that the mind goes far beyond the brain . . . that each cell is considered to have a mind. If that is the case, knowing how we shed millions of cells such that our bodies are basically renewed every 90 days, this also means that everywhere we go, we leave cells and a little part of our 'energy' with them. As a result, even though we are not physically present, others can 'sense' us even though we are long gone.
All religions acknowledge that God is omni-present and that we are one with God. If this is so, then it is a contradiction to believe that our 'sense' of one another is not of God. God is everywhere, including IN US! As the good book states, "Greater is he that is IN YOU than he that is in the world." There are so many biblical references to our God-like image or our likeness of God, that it seems rather confusing for anyone to claim that if we believe God knows everything and that we are created in the likeness of God, and that He/She is IN US, that we could not have the ability to sense eachother's feelings or emotions.
Those who hold religious teachings firm should consider the actual text from whom those are interpreting. As one wise professor of mine said over and over again, "Look at the data folks!" When you look behind the stories and others interpretations of them and find your own, you will find the TRUTH. -- and "the TRUTH shall set you free."
Dana,
Thank you very much for all that you stated. You are very, very, right. I was brought up in the Christian missionary and it was a play ground for sadness, fear and evil. I would explain but there is so much of it I would bore most or in other words I rather save my own kind, the Empath, of the feelings I have endured my entire life. The things I had seen, the feelings I had while in the missionary,it would make most commit them self to a hospital. We did go to Thailand and I spent most of my time with the monks and they were so beautiful and peaceful. They saw the Empath in me I am sure of it now. They used to call me pretty water fall/Nampoo. When things were crazy I would always go to the temples to watch the animals and the monks and I always found a peace I have never felt since we left. But again you are very right and those who follow in the foot steps of Fret may never see the truth because they are conditioned to see what they were told to see. I feel sad for these people and at one time I tried to understand or help them but it is hard when you are against a wall of lies that has been built up through child birth. It is not their fault for being lied to as it was never a choice to see things any other way.
Many of you have shared your frustration with being an empath. I have worked out a statement which clears me of any feelings other than my own any time I choose. Here I share them with you:
When you are suddenly feeling ill, anxious, have a headache, etc. etc., stop and say these words to yourself: "LET THE FEELINGS I AM FEELING NOW BE 100% MINE AND 0% ANYONE ELSE'S."
If the pain (et. al) does not belong to you, within 30 seconds you will find the pain or feeling disappear and you can continue on with your day. Initially, I had to use this frequently, now I need it seldom. I suppose if there was an "off" switch, this is it. To turn it "on" again, just make the statement in reverse, or add a particular person's name or another reference to it. Best wishes to all of you and thank you for sharing your experiences.
i have been researching empathy for awhile. it's just that i i feel more then i should at times. i used to work in a gas station, their were days that i hated being their because of all the differnt emotions. strangers would tell me their problems and i would cry from their pain. i don't even know them. but because i FEEL their sadness,i cry for them and with them,it became my own pain and i find myself worring about these strangers for the rest of the day and some times more. alot of times i take on the moods or attitudes of others; i am around others and if people are in high spirits so am i when people are down or angry so am i. i try to fix everyones problems, it's like thier problems become mine.i try to keep people at bay. i don't do public gatherings, bars, clubs ect.i can't take being around other people. i get overwelmed and stressed. i perfer to be around or hang other with one person at a time. i get stress i croweds. it's hard to explain it to people. when i talk with people i know what they are feeling in my gut and my heart. but i wait for them to tell me. i never took on others sickness. but i do believe that i have something special in me.
I cry at this and finding others who understand. It hurts so much sometimes. So much. Life is so beautiful, so striking. People are sooooo sad and in pain. I just want to take it all away. So many years of being so alone in this, and yet I knew I couldn't be. And now I know I'm not. Funny, I even find I want to help other empaths in their pain of being empaths....I'm sure you feel the same.
OK, now that I've addressed Mr. buzz-kill (lol), I'd first like to say that this outpouring of emotion and communion on this topic is aww-inspiring, and Miss Isabella, I'd like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for creating a safe-haven for people who possess (not who ARE possessed, lol) this truely amazing, God-given gift.
I've read over most of the comments here, and believe me when I tell you all, I understand what you're going through and I FEEL your pain. I've read your stories and I hear crys for help with understanding what is happening to you. I've been where you are.
This is my story:
The first time I really experienced empathy far beyond the norm., I was about 7or 8 yrs old. My family and I used to live in Maine and were taking a 2 day road-trip to TN., to visit my Grandparents and family on Dad's side for Thanksgiving. I remember seeing someone, I don't recall which gender, but this person was dirty and dishevled and was holding a sign that said "Homeless, please help" or something like that, and a coffee can, so people would drop money in, and he/she was walking up to car windows to collect it. I did NOT feel sorry for this person, as a matter of fact, I recall feeling a sense of determination mixed with malintent. Now remember, I was just a little girl, so I didn't know these words yet, but I felt them intensely. I remember being so uncomfortable, not wanting to look at this person and wishing the light would turn green so we could just keep going and get far away from what I NOW know was a con-artist. I actually felt a little guilty though, because at the time, I thought I was being a snob like some of the kids in school and I didn't want to be like them. But I couldn't help it, I did NOT want this person getting near the van OR my Mommy and Daddy; so I just accepted what I felt. Well, we kept on going and sometime down the road we passed a man (I clearly remember that THIS person was a man) and he too was filthy and disheveled. I remember he had dirty, matted hair and a beard to match. He also held a sign that said he was homeless and needed help, and when I saw him I wasn't uncomfortable or anything like I was before. Instead I was drawn to him. We made eye contact, and I fell apart. I started crying uncontrollably, to the point that my Dad became so worried, he pulled the van over onto the shoulder and he and my Mom were frantic; asking again and again "Dana, what's wrong? Are you sick? Are you in pain? What?" but I couldn't speak... I felt like my heart was breaking. Then they asked my sisters if they'd done something to me, and it wasn't until I felt the sting of accusation towards them, that I was able to catch breath enough to speak and tell my parents in between sobs that the man up the road was homeless. I said, "He has no home and no family and he's cold and hungry. He has no home Daddy", I only remember my exact words now because my Dad still tells that story to this day. My parents tried to comfort me and explain that bad things happen to people sometimes, and as sad that is, I would probably see it again in my life, and that I couldn't let it tear me apart every time; that it was unhealthy for me to do so. But I was inconsolable. It wasn't until we got much further down the road that I gained my composure and was able to stop crying. But the memory of what I felt when I locked eyes with that poor man (by poor, I mean unfortunate) has stayed with me to this very day. I'm teary eyed now just thinking about it. Remember when I said that my Dad still tells that story to people? Well, the reason he does that is because he feels proud that his baby girl has a big heart and is sensitive to others... What he didn't quite understand is that people like us: Empaths, aren't just sensitive, but hyper-sensitive.
As I grew older, it became harder and harder for me to cope, as it has obviously has been for many of you. So, when I was 16 I went to see a doctor, and I was put on anti-depressants; Zoloft, or something like that. I hated them! They made feel weird and tingly and I'd sometimes have suicidal thoughts, so I said, no way! These aren't for me. I stopped taking them and started trying to cope on my own again. I had never heard of an Empath before, so I thought there was something really wrong with me! I couldn't go to crowded places without having a panic attack. I'd have so many emotions whirling inside me all at once, I didn't know what to feel, and I've come out of situations like that and found that the palms of my hands were nearly bleeding from clenching my fists so tight that my nails were digging into my skin. Then, when I was almost 18 I'd started a job as a hostess at a busy restaraunt in the mall and had acutally become physically ill! I went from 118 lbs to 98 lbs in less than 3 wks and my stomach was bleeding so, I went to a different Doc. I was told I had generalized anxiety disorder and started taking Xanax. I won't lie, the Xanax helped tremendously. My Empathic abilities did NOT stop, but they did become much easier to handle.
*If you choose to see a Medical Doctor and take this medicine, I must warn you that Xanax is a narcotic and can be VERY addictive, especially for people like us, because we feel the need to take them more often (or at least I did). For those of you who prefer a more holistic, herbal remedie, you can find Valerian Root in capsule form at local pharmacies like Walgreens. Valerian is often called "Natures Valium" because it is the plant base for prescription meds like Valium and Xanax. Also you can find a supplement called 5 HTP, which is derived from the hormone in turkey meat that makes us feel all relaxed when we eat it.
Personally, I recommend any supplement or prescrption medication only be used in order to ease the transistion as you accept your abilities and allow them to grow, then SLOWLY see how you do without taking anything. But I'm not an MD, so this is just a little advise from someone who's been there and has done a whole lot of research.
Anyway, because I was taking the xanax at the time, I was able to control my emotions a little more and that's when I started to realize that I could sense things. I was quite the match-maker for a while 'cause I could sense that 2 people had good chemistry before they even knew it. Then came the Investigative Discovery channel. I became intersted in criminology and watched that channel constantly (still do) because, to my utter amazement, I noticed that I could tell if a person was a good guy or a bad guy... Then it started to become more specific. I could sense if a person was pyschopathic, narcissistic, things like that. I didn't realize it yet but what I was doing was honing my gift and it was getting stronger everyday. Pretty soon it got to the point that my husband was amazed at how quickly I could solve a crime... But I got on his nerves a bit too. I could tell what kind of mood he was in, even if he was trying to hide it; I knew if a person was lying or not. I even kind of ruined his marriage proposal 'cause I sensed it before he was able to get a ring. So it turned out to be a mutual agreement to get married. BY then, I knew I was able to feel emathy far beyond what an average person could. I started to research it and discovered that there were people who felt empathy, and there were Empaths. I've always been open to the "paranoramal" because my Mother is also hyper-sensitive (she sees spirits and even astral-projected once on accident). I wasn't about to let anyone else's emotions ruin my wedding, lol, so we went to Jamaica to get married and had NO family there.
I was fascinated and terrified at what I could do...
It wasn't long before I, like many of you, became reclusive and I still am. I don't have many friends at all, in fact, pretty much everyone except my husband, is just an aquaintance. I'm lucky to have Jeff, because even though it scares him a little too, he knows that I cannot help it! I just know things. It's caused problems with our relationship at times because I've told him what he was feeling or thinking before he could express it. I can't tell you how many times I'
Some of the strangest things come out of the wood work when "different" topics come up!
I came across this and found it very informative. I'm not what I am really or if it's even classified as an empath. Let me explain...the above asked about the whole mall incident, right? Well that is exactly, almost to the last dotted i, what I feel. Not just that but I ... feel? odd with certain people. Like I don't trust what they are saying b/c they "feel" like a liar or like someone who is taking truth and twisting it. Also...when I watch shows or am at a live event and someone might say...fall off a bike...I don't feel their physical pain but I feel the jarring of the bones and the off-balance feeling one gets when they lose control. It's gives me a funny twist right between the eyes. That is the only way I can describe it. Take your index finger and press it against the spot between the eyes and turn/twist the finger. That is what it feels like. Sadly there are other things that make me doubt a person when they claim an ailment. I just don't believe them half the time! I sound and sometimes feel extremely distrustful but cannot help it. I proceed with caution. Only a few times in my life have I encountered what I call a "New Soul"...what that is to me is someone who doesn't feel like they have a weight to them. Hopefully that all makes sense. These people usually don't have much dragging them down and seem pretty light-hearted and care-free. Once in a while I feel slightly set off from them but not too often. I don't know. I don't believe the junk about demons possessing people and making them feel this way. People are wrong about that. Anyway...thanks for the article, Isabella..if you have input on what I've described, please feel free to email me jnt0715@yahoo.com .
Yeh, where do we learn to make this a gift? Cuz right now....this is not fun. This is devastating and heartbreaking.
My husband works at the Coast Guard base with the people who were in the recent collision. I have never met these people, or their families. But I feel such overwhelming pain, like I can't go on in life. Weird things set it off too, like the freezing water of the pool (I linked it to the coldness of the water in the ocean), and the fire made me feel the explosion.
I feel like I can't feel better until I help them. I want to do everything for them.
This isn't the first time either. This happens everyday. I just don't watch the news. Or keep up on any current events.
I don't usually respond to these type of things but, I feel I must. I have always been psychic, but never understood this curse of living out other peoples deaths. I have never understood what I am supposed to get from it. I have always been able to read people even as a child. By the way, for the record I AM a Christian and fully accept Christ as my savior. I say this in response to one of the earlier responses thinking this is some sort of possession. IT IS NOT. I can't imagine anyone wanting to have this. I have been documented by my doctor for years. She too has been trying to help me understand this. Thank you for your explanation. It is greatly appreciated.
Dave
i am freaking out. have always questioned everything about my life, have always searched for an answer and it took 17 years to find one. i posted a question in yahoo answers and someone answered "your just empathetic" i knew this simple answer and what it meant but i thought i'd google empathy and further research it and i came across this site. good stuff.
I know that many people have already commented on Fretbuzz's response, and it makes me smile that true believers in Christ have discredited his remarks. The truth is there are many so-called "Christians" who make these accusataions of satanism and judge their neighbors to be evil or possessed by demons, even though the Bible says "judge not, lest ye be judged" (Mat. 7.2)
Isa is absolutely right! What could satan possibly get out of someone helping or healing another? That's Holy territory! Someone commented that Christ was ultimate empath, and I completely agree. But you'll often get the comment that Jesus was different, or that He was God in the flesh (which is what I believe), but remeber it wasn't just Jesus who went out helping and healing others, but also his decsiples, and they were certainly mere humans and sinners just like you and me. But because they so believed in His word, they too, preformed miracles!
It seems to me that the only one's out there satan really has a hold over are those like Fret... Those who FEAR the unknown, and become ANGRY at the thought of the possibility that there are people out there who have the same (or similar) gifts as Christ and His followers. It makes more sence that satan is decieving YOU! satan feeds on the weak and fearful, and fear is a powerful motivator. Soon a person becomes tired of being afraid, and the fear turns bitterness, and the bitterness to anger...Anger towards your fellow man for being open to the Spriritual. Then you go calling on in his name and pointing your finger saying "satanist, satanist!!!", giving the evil one all the credit for your JUDGING rather than LOVING thy neighbor. I'm sure that brings satan GREAT pleasure and satisfaction.
Did Christ not say that if we have faith but the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains? Or that we all have in us, the ability to calm a raging storm, as He did? I don't know about you, but that sounds like some really powerful stuff!!!
My point is this, it seems to me that satan uses a person's fear of the unknown as a way in, being the pathetic scoundral that he is. Isn't it obvious that the evil one is manipulating your perception? Preying on your fear (your weakness), and using it to keep you FAR away from the influences of the true servants of God?
In conclusion, I believe it is satan himself who is causing you to Fret... Mr. buzz, and anyone else who wants call me or other Empaths evil or possessed by demons! Remember that satan revels in the anger and hatred we show one another, and I'm certain he takes great pleasure in the fact you and others like you lash out at us, and give all the credit to him and his demons.
Tell me, do you spend more time thinking about hell and the devil than you do reading the Bible, and truely listening and understanding God's Word and the teachings of Christ the Lord? Because I often find that to be the case when satan and demons are the first things a person like you thinks of when faced with the FACT that there are people in the world (such as Empaths) who are out doing the very things Jesus assured us we are ALL capable of doing.
i always get tired. i hate it. i really do. but i know it's really a gift, just wish i could control it more.
Thankyou so much, now i know i'm not just insane, i'm am empath too :)
It's one of the more humble abilities, but it's wonderful anyway :)
xx L&L
Wow!So interesting are all these posts! The word empath was spoken to me upon awakening this morning, so I goggled it and found this site. I believe this is my gift and my calling from God. Every traite describes me in full detail. The same walls that protect us from hurt will also keep out many beuatiful experiences from coming our way. The choice is always ours. This is how we grow-if we choose to give. He gave so that we might live. Jesus was the greatest empath ever. He took on the sin and weight of the whole world and then nailed it to the cross. He was our example. Somehow we have to learn to take these burdens, pains, feeling that others bring to us and leave them at the feet of the only one that can truely carry them. I am learning this the hard way and through many trails and tests. I believe with all my heart that God gives the gift of being an empath to someone to help others. We are His hands and His feet in this world today. I have always referred to it an impression from God. I give Him the Glory for the gift. We cannot hide our talents. He gave them to us to be used. You cannot outgive Him. He is our source. He is our supply.
I could sit here and say nearly exactly what Jessica said just 11 hours ago. However, I instictively learned a few tricks along the way. I love a bath at night before bed and usually burn sage during that time. I meditate and surround myself in a white light, I didn't know why but always did. I have actually only heard the term empath once in my life in passing, seems to be my 'definition' now. I knew there was something about me, not quite psychic, not a medium, just sensitive. Now, I know what to call what I do and have always done.
I have always felt death around me. I know when people that are close to me will pass away - my father, grandfather, mother, grandmother, morther's boyfriend. I have can sense other people's emotions but mostly only the people that are close to me, that I love. Even to the point when I knew about my ex-husband getting ready to have an affair before he did. I would catch him pretty much everytimes until I stopped caring about him. Would this be considered a sort of empath? I do sometimes feel very sad or very happy for no reasons, sometimes I feel like I am kind of crazy but it hasn't deterred me from being around people. I love being around people. So, I am not sure what I would call it. Can anyone help me with that?
I just want to say that I have lived as an empath my whole life and for so long could not explain what was happening to me. A couple of years ago I was giving a friend a cleansing and felt a heart beat in her pelvic area. She was going into surgery the next day (which is why I was cleansing her) and after the surgery she found out she was pregnant. Another time I was giving a massage to someone with cyst on their back and shortly after I had a cyst on my hand. I have always felt for people and could tell what someone was really feeling. In fact, I hate working with my boss because the emotions she shows do not match the emotions I sense which really confuse me and makes me feel like she is insincere and fake. I cry a lot when watching sad, violent, or emotionally wrenching shows or movies. My emotions change dramatically through out the day for no reason. I have known for a few years that I am an empath but did not look into it until today. I have studied the occult and spirituality and have worked with my chakra's, done meditation, and learned to put up a protective shield, however I have not learned to keep this mind frame at all times. I suppose practice is the only thing that will help with that.
What has been really confusing me is that I sense people who have passed on but have not gone into the light. I mostly experience this at the home I live in. This home is the home of my partner and has been in his family for many generations. His mother committed suicide in the house and I recently found out that she may have actually been murdered by her husband (my partners father, who still lives there). When I use to first go to the house I was overwhelmed by negative feelings and she made herself well known to me. I would sense her talking to me but not with words but feelings and images. I have talked to my partner about this but he is still grieving over the loss (17 years ago) and is torn between the two different things that may have happened to her. I dont know how to help her soul or what she wants or how to find out what she wants. The other night I broke down and cried for a long time, hysterically,and held my partner and told him I was so sorry for what he had to go through because I could feel his pain and devastation. I want so badly to heal this family's pain, but I have no idea where to begin. Lately I cant help but wonder if my partner is capable of doing what his father did. I am tired and exhausted from all of this and I am constantly sick lately. I feel consumed and I have no place to go to get away from it.
I have a hard time staying friends with people because I know when they are lying to me and they confide everything in me. I get drained and I stop hanging out with people because their lives and emotions consume me. I feel like I am everyones therapist, yet I dont get paid for it :), I dont ask for people to tell me these things and I cant help but talk them through it and try to help, even when I dont want to.
I am in college for art but I have decided to change my major and become a psychologist because of the way that everyone reacts to me. half the people in my life already think I am one. Some of the wisdom I share with people and advise I give I have no idea where it came from. My life would be a lot less confusing if it was just mine and not everyone else's too. I love that I have a gift but I would love it even more if I knew how to control it. I think maybe if I do more research on the subject I can understand it better and learn to manage it.
My mother was an empath, although as a young girl I just thought she was crazy. I'm glad I've learned how to block some people, my mother has suffered horribly in her life taking on others pains and emotions. I was taught in my teens by a family friend to meditate and this has helped me greatly, when done correctly.
best wishes to all the other empaths, we should start a society or something.....lol.
ever since i was little i always knew that there was something different about me specifically now i know what your probaly thinking everybody is unique in their own different way.... but me... i was just not right....i started noticing the symptoms that Isabella Swan had written.... i just now found this site and for some reason... find it very useful. As i have gotten older, i am now relizing everything... relizing why i was acting the way i was.... i feel almost complete. I am catholic and christan.. soo i do beleive that God chose people that he knew had great potential, and then, well, yeah, blessed them with something eles, that he knew that you wouldnt understand at first, or really ever, but that you would kind of get the idea sooner or later. ~ D.H.R
I have learned throughout the years to deal with the negative energy that I seem to absorb from people, and the emotional distress from watching the news but I'm having issues with peoples sexual energy. I find myself attracted to people that I would not normally be and I wonder if I am feeling their attraction to myself, I haven't read much about that and was wondering if anyone else has this issue.
Hello all-Empathic/psychic tendencies run in my family. My mother, aunts, cousins-- we all have the "gift" in some form or another. When I was a child, I was tormented by others extreme feelings especially when around others. I used to get physically ill(headaches,anxiety,upset stomach etc) when all of the feelings became too much. I too like others spent a lot of time in my room reading to keep calm. Throughout my life, I would have dreams that always came true. For example, when I was 7 or 8 years old I had a dream that my elementary school music teacher had fallen and hurt herself. The next day I came to school there was a substitute teacher and she explained that the teacher had fallen and broken her hip...another more recent example, I was on my way to work and I happened to look at the sky and I saw a crow flying just as it flew overhead everything went silent and I saw ambulances riding up to the front door of my workplace. Just as quickly as this happened, it ended. Around 10am, everyone started to panic, just as I saw ambulances were at the door and someone was being wheeled out. There have been other episodes but those particularly stand out.
My cousin, taught me how to embrace it and see it as a blessing. He taught me how to meditate, not to be afraid of the feelings, how to walk with it not let it take you over. I guess I was lucky to have another empath in the family who felt things as strongly as I did.
To Celeste and the other young people who posted on this forum, please know that you might not always find understanding in the people you try to share your "talent" with. I went through this and I seriously freaked people out! As you grow up, your world will get bigger and you will find the people that will accept you and your gift. Still I caution you all in that not everyone will understand or believe you. Just remember it is not necessary for them to understand or believe just use what you got to help those who truly need help.
Okay this is getting long. Just wanted to share my experience.
I really dont perfer to consider myself an empath I guess. but it seems more or less the signs to point to it. I some points I feel others pain and know when people lie. when people talk to me they end up sayin their whole life story. Lately I have avoided the world Im slightly tired of the feelings. I cant go on a date with someone because im unsure what feelings or whose I really have. its almost like a pullin sensastion. sometimes it would be nice for people to understand.
Draco86
There are times when I believe myself an empath. Mostly when, in someone's eyes, I see that they are deeply pained. Or that they are hiding something from me, a feeling of dread usually. I've cried when a character in a TV show, movie, or book dies. In reality it seems I'm trying to ignore the pain and hurt. I guess it might be that I don't want to be brought down by others.
I guess what I'm trying to say is--- Would you call me an empath? I can't tell because I've never really thought about it that much. I tead to ignore the "feeling".
After a lifetime of being aware I am an empath, but had no name for it, I have been guided to find ways of discharging negetive energies picked up from things (people, places).It has been a very long struggle to stay in one piece, almost died twice because of the buildup of negativity from almost everywhere, not just from things we can see but from dead souls who have decided not continue to evolve and who remain in the subconsious of the collective mind of the living. Not all are malevolent but most are draining. As emaths we tend to assume the things we feel and thoughts we have are ours, but eventually we discover they are not.
Basicly, after absorbing , without being aware of what we are doing (allthough in my case this does not happen without my knowing it now) we feel without a life of our own, confused, alone and wondering why "God" would allow such a thing to happen continuously. "God" is always benevolent, btw, and we need to realise we are the spiritual 'balance keepers' of all the universes, known and unknown.
To defeat the negative and expell it from our souls, the energy needs to be absorberd into water, standing in the sea and looking at the greenery, clouds, or all nature without thought is possibly the best. If you live somewhere without easy access to the ocean, then a foot soak in luke warm water and mix in a spoonfull of salt, (use a bowl specificly for this one purpose, nothing else) Use a picture or photo of anything in nature, not animals or people. Light a candle and place it in front of the picture, do not pay too much attention to what your mind is doing, or saying, try not to think of anything, don't visualise but you can quietly say AUM, (OM) to your body, it will respond in a nice manner. After 10-15 minuits, stop rinse your feet with clean water you have with you in a jug or bottle and then pour the whole lot down the toilet, try not to look at the water, it is now full of unwanted and painfull energy. Do this for a week every night or when you need to. If it works for you let others know how. OM Shanti. signpost.
I have known for a long time (but certainly not my whole life) that I am more "sensitive" than others. That was always pointed out to me as if it were a bad thing. I am only starting to learn what an empath is. For a long time I thought everyone felt the way I did as far as feeling "bad" along with others. For example if someone get yelled at in elementary school I felt like it was me and would be upset all day. Is that normal? I am still doubting myself.
It is very frustrating for me. There are many times I just "know" what kind of person someone is. I sort of categorized them immediately but am unable to really put it into words. I am in business with my family and have tried to warn them over and over about employees over the years...but to no avail. Eventually the truth comes out about them. My family tends to not acknowledge that I ever said anything at all on account that they dont want to admit they ignored my warnings. They are always telling me to calm down...that I am too sensitive. Whenever I try to tell them that I dont know how but I 'Know" something they dont believe me.
I often feel overwhelmed and it is very difficult to let go. It does make me miserable and I am very confused right now. Is this part of being an empath? if so...does anyone have anymore resources. I have felt like I was simply an emotional basket case all this time.
I have suspected for some time that I feel more than others. The depression got too much and I went to a psychologist for the first time last Tuesday. Her second question to me was: "How long have you been inhaling other people's pain?"
I have done some research tonight and realised that I am indeed an empath.
There needs to be more info on this on the web though! Thanks for the info :)
I have had several people tell me that i was an empath.
I had noticed that i was always able to read people extremely well and that all my friends and even people i hardly knew would come to me and open up and would always tell me "i feel i can trust you because you're understanding and i am comfortable" things like that lead me to look up exactly what an empath is and it fits like a glove.
Thank you so much for this information and site. I have been searching for an answer for a while now. The past year has been the worse and my feelings are going crazy. I have been right about people at work and worse there are a few who are out to hurt others. Right now I need to find out how to control these feeling and any help in this area would be great. Again thanks for helping me find out answers.
hello i was made aware of this ability if you want to call it that about 10-12 yrs ago by a more comfortable empath and with her help was abel to come to terms with the positive and negative aspects .once i was abel to be secure in what i was giveing out to others the receiveiing no longer was a problem i have since been open to finding and helping others who do not understand what is happening to themselves, i dont do this as a selfish "holy" mission as i help others to follow this path open to them i find the way becomeing clearer to myself i would like to list some of the "facts " about being a empath as i try to pass to these others any feed back would be welcome,,,troy
these are in no paticular order
1.being a empath is not a reliegon cult or beleif it cannot be taught it is not a gift it is simply something that some are born with and others are not (ie. musical ability)
2.you can be taught how to deal or cope with it if you are aware and open
3.there are empaths that use it only for there own benifit (i jokeinly refer to this as the dark side)
4.empaths encompass all aspects of the human race smart dumb talented dull nice mean good evil who you are will determine how you use it
5.true empaths give as well as recieve, we tend to be the center of any group ,for good or bad (im sure manson was a highly developed empath!
6.this can be the greatest gift or the worst curse of your liofe so think hard before seeking more
i will stop here there is so much more but typing is not my strong suit and as any empath knows this forum may offer something we have all been looking for it also could hold great danger any who wish to comment or question directly may email me at vwtroy@yahoo.com put empath in the subject line ..be open learn live grow
I can not beleive that i learned what I am from a movie. I thought I needed therapy. I would see people and know what they were feeling, sexually, spiritually etc. etc. I thought I was going crazy. I now know that I was feeling their emotions. I even had problems with my wife that I do not know if she had an affair or not or if I was just being jealouse. I am so confused that I do not know what to do. I have had this since I was a child and not just here in this world but with the world beyond. I have also tried drinking to make the nightmares go away. It is the only time that I can sleep. God please show me how to use this gift to help others. I do not mind suffering if it will help others. Please ket me know on this site what I should do. I sometimes feel I am loosing my mind.
I am glad you make the sublte distiction between types of psychics and psychism. I came by this web page looking for topics on psychism and had the same problem as the person who started this page. The internet search engines are very broad and don't hone specifics. I wanted to know about psychism which involves the ability to find people or hone them, similar to remote viewing, but not quite. I want to know what it is called. That is the 'technical term'. I want to know more about it and why people who have it seem to use it to harrass others in a cultic like way? I like your page and appreciate that you have the foresight to make subtle distinctions. Wish there were more like you.
Oh yes, I know this role very well. I was constantly sick as a child. I had a terrible time sleeping as, I felt surrounded by the pain of others. For many years, I have suffered debilitating pain and insomnia. I am highly sensitive to noise, temperature, light, aromas, negative and positive energy. I learned to see myself surround with while light and mirrors. Then I can be around others, sense, and not absorb their pain into my body.
Through the exposure to suffering, I have always attempted to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Humor has been one of my best friends. As a Certified Professional Life Coach, my protection ritual has become even more important.
I have been curious about Fibromyalgia, since receiving the diagnosis 9 years ago, and want to ask other Empaths if you experience this disease.
Infinite Blessings,
Mel
is being an empath rare? that if you kept it to yourself but it goes out to public that its on the news or something? because i'm very young and i found out about empath and i read all the infomation and facts, and they all lead up to me. I want to know more about this
im actually here for some advice. i match almost all of the signs. i dont get much in public, its usually one on one contact. however, it has recently gotten WORSE. not that i minded it to begin with, but now it has become a PHYSICAL issue. I have started experiencing the same pain problems as my G/F. she had an accident years ago, before we met, that has caused her sever neck pain leading to headaches, about a year into your relationship, i wake up one day with a nice lil crick in my neck, which i thought was a normal pain. however it has lasted the past three months, and has now turned into sever neck pain leading to migraines. (yes ive seen a doc) but my point is, empath aside, how odd it could be for someone to start having, not similar, but the EXACT issues of another. i have always known i was somethin of an emapth, but this is just goin too far.. if you have more suggestions other than as you have posted in your other blog.. please.. sent it my way..
I cannot thank you enough for this article and the way it was written. I have had this and other "abilities" for most of my 50 years but my empathy traits are my strongest. What you have written is something that I have the few others that know my "abilities" read when I share what and who I am. I try my best to describe what it is like but you have gone way beyond anything I could have put in writing. My "abilities" have shaped everything about me. I would give almost anything to have them gone. It is nice to know that someone actually "gets" what living with this is like, thank you.
Just had to comment on the "demonic" accusations. It is a very lowly evolved soul who continually calls names to people and ideas he does not understand. It may be best to hide your ignorance.
Empaths are beautiful. They are sensitive, kind souls who put up with the likes of you to teach people here a better way to live and love. Hmmm sounds a lot like Jesus Christ.
Empath, I'm interested in the term and it's application, I will have to follow up with a little more research.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, I find and firmly believe He does not punish the living, he does however give full freedom of choice. With that freedom comes both joy and grief,
as results of ones own choice. It, in my mind boils down to spirituality and at some point one must settle in to a period of reflection and prayer for understanding, inner healing, then you may experience the connection of the signals radiating from those around us.
We may look into the eyes of another and see evil glaring back at us, or need from a blameless soul, as well as many other things pleasant or not. I have experienced the aura of death knocking on ones door and have to battle the urge to tell them they have seen their last sunrise or tragedy would some how be a part of their life. With the feeling being strong, and not knowing exactly what extent or time frame.
I've experienced the premonition, and the sadness in someone that I have had the occasion to be near and get these feelings. They bother me inexplicably. At a late night muster, before setting 30 out on patrol, I was shaken to the core with the fore knowledge that we would experience great failure. The bell rang true in the coming 48 hours.
It was an event that made me start listening and praying for understanding and where to carry my actions in dealing with these feelings. The voices in my head would drive me to solitude, and the journey to a hermits life.
I have a special gift with animals, being able to do things with them that others could not. Befriending vicious, or maltreated shy dogs that no one could touch and coming to realize that it went far beyond dogs to wild horses and desert burros for example. Instead of them fleeing from me they would circle and study me as I was in turn studying them and closing in on them at the same time. In a day I could touch them or they would leave and return on another day to continue this dance of some kind of relationship ending in physically touching them and then getting them to submit themselves to me.
I could go on but I'll stop here and possibly produce a hub with more detail in this ability. For now I will try and figure the word "Empath" into these things that happen while I remain in the desert as a hermit.
Thank you for the hub, it has given me a guideline to reflect on. It puts a possible name to my lifes experiences.
Thank you so much Isabella for your article. I am 12 years old and my brother, who is empathic, showed this to me and it describes me in a way that I knew to be true but could not put into words. I was confused and was dead inside. My emotions and the emotions of others overwhelmed me and the only thing I could look to was Jesus. I believe God gave me this gift for a reason and that He will do great things through me. Thank you so much for helping me and may God bless you.
-Olivia
This for the other Christians out there that think this is demonic. Anything is possible in God, that's what the bible says. God could work through people to make this happen, it's not always satanic.
Personally, i think stuff like this is very far removed from religion. i loved this article, it was helpful.
Hi, 'm 20 years old and I am almost 100% certain that I am Empathic... A lot of the things in this article I've read I experience and I feel that it is a gift but as with everything it does come with somewhat of a burdon aspect to it... Things in life seem so much more beautiful I've noticed then the way others see it... I can be perfectly content to spend my whole day out laying on the ground in a forest just listening to the sounds and enjoying the colours of nature when a friend would find it a fair bit dull haha. Although emotions when I am out in public can change so rapidly that it can be a bit nauseating at times. I've learned to accept it and try my best to help people with it.
Im pretty sure this sums me up entirely. Although I have it some what under control(solitude) at the moment. Im 22 had this all my life. Used to cry in public as a kid because of other peoples pain. I also think im slightly clarvoient(talked to and seen spirits).
Hello,
I am a male and im 20 years old.
I read your article and I have got to say it gave me chills. I am an empath, I have been living this way my whole life and I have always wondered whats going on. I feel others emotions and I can tell when people are lying to me. The part where you said that empaths know when someone is lying to there face gave me the chills, because that is actually what I have been calling it. "KNOW" or "Knowing". I didnt know how else to describe it. I have always known that I have been in tune with others and everyone around me can vouch for me. After reading this it really gave me a lot of answers to questions I had, and it made things really make since to me. But I dont believe it is a bad thing to be an empath. There are ways to block it out. This is something I figured out through a lot of emotional pain and making myself sick. I would like to talk to you more if your interested.
I have also been reading about being an empath, your description fits me to a tee. I cannot walk into crowds without feeling overwhelmed and anxious, almost ill. I tend to get symptoms of illnesses the doctors cannot diagnose..things affect me deeply to tears.. and sometimes I am in a situation where I might start to *freak* out and I cannot seem to pinpoint why...
I am able to *read* people immediately and am seldom wrong regarding their intentions. I did a reiki course once, and came out of it with blisters on my hands (no one could explain that to me..) I feel emotional extremes and tend to keep a distance from most people and crowds as it is hard to manage sometimes. People have called me psychic because I generally know they are getting ready to contact me before they do. I also have had deja vu type experiences, (prior to traumatic events) but I don't believe I am psychic.
I am trying to keep this short.. so am not going into long explanation.. I have always felt that I had no *filters* - was over sensitive to feelings, sound, taste, heat, cold, vision - everything seems to come in at full blast and it is very uncomfortable to the point that I have to remove myself from any situation where there is too much stimulus coming in, if that makes any sense. Shopping malls, crowds and pubs are intolerable..
One thing I find so difficult though, is when I am around people who are close to me when they are lying. I *know* they are lying to me, I don't always know what they are lying about.. but I just seem to know that they aren't being honest.. and I find this hard to deal with.. I feel angry and I want to confront them and ask why they just lied to me.. but that doesnt make you very many friends .. does it? it does however make life miserable and lonely.. I do plan to do more reading, to try and figure out how to manage this...
WoW! Its so nice to know that there are so many Christains with this ability I used to feel like it was wrong to be the way I am. I sincerly believe all people have some sort of gift and it is only a matter of searching and discovering to find out what that ability is. I love nature and am so attatched to my pets as someone earliar said its like an escape for me. Music is a different world as well I have been a musical person since childhood. Music is the way emotions sound its like you can feel it. I adore people and have difficulty judgeing a person, thats just not me. I see the good in everyone because I know it is there. Growing up it was like I was on the outside looking in, it seemed as if I noticed everything about everyone and no one ever noticed me. I go to a store and notice everyone. Have you ever noticed how it seems as if some people deliberalty ignore others? In the past year I have begun to accept who I am and what I am. I would not choose to be any other way. I adore children there is nothin like the smile of a baby to brighten your day. :)
wow, I'm an empath too. Always have been. I'm basically a happy empath and one that makes it through on my own. I've always felt that there is a power that protects me and that I'm special and different from most. I know I think differently about life than most people I talk to. This is why I don't enjoy talking to a lot of people. Idle chatter is a waste of time. I just wait to see what I need to do next. I want to be purposeful in this lifetime. It's important to me.
This is one of the finest articles I've read about being an empath. You've covered all the relevant points and I am very appreciative to receive such clear validation. Only in the last few years has it occurred to me that my daily state of mind and emotion is directly connected to turns of events on the planet I'm not aware of consciously, yet feel. It has been a challenging life journey and with many deep gifts, too. Thank you for your hub on this important subject!
I have only to say to the original comment from fretbuzz... God is SO much vaster than you know. You limit what That is by your judgments/mind. It is All That Is. All of It!
peace,
Namaste...
my name is lance. and apperntly an empath hehe its strange i could always tell when some one is lying what their feeling even when they try to hide it. people dump their problems on me all the time. i just thought nothing about it. but im changing also. i no longer care for people which is strange even my family. i now use peoples feelings to my own gain i use people for my benifit because i no what they want and i manipulate them. if it doesnt benifit me i want none of it. i sat and watched some guy on a motorcycle get hit by a car 10 ft in front of me and didnt care. im some kind of bastard arnt i. now now im evening seeing colors around people mostly dark blues and black and one person i almoust doubled over in one of my classes by just sitting by them. any one what this means or am i just crazy? by the im 16 if that helps.
Guys... all of the stuff on this post applies to me. And yes!!! I noticed the gold-white glow around leaves and stuff too! Nature is my escape. It's like it tones out all the emotions, and wraps in bliss. Unless of course someone close to you dies or something... but in general, it's really soothing. Animals are beautiful -I'm a vegetarian. I can't believe there are more people like this.... I have such a hard time in high-school. So much drama and emotions going wild all over the place, and they go right through me too. I don't even know what to do with myself..... Usually I just withdraw, and pretend I don't care... :( But it's really nice sometimes too. You can tell how your friends are feeling, and instinctively you know how to make them feel better. Animals love you, nature seems to be a part of you. When I listen to music I kind of feel like the emotion is raining down on me, or that I'm in a pool of that emotion. It's an amazing escape -it helps you feel the mood the music emanates as opposed -for the most part- to the stress and moods of everyone around you. Of course you can never completely block it out... but it's amazing.
I can't take it anymore, I simply can't take it. This is my first exposure to the word Empath, and I have to say, it makes me cry to finally find something out there that might explain who I am and how I feel ALL OF THE TIME! I do not know what is going on right now, during this time in life, but the "pain" inside is getting to be more than I can bare. I'm tired, I'm so tired...
in addition to my previous posting on this I want to share a revelation I've had it came to me just after writing my first posting on this and I think it might help others that are suffering from this
what I have begun to understand is that part of what it means to have this ability is to learn acceptance not only of other people but of your self as well only when you learn acceptance will you learn control
you must also learn to stop trying to fight this ability you cant win its bigger and stronger then you are I know this is counter intuitive that your instinct is to run to fight to try and block it out but trust me on this trying to fight it only makes the pain worse because it builds up on you until you finally reach braking point and you collapse under the strain
but if you learn to stop fighting it if you learn to accept it control it to direct and focus it if you learn how to tap in to that boundless energy and make it your own it can be a source of limitless strength
one technique I have found that helps is to tell your self every morning when you wake up or when ever you feel like you cant do something when you feel afraid etc
that you are strong and that you can do anything you set your mind to I know this sounds kind of cheesy and it might take a while to change the negative though patterns but trust me it works and after about a month of doing this every day you will start to feel the change as you begin to believe faith in ones self and ones abilities really does make all the difference
sometimes the answer is right there in front of us the whole time its just that its so simple that it takes us a long time to see it
I don’t pretend to be any sort of an expert on this by any means and as is evident from my first posting I still have a long way to go and much to learn even using these techniques I still get overloaded
its simply something I have come to know to be the truth and something I think might help others in the same situation
one other piece of advice I would give to thoughts that are suffering from this is when you start to feel overloaded like you cant handle it just stop what ever it is you are doing close your eyes and take a few slow deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth keep doing this until you feel the calm return again i know its cheesy but it really does work most of the time
occasionally if you are really worked up this might not help the best thing to do in a situation like that is to go somewhere quiet where you can be alone inside or out I don’t think it really matter just so long as you are comfortable and its quiet and relaxing
you could also try writing about what you are feeling as I have done above just write from the heart you don’t have to show it to anyone if you don’t want to but posting it somewhere public like this can help you to find people that understand what you are going through the old adage is true sometimes it helps to talk about it
even better than this though is if you have someone close to you that you can trust who is a good listener I cant count the number of times just unloading on someone like that has helped me but remember to thank the person afterwards let them know how much it means to you to have them be there for you when you need them the most otherwise they might think you are some totally unstable nutter
I will often do this just tell them thank you and when they ask what for I'll answer simple for being there for me when I needed a friend when I needed someone to talk to when i needed someone to listen someone who isn't going to judge that usually gets a smile because you are being honest and it lets them know how much you value them and that makes them feel good about them selves
I hope all of you out there that struggle with this find this advice helpful
Blessed Be
I know not why I right this now other than to say I see the truth in your words for a long time I have felt . . . different and I didn't understand why I have always been a ghost preferring the quiet solitude of my own company I've always found it hard to make connections and have very few friends I feel isolated, alone, lost most people just don’t understand how could they when they cant feel what we feel they couldn’t they can’t know what its like not really not unless they have experienced it for them selves
I've often wished that I could make people feel what I feel that I could show them the true depths of the abyss maybe then they would understand perhaps they would see the true measure of strength that is required to stop your self going over the edge
I have to wonder where does the listener goes when he needs help ?
I feel trapped like a rat in cage and I want out even as I right this I'm overwhelmed by darkness I've always be a strong willed person and I wont give up not without a fight but there are times when everything just gets to much and I cant handle it and I find my self out walking the streets in the dead of night or I'll find my self sitting on a beach just listening to the ocean lap up against the shore or I'll find some other place outdoors where I can be alone and at peace
I think maybe this is why I'm find my self drawn to wicca not so much the religion or the spell casting but I do believe there is wisdom in the old ways and only by learning from are past can we progress in to the future because unless we learn from are mistakes we are doomed to repeat them
I remember one person asking me once why I would choose eternal happiness over unlimited wealth and the simple answer is pain and I'm not talking about the physical kind that’s fleeting no I'm talking about the deeper kind the kind that doesn't go away
simply put I don’t want to feel the way I feel and the chance to be at peace to be happy has more value to me than anyone could possibly know even if it is only for a moment
I've found meditation helps a lot it calms me down helps me to maintain control I'm unsure if I am empathic but it would certainly explain a lot and would certainly answer a lot of questions I've always had the feeling of being a little emotionally unstable particularly when I'm not in control if I'm tired or stressed etc
I've often wondered if people really know what being alone does to a person how it changes you how it takes something away how it makes you cold hard indifferent if only people knew the truth
its not all bad though and it can be a wonderful gift on thoughts rare occasions when you are happy when you are at peace the feeling is beyond measure or compare
I’ve found learning to block others out is a very necessary skill but it can be quite draining at times but its worth the effort because to feel numb can be quite a relief at times not having to deal with the emotional roller coaster and to just be able to go out and get on with the day
my only regret in this is that you come off as being cold distant I think though this more than anything is a defensive mechanism designed to keep people away rather than active malice but the end effect is the same and can make matters worse as it can make it extremely difficult to make meaningful long term connections and with out the support of friends family and loved ones its very easy to slip and wind up in a very bad place
fortunately for me I have a good relationship with my family and even now at 27 when by all right I should be out there carving my mark in to the world there still taking care of me watching out for me and that also helps
still it’s lonely existence and I wish for though deeper connections
I haven't read everything on your hub but am wondering if anyone has raised the issue of picking up emotional charges
from things as well as from people. I have had the experience frequently - from pieces of furniture to road-kill. I've felt the impact, from time to time, in devastating ways. I'm only beginning to understand the profound and sometimes shattering experiences I've had that I realize now were not my own and am near desperate for ways to protect myself. I gave up television, newspapers and am very deliberate about what exposure I can control but I keep getting blindsided by stuff, particularly grief, that seems to be free floating.
I believe this is me also. It is difficult and I do find myself almost hiding from the world at times although it never really works. I am glad if I can make others feel better. I also developed this bad idea that others are always questioning any compassion that is shown, like they believe it to be some kind of farce almost. I feel the cynicism and it affects me greatly.
Well Im definitely am an empath. I have all of those symptons. Especially the healing. Its a lil annoying sometimes and it happens outta no where. Im still having trouble figuring it out, and I just recently had a very strong episode of strong harsh, and very negative feelings, but I have no idea where it came from. I have a question though, is it possible for an empath to feel the emotions of ppl overall in the entire world?? PLease writ me @ CUniversal5@yahoo.com. O h and how can I keep a control on it?
well i have recently foundout I am a Empath and its very hard and over whelming for me and i really would like too now HOW TO CONTROL ALL OF THESE FEELINGS COMING FROM PPL! how do i control this!! i would really like to know it would be a big help pleasee pleassse help me if you have any idea how too help someone message back or mayeb email me at
Michelle_maracan@yahoo.com
please and thank you!
I need help. Im 14 and for the last month or so ive felt so angry sometimes or broke out laughing for no reason. Sometimes i have butterflies in my stomach for hours and have no reason to be upset when i am. I can't watch someone hurt even if theyve bullied me but i cant heal i dont think :S its so confusing my stomach just hurts alot of the time and i asked my friend what she felt and it was the same as the feelings that hurt so bad. At the ends of sad programs i sometimes cant get to sleep after words and try not to watch them. I keep getting angry at my friends and i hate myself for it.. But how do i know if im really an empath or just want to be, like you said some people do. Im drawn to magic but i dont think im trying to be something im not. everythings starting to hurt more and im wondering if it is empathy or i need help in another way im sorry please help me
oh and one more thing i dont know why i forgot this. but i kind of just set it out my mind.
im in the military and im over seas. we had fot intel that we should expect more attacks.
well i got on post and i just started feeling this horrible feeling.i couldnt stay still i was real scared cuz i just felt like sumtin bad was going to happen. well it didnt happen that night but the next night while i was at work a soldier got killed.
now im wondering was i paranoid or did i feel it coming.
hi like i read the article and he said if we hesitate to say that we are empathic then ere not. but im just wondering like i can tell when someone is lieing to me. and when im in a relationship i know when they start to cheat on me. like i dont have proof or anything i just start to know and thats when i start looking for clues and facts to bust them. then when i first meet someone i can tell if i like them or not right when they speak. i can feel when their lieing. like i feel how their emotions come off their words. if that makes sense. sometimes i question myself and be like no their cool. but then later on their exactly what i thought. oh and i predicted two of my sisters pregnancies. one was not that into depth. but the second one i had a dream and i held the baby in my arms. i called my sister and told her she was pregnant and having a boy and i was right. like i have stuff like that happen to me a few times. i just want to know do i have an ability or am i just reading to much into it because i want to have an ability? or if i do, how do i make it stronger? practice it more. oh and when i see sad stuff on tv i have to change the channel i just figured that was just human. and also if someone is embarrassed on tv i feel like im embarrassed for them and i have to change the channel and thats like with real life stuff and tv shows as well. can some one answer my me and tell me if im just a fluck i guess u can say.
I am 62 and have been an empath since about 14. I am also a Christian; have actually asked and thanked Jesus for my salvation and asked Him to forgive me for my sins, and have read the Bible through. A lot of so called Christians should read the Bible completely and carefully before commenting an anything related. At 31, I also had a direct tangible experience with Jesus, thus I couldn't deny Him if I wanted to. My lazy self didn't even bother to read the Bible thoroughly until I was 56.
Anyway, not enough time or room to put all of it here: psycic and empathic experiences, prophetic dreams. All three of these things have to do with having a lot of sensitivity. One of my first: 14yrs. I caught the headlines as I walked past my Mother with her newspaper; "Son shoots neighbor boy." I blurted out the boy didn't shoot his friend. The boy's mother shot his friend. My mother looked at me and said, "That was a horrible thing to say." I agreed. Next day headlines; "Boy's mother confesses she shot neighbor boy."
Several months lated my mother was playing Solitair to keep herself from smoking. As I walked past her, I blurted out, "Let me play. I can win." I can't shuffle. She shuffled. I cut the deck and laid out the cards and started to play. Every card fell in place and within a couple of minutes I won. My mother was stunned and commented, "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never believe it." In 48 years countless things have happened. My husband and 3 kids know all about it. My kids don't like me to bring it up, but when I come out with something, my husband does sit up straight and take notice. He's seen too much of it during our 33 years.
My last comment about the Christian guy was for FretBuzz by the way not Christian Empath. And Christian Empath should not be afraid and should not feel bad about their abilities. Maybe it is just time for Empaths to be born because the world needs it so desparately right now. And Sunshine, I also find that people, even total strangers come up to me and start crying or telling me their deepest secrets or deepest pain. It was especially bad when I was pregnant! I must have seemed extra sweet and trustworthy. Although, I feel that I am and I really feel for so many of them. For instance, I was driving and saw a homeless man walking in the middle of nowhere. It was super hot outside and I just happened to have a bottle of ice cold water. The sensible Capricorn side of me was saying "keep driving" but I just couldn't. I turned my car around and gave him the water. He could have pulled a knife and stole my vehicl, but I felt that I just HAD to do it. On the other hand, there have been times when I wanted to help somebody but something inside me just screamed "NO!". I listen to those gut instincts because you just never know. People can be very good at sending out energy that makes them seem in terrible need, only to sucker you in. It's true that people can sense when you are an empath amd some of them will use it to your disadvantage. For haveing much common sense otherwise, I still find that when it comes to realting to people emotionally I am very naive, even when my gut says not to believe them. I am still learning how to tread those waters. Seems like no matter what someone has done, I still can't help but see some good in them or that I have to protect them. Not a good thing at times.
i enjoyed your article and many of the responses, especially from the christian guy. i have to ask him though, if there is satan, then you are saying there is something OUTSIDE OF or SEPARATE from God. But how can you have anything outside of infinite. Infinite is infinite. So if there is Satan then I have to say that either God is both dark and light, OR God dosen't exist. I do believe in the Divine, and I also believe that what we PERCEIVE as negative, can actually be the best at helping us grow and see our true selves. Denying something just because it is unpleasant or you have convinced yourself that you have been "posessed" isn't going to help you. These experiences that empaths face are very unpleasant but I believe can help us gain much insight into our divine natures and can help us discover great abilities that we just never realized we had. I do believe we evolve (and I'm speaking spiritually, not physicaly) and I beliee that more and more Empaths and various other people with psychic abilities are being born to show us little seeds of truth as to where, we collectively are heading, if we so choose. I believ I am borderline Empath, if that is even possible. Or perhaps am and through living many difficult experiences have learned to shut it down. Although, feeling out of touch with myself hasn't helped and I have been turned onto it again. Also interesting to note, that with my sensitive abilities being opened up many of my vreative talents and some new ones have sprung up as well. Or perhaps acting on those creative surges have opened up my sensitive abilities. Blessings to you.
Forgot to mention something else:
Gloss-Reality, I can relate to you a lot! Except for I am not anti-social and I don't feel the universe as you do. I am a very quiet person, who mostly keeps to herself, but I just love talking to people, why? Because I don't do it often, and when I do, when I find someone I can feel comfortable with, someone who likes me for me, I feel so very happy, and it's reciprocal most of the times. I'm not saying that I've never been fooled by fake people, I have, but it hasn't happened in a long time, I usually see their intentions before they do something and I'm careful with the things I do and say around those people.
Also, something I want to mention, is that often, when I hear a song that is "special" (I don't know how to explain it) A song that reminds me of someone, or a period of my life, the lyrics, they make me feel like them. For example, if it's a sad love song, I feel sad about love. It doesn't seem very important, but it's as if my life and feelings revolve around music.
One last thing, I don't see this as a curse, nor a gift. Well, I think it's both, a curse and a gift all at once, in other words, a challenge :)
Hi! I think I may be an empath. I am very young, 16 to be exact, and sometimes it's as if I have a bipolar disorder, but I know I don't. When someone is upset, mad or happy, I can immediately tell. It's as if there's a subconcious feeling inside of me that tells me so. Or, if anyone is near me and wants to talk to me but hesitates, I feel it. For example, one day, about a month ago I was in chemistry class, we were working on this class assignment and everyone was out of their seats. There's this guy who I think likes me, I've noticed the way he feels about me. Anyways, he was standing right next to me in a long table, I was looking down and writing, he was pretending to look on the board. Even as I was looking down, I could feel this subconcious thing telling me that he kept looking at me, and it was not an easy thing to notice since he is much taller than me, I'd have to look up to see his eyes. I could feel his hesitation, he was nervous, he wanted to talk to me, in that moment, I felt the same way too. Then he talked to me, but I could tell he was nervous, as I was too.
Things like this happen to me, some are very confusing for me. Making me very emotional, it makes me feel really lost. When I see bad things happen on TV, I feel like I have to get out there and fix it!! I want EVERYONE to be happy and to do the right thing. Something that has happened a lot to me before is having people confess something very personal even if they just met me, also, I've had many people confess that they're gay and are scared of what people will think. When someone comes to me sad or upset, I will not leave them and will do anything to see them smile again. Sometimes, I just wish I could take their trouble from them and make it my own so they wouldn't have to feel it. Or solve people's problems for them, but I know I shouldn't do this, so I just make them feel better and orient them, but I still have that feeling of guilt that I could have taken their troubles and made them happy.
Something else, that happens to me, is that I have these sort of visions, it's like as if time stops, and this "tape" is played in my head, when it's over, time begins again. I don't get these a lot though, these I usually get like once every two months, but when I do, they are very strong. I actually started having all this when I turned 16, on January 1st to be exact. When I was 15, I would just get vague or blurry versions of the things that happen to me now. And the visions would only be pictures. Even then I had a feeling that when I turned 16 things would be different, and indeed they are.
I want to understand this a bit more. It's not easy. Sometimes I just wish to be a normal girl who just worried about school and clothes and parties, but I can't be that girl.
If anyone knows of a site, or anything that might help me control my visions and those feelings I get suddenly, please tell me! I am quiet desperate right now, so please?
Being an empath sounds tough. I guess if you are, you need to be very careful not too take on the emotions of others, particularly negative or painful ones.
I don't know if I'm and Empath, but I know that I'm SOMETHING. I've always know that, but I don't know WHAT, and no single definition applies:
I find it very hard to watch t.v, films, read books, listen to music, things that a girl my age usually does, because whatever happens in that, i put myself into the position, i FEEL what is shown or described, put it into context for myself. I don't like spending time with other people, I find it really difficult and i'm socially awkward. Usually, spending times with others makes my mood adapt to theirs. Because of this, i try to do the same in reverse; i try to be a becon of optimism and kindness so that others will pick up on it, but i dont know if they ever have. Well, they havent suddenly got sad, at least!
I can read people really well. And i mean REALLY well. Wether they are in front of me, or i'm reading something on the internet, i can usually tell their train of thought, what they mean and how they are feeling at the time. This may possibly be that i'm smart-ish though, but i'm not sure.
I can see the future. Yeah, sounds corny, i know. But i can. Problem is, i don't realise until after the event. I love to write stories, because i can understand how the people feel, and the people in the story can represent people in real life, without me knowing until later on. Because of this, i knew the two people who would become like brothers to me, and i knew that my friend was going to die. Not directly, but symbolically within the stories. It's scary, because the gaps between me 'seeing' the event and it happening is getting shorter. The two boys occoured about a year after i saw it, and my friend was aprox eight months.
and there is something else, and this i really DON'T know about. Ever since i was a child, i've FELT something. I cant really explain it, its a heavyness in my torso, a fire in my stomach. Its there, in all of my body. It makes me light headed, and i can FEEL EVERYTHING. I'm not kidding, its like i can feel LIFE. i am just a small piece, and i am connected to so many other small pieces, because that is all we humans are. Tiny fragments. I'm afraid i can't elaborate any more on that, because it has always confused me. I have never told anyone. This is the first time i have spoken about it. When i was younger, these instances would last about 30 seconds, and i would get them about every 2-3 months. Now, they last about 10 seconds but i get them every other week. There is no pattern to when they happen either. O.o
wow, sorry i wrote so much! I really am confused as to what i am, but i know one thing. I am not normal. I don't know why, or to what end, but i know that i was born for a specific reason, i just have no idea. lol i'm not being big headed, honest! i'm not planning world domination, but i know there is something i've gotta do. Its why i'm still alive.
i am an empath. a natural emapth. i sometimes have trouble with it because it can be confusing. and i am still young. i know what people feel. everythng. but i didnt ask for it.
By all accounts .... I am an empath.
I was grabbed once by a grieving son who's father had just past away ... he wrapped his arms around me and instantly I felt this rush of emotion course throughout my body. There was so much grief so much sadness.
I was fine until the service started and one of his father's friends started to deliver his speach about how he had known and loved this man.
All of a sudden I began to weep and cry, right out loud, I could not stop myself, I was crying so hard, my shoulders were shaking ... I was a total mess.
Anyone there must have thought that I had some kind of affair with the departed and that the poor grieving widow must have thought I was his mistress.
OMG - I was so taken unaware that I made a total scene and had to be taken out of the service.
I know what happened .... the grief of the son was still in me .... I was letting out his grief.
The funny part of it was that I had only met the departed once before in my lifetime just to say hello.
Totally hard for someone else to understand, but I was a complete mess.
After we left the service ... I was completely fine and back to my usual joyful self.
Another time ... I walked by a fellow swinging on a swing and my stomach actually turned over when he hit a height ... I did not know why my stomack turned over until I looked over my shoulder and saw him swinging and laughing at a very high height. I actually felt what he was feeling .... amazing.
I can actually smell people who have cancer ... it is a strange odor and I am 100% correct in all my encounters.
I can feel hatred ...fear in others, strong emotions, I feel all the emotions of others ...
When I was a little girl I used to watch horror shows on TV and I was literally so involved in the action I would be jumping up and down on the couch... I actually felt the pain, the anxiousness and anxiety .... I couldn't sleep for days afterwards, but I would still watch.
Feeling things amplified like I have always done .... I did not know that this was a special gift, everyone thought oh she is just so sensitive ... I did not tell anyone just exactly how sensitive I was ... I did not want to feel unlike everyone else, they seemed different from me ... they all did ... I knew that and felt that.
Fret, although it has been over 2 years since your response, I felt compelled to reply to your thought of empathy as being a possession. Hmmm, are you religious? Or do you have a true relationship with God? The questions begs...My thought is that are you the man with one talent that hid it because you were afraid of your master? Healing or being sensitive in this way is thought to be a gift, just because you do not understand-do not condemn Re-Read Ephesians and look inward
Amazing, beautiful, and bittersweet. I had no idea how many of us there were out there. Some more open to it than others, but we all seem to embody pretty much the same emotional and physical traits as empaths, don't we?
I thought it was lovely that so many of you had the courage to speak up and speak out. I had tears in my eyes from reading so many of your encouraging stories, though I found many stories filled with "suffering" too. And that broke my heart.
And so, I would like to share something that can maybe be of assistance to someone here reading. I was born with a few abilities myself and I guess one could say I am a true empath as well. Like yourselves, I did not know what to call my "symptons" or "conditions" either. Research helped, especially when I was little and there was NO ONE to ask about this...but it still wasn't enough for me. In the end, all of my research could not compare to the help I eventually received from my many "spiritual teachers" I've have the pleasure of meeting in my life so far (mediums, meditators, energy workers, etc). What's interesting, is that they ALL pointed me in the same direction: God. And no, I am not a "bible thumper" or "evangilistical cultie" :)
I would like to share with you that I am turning 35 in a few months. I feel I am more experienced and a little wiser now (thankfully!) but am also happy knowing I will always be a student in the School Of Life! In my tiny, humble opinion, no matter who or what you believe in (the Creator, Buddha, Jesus, Mohammad, or whoever/whatever you follow), as long as you can keep your Faith and aim to walk a compassionate and loving path in your life, continue learning and asking questions, make your own decisions, perform random acts of kindness, do your part to help your neighbor and your planet, etc, you may find along the way that your gifts will be there for you...to help GUIDE and ASSIST you in your journey and perhaps even help you see where you can be of service. From this realization, you learn to appreciate your abilities. And from this you may feel a desire to contribute even more.
On a side note: for those of you truly new to the concept of being an empath, I HIGHLY recommend researching your neighborhood or nearest town for a meetup group. I happen to live in San Diego and I am so thankful for the group I found. These outstanding people "showed up" in my life, just at the right time (I just love serendipity!). It's a great way to connect with others who are also seeking assistance in developing abilities and gifts. Again, do your research and be sure you connect with a group that meets with the highest of intentions.
So, I guess my main message for everyone is to know that you are not alone. And you don't have to do it alone either. YOU CAN get to a place where you can be in better control of your emotions and experiences so as to prevent all out meltdown! And please, don't forget to allow yourself the patience, love and kindness you deserve as you tackle this head-on. One step at a time...
P.S. Isabella, THANK YOU for starting a fantastic hub here. You've reached so, so many who have needed it.
P.P.S. Tons of people are commenting on contracting illness/dis-ease/physical ailments... two things: 1)Read Louise Hay!! 2) Protect yourself with "Light". Envision this surrounding your body. We are, after all, energy bodies. So protecting yourself energetically will aid in protecting yourself physically. Google this concept to find techniques, etc. Hugs to all!
I believe I am an empath ..this is the first time putting a name to it though - I think I have heard of it before and when I did I thought at that time it could be me...... I can always tell when someone is being real or not...I can tell if I am being lied to...I can feel others emotions...and I do become devastated when seeing something horrible on television..particulary the infomercials for starving children - I feel like I have to help or save people...like I'm different then other people...and I am very new to looking into and recognizing what this all means.. I can also tell if someone is "good" or "bad" - some people have a much brighter light than others..I can see old souls... I have feel evil... At work ..which is in a hospital..I often feel the emotions of my coworkers..hostile..or giddy..whatever it is..I can tell if someone is being sincere or not or if they are in a good or bad mood... there is this one girl at work.. she is probably in her early thirties..and even though her words and actions come off like she is a good..sincere person..I don't think she is..I feel a negative energy from her..I can tell she doesn't like me ..and that is another thing - I can tell when people don't like me..I don't know if this is part of it but my entire life..I have never really had any real friends...people don't like me..and I am the type who wants to help..and I am not a bad person or anything...women especially it seems..just do not like me..not everyone of course..I have no friends...and my sister...I don't know what it is called but everyone is drawn to her..she has a ton of friends...strangers have been coming up to her since she was a child...and since she was in high school they tell her their life stories...complete strangers! And it's odd to me because I feel negative energy from her..she isn't an honest person..she is the type who is only out for herself..and I still love her and I know it sounds bad I say that..but it's true...My mom on the other hand... very sincere..always truthful..a good person..anyway..oh and ever since I moved down the block from my sister...whenever she gets ill..I feel it..if I wake up with a headache..I know she has one...if I'm nauseous..she is throwing up somewhere...anyway..thanks for the article:)
As a Christian and empath - I believe God allows us to have these abilities as his gift. I am not possessed - just in tune with the Love and caring he allows me to get through Him.
I am shocked to read what most ppl will dismiss, simply because there is no proof. Most of my friends feel i am crazy because they simply believe none of what i tell them exist. I do experience some of what is described above on some level. And i'm glad to finally put a name on it. For those who do not believe, it is out there in one form or another. Haven't you ever known someone was calling or at your door or behind u before u saw them? I'm just saying, don't dismiss, what you don't see happening right in front of you.
This an interesting site
I'm a 51 year old empath. I've always had the ability to get complete strangers to open up to me emotionally. To say that being able to sense the emotions of others as you pass is painful is an understatement. Most of my teen and young adult years were spent healing (spiritually) my friends and damn near everyone I came upon. This ability made having a "normal" relationship with a woman impossible. I found that I needed to have intense emotional relationships with 2 or 3 women at the same time, as no one of them could handle me when I needed to "download" my emotional "tank".
I finally gave up an dumb-down my emotions to try and fit in. This resulted in 20+ years of anger, frustration and broken relationships. I now exercise my abilities, guided by years of experience. I intend for the next 40 years to be really good. I'm a photographer and a poet.
Ms. Isabella thank you for posting this.....its a wonderful feeling to finally know whats been going on. I've always been labeled as 'over-emotional' or 'weak' by my parents, they've never been able to understand why I seem to latch on to other people's emotions.....at first they thought I was a liar, an attention seeker, but after a few experiences with them both they have seem to come to terms with the fact that I can in fact feel what they feel. However, now i'm labeled the 'weak sinner.' My father can't comprehend why I can't control my emotions and my mother cannot stand the fact that I won't go to church anymore...Its not that I've thrown my faith away, its just, there are some really sick people that mask their evil with their utter devotion to god. I don't go to church unless its practically empty and then I just kneel and pray, but other than that I refuse to go in....no matter what church I go to there are always a few of those people. On a lighter note though, I now understand why I am so effected by people and I guess I can stop doubting myself....I'm not crazy, or an attention seeker, or a drama queen, and I am by no means a liar!
being an empathic is sometimes overwhelming. i never learned being empathic. it just happened one day. and if u ask me,it was pretty fukked up. but i just wanted to ask if there is any way to just erase it?
I had a thought that I wanted to share with all of you. Isa, can you touch on what can happen to even the most aware empaths when they are in a weakened state, for example sick? I remember being in a situation when my immune system was compromised due to a personal illness, and the effects of my empathic reception were so intense that it took me much longer than usual to recover.
can I ask everyones Opinion on if you think I am an Empath? I'm just curious to see what you guys think of my speech/thing :) :D
-Pixiee
xx
Hmm, very, very interesting hub, Isabella ^_^ I'm not entirely sure I'm an empath ... or it could be possible that I would not want to admit it or filter things out ... alot I wonder if it's possible to be part empath or if you have to be a complete one Cuz, alot of this describes me perfectly I often feel tons of emotions from nowhere and wonder why ... It kinda makes me feel like I have no emotions of my own since I'm feeling ones that are strange to me I'll randomly get very depressed or happy or angry I've learned over time to not show my feelings much at all, possibly cuz I feel my actions or xpressions will or can hurt others Which is the last thing I'd ever wanna do That being said I hate hurting people or them being hurt I can't stand it and want to do anything I can to help This might sound silly, but my high school most likely was "most likely to help you with your problems" And now I'm wondering after reading this highly insightful hub if I may be an empath ... or party, if that's possible Although you did say and empath will know with out hesitation whether he or she is an empath I hope no one thinks my thinking I might be one as an insult or anything to empaths That's not what I mean to do at all I'm just simply wondering at this point I have a tendency to filter out all emotion, xcpet my own at times It's really hard though I'll feel like crying or screaming for no reason ... If I am an empath then I've learned how to bottle up all emotions I feel from myself and others, which is probably not very smart of me for myself, but when I'm feeling somin I'm pretty sure is not my emotion, I would love to let it out, or xpress it in some way, but I don't want to hurt others, since depression, sadness, anger etc. are stong emotions to xpress and generally affect others I also hardly ever get angry myself It takes alot to actually get me angry about anything I'm known as pretty calm about things, unless it's others getting hurt (I.E. Friends, family, animals, strangers on the street, or diseases etc.) And I also am able to understand illnesses I have never had if people have them The most common ones I get are the stress symptoms like headaches, cramps and strange pains - when I feel fine, both physically and emotionally, up until it happens and sometimes I'll feel fine emotionally and still have the physical pain from out of the total blue So, does any of this sound like an actual empath? Or am I just empathetic and xperiancing some of the things empaths don't feel like you metioned to someone earlier? If so, can you please direct me to an article indicating those things so I can tell if I am or not? As this is quite a serious issue and if I find out I am not one then I may know some people who are, but I can't know for certian for any of us
Thank you ^_^
I love how everyone ignored me. :D
Just gonna copy/paste what I said.
I've always thought I was an empath. Though based on this page I'm not sure. See, with me, I'll randomly, sudden' feel a wave of emotion (usually depression) that I can't think of why I'd feel that way. The last two times it's happened, I felt depressed, and later found out that an online friend (yes, someone I barely know that I only chat with) was feeling depressed because she had been dumped after being with a guy for four years., at around the same time I was feeling depressed, I felt heartbroken. The second time was another online friend feeling down, I don't remember his reasoning. And just a few minutes ago I suddenly got the urge to rip someone's head off. No clue why as of yet, because nobody's done anything to anger me (not like I get angry anyway) so I'm guessing it's another connection to someone else.
Am I just grasping for straws or is this legit?
I like this article alot but I've had alot of mood swings since i turned 20 that I'mnot sure if it's a bipolar disorder or an empath power growing rapidly.
Oh Joseph, I learned a couple of things while researching about Empaths and one of them is how to kind of ease it slightly it works for me, it like, helps you make you feel less preassurized, I'm not sure it will work with you or others as it does me, everyones different, but it helps me when im out with a large group of people are in school. Just imagine a big postive bubble surrounding your whole body, positve happy energys running through it and that you are warm safe and protected inside, and everyone else is outside and you are in this bubble and no one can touch you; Try and visualize this, it helps me, it relieves alot of the stress and preassure sometimes. Anyway I hope that helped =] -Pixie xx
I agree with kirsten, that friz guy really got me angry and upset i was concerned up to some level but i just got mad, i mean how can someone who we dont know and we've never met and he has never met us, judge people just by what they are, or how the react? He doesnt even know us!! It's like judging a book by its cover! And friz if you are upset and mad and think that Empath is a negative word well bad luck for you because believe it or not every single person in the world has it, they just dont know it, its not very huge not like the mine and the people on this website and others, but they have it in a tiny ammount, its just part of what we are, same goes for any psychic ability too. So youre just going to have to learn to accept it and accept us too either way you think being an Empath is Evil, and if you hate them so much why did you comment on this website? Just to upset people? make them mad? Its sad, and cruel, and you call us selfish! DO you take pride in trying to make people feel selfish and evil? Its horrible, if you dont like us then keep it to yourself! Instead of broadcasting it on here only to make people feel worse. Shame on you. Anyway also celeste yeah i have the same problem, I want to get it all out and just tell someone who will listen to me and not think I'm insane, i told my friend the other night and she didnt believe it, she came up with what her 'aunt says' because her 'aunt knows everything cause her friends a psychologist' or whatever, she says no one can make people feel anything and i tried to explain it but she didnt listena and stormed away. She's my best friend as well, and that made me really upset, and your right being an Empath is both a blessing and a curse, no one really understands you and you often feel really lonley. I keep all these emotions inside and i usually kind of break down alot although i dont show it on the out side buy inside i call myself the most nasties things and i diss myself and everything that people have called me in the past i just say oh yeah they were right i am that. It makes me feel more depressed and it drains me, it happens alot and i know its unhealthy but what else can i do? It usually happens when i get to overwhelmed and feel too preasurized, like it happend on saturday at the ice rink, there were hundreds of people there and i couldn't enjoy myself even when i really wanted to go. Nope instead i had to go off the rink sit down and indure it for 1 hour in silence and tell my friend i was fine it was just a soar head. =/ it was horrible. So anyway i just wanted to get all that out =] I hope it didnt bore you too much...lol anyway thats all people byee ^^ x
I am an empath. I have always been an empath/intuitive and honestly, I don't like it. I am tired of being bombarded with other people emotions. It causes me great anxiety, its exhausting and more and more, I find myself being secluding myself because I have almost no abiliy to tune it out. I hate it. Help.
It feels like this was written for me... I found it tonight while yet again staying at home avoiding all human interaction, often crying at the tv screen struggling to breath with emotion.
Thank you x
I just came upon this website doing a search on empaths. I experience such extreme emotions for no apparent reason. Most of the time I can barely cope. I could see someone turning to drugs or alcohol to try to get rid of these overwhemling emotions/feelings. I notice it even more so when I'm in a relationship with someone and get very close to them - I feel every single thing they feel, so if they are upset, anxious, sad, happy, I feel it all. It seems like I can't be happy unless they are. Why is that? How can I stop that from happening? I don't know anything about this. I have no idea what to do. I'm going to keep looking thru your website & hope I get some answers. I feel it with animals too - it's really overwhelming with animals because there is so much cruelty, suffering & sadness everywhere. I am just so confused about what has been going on with me all my life. Any suggestions on how to cope?
I want to say THANK YOU! This has helped seal what I have felt for many years. I knew I had the gift (curse at times)and I still struggle with blocking. The only time I am "safe" is when I am working. My mind if focused and less apt to receive unless someone is in turmoil.
I have been known to walk out of a bar and walk home because it overwhelmed me. I have always been able to heal through touch, and know what a health problem was well in advance of the individual themselves knowing, however I could not quite place who I just knew what and thought it was me, Until I was drawn to that individual, compelled or forced to that person then realized it was them with the health issue.
I am not crazy, I feel this and when someones feelings are so intense its hard for me. I need to know how to control this more, how to be effective in its use, not let it control me. Please help someone?! I love this gift and have faith that someone will help put it into more perspective for me and I can regain some control from the people who let their energy just fly around for me to catch.
That friz guy or what ever in the begining of this convo has it ALL wrong!!! I can not believe that someon ewould think that we are EVIL!!! That is completely insane! GRRRR! I am an empath and I have found very many ways to cope:) I help people! It is like my "drug" if you will. Every time I help someone, I become happy to the extreme! So, in other words I am pretty much happy all the time now... But I gotta tell you that part about the home less people is COMPLETELY true:) Every time is see one I start to cry!!! And when ever my mom is having a really ruff day I practically lock my self in my room! I am only 16 so it is really hard for me sometimes:) I deal though and I am NOT EVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!! jeeze! That gets me really really mad! My uncle is a pastor and he thinks that this stuff is evil too!!! did you people ever think that maybe god gave us this gift so we can help him help others??? sheesh! Any way, really nice artical:):):)
First off hi everyone! Im glad to see that im not the only one that deals with the up and down roller coaster that is being an empath.
Ive read alot of the comments on here and alot of what people said rang true with me as well. It is both a curse and a blessing, while i enjoy being able to look at someone and be able to read them, though my logical side does question the reading more often than not. I hate the fact that being around lots of people makes me feel like im drowning sometimes, touching things brings emotions, thoughts and flashes to my mind. Even worse is the fact that this stuff doesn't go away right away, it stays with you for a long time afterward.
I personally would not want to wish this on someone as being an empath in the society we are in now is more of a hindrance than anything else.
I've always thought I was an empath. Though based on this page I'm not sure. See, with me, I'll randomly, sudden' feel a wave of emotion (usually depression) that I can't think of why I'd feel that way. The last two times it's happened, I felt depressed, and later found out that an online friend (yes, someone I barely know that I only chat with) was feeling depressed because she had been dumped after being with a guy for four years., at around the same time I was feeling depressed, I felt heartbroken. The second time was another online friend feeling down, I don't remember his reasoning. And just a few minutes ago I suddenly got the urge to rip someone's head off. No clue why as of yet, because nobody's done anything to anger me (not like I get angry anyway) so I'm guessing it's another connection to someone else.
Am I just grasping for straws or is this legit?
To Anne, i dont know wether im empathic or just clairesentient its something im going to look into but i can read people very well - ive always had this gift and only consciously been able to use it recently but i have come across one person who i became very close to that i could not for the life of me read - no matter how close we bacame i just couldnt do it i firmly believe that some people can block out our abilities to some degree its like they become a black hole of emotion and i can intuit nothing so i can relate to you. I hope that helps you feel less alone any questions u can reach me at sean__rose@hotmail.com.
Shine on guys!
I am 15 and might be an empath. This article was very helpful but I am having trouble to get people to listen or take me seriously... anybody got any advice.
Coming across the word Empath a few days ago started my little google search, and I am very glad to finally have a word to explain why I'm so sensitive. Being 16, I really have no control over what I feel at all, and I'm sure, like most empaths, I never will. I enjoyed the hub, Isabella. Very reflective.
I have a question. Have you ever come across a person you *can't* read, at all? It's happened to me twice, and both times I've been scared out of my mind. I don't know if it's because I'm so used to 'feeling' people that an abnormalty in that really freaks me out or what, but I was anxious to see if anyone else had the experiance before.
And also, any tips on how to explain this kind of thing to your parents and friends? I'm constantly told I need to see a doctor because I get tired from being overwhelmed most days in school, and I've said I was fine before, but they still insist. I know why I'm tired, but I'm not sure if they will understand if I tell them it has more to do with psychism than an inherited thyroid problem (which I was already tested for, and being phobic of needles doesn't help in that sort of situation).
Once agian, great hub. Thanks!
TerBear, I can relate to your experience with the kids. I had twin girls, and when they would argue, I could not tolerate the high pitched voices, and I would freak out if they were fighting. Know what? Over time, they stopped fighting with each other, (I was the bad guy at quarrel time). To this day they are close with each other and do not really ever quarrel with each other.
The experience with the deer and hubby definitely is a Karma in action. I'm glad I found this blog, because we wont lose ourselves with all the over caring persons who read what we say and empathize with us.
Katie,
It was a good thing for your mom's friend that you were there to show the emotions she was holding back and couldn't express. You helped her on her way in the grief process. There again, your giftedness helped another, and you didn't choose to do that, it just happened. I feel like crying, and have to catch my breath when I hear or see an ambulance flashing because I know somebody is hurt or sick. Do we need a shrink? As a Christian, I am not really seeing anything in Scripture, or ever hearing in Church, anything we can do to stay off the emotional roller coaster, due to the fact, I guess, that this is uncommon. I am hesitant to start doing the things like Crystals, etc, but I am considering it, just to see if it helps me build a shield around me. It would be nice if I could choose when and where I will care so much, and how much I am willing to give, However, at least someone out there can recognize the problem, describe it, and offer some solutions. I tend to believe it is a Psychic issue. I am just very new at trying to address this. I am also sure we make it a disproportionately big issue. What do the rest of you think is the best way to keep the overcare in check?
I don't think I am an empath, but I am too empathetic?
When I hear news, good or bad I don't just feel sad. I feel like I am living it. I am not sure how to explain it otherwise. A good example is that just the other day my mom's friend 'casually' mentioned that her husband had passed. My mom just kept talking but I heard more than casualness in her voice. She had lost the love of her life. I immediately started crying and had to leave because I put myself in her place and started grieving the loss of my own husband, who was at home very much alive.
I called later to apologize and explain and she said she knew what happened and was actually glad that someone saw past her cool exterior. We chat regularly now but she knows not to bring up her husband else I start in again.
This happens all the time. Especially in crowds. If anyone mentions anything sad I feel like I am living it with them. Even if they are a complete stranger. When I say "I know how you feel" to someone, I really mean it.
What does that make me? Besides a bit crazy.
Hey Cath....you will find that whatever the mood is around you, it will effect you. Whether it be positive or negative. I can't even drive by a dead animal without feeling horrible and god forbid if I hit one, which I did almost a year ago. I was hysterical. I have to tell this story quickly..... talk about kharma getting you. LOL There was a funny ending to it all. I am following my hubby back to the house and I'm watching him, thinking "Man, you are driving way too fast." when I look back at the road and there's a deer there. I swerved but hit it anyway....I was broken. Poor baby. I get home, hysterical, and my hubby goes out to look at the car after realizing I'm "ok" physically. He comes back with this little grin on his face which instantly tells me he's going to make a not-so-smart comment. I warned him..... he walks by me and whispers "Deer killer" which sends me into a tizzy. He runs, of course, and as I give chase into the house I see him in the kitchen. As I run in there he's spewing liquid out of his mouth and I realize he's got the bottle of mountain dew I'd been putting my cigarette butts out in. All he said was "yeah, yeah....I know.....I deserved that." hehe I didn't have to get him back at all. kharma took care of that for me. :) I hope everyone got a smile out of this little story. LOL
I had an issue here recently where my daughter and my best friend for into an argument. I knew it was coming. Was hoping it wouldn't but it was just a matter of time....when it started I just groaned.... of course then I'm caught in the middle, understanding both sides..... so, I blocked... but in doing so, they both then thought I didn't care how either felt. So no matter what I did, I felt screwed. Everyone is so used to me being there for everyone.... the problem is that in giving so much of myself, I feel as if I'm losing myself. And in that, I sometimes feel as if I'm becoming selfish because of it. Gah!!!!
Reading most of the postings on this site has shown me that there are other people with the same gift that I have. I absorb the emotions of others. I am a Christian empath, and yes, I take on the hurts of other people, not by my choice. I would like to share a scary experience I had several years ago. I passed by an apparantly terrible car accident in an urban area. It was at the clean up stage, and as I looked that way I was "taken over" by extreme grief that was emotionally traumatic for me. I didn't know what it was but I felt it was spiritual. I just started loudly calling on the name of Jesus, and saying "No, no, no.." Eventually, it passed. I have driven past auto accidents before and since then, and never had that experience. Thinking back, I wondered if it was a soul, some evil thing, or if there was an emergency personnel there who could not handle the emotion of what he was involved with, and I picked up the hurt for him, unknowingly. The latter explanation is the one I really believe. I believe he couldn't handle that emotion, I absorbed it and I handled it the only way I could. Not pleasant for me, but I took the emotional pain away from another person, just because I drove by the scene. I am not hearing too much about the empath absorbing the joy and happiness and positive emotions of others. I have done this, too. But, you know what, there probably isn't that much joy and happiness around. When I share joy with another, that makes the other part cancel out. Due to me being a bit up in years, I have many experiences, and it is hard to have this rare gift, and navigate well throuh life. Thanks for listening.
=] Glad I could help :)
Way to go pixie! Staying positive by putting myself in positive environments, like the park or beach by myself seems to help relieve some of the angst and trauma I feel around humans. Going to the aquarium by myself is next! Whatever I can do to help myself and still be able to help others does feel good. Be Blessed all!
so um...can anyone anwser my..comment...please im pretty desperate to know what you guys think, and bearing not all human beings are like that, they both have a good side to them....most of them....in my school i kind of feel the same...there are some though and i stick with them and there was anexcericise that is supposed to help you so i do it alot, maybe you should do it too. Imagine a big bubbler just visualise a big bubble circiling around your body and your inside it, its portotecting you from all of the energies and youe safe inside, try and visualise that. it works with me sometimes and the headaches calm down and i dont feel theres much preassure there anymore. Anyway good luck
Being an Empath is torture, I have always known what I was because it was obvious where the emotions were coming from. and when people are around me... they feel it like an intrusion and do not respond well. I have no control over it and no defense, but most times I can manage to remain outwardly calm though it is difficult. most people carry around so much tumult its hard to cope, so many emotions at once... I personally want to die, and I look forward to the day that I do. (pity angers me so do not bother, it is a selfish emotion) so many dark hearts and so few truly kind ones...
it is hard for me to believe that anyone would want this.
humans are cruel fools and I despise most all of them for torturing me. if I ever had the balls to speak to anyone around me about this (Im not stupid) and they ask me what it was like, I would say "Please kill me,god damnit, kill me now."
This article was very helpful to me. I have been an empath since childhood, but now it feels as if there is something more. Earlier today, I wanted to change my profile pic to an open hand with my right hand palm facing out. The photo that is in the article was the exact same image I imagined, except that the color was green and blue. I need help to protect myself from the emotions of other because I have always been there for others and have taken retreats in the past to recharge. I haven't been able to take a retreat in almost 2yrs and feel like I am this()close to going crazy. Thanks for listening.
Oh yeah i also have these sort of break downs alot because im so depressed with preassure and stuff...and i say and think horrible things about me they come and go when its to much.
Well....Im only 12 but...Im cerain im an Empath....iIt could just be regular hormoan stuff but everyone of these sings well....all of the sings are true for me, im highly sensitive and when i see someone in pain it makes me miserable and i just want to run up and help them, i think i can feel what there feelings, im not sure its confusing and the amount of sympathy for them, i mean like i have seen homeless people and it makes me cry whe i walk by them and i see them lying in raggs on the floor and it just makes me cry oratleast try not too, it hurts and i hate that their pain really really does matter to me, and when my teacher was really upset because her son was away doing something for college and stuff and she missed him she had been crying and suddenly tears just came to my eyes and i was really really upset, when i watch sad movies or read sad books i nusually burst into tears and i feel really emotional about it, and when im reading something or watching something with love in it i feel all lovlyy dovy and happy that soemeone is happy and is in love it makes me feel so happy and im usually in a good mood for a while. If i watch something scary itll hunt me for weeks, i can never get it out of my mind. this happens with adverts as well, also if someone is in phsyical pain i feel i feel it too and it hurts when i think of it and i end up running over and helping the person. When im with near crowds of people i usually have head aches or its anoyin and i feel like theres so much preassure on me and its really overwhelming and when i come home im drained and i get changed into my pjys and goto my room alone and stay locked in their for a couple of hours i become very anti-social and i have ALOT of mood swings, i find myself in drama ALOT! and the feeling of injustice makes me mad and so i go up and help the person and often get into fights because of this even though id rather stay far away from any fights or drama, i like to be invisible/ just in the backround but of course that doesnt happen for me. Sometimes though when im with a large group of hyper people, i feel really hyper and excited and i cant calm down i try but i cant and i run about and be really random and i get even more hyper, same with sad and angry people, its annoying sometimes, but i cant do anything about it, and if i am a Empath then im gunna have a ruff few years of high school with all th4ese teens, their hormoans are every where, ugh! Oh yeah also im attuned to nature and i usualy seem to know alot of things and i can read people like a book. Can you maybe....comfirm my assumptions or anything? if you need more detail i can give you that but im not sure im certain i am but their is always doubt their if it could just be hormans or if i am an Empath. What do you think? Please reply ASAP! Thxx
i have trouble contolling it......i feel all this negative energy and like the world is such a harsh place where people want to destroy each other. i tend to get overly paranoid and see the racism and fakeness between poeple. Its not just people's energy that i pick up but energy from the light bulb, t.v., computer anything that emits. i have been made loved to by spirits....felt spirits enter my body and make me completely numb....The only thing i can do is continue to fight and the fact that i am not alone helps....
i have trouble contolling it......i feel all this negative energy and like the world is such a harsh place where people want to destroy each other. i tend to get overly paranoid and see the racism and fakeness between poeple. Its not just people's energy that i pick up but energy from the light bulb, t.v., computer anything that emits. i have been made loved to by spirits....felt spirits enter my body and make me completely numb....The only thing i can do is continue to fight and the fact that i am not alone helps....
I have known for awhile now that I had a little "something extra" going on with me. I've also known for awhile that it is empathy but I didn't realize there were so many others with the same "gift." I say it that way because a lot of the time I don't consider it one. I spend a lot of my time attempting to stay away from people. Panic attacks were almost an every day thing for me and I am currently taking medication for them. Not cool to be driving around your children and almost passing out.... That's why I started taking medication. I can't be in a largely crowded environment as I start feeling as if I'm in a vortex, being sucked down....too many emotions swirling and I can't get a grip on anything. If there are too many people in my home and it gets loud.... same situation. I get very angry about it. I tried "numbing" myself by putting myself in situations where I was exposed to it on a constant basis (i.e. working at Walmart) and it got bad..... the aisle would get crowded and I would have to leave until it cleared out. There's one particular person I know I refrain from being in the same room with because after 5 minutes I am completely drained and have to take a nap. I call him an emotional vampire. He literally sucks me dry. I don't know how to block it and feel sometimes that life is passing me by. I currently have someone living in my house who is very depressed and I am having issues. I want to help but being in the same place.... gah!!! Just glad to know I'm not a complete nut case. LOL And....btw..... I am Christian and can guarantee I'm not possessed or the anti-christ in any way shape or form. I always try to do the right thing.
Uhm..I'm a Christan, and i find myself to be very emphatic...I don't see anything besides it being a gift from God...
I know what you meant by feeling as if it were a curse. I grew up in a very abusive environment and in the ghetto. Let me tell you having these emotions from no where when you are already experiencing your own intense emotions is horrible. I could not go to an E.R. without feeling peoples loss, pain, fear, hatred, and etc.... I let most of the emotions out by writing poetry, but even then it would just come right back. It hurts to know when someone is lying to you. Especially if they are very close. I've always known about people and my family thought I was paranoid until recently we have seen those peoples lies exposed. Knowing when your mother or father is lying to you and knowing the intention or emotion behind the lie is something I wish I could have blocked. But atleast now I know others have suffered as I have and I am not crazy. Although I knew it all along it is nice to see someone say it too.
Hello I'm very glad to have found this~
I'm 17 and an Empath, and I have learned to deal with it as best I can, But recently something strange has happened. Normally I feel everything around me, and I have to concentrate very hard not to react to it, but in my freshman year of high school I found someone who seems to negate this.
Any and every time he is within an arms reach of me I stop feeling from anyone but myself. At first it was like being kept in a container, and I did any and everything possible to stay away from him, but eventually I came to crave this. The absence of everyone's pain, fear, anger, happiness, love, hope but my own has become a very powerful addiction. I was just wondering if you had an explanation to this~
You can Email me at lord.argentine@gmail.com
I am an empath I'm 25 and just starting to understand how to control it. I am writting here to say I messed up, I've used drugs to deal with this most my life to numb out the feelings I get from others and to make me feel good it's the only way I could go out and live my life go to concerts malls etc. Stupid reason I know to do drugs but when you have empathy its a burden. I've quit drugs and now trying to regain my life and dealing with my gift is a day to day struggle I hope to not hide out at home anymore and not be sush a loner. I don't know what blogging on here is going to do for anyone else maybe someone else that is dealing with this reads what I write and will find out there not alone and it can be tough hang in there you can control it don't be like me and use drugs to numb out the pain the overwhelming pain you can control it but does take time. I'm still learning myself but each day is getting better. Take care
I know I am a little late to this blog, but I wanted to say thank you all for being open enough to reveal a part of yourselves that a lot of folks are just unable to.It's my beleif that to share is to teach, even if another person does not agree.I was just curious though, have any of you experienced, on top of the mental and physical hits, any interpretation of emotions through song?I ask because on top of the agoraphobia/anxiety that I have been diagnosed with, and the usual symptoms/characteristics of being an empath, I will find myself overwhelmed with a song that so far coinsides with the emotions of the people around me and not so much my own...mood at that time. Thank you for your time.
Really glad I found this site. I've always know these things about myself and it's time to learn more. Thanks so much for posting!
I am somewhat entertained by the first post that says this is a gift from Satan. Being a christian myself, I always wonder why so-called christians choose to think so differently from Jesus himself. It's truly sad how we can misinterpret the bible and then try to become God ourselves by passing judgement on anyone who doesn't fit in to our "perfect" little picture of christianity.
That being said, I was raised as a christian but have continued to grow spiritually. So,Mr. Fret, no sermons, please. I just believe that God is willing to come to us in any way He feels the need. And sometimes it's in a way that most christians are too close minded to accept. If we open our hearts and minds, we can find truth in so many religions.
I have spent a lifetime suffering these feelings you speak of. I get angry out of nowhere or depressed or suddenly so shaky I could pass out. I feel sick for no real reason. I have even gone to the doctor when I was younger to try to figure out why I was so tired and sick all of the time, only to have them find nothing physically wrong. Over time, I have come to live with the discomforts but some days it can still be debilitating.
I now work in a hospital again, and I find it really hard at times to work up on the floors since I pick up on pains and stresses of patients and family members. I have days when I can barely function because I feel so "upset" but can't understand why. I have learned to pray to God for the ability to either "shut it off" or understand who it is around me who might need my help. I too believe it is a gift but it's useless and confusing if we don't understand how to use it.
It sad to me that so many well-meaning christians don't recognize this as something from God. Too many people go though life so misunderstood. "Burn the witch" It's easier to shun a person that it is to try to understand and accept our differences I guess.
God loves us so much more than we know. :)
This is definitely not me, I'm not even very normally empathetic. But your article is making me looking at one of my sons in a new way, it would explain an awful lot. Boy, the things parents have to look out for!
I cannot express my surprise or my gratitude in finding this article. I have suspected, and been told by many, that I was an empath. However not having anyone in my space that understood or knew what that meant I had no resource for help. While I have lived most of my life just dealing with it all, mostly by avoidance, I have spent the last five years actively seeking some sort of answer. Three years ago at a retreat we did a meditation to meet our guide I received the name of Isabelle. I searched the internet and angel books and anywhere else I could look for this name. Finally I figured I had misunderstood the name and gave up. Today as I went online to see if there was still an opening at the Sylvia Browne school for the Hypnotherapy Training I am about to plunk down 2000.00 for, your comments regarding her came up on my search. I don't usually read those sorts of posts, for everyone out there who does some good there are five who will fear, discredit or rage against it. However, as I'm about to invest 2 grand that I really can't afford, why not check it out fully? So I clicked on your link and was directed to your article on Empaths. The realization that I am not alone overwhelmed me!!! I read some of the others comments as well. I wish I could see this as they do, as a gift. Many times through the years it has been a welcome thought to leave this world and escape the pain and sadness that I cannot find a way to protect myself from. My searching has lead me to a great network of people who give me strength and their retreats help me renew my spiritual calm. I hope to turn this burden into a blessing, if I must be this way I need to know why. If it's purpose is to help others, HOW? Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this information; I'm off to find some Sage bubble bath. I look forward to reading your response.
Leslie
Thank you, You have described everything I have known since I was just a girl. I still have a lot to learn. Especially about blocking certain feelings, ailments etc. so that they don't disrupt my life to the extent that they have....You are right it is a difficult life, living as an empath. i do believe we are natural healers and that is what I am focusing on right now. Thanks again.
Doubt it very much.
Oh, and do add on to that, when he did it his eyes looked as though in a rage, Bloodthirst-ish.
Isabella, I have a question.
I have a friend that is Empath and I wanted to know if it is possible to store the emotions taken up by the empathic person and able to convert it into energy. My friend, He said he used the gathered anger and made an unopened can explode. Note that there was no other way it would have, it was room temperature, unshaken and everything.
My email is Ryuuzakl-san@hotmail.com if you need it.
Late last night, I clicked something on MSN about some sort of psychic thing. I don't know what exactly happened, but next thing I know I'm crying --BAWLING-- while reading about Empaths.
I've been crying for a few hours, on-and-off (not that that's not normal). I'm terrified, and I don't know what to do about it. But I am happy that I found the information and know that I'm not just going crazy.
As soon as I delved a bit deeper into how an Empath feels, acts, what have you, I knew that was me. What you've written was just amazing for me. I'm going to read your tips now.
Bless you.
I believe that I am an empath. I choice to go into nursing and I am in my last semester of school. Recently, especially after my incounter with an bipolar woman who said she was an empath I have been feeling my future and past patients' pain. I will get an ache, scratch or bruise or something and within one to three days I will meet someone with that pain or who has a condition that causes that pain. Once I relized this I can think back to my past and recall moments of unexplained sadness and happiness. I also cry almost everyday because of small things even. Thank you for this article it helped me find a reason for my aches and pains which by the way go away after I meet the person with them.
How do you turn it off or filter it? Loud sounds make me jump out of my skin, and I pick up anxiety, and angry words echo in my mind before spoken by the person.
dear Isabella,
Thank you for this article.I have recently realized that I too am an Empath.I believe that Empaths will be able to harness the vibration of the universe,or our planet and lift the consciousness for whats to come.The prophets,shaman,mesiahs are or were Empaths especially sweet Jesus.I'm sending you good vibrations.
Hi, I have alway's wondered why certian things bother me and yet others don't. I seem to know when something is wrong or that someone is thinking about me, for I too think about them for a few days before either I or they call or we see each other. I also have had problems with feeling others emotions and either feed on them or I defuse the situation. and then too there was this oncany ability to know things, but I can't tell you why. I cry at many things that I personally have no attachment to, but still I feel strongley. these things have caused problems in the past for me especially when my personal state is hi.Dr's have stated I'm depressed, but I knew that wasn't it. I have now noticed that I can't watch things that I have seen before, if it is someone making a fool of themselves, or someone is going to be hurt, I tend to want to watch things that are syfy and funny, but not stupid. cartoons and many kids shows, but sometimes they too I'll find myself leaving and going back when things are different. anyway these feelings are starting to be stronger, and more often, but I can't always know when something is wrong with those close to me, my family or that they need me. what is the deal? I feel others emotions at funerals, even those that have passed, and that is another story, but if I can feel some people, even movies, and know what is going to happen, even without the music, why can't I feel my own family's emotions or when they need me the most? my sister and mom both have this uncany ability and seem to be better intune to it. whats wrong with me?
confused to say the least.
okay i have read many articles on empaths. but my problem is my "empathetic" abilities kinda are off and on! like some days i cant use them and other days i can. am i really an empath?
It is nice to know that there are people out there like me and that I am not alone. I am a manager of a 100 person call center and when I go home at night I feel so drained from the roller coaster ride of people's emotions. It sometimes is debilitating. I have learned to endure and filter it effectively but still it is draining. When people come up to me they want to pour their hearts out as if uncontrollably. I have found touch to be a very sensitive thing for me. It has affects on people so I am very careful to those I touch. I cannot read minds but notice I can almost put word for word what someone is thinking by their emotions alone. Thank you Isabella.
I am so glad I read this! I have always felt drawn to the psychic world not knowing why. And I always thought that I had something wrong with me because I always get overwhelmed and sometimes even physically sick when put into social situations of more than a few people. My mother has always been like this too so i thought it was just hereditary anxiety. but while reading alist of psychic abilities I found a short description of empaths and it just clicked! I instantly searched and found this. It explains it all! For me and my mom! I cant wait to tell her tomorrow! She is also very drawn to psychics so I know as soon as I send her this it will click for her as well! Im so glad that I found this thank you!
I thought I was just going crazy.. I couldn't figure out why I can't watch certain movies anymore or stuff on tv. It's like you feel everything they are feeling times a hundread. I can tell what you're feeling by looking at you it's like reading an open book. I read cards and do readings as well sometimes it feels very overwhemling. It helps to know it's not just in your head and your not crazy and your not alone.
in my personal opinoin relating the the first couple of coments i beleve that empaths may infact be works of god and it may be a gift he uses to try to get people to help others and inspire others
I'm an empath, I've lack control since high school. I've made friends with people whom I have nothing in common with just because I could subconsciously sync myself perfectly to them. I know that now and I try and form genuine bonds with people. I have obssesive tendencies when my empathy becomes attuned too long to one person. I can be around drunk people and be drunk. I can be around high people and feel just as muddle headed. I know when people are haboring ill intents against me. I know what people are really feeling. Sex is a disaster...I've only just recently found myself and my emotions and it's sad to say I'm a boring person. lol
hey everybody im back
well i been hospitalized for the last month and a half this tnx to brain tumor and it all was discovered cause i had vision of a horrible fire that killed children and well .. my family had me checked to se if i was unbalanced or something like that and they discovered i was sick chemo sucks but it did inmpared me i couldn feel, see or sense anything at first i said to my self its a miracle but after a week i missed it i felt disconected from the world i feared that my ... empathy and dreams were gone but just a week of the meds and im like newand im glad im still an empath i love feeling life and every one i meet
i know that not everyone here is for real but those who are and are afraid or confused and wish u were "normal"
you are normal and even if its hard to deal with these abilities trust me they are a blessing just need to clear your heads and live
My twin sister and I are both empaths. We have an acute understanding of the emotions and thoughts of each person we come in contact with and we both suffer because of these uderstandings. My sister has ,with difficulty, learned to suppress her "abilities" enough that she has learned to "tune out" others. We are both highly intelligent and educated people and we both are successful in business and in our careers. However, I have always had more enhanced empathic and other (unexplainable, strange) abilities than my twin. But I am desperate to discover some kind of beneficial application of my abilities. Due to my strong empathic abilities, I am overwhelmed in a corporate environment and suffer physically as well as emotionally when I am in close contact with co-workers - since I am aware of every emotion arouind me. Please, is there some application of my abilities that could be of benefit, rather than a hinderance?
OMG, I cant believe this has been my problem my whole life! It is killing me, I have never been able to make friends my whole life, I cry uncontrollably at happy moments like a wedding I went to when i was 16 and didnt know a soul at the wedding, not even the bride or groom, I cried harder than anyone there including the family members and couldnt figure out why, I cry uncontrollably even at the commercials where the people have won $10,000,000. I cry uncontrollably at sad things like a show I tried to watch about a guy with a hereditary disease, I had to walk out of the room and told my husband to turn the channel then proceeded to cry for 45 minutes not able to stop, I have to stop myself from crying at very little things all day long and am not always able to do so. I cant go out in public because I feel bombarded is the only word I can use to describe it, even tho nobody even notices me, I try to save every animal I come across and when I cant I feel like it kills me, just last week a cat had a litter of kittens under my house, they were about 6 weeks old and 1 had a swollen up eye, they are feral but I sat outside and coaxed it out so I could grab it, it was scared at first but I was able to find a foxtail had gotten under its eyelid so I pulled it out and now the eye is normal and within 4 days the kitten was tame, I dont know if that is healing ability or not but I have the healthiest kids on earth lol, I am in the process of trapping the rest and am going to tame the other kittens for adoption even tho I am not supposed to have any other animals besides my dog in my house (dont tell my landlord lol) but I cant call animal control and have them put to sleep. I always wondered why I was so good with animals and they always seem to trust me and love me. I have come to a point in my life where I feel like I hate everybody and now I see I am not the only one to feel that way, I feel like people are always hurting people to get ahead or that they dont have compassion for anything or anybody, ( dont take it wrong I know there are people out there that arent like that ) but to me it is the vast majority, and I hurt just as if it was me. I havent had a friend in the past 10 years except for my husband and when I did have a friend now and then before that it never lasted. I stay away from people because I feel like they are just going to hurt me in the end, it is just easier for me to stay away from people. I have always gotten what I call "vibes" from people I know and people I dont know about what kind of people they are and how they are feeling and have never been wrong, just sometimes I dont listen to it and find out I was right all along in the end. I can always tell when someone is lying and always thought it was reading body language, but I have never studied body language or could even tell you what certain postures and stuff mean, it has just always been instinctual, I feel when they are lying or trying to spare feelings, or angry, etc...I always thought of that as a kind of skill of mine, even people on tv. I dont always find out if I am right, but when I do find out, I usually am. In the last 4 years or so I have wondered if I am an empath, only knowing what it means, I only heard the word and what it means from star trek the next generation lol. and only today reading this article and peoples posts do I see that it really explains me to a tee. I have always thought I was unsocial and weird, I cant go to any functions or public without balling up on myself because of the "bombardment" of feelings I get when I am there, I will just find a nice quiet corner and turn into a ball to block everyone, and when I get home it takes days to feel kinda normal again. I am really freaked out, I dont know what to do, I know the way I am is ruining my life, but I never knew that is was really something or what to do about it to make my life better, I cried the whole time reading the posts by other people because it was like I was writing those posts and I thought I was the only one in the world who had compassion ( that is what I call it not knowing any other word for it but I knew it was much more than that) and felt that way. I can tell by a glance what people are feeling with what I always called "vibes" ( also calling it that because I didnt know what else to call it) in the last few years it has become much much worse and I feel like my life is going down the drain, I have to force myself to go to the store and wont go anywhere alone because I cant handle it without some kind of support. And really I am always alone except for my children and husband because being around people is like standing under a highway overpass and being bombarded with sounds of semis, the loud sound of traffic, horns, so loud I cant even hear myself think, but it is not sounds, it is feelings, anxiety, scared, angry, sad, even happy, I always thought they were coming from me. when this article said, "If you’re an Empath, you will know this is you, you will not be saying “hmm.. maybe… hmm… " I already knew I had not even read that yet and I knew it was I was always wondering about myself that made me different, I cant believe there is even a name for it. well this message probably doesnt make sense and I know it is a little rambling, but I am really freaked out and I feel a little manic right now lol. So here is my question to anyone who might be able to help, How do I help myself, this has never been good for me all my life, I would love to be able to help other people, I always try when I encounter other people which I make sure is rarely. I remember when I was 18 I liked this guy he was older like 25 or something and married but he and his wife were split up, we went on a date and spent the day together mostly talking about his situation, I really liked him but kept finding myself trying to make him see where he and his wife went wrong even tho I didnt want to I couldnt help myself, the next day I got all pretty for when I saw him again and didnt see him all day till that evening when he and his wife walked up to me to thank me profusely for helping their relationship and they were back together, I was crushed lol, but I did do it to myself, but I couldnt help but to help him even tho I wanted him to myself lol. well maybe I am crazy, I have thought that many times, many many times. but all I have read here is like I was writing it so maybe there is hope. ok I will stop rambling now lol, sorry if it is hard to read but it is exciting, it is like the last piece of the puzzle and now I can see the picture and I am excited that there might just be hope, I was just about out of hope. Well, I would appreciate any advice or help on the matter, I am really ( I hate to say this ) tired of feeling for everyone else, it is exhausting. Thank you all for listening.
Im so glad I stumbled upon this.. for the last 4 years this is what i been going thru.. everyone just kept telling me I was highly intuitive but I new it was somthing else.. I used to have all kinds of social groups but now i spend most of my time alone cuz it really sucks the life out of me.. Im so happy to know that there are was of working with it then hiding away from it.. thank you so much Isabella
THIS COMMENT IS FOR FRETBUZZ: I AM A STRONG CHRISTIAN, AN UNBREAKABLE CHRISTIAN AND I AM AN EMPATH AND SO ARE MANY OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS.... IT IS NOT ABOUT POSSESSION NORE DOES IT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE DEMONS! FOR YOU TO PUT A COMMENT ON HERE SAYING THE THINGS YOU DID JUST PROVES YOU ARE NOT AN EMPATH AND SHOULD NOT COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT. IT DISTRUBS ME THAT YOU WOULD PUT SUCH A THING....A HORRIBLE COMMENT LIKE YOU DID IN A PLACE WHERE REAL EMPATHS HAVE TO READ SOMETHING THAT WAS UNTHOUGHTFUL AND RUDE AND NOT VERY WELL EDUCATED, PLEASE REFRAIN YOURSELF FROM LEAVING FUTURE COMMENTS AS THEY ARE NOT WELCOMED HERE.
I'm not really sure if I'm an empath. I am overwhelmed by other's emotions, and am extremely caring, of people and animals. A friend who is an empath says that she thinks I am one, but I'm not sure. I was just wondering if anybody has any answers.
I'm glad I found your article. I've recently been serching for answers to my life, because I can't go on any longer the way I am. I've become a hermit crab like you said. I hate it, though it's better than dealing with the recovery after dealing with large crowds. I said yes to every topic. And to be honest, it's freaking me out! I always knew that I don't think and feel the same as other people. But to have a name for it and not to be thought of as evil (my parents are hardcore religious, they tell me I am damned.oh, well :( ) I have read other people's responces and they seem so awear of what they can do. I really have no idea how to control or seperate these feelings. It's wearing me down so much that I am calling off work constantly, and pushing my family and friends away. For example, my employer assigned me with a new co-worker. As I got to know him he opened up very easily with no coxing from me and in sharing his life stories, I learned that he beat his children and abused his girlfriend. As that made me disgusted and my stomach turn, literally repulsed by him at this point, I could not shake the feeling of pride and almost like it was a humorous situation. Now for the past couple of days I've been obsessing at why I had those feelings. Honestly I feel disgusted at myself. But after reading this I think I can understand myself better. I will be reading the other articles you have posted in hoping that you can shed some light on being an empath.
God made us the way that we are, for anyone who beleaves this is the work of a demon, you are wrong. I have been able to understand and manage my empath abilities. Just like Leslie says its a great deal of daily pain that we have to go through. How ever i have found with a great deal of meditation and understanding i have been able to separate my own true feelings from the feelings of those around me, doing this does not turn off your gifts but rather helps to manage them. With this i have been able to help friends and family with problems that they have with out there add stress onto me, i know that they dont mean it to but its just the way things happen. I have been dealing with empath abilities for as long as i can remember, and there has never been a day that i regreat having it. Its just taken some time to control the emotions i feel from others. Have hope In your selfves, this is not a cures nor a gift but rather a way to under stand those around you, from friends, nature, and so on. My mom tryed to help me raise above it, i beleave that i have done this, but i lost her when she couldnt take it any more, and this hurts allot. Dont give up on your self and dont fall victum to your own abilities,
yes this is not fun and i am an empath ppl may say oh cool that is awesome...Ha they have not no idea wat i am goin through my head nor my body half the time i am sad and in pain wanting 2 cry i hate the one that hurts especially if it's my love ones...i just want a normal life but this is wat i am born with and i can't change that fact at me
Weell.. im 16 (just turned it on the 10th) and ever since i could remember I was always sensitive around others and thir emotional and physical pains ,destresses and other problems. Recently i have been... becoming more moody because of various reasons and that I take their feelings in... ( i dont even have to be looking at them... you can say a name or be talking to me over the computer and i can tell.sometimes). this has come to overwhelm me as now im havign to go to counciling for dpression anxiaty problems (both sever) and other things. ii even broke down twice inthe middle of school last year from the overwhelm-ness within the area and in public places it's very hard to go when crowded . I have recently *for the past 2 weeks) been trying to center my feeligns out, but it isnt working :( Most of the time, when i get the feelings over something is wrong or good.. i'll ask them and as they tell me this i am able to pick up other feeings even their tone of voice as well as their movement. and then ill ask them.. taking what im feeling at the time.. and ask them one by one if that's what they feel as well..Not everyone I do that will tell's me why they are like that so it gioes unsolved and i can't usualy cope with it as easily.
i was woundering, if you could like.. help some way with this like if you know something that can calm my mind enough to listen to my feelings and sepereate them, and to help cope wiht the ones that are not mine wihtout knowing the reason why the other person had them.
I actually believe that i am an empath, I am constantly feeling what other people feel, emotions wise, and sometimes physical. I however dont think i am able to heal others, maybe not physically, but i am very good at healing them mentally. They always come to me with their problems, and due to my personality, and my want to help others, i usually listen. i feel the pain in other people, especially in a crowd. I would call it a vibe that i get. I also get headaches alot after these mentioned vibes. I will also admit, that i do cry alot, mostly due to me feeling these vibes. I am very upbeat, outgoing, and i tend to make others feel good by giving off my good feelings, but the feeling that i sometimes get in return is not always good. The reason i cry is because as i mentioned before i am very happy all the time, and when i get these feelings, i get very depressed. I could also say another reason why i sometimes cry and feel all alone in the world is becasue i sometimes feel like it is too much sometimes. I also know what others are going to say before they say it, dont know if that counts, but its what i feel. My last comment is to everyone who is curious and reads these things, everyone has a gift. As humans evolve more, we tend to get gifts that can better us, and sometimes hurt us and others. How these gifts are used, depends on the person, and how they want others to percieve them.
some great points here. being an empath (which is more common that people might think) can have it's major down points. i remember when i first started to feel the sensations, it was a rather rude awakening. imagine a business that's been notified that it's closing... now, imagine all the people getting angry, fretting for the future, worried, frustrated and all those other lovely negative emotions. I thought i had some sort of brain tumor or something.
i do find that it's not always on full strength all the time for me though. i have times when it's easier to block out other people's emotions, i have times when i'm particularily sensitive. not sure why. have you felt things similar and have you noticed anything about it?
Empathy is what you make it, as with everything else in this world. As an empath myself I have learnt to love the ability to connect with people on such a personal level. I do admit, I am uncomfortable in large crowds, and empathy CAN be a pain in the butt, but I feel it is also a gift. It lends the ability to heal emotionally, physically, and psychologically. Nothing in this world is normal or to be taken for granted. Everything is beautiful in its own respect.
I found out I was an empath by being told I was by an aquaintence in Art school. I have a lot of "issues" dealing with it so I stay in my home most of the time. I'm not sure how to "get better" at blocking energies, figuring out what each symptom I have means (difference between getting a temporal headache to "cramps" to chest pain, etc.) and I really don't have any friends that can help me with this. If anyone can help, recommend which book is good to start with, mentor me in some way, or just be someone to chat with that knows what I'm going through. Please e-mail me! mmartin1082@yahoo.com
Kimme,
You have so much to hide it's very natural for a person with mild perception to see that. Perhaps that your need to protect your secret is the electricity feeling you get, or guilt. Either way I sense you have no idea when you are actually read in full view. I truly wish you the best and just wanted to make this observation in hopes that you will forgive yourself and work this out, so that you don't feel like everyone else is judgeing you. Trust me it's not as horrible as you think, and your not the first to have done so. Take care of you.
"Chelle
A few years ago this would have been a heaven sent, yet today it is simply something to vibe to as I desire to learn more. I enjoyed how it was clarified that picking up others energies were healing in itself, beyond the New Age e.g. Reiki etc. I was looking to mainstream my abilities. So, that truth increased my clarity, thank you very much.
Yet healing like the Christian guy might figure is nothing new. I had some Christian issues and understood that I am to learn more about my gifts, seek after them and surely commanded to develop them. What I was searching for is I have learned that people with such giftings can project their feelings outwardly. I had not known this. And it can be a trick in a way. I also learned that not everybody is ethical, spiritual or well meaning who has gifts.
I know I have learned that I am a happy person who enjoys life. Yet, because I have learned to distinguish and disregard unwanted thoughts and feelings, I can go out in public no worries. Ironically, I am working on my own issues, and in therapy all these walls came crashing down etc. and I enjoy being in my home and going places infrequently. For the first time I am dealing with my own!
I do however pick up on people's heart pain, and am not clear on how to discern whose it is. Even hanging out at home I feel it! I can easily clear it so it's not bothersome at all.
I also realize there are people more evolved than I and don't take at face value what I do pick up on. Meaning, I'm discriminate. I learned some really good practices to clear unwanted energies which are so so awesome!!!
What I would like to know is to discern and stop persons from tuning into my own vibrations and reading me, without my permission. It feels like electricity. Depending on how good they are depends on the feeling. Ironically, once in Time Square and another last month, the men were not able to break through. They tried and I simply said my special prayers. The latest guy faught hard and it was like I was entering battle as I felt shaky afterwards. He was trying to figure something out and read me. This was disrespecful and since we were in a "mental" setting I made sure to tell him I was on to him yet in a light fun non-combative way.
I get offended when people are trying to keen in on me. Once in the copy shop, a woman was trying to gaze me and I could sense it. So, I went up to her and started talking. She felt embarrased.
It's been awhile since I realized going out is not for me, and before I did this one bartender at a restaurant constantly tried to gage me and i felt those electric-y sensations. Why is she so interested in me? Why not just be direct! Perhaps I don't fit her bill. She almosts feels as if she should think I am so cool so she's fishing for why and who I am so I can fit into her schema.
this has been so helpful to me, my whole life i have felt all this stuff and never understood it i thought i was weak and crazy at times. my biggest thing is that i have always been able to feel the energy of people who have passed away thats what got me looking up all this stuff. since i was a child i could feel other peoples feelings and thoughts and sickness and emotions that it made me feel drained and i thought i was sick but in the last few years of my life i have been reserching any thing i could think of to pin point what i was going through so so glad im not crazy or alone. i find that crowds make me feel sick my tummy gets upset and my head hurts i feel weak. i dont drink because i feel i must stay in control of myself at all times and even one drink makes me feel funny and i cant haddle it but whats funny is if im in a room were people are drinking an having fun i feel there buzz and that freaks me out at times i feel like it empares my driving a bit i can tell you so much about what happens to me. i can heal when i set my mind to it and most times i dont know i have done it untill they feel better and im sick with what they felt. other times i will be some were and start to feel dizzy or chest pains and then i look around and i find out its not my body its some one else in the room and only then do i feel better and can calm my self down and make it go away. my question is this to you and any one out there have you ever felt the spirit of some one say in your house to the point that you know who they are from the inside and if so is that part of being an empath or is that some thing else. i have had visions and heard voices call out to me i dont know if empath covers what i am. when i was pregnat i heard a voice tell me it would be a girl and it was in fact i had a vision months before of a man he came and called me by my name and said to me not to worry there was nothing wrong with me and that i would be pregnate in feb, and i was. do we as empaths have more abilatys tied to us.
So glad I found this hub! I have suffered siliently with the exception of a few family members and friends. Always knew I was "different" but up until a few years ago, had no way of explaining it to myself or others.
I relate to all of the comments.... The extreamly vivid dreams EVERY night, the intensity of color I see especially in nature, the healing abilities, animals and children especially- being drawn to me like a moth is to a flame, the deluge of emotions when in a large group and most upsetting is how misunderstood at times I feel because I am so emotionally extream when others are not. I am trying to learn how to protect myself in various ways but for right now I find praying the most effective reprieve if only for a short time, to recharge. I have been contiplating for years on whether or not I should go into the medical field for fear of the intense pain. I am not sure I could handle it.
Thank you for all of the posts, I feel a little less alone in my journey.
Isabella,
Thank you so much for providing this hub. I have stuggled my whole life to understand who I am, and just 2 weeks ago saw a therapist for EMDR Therapy in hopes she could stop the emotional feelings and pains I get from certain subjects in the news or even shows on television. She simply said, "no I can't do EMDR therapy on you, you my dear are an empath and it would be a diservice to you, but I can help you control and shield it." She has opened a door that leaves me in tears as I type this. I must say I agree with fyrfly I have had more marriage proposals and I can't think of a person I dated that didn't "fall in love with me" right away, like two dates. I am curious as to your answer on this as well. I do have a personal reason for contacting and thanking you as well. I have had since I was 5 years old, very and I am talking very vivid dreams, I was terrified to go to sleep til in my mid 20's. About 6 years ago I mastered lucid dreaming and it makes things easier. I have a theory that I "help" others cross over while sleeping. I have a gut feeling this is what is happening. Is this common for empaths? Everything I have read tells me I am beyond a shadow of a doubt highly empathic, without any control of it such as shielding, yet instinctivly I have developed it to a accepting level by embracing the harshness of the feelings I am subjected to and turning it to love. It's not easy though, and I hate to admit I lose my temper and self composure at times. I also feel something inside of me that says this is just but one of the talents that lie beneath, I am so lost, but so found at the same time. Is this possible to forsee your path and fight against it out of pure exhaustion and not wanting to do what you know you are destined to do and to have "life" push you on that path til you walk it willingly? Does this make any sense? I would love your input and thank you again, this hub thread has been a real enlightenment not to mention the energy in general is positive coming from it. Thanks,
Michelle
Is there a way to get rid of this!? Everytime i go out i get so confused with emotions now i just dont go out anymore i stay in my room all day to hide it off! When i go to school it sucks can you just email me at magicalme2006@yahoo.com so we could talk more?
Hi,First of all, great hub! I know that I am an empath and I was born this way. It was only in the past year(ish) that I started to look up the name for it.
I feel physically sick when something is wrong with a loved one, no matter where they are. I call my mom and ask her what's wrong or who's sick. If she doesn't know, she will call around to find out. She has learned to believe me! :-) My times always coincide with the illness or whatever is wrong.
I find that people open up to me all of the time. I remember, specifically, when I met someone and he was telling me about his troubles (very personal) minutes after I met him. When I found out that my friend knew him, she told me not to get offended that he didn't talk too much... being surprised, of course, that he talked about EVERYTHING! This happens a lot, but that situation sticks out because of what he told me and what my friend told me after.
I love that I can take on the pain of others (both people and animals) and make them feel better, but I hate that making them feel better makes me feel worse. Once again, I often get physically ill. :-(
One other problem I find is that people are always "falling in love" with me. I'm not convinced that it is love, but I'm not sure what is making them so attached. I'm assuming that this is part of being an empath, but I can't really find something on the net about it. Is it a usual problem?
And, by the way, I am a Christian empath... no possession here... ;-)
This was a very well written article, and I'm glad to see it. Being an empath can be a double edged sword; it can make doing every day things more stressful, but can make dealing with people one-on-one easier a lot of ways.
It's interesting to read the responses to this (though I was unable to read ALL of them), and I think that the sheer number of responses you have received are a testament to your writing.
Frettbuzz needs to read 1st Corinthians chapter 12....
I have a few questions I how someone can answer. First off, I've always had an overwelling sence of others emotions and the need to help the whole world. This is the main reason I became a nurse. I never thought these feeling were anything unusal but a few years ago my now husband told me he thought I was an empath. I've also been told this by others that have a belief in the supernatural. While these feelings sometimes help me with my job, families and residents (i work in a nursing home) open up to me, I know when something is wrong with a resident even if I can't tell what it is at the time. I've often told the nurse following me to keep an eye on someone because them seem "off" (can't very well them them I just know something is wrong) usually within 24 hours the resident will have had a stroke or a heart attack. There are no outward signs beforehand but I'll just know something bad is building up in them. Unfortunatly these feelings can also be horrible for my mental health. Residents who feel like no one loves them, the pain of when someone dies. This is usually not so bad if I don't see the family, with most of my residents that have been suffering with a drawn out dealth, finally dieing is a form of release, they are no longer in pain and scared. If a family is there that loved the resident, I almost always end up in bear hug with them with the both of us bawling, and sometimes I didn't even really like the resident. Families that open up about the gulit of putting a loved one in a nursing home will also end in the same hugging and crying thing. So here are my questions.
1 You said empaths can learn to block out others feelings, HOW? There are times when these emotions are unbearable and it would be wonderful to be able to block them out for awhile.
2 I also have what I have come to describe to my husband as "moments of clarity" in which I have a brief but absolutily detailed and clear image of who someone is, their hopes, feelings, why they do the things they do, how they see themselves, everything about them. They only last a few seconds but in those few seconds is so much information and the memory of it is lasting. I can't control them either to bring them on or to block them out. Them come on like a slap in the face, and the images are not always flattering. Is this part of being an empath or is it something else? If it is something else, what is it and does anyone have similar experiences and or know how to control them.
Also a word of caution for those that want to take someone elses pain away from them-you might get way more than you bargained for.
I much prefer staying in my house enjoying the pure clean energy of my children, but I do have to venture out and go to work. I work in a spa, and I have a job where I physically touch people all day. Sometimes I come home trembling, other times I come home and cry. There is a large staff where I work, and with that comes at times the usual drama and negative energy that I find difficult to shake. It feels overwhelming and debilitating most of the time.
On a humorous note, does anyone else get cases of TMI? (Too much information) Like, I feel for you, but I didn't really need to know that much. :-) I'm thinking of the gal sitting across the room at the doctors office recently. It wasn't overwhelming just sensing a little anxiety coming from her, but also that she felt comfortable in her own skin...and was feeling a bit smug that day.....and that she was actually a HE. You see? I didn't particularly need to know that, but I didn't have a choice. Stuff like that happens to me alot! :-)
Anyway, I don't really know if I am an empath or not, but my sister is. She moved to a remote town with a low population, and is as happy as a clam. I was mad at her for moving at first, but that was before I started to realize that my own overwhelming emotions were probably not coming from me at all, but from others. I get it now.
Hugs
I to have this and i've come to find out it can be used for good or evil.(positive or negative). anyway is it normal to have premonitions from time to time ? oh yeah, and fretbuzz, i was born and raised roman catholic, i have saved peoples lives when putting my own life on the line, if that makes me evil you have some serious issues. why don't you quit being so damn narrow minded and realize all people were put on this earth for some reason. i actually dated a girl that was into wicken and seen dark spirits, I watched them take over her because she opened up door ways that couldn't be closed. there are real evils in this world but i highly doubt any of these people are it.
Fretbuzz...you're dark. Please don't EVER speak for God thinking you know his intentions. How dare you label people as evil. I wish all of you "religious" freaks would hone your energy at the real evil...How about the pedophiles, murders, the people that prey on others, leave the psychics alone. Think about this... God created man in his image...powerful and misunderstood. Stupid negative humans. IMAGE IS EVERYTHING ABOUT A PERSON I'm highly empathic. I've always seen other before myself and frankly I do amzing good things and acts for people all the time. I use LIGHT WHEREVER I GO. I'VE SAID NIGHTLY PRAYS TO GOD, JESUS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT EVERY NIGHT OF MY LIFE. I ALWAYS ASK GOD TO HELP THE WHOLE WORLD AND EVERY LIVING THING. IN MY PRAYERS I TELL GOD I LOVE YOU WITH MY WHOLE HEART, BODY AND SOUL. You people who speak for God really should wake up. I forgive you. Remember God puts us all here and ONLY GOD JUDGES. God, I feel sorry for you and afraid. BE careful what you say and think, and who you say and think it for. Wake up Fretbuzz and quit judging. It's not your job.
i juss found out that me and my friend Alex are empaths :) its kinda kool.
So many people here are focussed on the negative aspects of being an empath. I haven't read one comment about how wonderful it is to feel the joy of those around you, or the way we experience nature, can communicate with animals, or travel through a country without knowing the language simply because we understand beyond the simplicity of the sound of the language.
I've found a way to survive using my skills and gifts, and have found that any rejection or lonliness experienced in the life of an empath is due to others' misunderstandings of how it works and their own insecurities. When you speak with confidence and respect yourself for who you are, others will react with the same amount of respect and acceptance.
i'd also like to add, i've found that being an empath can be a very lonely experience
I think I am an empath, or at least once was. I can meet someone for the first time and pretty much pick up on their idiosynchrysies and past events in their lives. I think I am a dumb empath because I do pick up on those traits, and then not listen to what I just absorbed, and always get burned in the end.
I've also had times where I can feel someone's physical pain from miles away. There was a guy I was once madly in love with and he would always put me in agony, because I could literally tap into his mind on many occassions. I could "see" him with a girl. I knew he was at a bar, I knew she had dark hair, and I could sense her intelligence. I was so sad. A few days later, he admitted he did meet a thin dark haired nurse at a bar. Sometimes I will get an obscure song pop in my head and know the lyrics and I might call him up and sing it to him and he would have confirmed that he was listening to that song just minutes ago. That's the closest I've ever been with someone in their mind. I haven't spoken to this person after many years due to an ugly seperation, however recently I just had a dream about him, or he was in my dream. I don't know if he's trying to assist me or if he's thinking about me, but I had to push him out of mind. Its toxic to know someone's thoughts like that.
One time I got a psychic impression of someone. It was like x-ray vision and I saw a black heart and got the psychic voice of "predator" a word that was not in my vocabulary at that time. So I asked a friend who knew about this person and she told me that he's been accused of harassing women before, like stalking. I don't know why I got that impression, maybe it was to warn me or my friend.
Now, my "gifts" aren't so promising and that's because I keep myself busy and plus my job is stressful. However, it comes around every once in a while where I get a jolt or sensation and usually that's when I've penetrated beyond what is on the surface of an issue and hit the point. In the past, when people were lying to me I would get a suffocating feeling in my throat.
For me, becoming more artistic makes it worse. I guess drawing, etc. makes me more relaxed and more open to anything. For the longest time (years) I haven't had an empathetic impression till last week when I went into a bookstore and I was just picking up on a lot of energy and I knew I was being too receptive.....
I haven't used it for healing because I don't know how. However, I wouldn't mind healing a few of the nutty people at work.
I am an empath and it is almost dabilitating. I find myself channelling at work and it is exhausting trying to go through the day and not struggle to feel normal and rational. i always thought that i was in tune to feelings because i grew up in an ambusive environment and was constantly trying to guage the mood of my parents. i can detect an arguement at one hundred paces. It is more than that and i wish i could turn it off. i have spent my life trying to "let it run off my back" as i have been advised time and time again. How can i have a normal life and enjoy my own emotions independently of others. i cant even have a bad day at work because when i detect how my behaviour is effecting others i try to lift their spirits at the cost of my own. i know how ridiculous this sounds as i read it but i have long had the ability to effect the mood of people around my and heal merely by speaking to them.
i am getting married soon and i want a family. i don't know if i will be able to be a good mother until i can do something about this. at least harness it in some way.
Fretbuzz. Read your bible. Jesus healed. And when The Lord took him up Jesus told the first Christians that they too will be given the power of the Holy Spirit and will be able to perform the miracles Jesus performed and much greater things too. Read your bible before you decide to be the mouth piece for God. Even Satan knew his scriptures. Your ignorant but not hopless. You will know them by their love, not, you will know them by whether or not they claim to heal. Stop being so fearidden. The bible say, not to think twice about the evil one or his ways.
Wow... I'll be honest, I didn't read all the posts. Two plus years worth is a lot to take in. But I guess I have a number of thoughts to express... or others thoughts to request.
First... i see the big conflict on here in peoples opinions of christianity vs psychic ability. I have a Christian Bible College education, yet at the same time I have delt with this my whole life. However, I haven't expressed that to anyone really. For fear of listening to the damnation. I call it Bible College brain washing. Not that I don't love and adore my bible college education. But they do adhere to the belief that these abilities are demonic. I simply can't accept that. Really? I was possessed by demons as a child? I think sadly, there are some things that people who do not possess the gifts just can't explain and don't know how to deal with it.
My other thought is... FINALLY! I get so tired of people thinking I'm strange because I won't watch the movie Titanic because I know the emotional affect it will have on me. It's so nice to know I'm not abnormal... or at least not crazy. As I said, I've always felt these things (minus physical healing) but never knew what it was. But reading this article... I have NO doubts. The quesion is now... what to do with it.
Thanks all for the posts!! Perhaps I'll try to read through them all!
When it happens clutch to your warmest feelings remember who you are
Try to bridge the gaps try doing it on some one close some who you can predicte what their next choice or decesion will be leearn to read people pay attension to how your physical reactions to certain situations. try to pay attension to the little movments people make eventually you should get better at reading body language maybe that will help you bridge the gaps. And finally try to create a self assesment or self view of your self. And relize when this is happening that you are you not them. Remember every one is an individual and have something unique and special about them. Try to remember what makes you who you are.Good luck.
its kid of like a scene but with a gaps
tnx for the advice
im afraid of it cause sometimes i feel like im not miself like im not in control
Try testing it and its bouderies can do you see flashes of memorie or a whole scene? Find tips on how to relax and see if you can do it while relaxed. Most of us are in this alone but I hope I can help you with your problems maybe it will help me with mine. Good luck friend.
i have been looking for an awnser and a friend told me he read this post and he recomend i readit i did and now i know what is wrong with me tnx it helped me alot.....but the real problem is some time the moments i get nervous or exited i cant touch people with out seeing imagery of what i think are memories if you are for real help cause its getting worse
I discoverd I was an emath a week ago it suprised me because i was diagnosed with cleptomania as well I wanted to ask a question without sounding crazy are empaths supposed to here a voice not voices a single voice that gives me advice like when im shop lifting one second ill be on my way to slipping i something in particular that I want up my sleeve but a second before I do it the voice will tell me not to do it and i wont and five seconds later an employee will turn the corner and would have caught me if I hadnt stopped. Also can fell others emotions and Have been testing it And found ways to use it to my advantage.I not a bad person by heart Im just sick of the emotions and glimpses I get off people most are selfish and disgusting but I want to change this. I refuse to use violence tho and will try different ways.some one help me Icant always control it and some of the feleling are getting stronger and out of control cant some one plez help advice any thing darthbong@rocket mail.com
I've been an empath my whole life, but it wasn't until I got into my 20's that I learned the term and started to learn how to deal with it. I don't consider it to be supernatural becuase that would indicate that it is outside of nature, which is simply not possible. Every person comes into this life with certain gifts. Being an empath is no different that someone who is gifted at music or painting. It is simply a natural talent (whether you want it or not).
Yesterday I attended a meditation workshop. During the workshop I got an intense pain in my neck. First I asked God (Spirit, Source, Universe, whatever you want to call it) if this pain belonged to me or someone else. Once it was identified as someone else's I "felt" my way around the room until I was certain whose pain it was. During the meditation I energetically reached out to her and tried to ease the pain. After the class, she turned to me to tell me something. Before she could start I said, "I know your neck hurts, let me help you." I laid my hands on her neck and sent her healing light. I didn't stay with her long, just enough so that we both felt better.
Sometimes I think the healing is more self preservation than really wanting to help other people. Maybe it is a selfish way to look at it. I help people becuase it makes me feel better.
One tip for others who are learning to cope, before going into a crowded place like a mall, concert, or bar visualize a mirror all around you reflecting out so that you no longer need to reflect other people's emotions, the mirror will do it for you. (I sometimes think of the children's saying..."I'm rubber, you're glue, what ever you say bounces off me and sticks to you."
At the end of the day scan your body and brush off whatever does not belong to you. If it is sticking, ask your guides, angels, God for help. You don't have to hang onto other peoples' crap.
This is funny, but not ha ha funny. I was told when I was younger that I was an Impath by my now deceased Mother, she told me that her father and her grandfather were as well, my life? it has been (for the most part) miserable as I can not hold back how I feel to others, more then once I have been asked not to touch someone cause I felt they needed me to touch them, I feel their pain , I can not handle the emotional side of death it scares me more then death itself , I can not guess the card your holding or tell you how much you weight by looking at you , but if you are sad, truly sad and are anywhere near or around me I feel it ...and it depresses me , for years I thought I was just crazy and then later I thought bi polar but nothing seemed to fit until I run into this blog..I have all 7 signs and others too, I see my future in my dreams if it is horrible or traumatic then I dream it I saw the end of my marriage , the trauma of being accused of a crime I did not commit and the drowning death of my two year old son...all before I was 15 teen and I passed them off as deja vus as some of us do, I would not wish this state of being on the worst of my worst enemies or even yours, or would I glorify these feelings I have to a park bench I am just glad I was able, in my life time to put a label on what kind of freak I really am my mother was right...thank you.
Well this is a very interesting topic. I've heard about similar abilities, from many different a person, from many different a background. I'm always curious about things I don't fully understand, I guess so many things appear black and white these days for many a different reasons its sometimes hard to find shades of grey! I'm a skeptic by nature mainly due to the exploitation of vulnerable people looking for answers to explain their confused or lost emotions.
My story is as follows; from the age of 14-15 I suffered from sever Bi-Polar which was leading into some form of Schizophrenia (it started off not so bad but got rapidly worse with age). I was only diagnosed 6 months ago at the age of 23 and have been put on medication. My life since then has changed for the better and in ways I couldn't even begin to of fathomed prior to the meds. During my illness I've felt, seen and done things that others can never even begin to imagine, unless they have suffered from something similar or the same but even then, I would never pretend to understand their situation fully because like anything, situations vary person to person. As for me I have over 210 self inflicted scars (the ones that where deep enough to leave scared tissue) covering my body, some reaching up to 14 inch's across my chest, some that hit bone and others than hit arteries and veins, those being suicide attempts in order not to end my life, but to escape the constant mental anguish and despair that became just overwhelming.
Now the reason I mention this is, for the love of what ever god you believe in don't hurt or confuse people looking for answers to real problems because as some one whom suffered from a mental illness I would believe almost anything at some points to make it stop. How ever, I am not attacking peoples beliefs here just asking for consideration and for the record I was never institutionalized, I lead a normal enough life but I went threw this alone with out discussing it with family or friends due to the shame, worry and my personal favorite "the fact I thought I was crazy for thinking I was going crazy".. my point being, don't assume I was completely dysfunctional nor that I was incapable of self control and of the obvious... don't assume people that suffer from mental illness are "nut jobs" or "psycho"... and sorry strict christians... i wasn't possessed by demons.. unless you feel that medication for illnesses such as my own are gods own doing and for the record some of my best friends didn't even know I was sick so always look out for your own loved ones.
Now heres the twist.... I am very spiritual in my own bizarre way and choose the cross to represent my faith as I recon its basically a white europeans cultural symbol at least from a historical point of view, towards a higher power, right?. I dont believe in pushing my views on others, and I dont believe that other religions are wrong. I simply believe that God, whom ever or what ever he/it may be is there not to judge by race, background, beliefs etc. but here to give us life. thats it. no judgement, no hate, no damnation, nothing. we're too special to just "be here" I feel that for sure, but just dont abuse the life we have and yes this is long I know, but i'm getting there....
This has all lead up to this Empath thing. I'm curious about the subject and what it may apply to me. I have incredible urge to help others, but i'm not drawn to everyone, I'm drawn to others pain yes, but i can easily pass a homeless person but if someone is emotionally in need I get very Into support and help mode, also I get very hurt from day to day problems of people hurting each other (arguments, talking down to, fights, cheating etc.) yet I do so myself. I do take to heart all the terrible things I see in this world from the news such as Rape, murder, racism, pedophiles, etc. to a point of aggressive anger.
So...I am not denying this existing, I am not mocking a single person on here, I am simply trying to understand a realm which is new to me. Is it possible I am a Empath? or is it due to my own problems i've had (which in all honesty are nothing compared to others) that I see things (emotionally, physically, etc) more vivd than others?? I'd love a response, as I said, I don't judge anyone in this world unless they afflict pain on others, so please enlighten me to your views about my possibilities of being an Empath.
I am a confirmed Christian and dearly love going to church but I also identify with all the points above. In my confirmation lessons the first question I asked was how can I be a christian if I believe in evelution and the answer he gave me was 'you can' I was so shocked that we then spent the next hour discussing it. It made me realise that just because I believe in god doesn't mean I can't also believe in other things. I am now very relaxed, attend church regularly and don't feel I need to dress like a hippy or be part of some cult to fit in. My friends (of which I'm blessed with many) accept as I am, they know I know how they feel and even what they're thinking and they just except it because they love me for me :)
It was lovely to read this, I won't be doing anything with this thing I can do but it's just nice to know I'm not a weirdo freak that I alsways thought I was.
Thank you.
I didn't read everyone's comments, but I would like to comment to the person who said empathy is a gift from the devil.
I am an empath, and I have connected to "God" in the senses I was one with God. God most definitely gives people healing gifts and the gift of empathy. A human made book has blinded people to God's gifts and miracles, which makes God so terribly sad. Part of my gift is speaking to God and letting others, that have been brainwashed by humans, know that he is still talking to people, loves and cares for people, and isn't planning on sending everyone to hell forever. I find it funny that so many religious people believed God just stopped talking after the last chapter of the bible was written. Do you think he doesn't see all the destruction Christian has caused? But most Christians stopped listening to God hundreds of years ago, and they wont listen to the ones sent to them by God, cause they don't believe they exist and that it must be the devil. Stubborn.
I know this gift seems terrible at times, but because of you the world is healing.... Have faith and find solitude.
Wow. Here's another big 'thank you' from a newbie. This morning has been a transforming experience for me. I'm realizing what I've been telling and fighting myself about my whole life. In grade school I cried after school everyday and knew it was because I was a "sponge" who soaked up others' pain and anger and agression.
Does this energy we feel, come from others' history of unreleased emotions or simply what they are feeling at the time?
I know that I am certainly an empath, but I've followed a slightly different path. I am relatively outgoing and friendly, and I am a peacebringer and unifier. I form alliances of people around myself by unknowingly helping and comforting them during crises, and I seek out people who need help bearing an emotional weight, partially because I feel it's my duty or obligation, but moreover because I'm innately drawn to it.
My life is usually quite hectic and dramatic simply because of the web of people I immerse myself in. I also normally see this web of chaos as fun and as an adventure, because they are people I have selected, but over the last few months, I've gone into a very dark and paralyzing depression (for the second time in my life).
I know for a fact that the emotional burden of the world is very heavy at this time in history, but this depression is coming to an end for me for finally. *hooray springtime* In retrospect, though, I am trying to identify the source of this depression...
I never knew what an empath was, or that it was real, until about an hour ago. To be honest, I don't feel like I'm good at reading people's true intentions, I give EVERYONE the benefit of the doubt - to a fault. I feel like I'm too suggestible, in that I'm easy to manipulate.
What I just realized about this suggestibility, though, is that I'm sensing another's disappointment when I say "no" or that I'm sensing someone's fear when I challenge them, and this is why I don't do either of those things very often. I see myself as a pushover or a servant because I'm always trying to make everyone around me happy.
I have a lot more to say but I'll keep going all day, but thank you for the information and *hello* out there to all my fellow empaths. I hope you enjoyed or identified with something I said, and I just sent you all hugs; I know you got them.
I just read your article and it described me to a t. I can definately relate to the part about homeless people and now understand why I have such a strong urge to help them and have been doing so for 2 years now in a homeless shelter. No one could understand why I would do this for free, and I could never convey the feelings I have inside. I can sense peoples energy immediately, and sometimes would take on their pain as my own, and soon they were feeling so great, while I wanted to cry my eyes out. I always can see through others masks and tell if someone has ill intentions towards me. Everything in the article is me to a t. Thank you for writing it. Now I understand it and I dont feel so alone.. and strange. Thanx
Fretbuzz, I have been a very faithful christian woman my whole life. I am not possessed and I have endured this my entire life. Don't even begin to tell me that I am possessed or involved in something evil. This is confusing for me. You sound like I'm evil for something I can't control. You believe that miracles existed so many years ago and God could work through people to perform miracles what is so different about being an Empath? God works in mysterious ways. Maybe the world is too evil to see the sea parted at this time. Do you understand what I am saying?
hello everyone, i am grateful to learn so much from the experiences described here. it is very late. i like the wee hours because it is a quiet time with much less swirling emotion out there on the roads. my companion, she is in her own room and i know she is awake and that the roof of her palate is sore. this morning i gently cried her tears for hours-most of the day, in my room even when not noticing hardly-just tears rolling down. last week she was talking to me before i was fully awake and all at once i felt the full force of her anxiety and fear in my stomach but now i am feeling what is beneath the fear.
up till the anxiety i mostly felt others physical pain-my mothers left hand was numb last week and that stayed with me. and as so many of you say, being in malls is not the greatest at all. i have been looking for rv's and she said that it was to abandon her. it was said in a hurtful way even while i was crying her tears. and when i wrote her a note and sent a poem she did not reply. so for now i have her pain and a mixed bag of emotions that i cannot sort-just an uneasiness.
but wait heres one--DO YOU EVER HAVE THE THOUGHT THAT AFTER THIS LIFE, THEY WILL SEE THE TRUTH THE FULL TRUTH OF THE BLINDNESS AND HOW MUCH THEY UNDERESTIMATED YOU OR SEE HOW MUCH PAIN IT CAUSED AND HOW THERE WAS NO WAY THAT YOU COULD EVER CHANGE THIER WAY OF NOT SEEING OR FEELING. BLESSINGS
I forgot to add if you are a christian, they like to call it discerning rather than being an empath which is a gift from GOD because my moms friend is a prophesy and she told my mom that i had a gift of discerning when I was two years old and I reacted in that way like I had a gift so it was noticeable to my mom. empaths are not bad just like you can be a prophecy and use it in a Godly way or be a pyschic/fortune teller and use it in a demonic way. Its how you go about using your gift. Empaths as of myself love animals because my dog is my best friend. If you want to email me with questions are comments you can email me at quackruffmeow@yahoo.com I check my email all thoughout the day. When I am in public I try to deal with other people emotions by looking straight not looking at nobody and keeping my mind occupied with good thoughts, when I pick up emotions I usually become angry with that person if I know their intentions are wrong but I am a nice person and I am a christian. It helps me in choosing my boyfriends and friends so It isnt all bad but it is hard living life as an empath and like i said if you are not an empath you cannot relate... this is for those who do have empathy feelings but it is nothing like being an empath, nothing.
I am an empath and I don't like it because I spend most of my life alone by myself (it feels good and comforting and my family says it isn't healthy but I like it and rather it be that way) I pick up on the slightest emotions and I love watching reality shows because I know how a person really feels and why they really act the way they do. when I am around a crowd I feel very uptight and in discomfort but I get a different feeling when I feel that people have a good spirit. I am a christian and I can not help being a empath, it comes natural, i wouldnt do anything that is not of God so I use my ability to help people. Most people who know me will usually come to me when they are feeling down because I know how to handle there emotions, people who are not empaths can probably relate in some way and say its nothing but unless you are like us empaths, you will never know exactly what it feels like becuase you are truly dont have that gift.
Wow, Wiping away the tears here. There truly is nothing fun about being "an empath". Its overwhelming, draining and most of all isolating. Most people hate that they aren't as mysterious as they think and others that want you to lighten their load are leeches that suck you dry. thanks for the article, best one i've ever read on the subject.
I, as a young girl of only thirteen am finding it hard to control myself when the emotions of others threaten to take hold.School, I find is the hardest place to be, around every corner there is a new emotion, a new feeling and it is hard to cope!I find that as soon as I am alone all I can do is cry.No one I know understands how this feels which is why i have succumbed to google-ing the term 'empath'. You were right about the nuber of articals focussed souly on video-games, If more empaths understood their abilitys hopefully there would be more articals like this around.Thi brings me back to what i origianly wanted to say, I DO understand my abilitys I just don't know how to keep them under control.one moment I can be feeling so happy, so very excited and cannot stop smileing, the next moment I have my mothers PMS.I get so confused, I find it hard to tell which feelings are my own and which are other peoples.I do,as you mentioned in this artical,suffer other peoples illnesses without even realising it at the time. Take a few months ago for example, I was in agony, The cramps in the side of my stomach were bad , then they just vanished.A few hours later we get a phone call, a friend of mine whom I have since i was born but have not seen for about 4 years, had to have her appendix out as it could of turned cancerous if left untreated, appariently a few hours previous she had just come out of theatre. think about it what else happened a few hours previous of that phone call...The pain i was experiencing stopped!I do not just feel others emotions, I tend to pick up on how they feel as well. Its like I can sence if someone is bored of what someone else is saying even if they look interested in the conversation. do you know what I mean???A particular intrest of mine is reading fan-fiction online, I tend to create an emotional lin with one of the carecters in the story and if they experience pain,I do to...if they cry in the story then i do to...if they laugh i have this strange sense of happiness wash over me!Its all so confusing. Please if you or anyone reading this knows how to control this then please can you give me some advice. As of late it seems that everyone I know is either upset or in some other form of emotional pain.thanks to anyone who gets back to me.Leia x
omg. someone who understands the way i have to live just to survive. i prefer the company of animals and other non human life forms, but unfortunatelt i am trapped in this existence where I have to live with human company and its excrutiating at times. I, personally, am quite happy with myself and how I am, but getting whacked with others emotions and negativity is draining and debilitating. Till i read this i often thought i was nuts, but only because its the general consesus of opinion. for the first time, I have some hope of being able to help others without getting damaged in the process. Thank you.
like i have said in a previous post that i know i am a 16 year old empath and a sophmore in high school, but resently the empathic side has becomeing alarminging stonger, its not like it use to be when only a very powerful, stong emotion could get to me but now im feeling EVERYTHING. i have not left my house in 3 weeks other then school becouse just being around anyone drives me crazy, i drive my boyfreind (im gay) crazy becouse in a matter of seconds i can go from very happy and gitty to depressed and sad. at one point last week i was on the vergue of suicide untill a freind i met on this page helped me out of it. i am wiccan and i have tryed so many wiccan spells, potions, tecnikes but none work. if anyone can help me with any ifmormation at all it would be grately apreshiated, since i can not stand being outside from the feeling i am always on MSN and you can reach me at darkfairyprince666@hotmail.com (i am not satanic like i said im wiccan but i needed a email right then vand there and my freind gve me a old one and i just felt to lazy to get difrent one) plz add me on msn, yahoo, aim or anything and help me, thank you so much
Everything in your article made absolute sense to me. Thank you for explaining why I feel the way I do. You've helped me a great deal!
As I was reading your article, it brought me to tears because I felt several ways that you've described an empath as being. I have so many ups and downs- I'm not sure, maybe I'm actually bi polar- but I really feel like I'm a punching bag to the world sometimes. One time, my boyfriend was depressed about something and I just started crying my eyes out, and it shouldn't really have affected me as much. I am Wiccan and I believe in energies and stuff like that, so I think it is definitely possible that empaths and stuff like that exist. Sometimes I get a really nervous feeling especially when I get near large groups of people. For example, I go to a lot of my boyfriend's shows that his band plays in, but sometimes I just feel this whirlwind of emotions, I just breakdown and don't usually have good experiences there. I have always tried imagining myself as people and reading people when I was younger. I don't really want to be an empath just because i'm sure some people find it cool or something, it's just me trying to find the right explanation for all my emotions and how I sometimes go from extremely depressed to extremely happy, to very nervous. I am alone most of the time. It's usually not my fault that I am alone a lot, since my friends and I don't go anywhere a lot in our spare time. I feel loneliness driving me crazy, but yet I can't bring myself to make friends with anyone else. Hmmm... well I don't think I'll ever be sure if I'm an empath, but you wrote a very thorough article anyways. <3
THANKS so much for this article. I've been going nuts lately trying to come to terms with 'what' or 'who' I am. I experience all these on a daily basis.. my poor boyfriend lol I don't know he puts up with me! Anyway, I go through all except for the healing part... I have healed my grandma a couple times from illness or heart attacks about to strike but when I healed I didn't absorb those things into my body. It's possible to be an empath without that part, right? I don't think I want that anyway..
i'm new to all of this. i was wondering if there's a way to lessen the impact of oncoming emotions. my girlfriend always wonders whats wrong with me cause i'll constantly change moods and i always end up telling her that i don't know why i feel like i do.
thank you for this article. i noticed about a year back that i was picking up on peoples emotions and that it was the reason for the constant mood swings my girlfriend gets worried about sometimes. it was only late last night though that i discovered there was a word for it. so i googled it tonight and found this site. i was wondering if there was a way to help control the moodswings or atleast lessen the severety of them.
I am a 21 year old college student and am 100 % positive I am an empath. The only way i can explain how i feel is in waves. Literally when I walk into a room i can feel someones emotions hit me in the chest. I can look someone in the eyes and know what they are thinking sometimes even down to the exact words they are going to use. I do not think i am a mind reader, I do believe i am ridiculously intuitive. I had an especially hard time in high school , i credit this now to the emotional ups and downs of my peers. I literally have people spill their inner most thoughts to me daily, people on the street, people that come into my work , classmates, and my roommates are especailly hard on me. I have one roommate who i am so intune with I usually answer questions before she asks them, suffer from her physical ailments and have slight panic attacks. As I have grown older I am learning more and more ways to filter out feelings I also sometimes have the ability to make premonitions but have no control over this ability and at times it can be extreme disconcerning... I have an incredibly hard time being mad at anymore even when they do wrong to me, but I have a very strong personality and speak my mind, so i dont credit this to fear of rejection.. Reading between the lines and body language literally screams at me... Music is usually my escape So thank you for everyone that has posted and makes me feel not so alone. ,
As a Christian, I believe that we are all given gifts and learning to use those gifts the way they are ment to be is what I have been searching for. I hope to use my gifts for healing thoes who need it while keeping an open mind about the gifts I have been given. Lisa
Something that I experience on a daily basis when I'm functioning optimally is Psychic attack while driving and/or feeling others energy while driving.What I did was, if say I was driving and switched lanes and started feeling some negative energy,followed by a psychic attack wich I actually feel as a sharp pain in the Subtle Body and the Physical Body,well what I then did was look around at my enviornment to detect where this negative energy has come from.Usually it was the person driving in front of me or to the side of me.And all that I would do is move the energy out and away and off of me.Just by puttin my hands in the air I can usually feel where its coming from.Then I'd utilize a form of my Loving energy to push it away,ptocessing it and transmuting it,was something that I did at first but that was tiring,no doubt it was at a certain time,I learned alot from doin those functions.Now however,I've found that when I sense the negative energy and start to move it out or block it,while driving that was bringing more attention to what I was doin to the driver in front of me,and that led to more psychic attack and me utilizing more energy to Psychicly defend.And I still have a blemish in my hand from the last time I did this and it hurt for like a week.So in my experience the less attention that I bring to what I'm doing the better off I be.Found better ways to do this.Crystals and The Beings of Light that are with them have Helped me tremendously in this event.Another type of feeling that I'd get was a feeling like there are worms or tentacles drilling into my head.There are many techniques to dealing with this and I'm still learning every day.Choosin to keep movin forward.The reason why I did this is cause I Feel the right to protect mysSelf within in my space wich I deem my aura.I Feel I have the Birthright to defend my space Cosmicly,protecting and defending with the energy of Love,has been a learning experience.Ive'found it of most benefit to do this in a way that assists in showing UnConditional Love to the other
I too, just recently realized that I am an empath. I'll never forget that night, each sentence I read gave me a new sense of belonging...one I've never felt. I am a 31 year old nurse and single mom of 3. I have worked in long term care for about 10 years now and so much is becoming clear to me because of what I'm learning through this research. I am able to connect with others in ways most caregivers can't/don't. We recently had an elderly woman come into our facility that every person that went in her room basically flew out of the door within seconds with an exasperated look on their faces..."No WAY!" they would yell. There is no way we can handle this lady. I calmly and confidently walked into her room and without a doubt...I could tell why they felt that way. Others could not look past the cursing and stripping behaviors to see the abuse this woman suffered at the hands of her daughter. I knew within moments of just sitting and watching her attempt to interact with me in such rude tones, that she was exactly where she needed to be and that she would come to fit in in our facility just fine. Of course no one believed me. But now when I walk in in the morning and greet her, I can't help but light up on the inside as she smiles and politely addresses me back.
Over the years I have also had incredible experiences with death. There are times when I can sense that someone is going to be going soon. We had a married couple in the facility who truly could not live without each other. The man went on hospice as his disease process progressed and the woman was able to walk around and care for herself pretty much independently. A few weeks ago, I mentioned to a coworker that I felt we would lose her before we did him, which made no sense to them. That night I came in to put in some extra hours in the middle of the night which I rarely do. I was not at all surprised to hear one of our aids report to the nurse that this woman needed a nurse because something was wrong. I went to her room and held her hand. I knew she was going...within just moments, she drew her last breath. She and I had a connection and I am so glad that I was able to be there for her during her passing. Interestingly enough, as other staff members cry at the loss of their beloved patients, I experience a feeling of release and a feeling of gratefullness that their suffering is now done.
On this board so many have spoken of the negative aspects of being an empath. And I have experienced, and still do experience them also. Throughout my life so far, I have been at the depth of despair more times than I care to mention. I've been treated for depression and was at one time convinced that by killing myself and giving my children to my mother (who was verbally abusive to me growing up) that they would be better off. I have had only one true friend that knows my soul since I was 15. I have longed for companionship over the years, only to feel shunned by others time and time again. It is just a feeling that I am different than others and don't belong. I have spent years of my life with a desparate aloneness that is difficult to explain and haunted by feelings of despair and self hatred that I cannot shake. It is only now that I know and understand what a tremendous gift all of this has been. Knowing I'm an empath doesn't not make me feel sorry for myself. It makes me feel empowered. I know and believe in my heart and soul that there is now a purpose for the pain that I have endured. If we have been given this gift, it is not so we can suffer...but so we can help those that suffer and are unable to find there way out of it. People need us and our gift. I know that so many of you reading this are thinking...I am so sick of being needed...what about what I need!? I understand. I too, am just beginning to learn about this. I have been overweight for years (I read that often ancient healers were overweight as they felt they needed it to buffer the negativety they take on), I often struggle just to get out of bed or do basic daily self care tasks that should be routine. I have sat my own needs aside in life because I take on the needs, emotions and wants of others. If we have been given this, then I honestly feel that there must be a way that we can do it to help others without letting it destroy ourselves.
Love what Lily said about nature and music/art. Never in my life did I think anyone else would ever understand how vividly nature and colors and music resonate in my soul. When I have gone to synphonies, I don't just sit and joyfully listen like others do. I lean back in my chair, rest my head, close my eyes and let the beauty of it, the essense of it seep into my soul. No one has ever understood it, they just look at me as if I'm a complete idiot. I can feel a certain energy from art. It too, can be so incredibly heaing. But so far, nothing is as healing to me as nature. To sit on a rock in the middle of the stream with the sun basking down on me brings me a bliss that is undescribable. The sound of the flowing waters, the sparkle reflected off of it from the sun, the smell of fresh air and how it feels whisping through my hair. It's like I am home. And every question I have ever asked when I am in this environment, I have received a wise answer to. Maybe this is the secret for us. To use what we have to help others. But also to take time to center ourselves and lose ourselves in the joy of sensitiveties that only we are able to feel. This cannot just be a burden or about experiencing the pain of others. There must be something special for those of us who are burdened so deeply by the emotions of others.
Wow!! I did something pretty cool last night. My niece asked me to do a card reading for her. We were talking on msn. She wants to know what to do about feelings she has for a guy she use to go out with. Make a long story short. I focused on her and the guy for a few seconds, and the waves of feelings I got were unreal. My chest was tight, but at the same time it was as f something was pulling, but my heart felt so restricted. I told her how I felt and she said I was dead on right. This is what I assume is called a remote reading. I was sooo excited. I am bound and determined to master this gift. I have read a good part of the book of storms. It is pretty cool to take my education and apply my knowledge. Embrase who you are and learn. Do not fight it or it will make you crazy. Blessed be!
I believe that instead of fighting who you are take the time to get to know your self. Find ways to express your gift. Buy a deck of Tarot cards. The Gilded deck is the best one I have used. It can really help. I found the book of storms on the net, and so much of what my cards have told me are in this book. It is worth the 40$ to get a deck that speaks to you. I have 4 decks and I can feel more calling to me. Educate yourself my dad always tells me!
wow... this probably explains my mood swings whenever my mom comes home.throughtout the weekend i fell happy and excited then when my mom comes home i feel exausted and angry. i can also feel my aunt's migranes. they arnt pretty. i can also tell when my firend's boyfriends just broke up with them. even if im not close to them. i feel heart borken and i start to cry and cant stop. my friends look at me like im crazy when im able to tell what they are feeling even when they are hiding it. thats why my friends text me when they are feeling down or angry so i will know why in the world am i angry or sad or even depressed and sucidal. dont worry about the sucidal person im helping them out right now. thank you so much for actually pointing out what is the matter with me. i really apperciate it. Now im going to figure out how to controll it so i can get back to school.
I really do believe in it I have had all those symptoms since I can remember walking. Can anyone else relate please email me and lets talk. I can feel ya.
I can sense so much sometimes in the past It drove me to drink so much to numb the feelings but they would come back the minute I came out of my dunkedness....
I have found some good info for empaths. Quiz farms has a test that can help tell you what type of empath you are. Also The Book Of Storms is full of info and a course to help
i'm not gonna pretend that i know what all these words mean... because i dont. i simply was trying to find answers to some of the stuff i have been going through. its been very tough for me i am in highschool and do not seem like the typical guy that would be going through phases where one minute ill be completely fine and the next overwhelmingly drained. i thought i was a head case. i even went to the doctor to see if i could take medicine for depression and was examined for bi-polarism. i wont announce that i believe i am an empath, althoguth i do believe in the existance, but i will say that after reading you "7 Signs You're An Empath" article that i relate in almost everyway. so who knows i'll have to just go on with life with the thought that i is a possibility. i know my brother is one it has become very obvious to me, but he tries to tell me that i am one too. little by little it makes more sense to me but as of right now i am not completely 100% that i am. i am not looking for you to tell me yes you are, or no you're not. it just makes me feel better knowing that i may not be crazy and that this may be something i can develope. just writing this took a load off..
I am so happy to finally read something that has this right. It is such a relief to have it explained so well. i found out a few years ago about this. I always thought there was something wrong with me until my boyfriend at the time explained this to me. since then i have learned so much on how to control it and cope with it. I look forward to reading what else you have to say.
I am very happy to find this site. I have always told people I have a strong gift of discernment. I have never referred to it as a gift, it is more of a curse. It is draining enough to deal with self but factor in a room full of people carrying emotional baggage. My favorite show is charmed and several years ago one of the characters became an empath it was then I learned the term and started researching. I have found this page both interesting and helpful and I plan on learning as much time as can...please feel free to comment if need be. Magnatism5@msn.com
I have some abillities the best way to describe it is the ultimate adrenaline rush and i have a 3rd person view of myself i have used this to save lives i have also learner do convert it to phssical power and io have done things that are said to be impossible. My triggers are pain and anger i have learned to manipulait pain and controll it to some degree. I use my "Power" during fights and the people watching can not believe what they see eze. I git jumped and took on 8 guys bigger and older than me. This ability also comes with grait pain such as ADD,Migraines,Depression. i have found a girl and she is helping me through this. Unlike most i do not want to get rid of this i am embracing it and learning to controll it i have gotten this far on my own. I am currently working on stopping pain altogether rather than absorbing it although i do have a high pain tollerance. If you can help me you may email me gunman353@aim.com i am also very Christian i think of it as a blessing and curse from God.
hello i no for a fact i am an empath, i am only a 16 year old male and i am stuggling very hard with it. plz if you could help me it would very very apresiated. my email is darkfairyprince666@hotmail.com (im not satanic a friend gave it to me and i accepted since i need one right then and there) thank you so vary much.
i'm an empath and it drives me crazy at school your right it's not easy when i was a kid i got migranes and knew somebody was hurt, and i can heal...well could, i had a friend bind those parts so i could live abit without them, but i've had people talk to me and wheni ask them why they just say cause i'm a good person i ask them how they know they always say they've got a feeling
Being empathic has nothing to do with what religion we are - or are not. Someday, someone will discover why some people are empathic (different brain chemicals?) but for now all this talk about empaths being Satanical or whatever, is simply a non-issue. Some people on this site are really hurting and have sincerely asked for guidance. Let's not give them lectures. Many people, myself included, have had difficulty dealing with some of the basics of living. We have had doubts about ourselves. Because we're empathic we can be ultra-sensitive sometimes and when we have doubts about ourselves they are usually deeper, wider and more painful. When we feel - we really feel! When we have emotional "problems" they can stop us in our tracks. As I stated in a previous post, I am a proponent of professional counseling, therapy or whatever you want to call it. Trying to go it alone with your problems is going to keep you stuck. However, not all counselors are right for all people. Find one you trust and who seems to understand. Most cities have places where you can get counseling for free. And there are support groups like Adult Children of Alcoholics, AA, NA etc. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the number of sensitive people you find there. Or maybe just talking with a trusted friend could be a good start. As empaths we tend to hide away and keep all our pain to ourselves. As backward as it may sound, talking about your fears, doubts and pain can set you free from a lot of misery. It won't make you less empathic but it can help you to become stronger, happier and more empowered. Let's believe in ourselves and invest in ourselves because we are worth it.
Hi All -- A good place to start learning more about Empaths is Freya's Conscious Living blog. This link will take you there http://freyasden.blogspot.com/
so if anyone could just tell me what the next move is it would be nice becasue it i wont to know how to control it
This has been a very helpful article. I have been aware of my Empath ablitites since I was in the third grade but I have not known what it was or what it was called till today. I used to think what I could do was rare. I have over time learned to control some parts of this. I have learned to keep my emotions surpressed so they do not overwelm me. Yet, there are some people whose emotions are so strong I cannot control. This only happens if I am close to this person though. When something bad happens to someone close to me, whether it is human or animal, it brings great pain to me before I even know it has occured. I am able to use these abilities over great distances with the same ease as if I was right next to the person. Though I does not chose to it comes to me when the person needs me most. I believe the way to control this is through yourself. You have to learn to control it in your own way. Educating yourself is how to start the process of contoling it. You cannot control what you do not understand. The healing part will probably the hardest for me to take control of. I have used it before and it took alot out of me. I hope this little bit has helped at least a little.
hello i have just recently found out that i am indead an empth and i would just like to say that it explains so much at this point but what i came here to find was what to do next i wont to find some peace and know what to do if you could help me i would be forever thankful
i think i may be an empath..i mean i just always thought i was emptional and caring but after reading this...how can i be certian and how can i test them?
Soooo this might come across as offensive, and I definitely don't intend for it to be, but um, it seems that these signs can apply to most everyone. Maybe I am wrong, it isn't like I talk to more than a handful of people regularly, but it seems like a valid point. I experience all of the above signs, ALL of them, and I have for as long as I can remember, and yes, I feel separate from most people because I seem to feel and know things too intensely, but I'm not religious AT ALL. Aside from my fixation on nature, I don't know that I have all that much spirituality in me either...how can you distinguish, between personality characteristics and being an actual...empath?
I was talking to a lady who told me that I should look into seeing if I was an empath because I am a very sensitive person. All of those signs apply to me except for the healing and feeling illness. I've never tried to heal anyone, and the most I feel is a bit of a pang when someone is ill because I just feel like I understand what they're going through.So, I'm thinking that I'm probably not an empath, but I am someone who feels extreme empathy. There was a scene on-screen with gumballs raining from the sky that made me cry. And every time those commercials with the children come on, it kills me with sadness.
I've just read this artical, Its taken me many years to understand myself and put a finger on what I do, but I've come to realise I could be an empath then read this and wow some of it is spot on!
I just know how someone feels at any given time.. even if they show no outward signs.. I dont have to even be close to them because I can kinda put myself in their shoes at a distance and even unrelated things come to mind.
I feel an affiliation with people.. often making excuses for bad things because I see the distant past that brought them to the act this way.. even when I know nothing about the person.
I can also find myself withdrawn because of the way people use each other on a daily basis and lie.. which I always spot in an instant and know why too.
People seem to talk to me more than usual about emotional problems because I've an ability to understand and be open minded.
there is far more but at 48 years of age I've always been aware of these things from as long as I can remember. I've just always said "its what I do".
Certainly I am very eager to find out more and develope this, now i have a word for it!
Charlene, my heart goes out to you and your daughter. Having gone through simmilar things when I was her age, I'd be happy to talk to her and give her what little advice I do have.
Feel free to e-mail me. ScorpioVampiress@yahoo.com
Being an Empath is not necessarily a good thing, particularly when you're just figuring out what's going on. My earliest memory of my parents is the unbelievable happiness and sorry my parents seemed to have in the early years of my life; they were happy I was born, but for some reason the idea brought them sorrow. I didn't learn until later that I had had an older brother who died shortly after being born and that was what explained this, but it certainly didn't make any sense earlier in my life.
The empath issue has also severely negatively impacted my social life. when I was younger I withdrew from people as much as possible and in many ways cut off all feeling. I repressed all feeling, mine and anyone else's just so I could survive. Even now at school I have to eat lunch alone just to get a break from other people. It's getting worse because I'm trying in large part to figure out how to deal with my emotions as compounded by everyone else's.
More proof? Today I knew something horrible happened. What news ended up coming up later? My great aunt died, and I started feeling sorrow, anxiety and sickness when my grandpa found out his sister had died. It's not fun, it's distracting and can be debilitating.
In some ways it is a 'gift' since I can help my friends when they need it (like when one of my best friend's dad died) but at the same time it makes things worse (like last year when I missed school for a week because everyone around me was stressed and tired and it was multiplying my own stress and fatigue and making me sick). So it's a mixed bag. I hope it will get better and that I can learn to live alongside my own feelings on top of everyone else's.
I've almost cried as I've read one comment after another. My daughter is an empath. It's making her life unbearable to the point of physical illness. An insightful therapist pointed this out and i've tried to do some research. She can't handle public school and has dropped out. It was overwhelming. Her anxiety level is at a critical point. She is extremely difficult to live with because all the frustrations are taken out on myself and her little brother. She says she wakes up at night paralyzed and can't move. She sometimes feels as though she is burning hot, can't breathe and is anticipating a panic attack at any time. I understand this on a cerebral level but I'm sure I have no idea empathetically what she is going through. For the anxiety I was hoping meds would help but now I'm not so sure. What can I do to help her? She has been different from day one, edgy, unhappy, moody, volatile. I've always wondered if her prematurity caused her to be lacking in a spiritual "skin" .
I am United Methodist clergywoman and have finally put a name on this "bane and blessing" thing --and I am an empath. In some Christian tradition, special gifts are called "charisms" and I see this as a gift from God, made sense of by the unconditional love of Jesus Christ. I have to learn how to develp[ my shield better, but this article, along with others, has really helped me to see what is going on with me, especially in decisions of grave importance, which, in my position, I do make....SKCJ
I really want to thank you for your article. I was wondering if you know of anyone who specifically works with empaths to help them block negative emotions? I've always been really sensitive, ever since I was a really little kid, and my parents made me go to many doctors who proceeded to tell me that I was either bipolar or had some kind of anxiety disorder. I was put on anxiety meds that never worked. It wasn't until recently that my aunt confided to me that she is empathic and thought that I was too. I work at an animal hospital and can definitely feel the emotions of the animals that come in...especially the really sick or nervous ones. Usually I can handle it and just end up feeling really tired and drained by the end of the day. But recently I noticed that if I come into physical contact with an animal, the feelings are overwhelming. I was holding a dog the other day who began to hyperventilate - and I knew instinctually that he was panicking and not just panting - next thing I know I've fainted dead out on the floor and there are people waking me up. It's been several days, but I still have this horrible ache in my chest and I feel terrible. This is the third time this has happened. I don't know what to do...none of the doctors believe me (obviously)...please...any help would be useful. I love working with at the hospital, but I'm afraid I won't be able to continue if I can't learn to block the negative emotions. The worst part is, the animals always seek me out wherever I am in the room and proceed to get themselves as close as they possibly can to me, and all I want to do is help them, but I'm so afraid of having another episode. The other problem I have is when people have to put their animals to sleep. Even if I'm not in the room, I get this uncontrollable urge to cry and I usually have to go sit alone somewhere for awhile to let it out. I'm afraid the doctors think I'm really unprofessional, but I can't help it, it's like I have no control. I'm totally desperate and just looking for someone who understands. Thanks in advance for any help you can give.
Im 14, and I am an empath. Its not a horrible ability but its sure as hell not fun.
Ever since I was little, eg. If someone was sad about something happening that was out of my control, I would feel enormous guilt, even if it wasn't related to me.
This is still like this to this day. I can sense the emotions of others and my emotions are like a rollarcoaster, going out of control when im just walking through school.
one day im happy, one day im sad, one day im overhappy, and one day im depressed.
no im not bi-polar . I can always sense the true intentions of others and I know when someones lying to me.
At the same time, I have, over time been able to block some of these emotions around me out, my logic is that when new emotions hit me from others, dont think about it, I dont let myself think about it because although im already feeling their emotions, when I fully let them in, trust me, its chaos.
People always confide in me, i have some ability that comforts people to tell me things, things they wouldn't tell anyone else. Some people have told me things that they have told no one else in their life, yet they choose to tell me.
Trust me, being an empath is nothing short of annoying, but at the same time it can be useful. Don't think its some paranormal wonderful gift, because its not.
It's an enormous responsibility to hold on your shoulders.
Hello, everyone, thank you very much for all your experiences. It helps a lot to know there are different interpretations fo empathy.I have tried to look for a place where I fit in. I LOVE God! I tried religion, buddhism helped, meditation helped most of all. I learned that religions don't contradict each other when it comes to the gifts that people are born with. When my daughter was born, I felt like she and I were one person. She and I communicate without words, and to her it is really natural. As a baby she would wake up crying when I had nightmares. I have had a pretty rough life, but since her birth, I felt like she was the only one who really understood me, until I met this other person online. I live in Germany, and he read me like a book from the US. He gave all my "symptoms" a name. So I began to research on being an empath. I find that all of the signs have been there all along, but after a really bad experience in my life, I DID block all emotions. I was an emotional zombie for years, until my daughter was born, and since then I have strange dreams. For example, when the Irak war started, I dreamed that a good friend of mine had been shot. He is a solier, and I had not seen him in some time. I woke up from that dream, and my chest hurt for like a week. I had no marks, no sign that I had slept wrong, or anything. I just felt panic, and pain, and I knew it didn't come from me. I kept having flashbacks when I was awake, and I couldn't take it anymore. I wrote my friend, called him, and when nothing came back I just knew that something had happened to him. He had, in fact been shot in the chest by an iraki soldier during his patrol, at exactly the time I had had this dream. This kind of thing happens to me, in my dreams. I feel people, most of all in my dreams. I know when things are wrong back home, and if my sister or my good friends are in distress. But when I am awake, I can't say I feel like running away from crowds, or that I am constantly depressed by other people. I do get depressed, anxious, sad, incredibly happy, without having any event occurring to me directly. And I hate to be touched, because I feel like I can zap directly into the other person's energy. I have known intuitively that its not MY emotion. My family has always been open to speak about extraordinary undescribable experiences, so I have never been afraid of this gift. I have been hospitalized for phantom pains and illnesses that come from nowhere. HATE to go to funerals, because I feel too much pain, and sometimes I also pick up on things that I cant name, evil would be the best description. I can also tell that a person is lying, and I hate to watch TV because I do cry at commercials, and feel sick when watching war or scary movies. News about children getting hurt can leave me struck for days. Music changes my mood a whole lot, and so does art. I feel like I#m another person for a moment, when I am exposed to them. I have learned to not second-guess myself when I feel things for or with other people, because sometimes the way they look is incongruent with the way they are inside. My question is, am I an empath? Could my daughter be one too? She seems to pick up on people before they even say hello. Could I somehow learn to use my gift to heal people? I know I can do this, but my fear blocks me from doing more. I would like to know more about all this.
Blessings to all of you who have written, and thanks Isa for the great hub! I look forward to reading you again.
I really liked this article, i found it insightful. I am proud to be one of the many empaths in the world, there will always be the many who do not understand and do not care, and yet we still feel compassion for them in times of need and this is not because we choose to but because we were born to. The gift to share emotion through the air is priceless, I believe there is good in any given situation, even the most trying ones. The Intent is good and the intention to change/help is also good.
Some good advice for any empath finding it difficult to control thier gift is to try not to take too much of the other persons thoughts and feelings personally, our eyes and hearts were made for healing but healing ourselves is very important also, everyone else comes before us, we will always be last in turn to be healed in our minds.
Blesed Be!
Thank you for this article. I have been researching empaths for quite some time now, because I was convinced that it had to be more than just something found in fantasy novels.
Since I was very young (5 or so) I've had people of all ages confide in me, and come to me for help or advice. I did nothing to attract these people, they just came.
I eventually withdrew from social circles as when I hit puberty my abilities seemed to explode, and I could suddenly sense everyones true intentions, and it was depressing how few of them were good.
With the invention of the internet I found ways to interact with people from a distance...then to my horror I discovered my ability to read and attract people was evry bit as strong via cyber space.
It had gotten to the point where I couldn't go grocery shopping with my husband without becoming cranky and angry with him. The collective emotions of those around me would bring me down into the sludge of negative energy. We eventually started going to walmart at like 2 in the morning, because we enjoyed it more.
Then I contacted a psychic. And she taught me a trick, that I will share for your readers. When in public, visualize yourself wraped in a layer of <insert your indistructible substance here> (mine is latex lol) and tell yourself that as long as that shield is up, no emotions but your own will be allowed. It sounds reediculous, and it takes some practice, but it does work, and in time you can learn to allow certain emotions through.
I would very much like to learn more about the healing aspect. I have never healed physically, but I have healed spiritually/emotionally, and found it to be so rewarding that I continue to look for damaged people to heal...despite the fact that it makes me miserable in the process.
From one anti-christ to another, I look forward to reading more from you :-P
About the whole Christian Empath thing ... well, being a practicing Catholic from a very early age, i was kind of used to "supernatural" happenings (although i'd hate to use the word supernatural). I've seen and witnessed the power of God and the Holy Spirit.. and all that jazz. Some time last year, my friend discovered her Empath abilities and asked what my take was on it. As a Christian... i didn't see it as out of the blue or demonly or abnormal. If anything, i think i always knew the prescence of "Empaths" only back then, it didn't have a name. But yeah... i suppose this is something that only you make it. Empath abilities can probably be used to serve God if that hasn't already happened. Empath or not, you're still human. And as Christians, we believe that God loves every single person in spite of their faults and imperfections. Why should being an Empath be any different? ...So, a Christian Empath doesn't seem like such a farfetched thing to me.
I need help with this empath-not and empath problem of mine.
Just this week I'd learned that my mother saw auras. She'd seen one on some investor at a presentation, and told us about it. Later that night, I'd asked if any of us had auras. She said that she only sees them sometimes, and that she honestly doesn't know why, how they happen, and if me or my brothers did have them.
But she did say that many people have called me a healer because I was extremely empathic. Since then I'd been researching it, and I'm not sure if I am an empathic or not.
I remember, as a child, seeing a group of very little kids telling another child that they couldn't play with him. Immediately I felt strange emotions that I couldn't discern <<i was just 8, remember>> and I explained to the group of kids "how would you feel if everyone was playing, and you wanted to play, but they wouldn't let you even tho they don't know you?" yet I tried to explain in the nicest way possible because I didn't want to hurt anybody's feelings. I didn't want to make them feel really guilty, I just wanted everyone to be happy and painless.
I'd done similar things, trying to help everyone that I could as a child, and as I've grown older. I often had mixed emotions all the time, even alone. I couldn't let go of any of the emotions, but the dissapeared randomly only to be replaced with a different emotion.
I'm confused, because I don't know if these emotions come from other people. I don't think so, but I can't find any other explanation for my horrible moodswings.
As of late, of been extremely depressed, yet when I'm with a specific two friends I'm suddenly expriencing some happy emotional high, or at least I don't feel the sadness i felt before. It happens with other people too, but I mostly hang around these two friends because for some reason my mood changes (most of the time) rapidly around them.
But, only sometimes I can tell when people are lying to me. It's made me excessively paranoid, and I always think people are lying to me. I'd had the hunch that my best friend and boyfriend were starting to feel something for each other, and a strange emotion went through me. It was really strange because when they said it wasn't true, I thought they were lying and broke up with him.
And she does like him, as it turns out. I don't know if these are all just coincidences or things that are painfully obvious to everyone--or if it actually means I am and empath.
I do feel excessively sad and guilty when I see people that are having trouble and turmoil and things like that, but I'm very confused now.
Any advice or ideas on if I am an empath or not?
Afternoon Ms. Snow,
Not sure where to start other than to tell you that reading your article brought me to my knees. Then I grabbed the phone and called my mom. She is one of the few people that share this "gift/curse" with me. And yes, my stomach is tied in knots writing to you. I've had this "g/c" since I can remember. It was worse for me as a child. I had migraines almost every day from the age of 7 to 12. After a slew of doctors and every one of them telling me that there was no medical reason for them I was put on medication. Then of course I had children. Between the dreams, gut feelings and flashes of what is going on at the moment I have become a mess. I stay at home with my youngest and try to avoid everyone I can because I just can't take it. My husband noticed actual physical changes in me in the past couple of years and he took me to a doctor himself. I couldn't explain to the doctor that my symptoms weren't my own. They were of other people's highs, lows and everything in between. Amazingly, my husband and I had just bought a house in HUGE neighborhood at the almost exact moment of the start of the problems. Before that, we lived in a house at the top of a mountain, surrounded by nothing but woods. It was one of the most peaceful times in my life. After buying this house I have been thoroughly traumatized. The past echos of the other people that used to live here and my neighbors has literally destroyed me. My doctor and my husband can't understand that I don't need mood altering medication. I need to learn to block it out again. I just don't remember what I did when I was younger to do it and living an exclusively hermit-like life on that mountain for over three years DID NOT help any. I have actually gotten to the point that I will take the medication at the end of the day because I'm bombarded by my family and neighbors. It's sick and sad that I resorted to it. This "g/c" is destroying me as its never done before. My doc and hubby both think I'm nuts and both are one the verge of placing me in an institution. The one place that will destroy an empath utterly. How do I make them understand that I'm "fine" mentally? That I just need more time and effort on my part and understanding from both of them? I hate the meds but it keeps them off my back until I reign in again. I know I can keep my "walls" up if I just put them back in place. I just need some advice on getting the doctor and my hubby to leave me alone until then. Both of course think I'm crazy. Sorry to pass the buzzing of frustration and confusion on to the empaths that read this. Truly I am. I just need some advice and as I'm sure some of you can tell, the medication fractures my mind and will. Can anyone help me? Has it somehow gotten stronger without my knowing? Or have I let my defenses slip so sadly around me that I'm just an easy target? Oh and btw, I didn't read what ya'll have written about yet. So if I find my answer when I do read it, further apologies.
I am not a member here but I will say that this is a great article yet it leaves me with even MORE questions about what I am. I am a christian as well and I cannot believe that i will be damned for having this....ability.
I sent you an email Ms Snow. I hope that you can answer my questions because quite frankly....I am feeling lost and very confused.
Bookmarked.
I have to agree with the comment that lily made up there, im also a empath and i didnt know until this year and im 18 and i went threw hell not totally understanding what would a;waus be happening to me. I used to honestly see it as a curse and somedays i still tend to but more then not i see it as a gift because i know im a empath for a reason but it is still hard because i am just trying to figure out how to tell others emotions from mine. Now to mr fret i just would like to say that many of the people i met didnt believe me tell i would talk to them about everything they were feeling and tell them why the thing about being a empath is simply this, we just know.
...I can't believe there are so many empaths in the world. It's nice to know that I'm not alone. Thanks guy, I'm so reassured.
Thank you for this wonderful empath site! I just learned I am an empath a few days ago and have been doing much reading on the subject. I see that many choose to feel it as a curse or burden, and I feel sad that it is seen that way. I understand why, I have been judged harshly in my life for the way I am, many wanting me to change who I am. So many people simply do not understand our "ways". No matter, I choose to see the positive side of it all. I like that I want to help others without thought of who they are or what they think of me, I like my kindness, my ability to sense the emotions in others and how I wish to offer my ear or shoulder to cry on, I like that I can use this for animals as well, and help them heal from emotional wounds, I like that it allows me to be aware of my own emotions and see what is going on in myself and my environment. Many hugs to all the empaths out there, whether you feel cursed or blessed.
i wonder can u help me, i have been trying to find more info on clairsentience i have the strong feeling that i have this ability everything i have found seems to describe my experience, and yet this info on empaths quite describes me too, i feel i have something more to give but im at a loss for finding real help to understand an develope, there is no help that doesnt require credit card details lol.is there any body that u know of that can genuinly give me help or info on clairsentients i hav looked so much that i am tired lol,
Genna
Before i became a christian i was always aware of my abilities....some how knowing things i should`nt of known but would put it to the back of my mind until that something would pop up and i would be left woundering how did i know?....i thought everyone could do this!....as years past some times it was a blessing some times a curse.....but in time i learned to live with it calling it intuition...when i became a christian later on in life i had to smile at my pastor because every time he would prepare a sermon for that sunday i had already had the bascis written in my note book from the night before....like i already knew what he was going to say to the whole church....lol...he would tell me that i must really be in tune with god.... but give me a side ward glance as to say....how did he do that?....he`s only been coming to church for three months?...its because i would pray...meditate...before i went to church and then somehow i knew what was going to be the topic that week in church.....like i say ...fine tuning, as the months went by i was told i would have to have prey against this gift as it was not right....says who?...says the church!!!the fear of or lack of understanding caused me a lot of sadness because it felt so right!....i did have prey against it but it did not work.....so i keept it to myself.... and very disheartened after thee years i left the church . That was some years ago....and i still have my faith but can`t help feeling anoyed at some christians who feel that having empath abilities has no place in the church!...like i have said before the Bible is littered with empathic stories in the scriptures....the word of god inspired by man.
I get really angry with so called christians who think that anyone who has empath qualities are born of the devil. Its only a lack of understanding to say these things....if we take christ as our figurehead and example.....we can read many passages in the bible where christ himself has used empathic qualities....he not only knew the thoughts of men.....he felt the pain of them to and set about helping, he knew there anguish and there fears, to do this he had a great love of people....their is the key word "LOVE".....empaths have a great love and willingness to help others in need....they can`t help themselfs....its in there nature!
People who came across christ knew who he was before he spoke....an empath quality....we are all born with this gift.....some are more sensitive then others as i have written previously being an empath is like being an athlete.....it takes training ....fine tuning ....if you have a desire to help people then these things will come into play.
Bef
It is awesome that this is something you write about, there is in fact a lack of information out there about clairsentient and/ or empath form of psychism . Life can change so much when you finally realize that this is what you are, that these emotions are what you experience. I have been an empath as long as I can remember and yes, it can be very, very confusing when you simply don't understand how can you experience so much physical and emotional pain without warning and all of a sudden. I truly applaud that you are writing about this, expand the knowledge. Once one finally understands and realizes this is what we experience, it becomes the stepping stone to continue to grow and control it much better.
thank you once again
blessings!
i believe im an empath and i dont want this "blessing" or "curse" because its pretty much tearing me apart emotionally, there was a time when i thought of suicide many times and that i knew it wasnt me im not that kind of person and that it would mostly (all the time) happen in my home, and that now i've realized its been my mother that been depressed and it terrifies me knowing that i felt what she felt (depresion,anger,neglected: my father) and it almost lead me to attemped suicide and for a while i always would cut myself when they had an arguement and that i knew it wasnt me feeling it im stronger than that (emotionally) and now i dont know what to do, i would feel "safe" in school because i would be away from them, but now i've been feeling many mixed emotions in school.
there's this girl, shes my friend and that shes very depressed and haves low-self estem issues, i try to help her one time when we were having this self evaluation thingy and the comments to her were negative but truthful, she didnt like it, she became quiet, then all of a sudden i felt a whole bundle of emotions that made me feel overwhelmed and that it made me question her because i knew that she was gonna cry and when i did, she cried and started yelling so i try to calm her down by rubbing her shoulder telling her to calm down and that they were saying their honest opinions and it wasnt supposed to hurt her, and so she did.
it freaked me out because i was feeling depressed,angry,alone, neglected, and i knew it was her because she is a very sensitive person and that she had a tough life and that in intervenes with her growth in the program(that self evaluation thingy) and that its tough for her to grow up because she doesnt want to face her problems. 9i'm still trying to help her) but before i do i need to help myself and i dont know how!!!!!
Okay Ms. Snow. (I like the name by the way ) I've Come to the conclution that I'm an Empath...
The reason why I say this is because…
The one thing I hate is when people try to understand me, I don’t know why… but when ever someone says they understand me I get all like ‘grrr, you don’t know what your saying’ And I’ve realized that I do this because I’m different.
They don’t know me because I feel pain, confusion, hurt, all those feelings when they don’t even relate to what’s happening in my life. They don’t understand why I sometimes cry for no reason. They don’t understand that I feel Everything but nothing at the same time. (Cause I’m Empathic)
There are a few people that when something is wrong, I feel everything they do.
I Love helping others… I love giving advice and I find it rewarding when I am able to help and solve their problems… Its one of the most rewarding things in life.
I find that being an Empath is like the best gift in the world.
The down side to it is that when ever I’m in school or really when every, I hardly ever feel only my emotions… And Yes, sometimes they are overwhelming; but I’m always able to handle it.
But I’m not totally sure that I’m Empathic.
Because I don’t think that it is possible to get this gift.
I’m starting to wonder if its possible for one of my family members to block me from this gift. Do you have anything else that could help me? Cause i'm trying to figure out what is going on.
Thanks!
hi, i read your article. i'm 13 years old and my mother just told me this is common in my family. i talked to my brothers and sister and they agree. i never believed in this, i only saw these things in movies. i guess you could say i was a non-believer. but now so many new things are happening. i feel things, no one can ever lie to me. people tell me their darkest sesrets when i don't think i wanna know. i feel sorry for the popular kids who are so mean to me sometimes, when their hurt or sad i feel sorry for them. my best friend asks me how i could feel sorry for this person, i just shrug, because really i don't know why. maybe know i can come to terms or i can just eccept this and move on wiht my life. any adivce.
Ms. Snow,
I'm an eighteen year old junior in high school. I to am an empath and I find it difficult to live with is certain... gift. I have friends who find it strange that I know exactly what they are feeling or how I know when they are lying to me about something. Once my teacher was angry at the entire class and I felt it. I was so angry I stormed out of class because his feeling were so strong. And the issues with the class had nothing to do with me at all. My question to you is will I be able to control this "power"? Will I grow to be strong enough to control?
I agree that being an Empath is a curse and a blessing. For years it controled the way I lived. Yet when trying to egnore it, made it even worse. I've to except it at this time of my life, but it's a struggle everyday. I know regret that I didnt try and learn how to control it when I was younger, because it is harder know. How you explained it is pretty good. The only thing I'm surprised about is that you only explain it from people to people. Maybe you should explain a little about the connection between animals and nature it self. For example when a tree is sick or poisoned by pollution to the point that one can feel the struggle and pain the tree gives out. Just a thought...
Wow, I am so overwhelmed right now. I have been diagnosed as clinicaly depressed most of my life. I have also been told I am a very very highly sensitive empath.
I recently became Christian - I believe God sent Jesus as our savior because he loves us. I am struggling with what is said about this being the work of the devil or a gift. I can't possibly imagine I would do anything to hurt anyone in anyway but maybe that is the plan. But them maybe God gave us this ability to try to help people and our free will determines what we do with it...maybe the Devil tries to influence us negatively?????but we have free will to refuse and use this ability for good.
I just don't know. What I do know is that I cry everyday. I am completely beaten down and uncomforable around people - however, in my younger days, i was always very senstive but could be the life of the party too...now not so much. I am tired of feeling like a freak...but I don't know how not to.
Thanks for the article.
I have lived my life with a constant headache, although today everything suddenly makes more sense. I'm not going to give you my life story, I just want to say thank you, not only to Isa, but to everyone who has shared their stories and comments. I am completely indebted, whether anyone reads this or not, to those of you who have helped me put a word to what I've been experiencing my whole life. Hopefully I will be control these feelings and use them to help those who really need it. Thank you, again.
Emphatic people are fine tuning forks....they are born this way,as a christian myself i am able to tune into gods word and understand a little better then those who do not posess empathic qualitys....it is a natural gift much like being an athlet or an artist.
Rachel,
"In the Arms of the Angels" Sara McLaughlin for the ASPCA.
I know exatly what you mean. Me and my daughter simultaneously scream
'TURN IT OFF' when it comes on.
Then I send them my money. LOL
Thank you, Isa, for a wonderful post. For the past 25 years I've been trying to explain what was happening to me. I never knew it had a name. Fortunately, my inner being knew what it needed to *heal* itself. I've learned to let the feelings run through me. About the healing process, I would have to say very empatically from my experience that an Empath does not always know he/she is healing. It takes place with or without his/her awareness or consent. When a person is so overwhelmed with grief/guilt / fear/ etc. It spills into the Empath and keeps that person from breaking down.
On the other hand, I feel like an idiot because after years of trying to figure out what was wrong with my daughter (physically) it suddenly occurred to me that she was also an Empath. Now that I've asked all the *right* questions I am certain this has been her problem. And yes, it did take a toll on her phsycial being, but at least now I know how to help her.
As for the Christian thread of conversation I have to laugh. Because if there was ever an Empath it was Jesus Christ. Now that we have the language of 'The Empath', we can translate what it means to "take on the pain and suffering of mankind". His death was the grounding of that energy and from his pain a new energy emerged. Slowly it spreads, teaching love and tolerance.....until someone kidnapped his name for a whole new agenda.
Peace to the great Teacher, Isa.
well , i know this guy and me met, wanting to make music ( i sing he does music) and ever since we first started talking something wierd happins, and we talked about it and he can answer questions with out me even asking, and i can like sense what he is thinking and, im super emotional. to the point where i cant even shop, ill barf lol, i just get so overwhelmed. and i cry so easily. i also get these wierd random vibrations.. TONS more of wierd things. cant explain this. what do you think?
Thank you so much iv been wondering what has been going on for some time and now i know. I am empathic. My partner dropped it in a coversation the other day as he gets very annoyed that i can read people in a second of meeting them. I cant explain it but i know if they are good or bad even tell what they will do next. For years iv had the ability to read people and know instictively what they really mean, i feel pain, sorrow everything. I can relate to your comments you are 100% spot on.
i know what i have, i just don't know how to control it..help
very good hub...I particular found the television response interesting as I've always sort of been terribly embarrassed by having such an overwhelming and sometimes even tearful response to things on such an impersonal medium such as the television. Good to know I'm not that crazy and there are others out there who are as strongly empathic. I've been in control of my impulses and awareness for quite some time but its wonderful to see and understand other empaths experiences and understanding.
Thanks again for posting this! : )
Excellent hub.
I've always considered myself far more empathetic than others, though I can honestly say I never knew quite *why* I was so different or experienced things so much more/more deeply. I cry uncontrollably during even slightly sad commercials (there's one particular one about animals that I can't even watch, nor can I listen to the song they play throughout the commercial without my heart breaking anew), I've always FELT other peoples' pains within myself, I can tell when people are lying and their intent... My emotions are often overwhelming and without specific reason, and it gets particularly bad when I'm in a group setting (even worse still when it's with people I all know and/or am close to), though I believe I intrinsically learned to somewhat control it over the years.
Reading this has really prompted me to look further into this and harnessing the potential Empath abilities I may have. Thank you very much for posting this!
Wow. I just discovered this site. You've hit my nail right on the head! I've been like this all my life, but I didn't know that all these specific things are shared by other people. How nice not to be alone with all this, though I wish I'd known you when I was trying to figure out how to separate my own stuff from that of everyone else around me. No worries. I figured it out. Thanks also for your tips about how to deal with being an empath. Good thing people are more respectful towards this kind of thing nowadays. I've been ridiculed all my life - by family members in particular. Thing is, I think the ones who ridiculed me the most were the ones who were themselves empaths, but trying to suppress it. Oh and yeah, I'm clairsentient too. Thanks so much for this page!
hi,i'm wondering if someone can help me. I am simply in confusion. I have emotional ups and down, i feel others pain, and it brings me to tears. I believe i have many of the above signs of being an empath, but i am having trouble believing i am really different, or an empath. I do believe empaths exist, and i am simply wondering if someone can give me some definites, besides the above to justify if i really am an empath.I change emotions frequently, and this is often related to others pain (unknown to me at the time), especially with a close friend of mine. I feel sick when she is, and i know exactly how she is feeling, sometimes what she i thinking.The emotions are not always overwhelming, however i have become acustom to having a milion emotions at once, and this may be why i am doubting myself, or if i really am an empath.Also, if i am, why are all the emotions not always overwhelming like i have heard? I am a very social person, and it is not completly overwhelming. Does this mean i am not an empath?
Can someone please help me. It would be greatly appreciated.
Sorry but I have to address April who wrote about seeking Satan and this is all Satan--you are totally being mislead. You need to seek answers within you and not outside in a church or clergy. No man has another man's salvation but the lord God and Jesus. Jesus is total unconditional love and most of the people here have always had those "gifts" so you cannot state that they are seeking Satan when Satan didn't even enter their minds.
Isabelle, I for one are with you and not against you. Jesus shows his love in many ways and definately not through Church Doctrine or Dogma. You cannot keep his love in a box and treat it like a 2 year old as in Mine, Mine, Mine and you can't have it only if yu do it the way my church says. Those who do are the ones who are being mislead by their own FEAR.
Off my soapbox now. Sorry...
This does not tie into "indigos" which many "conscious" people are beginning to speak out against, citing it as a scam intended to attract people who are lost and seeking direction, or people who want to believe they have extraordinary children. For those of you looking for more advice on this or Empath related topics, I would encourage you to visit Conscious Living, the link is at the top of the page.
A.N. - Are you referring to my comment or just the hub comments in general? I'd be interested in talking with someone who could relate. I feel like an alien most of the time. But I have a son who is showing signs of similar characteristics and it is quite amazing, but I'm concerned for him. He's very sensitive already at five. Nature versus nurture???
Does anyone know if this ties into Indigos? I keep ending up at this site (global oneness) when I do ANY kind of research for health, or kids, or art or nutrition... even today looking for graphics for a website I'm developing. Seems an odd coincidence.
This is amazing. It describes me.
Oops, posted to soon. Also, I'm not reclusive any more, although I did go through that stage as well. I surround myself with people all the time, often administering help to groups of people at a time. It brings me great joy most of the time. I do run into groups and people that are so negative that I cannot tolerate their presence and I just have to go in another direction, but usually I push through. It seems normal to me now, but it kind of wears on my family a bit.
Ok. This is great info. But I meet all except the first sign"When in public, do you constantly feel overwhelmed with inexplicable emotions for which you can’t determine the reason?" I felt this way as a child and a teenager, but I have learned to filter most of it out. Does that seem possible?
HOW DO I STOP IT! PLEEEEASE I am an agorophobic. I cant go outside havent in years. I have a two year old son who stays inside with me. I try to go out but when i do i suffer! I am so sensitive and sensitive to what others think of me too. I try to "take it" from them but look funny being in a meditative state to do it hehehe Sometimes i can clear a room and change it around but sometimes i just cant and its horrible. HOW DO I STOP THIS I HATE IT! I was always the child that took on the loner friend at school because i could feel the distress- its just always been me to be that person but i suffer in so many ways its just rediculous! can you help me?
I had a psychic reading last night, and all he needed to say was one word, and everything makes sense... empath. I just want to cry, because I finally understand why I am the way I am, and God has answered my prayers. I thought I was just overly sensitive, but there is no question after reading your article and others that I have found.
And through the Grace of God and prayer, when I was 18, I healed a very sprained or broken hand, and it manifested into me for about a day. I had a feeling that this gift, when used incorrectly could cause illness to transfer not only for a short time, but for good, and it scared me, and I haven't used the gift since. I am now 29. I would like to learn how to use the gift without fear.
It's so nice to know that I'm not the only person out there that feels the weight of the world on their shoulders, but now that I know it is a gift and not a curse, and what it is, I believe I can make my life so much better.
Hello. I need help. I have always known I am an empath. This just solidified it. I am extremely sensitive. Unfortunately I can not block other paoples feelings and I often accidently take them on as my own. I am especially susceptible to pregnant women. There energies are so strong. It is torturous to go to a store and know the person next to you is having a bad day. I do feel physical pain though. I need help blocking because as I have gotten older I have become ultra aware. I think it has to do with hearing so many peoples storoes and I remember their pain when telling them to me. I have noticed I can not pick up on my bf's emotions though and it is very awkward because I am so used to just knowing people. I think this might be because he has a little sensitivity as well.
i have always been a person people open up to very easily and they always tell me they dont know why they do. they say im just easy to talk to. im 23 and that has been my story since the day i was born, well for the past year i have taken up meditation, it seems to be the only thing to calm my mind. the other day a soldier was talking to me about some of the things going on in iraq, and like a lighting bolt to my mind i started getting images of things he saw, it literally brought me to my knees. now i dont know if my "ability" is getting stronger or what. i was hoping there was a way to shield the mind, so this wouldnt happen to me again. i love talking to people but i seriously dont think my mind can take brutally attacks like that on a daily basis. please is there any advice or anything you could tell me to help with this.
This is to Frettbuzz
I do not look down my nose at you either but i will educate you :-)
the Holy Spirit does not stop anyone from getting possed!!
God gave people feedom of will and he dont cross that!
the flesh can be possed and the sprirt untouched.
if you ever wanna know the source of the power look at whom it glorifies!
Born agan christians can feel peoples energy ...no possesion to it!
this is a great informative artical ty isabella :-)
if you continue to look for the works of the devil i grant you will find more than anyone cares to ...i suggest you dig the truth a lil deeper....
I'm relatively young and I believe I have Empathic "abilities." I think I've had them my whole life but they are just starting to truly develop. I have all the signs and more. I can not well read minds, but just the feelings and emotions and i don't know intentions behind them. Its strange and weird and painful. I have a friend whose also my age and he is a different type of empath. He feels the pain of people he is close to and can dream about the future. He is a lot more "controlled and developed" than I am. We found eachother, and well I'm very lost and confused and seeking answers. Any help is appreciated. We are both sort of lost.
Hey there,
I kinda stumbled upon this just trying to learn more about myself. Im an Empath, my mother's an Empath, and my Grandmother is even one too. I always felt like I knew what other people ment when they said something, and how they actually felt. To me this really isn't a curse anymore. I finally "learned" how to block out "negative" emotions if you would. I've actually used this "sense" to become closer to my friends, tho, some people seem just so hateful, it's really hard. I dont really understand this so much. I know what I am, what I can do, and I felt alone. But like I said, I stumbled upon this, so it's nice to see others out there, I never expected an actual site. Is there anyway that I can actually cultivate this or do I just let it slowly expand on it's own? It's still so awkward from time to time.
I am glad there is a place where people can share what is going on in their lives. I have been having difficulties adapting to environments for a long time. I am naturally a very happy and fun loving person, but in certain environments I am just not myself. I know whether I like someone or not right away by a feeling I get and I have always tried to give the person a chance regardless. I see certain things in people or feel certain things about people that others do not see. I have criticized myself constantly for being too hard on some people and assumed I was the one with the problem, but today I thought what if I am an empath. I can be in a perfectly great mood and get around someone and become instantly angry, sad, depressed, anxious, etc. You name it and my emotions are off of the charts. I don't know if I am an empath, but all the things described by Isa sound too much like me. I have nothing to do with the news because its effect on me is excrutiating, like my heart is being ripped out of my chest. I do prefer to be alone and the older I get the worst I am getting. I feel like running away all of the time, but I feel like I can't keep running.
Wow this is awesome!!! I thought something was wrong with me for so long and I stay so overwhelmed with heartache. I read people very well, feel and know things but when I go to some gatherings, in stead of feeling good and enjoying myself I feel pain, anger unhappiness to the point that I have gotten physically ill. People are always drawn to me I tend to be a loner. I was Wiccan, then became a follower of Jesus Christ and even at church i feel and see what others don't. Some I approch and others I pray for. I am so happy to know I am not crazy!!! You feel very alone when you try to share this with others. Lucky for me God sent me to a church with some people in it that encourage and support me and will listen to me when I explain some of the things I experience. Tonight I was really struggling and I ran across this.... Wow
I am completely surprised to see there are so many empaths out there. Its nice to know I am not alone.........
Isa, thank you so much for writing this hub. You're right, there's not nearly enough reliable information available on the Internet.
As a child, I would cry whenever someone else was hurt or upset. I was accused of trying to compete for attention.
I will sometimes walk into a room and within seconds experience and express the current or most recent strong emotion experienced.
I can hug someone hello and know instantly if there's something wrong. If I ask about it, I am often the only person they'll feel comfortable confiding in, even though we're not close friends.
A young teen walked 4 miles and landed on my doorstep wanting to use my phone. I live in a neighborhood and my house is NOT the most inviting one around, but she chose my house. Long story short she didn't just need the phone, she needed someone to step in and help her to do the right thing in a difficult situation. The situation needed a distrustful teen to trust a stranger, and that stranger to really care about someone she was not responsible for. Did she choose my house because of my empathy, or did God lead her to me? I don't really care.
I am a Christian and have had trouble for YEARS reconciling empathy with my faith. This is the first place I've looked where I'm not labeled psychic. I have a personal problem with that term, no judgment intended.
I have witnessed and experienced miraculous, or faith, healings - yes Fret, some faith healers are fakes - everything God created, the enemy has perverted.
During group prayer I have "just known" I should reach out and touch a certain person's shoulder. Sometimes they turn to me afterward, and tell me they felt a spark/warmth/shiver/whatever when I touched them, and something that had been weighing them down had been lifted. I felt drawn to pray for a (pregnant) acquaintance at church - I didn't know her very well but still knew just what to pray. A depression that had plagued her with each pregnancy was lifted and never returned.
I get more reclusive as time passes, and aside from my husband don't have any friends. People are drawn to me, but I am too easily overwhelmed to really get close. It seems the only time I don't feel lonely is when I'm alone.
I used to be easy to lie to because I didn't know what that hinky feeling was - I thought I was being paranoid, or maybe had eaten something I shouldn't have. I'm starting to trust these feelings a little more, and the more I trust them the more trustworthy they become.
I've had dreams that either came true, or warned me of danger. One dream literally saved my son's life.
I think being empathic has nothing to do with spirituality - even in this conversation we've heard from wiccans, Christians, a buddhist and I'm sure there are many other faiths represented. I think empathy, as discussed here, is more innate - like some people have a gift for art, some are great at math, some can write well - I've seen it called a gift and a curse, maybe it's more of an attribute?
Sorry this is so long, kudos to anyone still reading. It's just such a release to find a place I feel I can express myself without worrying about picking up on the negative reactions from the person/people I'm addressing.
Oh - and I also struggle with severe depression and have been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. Medication has made a world of difference for me in staving off suicide, but has not quelled the emotional impressions I get from others. Just so if you're reading this and have a similar experience you know you're not alone. :o)
Thanks for the great article. It has been most helpful to me and has helped me understand that I'm not suffering from some sort of mental illness which is why the traditional methods did not work to help cure the feelings I had. Plus all the physical feelings of lethargy, pain and aches. I will be using this article, plus others to help myself.
I am both a devoted christian and an empath. Altho ealier comments seem to protest this cant happen it can. and i do not disagree at all to the commets about how painful it is. Some people have nervous breakdowns because they cant deal with their own problems, an empath will most commonly be thinking about the whole worlds problems, or at the very least the problems of the people their close too. i dont really believe empathy is psycic, but rather a developed emotional response to other people in pain.... you learn to read slight expressions subconsciously. to me empathy just seems to be deeper human understanding and nothing more. the heaing i believe is an adaption in the mind trying to parralel how it might heal an empath emotionally (as empaths are constantly in emotional pain) to how it heals the body physically. The demon possesion stuff really actually offended me, empathy is a curse to the person who has it, but a blessing to those around an empath.... usually. Ill admit the pain it causes the empath themself is more terrible than most people can imagine..... but myself using this curse have saved 2 sucidals in my life. it caused enormous pain in me... but once they were totally rehabilitated, for while anyway i felt at rest. im only 15... so if ive saved and brought back joy to 2 people who are suicidal... what can somebody older and wiser do??? for all empaths out there.... despite the pain use your gift to help others. you make a big difference
I am 56 years old and only in the last couple of years did I realize I am an Empath. It feels good to finally have a name for it. I come from a rather dysfunctional background, as do many people. I was lost and unhappy. It took me a long time to realize I needed professional counseling. I had few social skills or practical life skills. My life was one big emotional turmoil after another. Counseling (with the right therapist) has helped me figure out (among other things) just what my stuff is, as they say, and what other people's stuff is. In other words, some things are just not my problem. But once I got some of the dysfuntional garbage out of the way it seems my empathic traits really started to come out. We empaths just have to put into practice some defenses and take care of ourselves whether other people understand or not. We cannot afford to allow ourselves to be at the mercy of every feeling that floats our way. I have some methods of self-preservation that work for me. But I still have to take cover and hole-up in my room with my cat sometimes. Nothing works one hundred percent so far. I rarely watch the news or read the paper, not because I have my head in the sand, but because it has a very bad effect on me. And I know that somehow the information I really need will come to me by other means, and it does. I try to limit TV and movie viewing to only the most uplifting and positive stuff. The same with the books I read. I usually have a sense that someone is "bad" for me, whether it's a stranger or a person I know. I steer clear of them at all costs. If I have to be in contact with them I begin praying for them daily. Just praying (even if it hurts because they are mean and/or offensive to you) for their highest and best good. This works even with people whose behavior is extreme. Get yourself as strong as possible. Get counseling if you are unhappy. Get out of a job that isn't really right for you, even if it takes a while. Start investigating getting into work that has meaning for you. Get into support groups or social groups with people who share your views and interests. This is enormously empowering. Eat right and get enough rest. This advice may sound simplistic but we often overlook it because it's so obvious. Find something positive to do with your time and your life. Don't be a doormat, psychic or otherwise. Learn to be assertive and you won't feel nearly so helpless. Learn to stand on your own, not out of weakness but out of strength. Make personal growth a priority. You will still be an empath but you will be an empath with skills to deal with the world in a healthy way. I am still learning everyday. By no means do I have all the answers. Mostly I'm still a big kid, and an Empath. Hey, we're special, not posessed by demons. Let's be proud of who we are. Begin to develop the habit of listening to your inner knowing for guidance. It will serve you well. Be kind. Love and empathy to you all.
Me again. What I found helpful is to keep your own counsel. Like isntead of being open, friendly, and loving, i calmly set boundaries. Usally I place I go to, people bound over to chat with me as soon as I walk into teh door. i feel like telling them, "please. go away. you're too emoitional. You're draining me." Today, I just cut them dead in their tracks. They bounded over to me-- and before they could impose on me, I just said calmly and quietly, "I would appreciate it if you would please stop x." I said it matter of factly but firmly. And they just understooand left me alone to find someone else to suck off of. I now saw all the parasites who use to gravitate around me leave me in peace and circle around other empaths, who politely indulged them whiel the parasites sucked on their energy. However, I left with my energy and self intact. Instead of feeling angry and imposed upon, I felt happy, whole, and secure -- the kind of frame of mind I need to be to live out my purpose in the world and to discriminate about when I help people and whom. I think I may finally have learned to control my empathy.
As a christian I want to say I agree with the belief and have been saved yet I've felt these feelings since I was a young child. Everyone thought I was just over emotional-- which is a possibility. But now when I talk to people I know exactly what they are thinking and feeling without even knowing them. THis isn't a sort of DEMON possession-- Listen here. I was born a very sick baby- congestive heart failure... but somehow I survived. The doctor gave me experimental medicine for the birth defect and I survived. Honestly I believe Im still here for a reason. Now I dont know if this is a gift from God-- because I've managed to help so many people that I know because of it-- and my own father said one day I would realize I was special... I just dont know. But there's my defense. This isn't demon possesion- and although sometimes painful-- is still a gift.
I think I understand what has been happening to me. One thing that I would everyone's opinion on, is these dreams I have about people I don't know personally but have met there family or friend. My neighbors brother died about 9 months ago. I never met him because he lives in another state. After a month I stated having these dreams about his life and things that happened to him. These are things I couldn't possibly know. When I asked my neighbor about it, everything I dreamed was true. She have never told me a thing about him. I have had several and continue to have them. This has happened with countless people I have never met. Can someone tell me what this is?
Hello! I'm a natural born empath and my mother and grandmother are both empaths though they both are stronger with projection then with empathy. Anyways, yeah you're right and I agree with everything you said. Being an empath isnt fun and empathy can be a real b*tch but in the end, its awesome knowing that I can always help people using my empathy cuz it allows me to sense what they really need and what they desire. In the soon future though all sceptics will suffer and pay the price for their ignorance and all shall suffer and only the specials will live...uh....sorry vision moment....anyways empathy isnt fun most of the time since i am prone to sense pain and sadness easier than i am to sense the good stuff. But i like my empathy, its so much better than being a stupid close-minded normal. I cant wait for my empathy to be even stronger though cuz then it will be even more fun cuz then i can finally turn it on and off and i can also absorb the emotions of others around me and turn it to power to benefit me and stuff. I just love being an empath, it means God loves me and he blessed me with this powerful ability and I am very honored. I'm also a healer and I love healing people whenever i can though i'm still a beginner at it, with practice i'll be able to heal anyone =]
I'm grateful that I found this hub because its good to be able to talk to people who are like me and understand. I went most of my life not knowing why I always felt so strongly and its only been in the last six months or so (I'm 38 now) before I knew what I could do and a name to go along with it. It does often seem like a curse because its like you feel the weight of the world so much of the time but I like to think of it as a Gift and hopefully in time I can find my niche in the world so I can do good with my abiiity. I haven't told too many people, in fact only my best friend knows, because I'm not sure how to explain it to people without them looking at me like a freak or (for those certain religious people out there) think I'm somehow demon possessed or evil. I still seem to have very little control over it and its still confusing to sort out my own feelings from everyone else around me, with the exception of when I'm alone. I actually realize its probably the reason I avoid malls around the holidays, because even on the best of days when I do go to a mall I go only to get what I'm looking for and then leave. Now during the holidays its a thousand times worse because its like I've gone from the shallow end of the pool to the deep end and barely know how to tread water much less swim. Anyway, hopefully I can learn a lot from the others here and find my way..my "destiny" (for lack of a better word).
I have been wondering about this...I have my whole life seemed to be attuned to peoples feelings, but its gotten much much worse as I've gotten older, the other day I was in the mall (of all places) and was talking laughing with my friends when i got this overwhelmingly strong feeling of saddness, like I really needed to cry, but why would I feel that way? I am with my friends having fun. I've had my best friend and others comment on how I "mood swing" very fast, I go from fine to sad, to happy, all in what seems like a few minutes. I do prefer solitude mostly because of the feelings i get when i am with someone.
I also notice that after going out in public that I have major headache, I wonder if its from this bombardment of peoples emotions?
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Hey everyone! I wanted to share with you my struggles with being an Empath. I have always had strong reactions to other people’s emotions and most of the time I couldn’t understand why. When people would come to me and share their experiences I would get nauseated with their emotions. when I would go to bed I would think about them and their situations and get so into it that I would have to make myself realize that it was someone else’s problem and not my own. I guess since I am an Empath it actually is my problem. I have always wanted to help people and I always have. I was the kid who would play with the kids that no one else played with in the playground, I would get made fun of and I could never understand why I would want to play with the loners instead with my classmates or friends. I always felt like they needed me. And they probably did. To this day I see myself befriending the kind of people that are not really "like" me and my social circle. It has never bothered me. Now thought that I am in college it has been extremely hard to deal with emotions. I grew up in a small town and where I lived our closest neighbors were like 5 miles away. Now I am in a dorm building with like 1000 people in an area less than a couple hundred feet, and it is exhausting. I can’t sleep well when I am here. My moods are always changing and I don’t even know who it is that I am feeling for. I can have my back to the door and when my roommate walks in after a rough day my neck automatically tenses up. I don’t even have to look at him to say, "Bad day huh". He is always perplexed when I do that, and it often relaxes him a bit, (I don’t think it is because it’s comical but more because he dumped some excess emotions on me). After being in a mall or more than two hours I have to get a coffee and sit a while to not be moody. When I went to a Pentecostal church one day, the preacher asked all who were going through tough times to walk up to the alter for a prayer, I walked up, not so much to pray for myself but to pray for all the people that were going through hardships, (that’s an Empath for you) and as soon as I walked up behind this short,, modest Hispanic lady, I felt her pain, and I knew her story, I couldn’t contain myself and I cried for her thought the whole service. It was an exhausting experience. The life of an Empath is fulfilling but rough. It is hard to keep oneself life intact. I find studying in the library impossible during finals, the amount of stress and apprehension is too much to handle. I have to find a secluded area and avoid people. I like sitting in a big area by where the coffee bar is because people that walk from the main lobby of the library to the coffee bar are having a break and I can feel their adrenaline from the walk and their enjoyment of getting coffee. It is hard to keep up my grades and try and not miss class when it’s just unbearable to get out of bed and go into the public. I hope that I can learn to better block out people’s emotions to the degree that I can put my studies and social life first one day, without interruptions.
Hi Isabella,
i am an empath also, i have known for a couple of years now and have met others like me. . .i used to be wiccan (writing that down just sound funny) but now i don't follow any certain religion laid out for me. . . anyway i was trying to explain to my brother what it was to be empathic the other day and i just had a hard time putting it together and i found this article it really helped me understand how to explain it all and put it into words other could understand with out making me sound crazy. . . so thank you . . . and also i still have a hard time controlling myself on an airplane any suggestions?
Ryno
Chey: I have bipolar too. I also have OCD. I don't like medicine eather but my mom tells me that it will help me though life and if I stop taking them, well... life isn't going to be the best. And you need to furfill it as best as you can. when you have these meltdowns, go somewhere quiet and think about all the good things in life. I take several pills and I have switched to alot too. Keep trying. There is always something good out there for you.
Isabella: I am an empath too. I just found out and i am starting the "craft". I am a believer of all the supernatural and I think your advice will really help others. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING. =-)
I googled empathy and stumbled upon this site. I am seeking help. In my case, people target me everywhere I go. It seems that they sense i have healing, loving, peaceful energies and then seek me out and tap into me. I end up feeling so drained. People even get aggressive about getting into my space and wanting a connection with me, which I positively despite. If I try to politely shut them out, they get more angry and aggressive. I end up just shutting down and being grumpy or at least adopting a persona as such in order to keep them at bay. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
UsuallY i visit a coffee shop. Doesn't matter which one I go to -- the dynamic is the same. Recently, an old man and his wife decided I was the kind of person they wanted to befriend. The old man began began sitting at my table talking at me, thinking I was a good listener. He then demanded my phone number. By the time I left the coffee shop to the time I got home, he had left 30 messages no my machine. When I finally picked up, I had to tell him not to call me any more. I even stopped going to the cafe. That was a year ago.
I finally came back and the man and woman were still there. When he saw me, the old man jumped for joy adn began singing and dancing around the restaurant. He then looked for opportunities to hug me and strike up conversation. I had to tell him several times that I would like to be left alone, thank you, but he wasn't deterred. He then began following me around, aggressively and angrily trying to intercept me until I had to just literally dart away from him. I suppose he felt rejected and was determined to be my "friend" anyway. Sick people are this desperate.
I finally had to quietly ask management to intervene and it did. Privately, I shamefully admit, I kept thinking, even wishing for tihs couple to get sick and die. I hated them. I know hate is a strong word, but when yo are at the receiving end of people tryitn go attach to you and you end up absorbing all of their chaotic, angry, hateful, clingy energy, you just want it to stop. I began to feel angry all the time and that my light was flickering. I felt I coudl no lnoger afford to be light and happy as they would just be an invitation for more people to approach me.
ANyway, the next day, the couple stopped coming. When I asked about them, I found out the old lady had died. The old man is now crestfallen. As an empath, i now feel overrun with guilt, even though I am relieved to be free of them.
Would appreciate your thoughts and feedback. Being an empath is a double edged sword. What do you do with the people who just seek you out...I swear, everywhere I go, people watch me, want to approach me, touch me, fixate on me, become obsessed...To me, its like these people see the light within me and instead of connecting to God, they want to connect to God, through me....
I end up getting angry and aggressive just to push people back. I would never impose like this on other people. It amazes me that they think nothing of doing this to me.
Please, write more. They tell me I'm bipolar and that I have social anxiety disorder. This past year, I've started having panic attacks. I don't like people so much anymore. Please, help, cuz none of this stupid medicine does.
I have been to many doctors and they are stumped. Blood test tell them there is a problem but they can not find it. Headaches and sinus pain at times can be overwhelming.
Recently I came across a work collegue who absolutely dispised me which I might add doe's not happen very often. I know that sounds cocky but it is true. She made me so ill just being around her. It has taken 2 years to be able to fade her out. I believe she is very sick I'm thinking cancer. I tried to talk to her about it like 'how are you feeling you look abit peaky maybe you should have a check up'. Of course she wasn't impressed. Everytime I am around her a get a lump in my neck and it is very sore and yes I have been to the doctors and they can not explain it.
Best way to feel better is to hide away in my house for a couple of days and avoid contact with anybody. In doing this I can at least feel a little bit normal and all of the symptoms go away.
Sometimes I am so desperate that I wish I could die. But I can't even take that serious because then I get overwhelmed in thinking that I can't do that what will that do to the close people around me.
Yep is definitely sucks being an empath.....
I have to agree significantly with Lilys "Empathic abilities are beautiful actually. I'm sure you can resonate with me on this, Isa. We feel the world around us in differently - we see nature sparkles and illuminates itself - green isn't just green, notice that glow around every leaf? We hear music with our hearts - they aren't just notes and tones - they carry the emotions of the composers. We look at art, not just seeing colors and forms - we gather concept, and possibly a glimpse of that artist's complex view of life". Like lately Ive been reading a lot, not because I like to read that much but because I can see where the writer "is" in life. Or when I listen to good music with a lot of feeling, Its exactly as she describes it.
I have experienced on occasion feeling the density of human emotion as a sea of filth. By using white light, the power of the divine through angelic contact (phooey to you self-absorbed Christians) and a couple layers of saranwrap (gladwrap) over the solar plexus chakra will calm a person down while recuperating from the assault of these unwanted and foreign emotions. Once a barrier has been obtained, I feel much more rested and able to assist others in seeking their spiritual awareness.
Before those Christians who have taken offence at my comment toward them, I am a Christian--but one with an open mind to spiritual abilities. There are many things unexplained in this world, and this includes spiritual abilities in humans.
Besides myself, I have friends who find they have strangers who seek out their company because they can sense an empath just as Isabella has said. There is also an inner awareness of a compatible spiritual level. Everyone is at a certain spiritual level, and when they grow out of the old one they turn to new people whose level matches theirs, thus creating a comfort zone. And as Isabella states above, not every intuitive person is good, so you have to pick your comfort zones carefully. I have fallen into that trap, and thankfully escaped without any harm being done.
Isabella, thank you for an informative post.
I've been an empath my whole life, but wasn't able to put a word to what I was feeling and sensing until I started doing some research about a year ago. Reading this article, and the comments others have posted has definitely given me some much needed comformation about my abilities!
I've found that the closest I've been able to come to turning this off is when I'm by the water for some reason.
I have gone through most of my life (I am 30 now) thinking that something is really wrong with me. It was just a little while ago that a friend of mine said to me, "Gigi, you are an empath". I am not sure if this is true, but I do know that I am so tuned into the emotions of others that I cannot even watch the news without going through a myriad of feelings. I have always been the "shoulder to cry on" for family and friends - even strangers on airplanes! While I never thought of myself as crazy, many family members treated me as such, because it seemed that my moods could change so rapidly and for no reason! I am very glad that you posted this, as it has made me feel tremendously better about myself already. I want to read more so any more info you have to point me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated! Thanks again
I want to know what I am. I dont think I am an Empath after reading your definition, but (I am a happily married mother of 3 young kids) I think Im weird because to make myself feel "good" I day dream and fantasize about being the one everyone wants to come to for a shoulder to cry on. Its usually with male friends who are single and good looking, but I never feel anything sexual toward them, I just want to comfort them when they are going through tragedy, and the tragedy is usually dramatic like their child or parent or girlfriend has died and they want to cry on my shoulder! I have to emphasise I do not feel that I want to cheat on my husband with them but somehow I want to feel like maybe a mother figure to them. Any comments would be apprecated!
Thank you for posting this. I was googling Empathy on the internet in search for answers. My mother is a healer, a Reiki healer to be specific. And also a Phychic, just as I am through heritance. But there is a difference between being a Phsychic and being an Empath. I'm a phsychic that can see aura's and that can Astral Travel without dificulties. Mother thought it was possible that I may be one. Any time she would describe them, a fauge definition of what you wrote. Without her saying it I was sure I was an Empath. But regardless I wanted to make sure anyways, and I wanted to try and find some answers. Like one you've brought up is how exactly do I heal someone? How do I block out people? Any time I go to a foot ball game or a marching band compition I'm at an edge of curling into a ball and screaming at everyone. Extreme excitement that turns into panic for me. If you'd like to contact me my e-mail is Kyrsten1992@yahoo.com.
Thank you.
I am sorry you get the hatchet too when you go against the establishment. I am an Empath and I do feel feelings from other. Those who believe in deamons need to read my hub on deamons and mental health. Good grief!
I find it hard to read hubs about the animals that have died or have to be put to sleep. I feel the owners pain. When I learned what it was that I was eperiencing I would sit in my living room and all of a sudden I would feel a heavy saddness and the urge to cry--for no reason. Then I found that there was car full of people who had passed by our area with kids that their friend had died that day.
Anything that goes againsst the church is called evil and satanistic and full of demons---why---because they are filled with fear of the unknown and that is perpetrated by those who want control of the masses.
Being and empath is not easy and I had to learn how to control that in me.
I am an upper middle class mom of three boys and work in a very professional career. My entire life I have known something was different about me. For years I worked in a High School with troubled children and I think that helped me develop whatever it is that I have. My kids think I am a psychic. Ha! Not even close. I tell them that I can "read people". I can pick up a lot about someone in the first few seconds and sometimes large crowds are horrible because I can feel everyone in the room. People...especially people in trouble...are drawn to me. Honestly, I would prefer to NOT have this and wish it would go away some times. I am hoping that as I get older, I will either learn to use it or to just leave it. I do not tell anyone about it. The bottom line is that it is real...whether I want it to be or not...and it doesn't mean I am evil or that the devil is involved in any way. It is just part of who I am and thankfully I, just today, have discovered that there are others like me!
If there is anyone out there like me, I would LOVE To hear from you. I am a "normal" 43 year old working mom with a lot of animals who was given this "gift"...nothing crazy, demonic or evil about it!!
kc
To Freetbuzz: I'm an empath and do not pretend you to understand how this work and how my relationship with God is but I do want you to start respecting others the way you want us to respect your faith. I don't believe Satan has anything to do with my gifts since he is just as great and powerful as you want him to be. I don't believe he has any power over me, besides temptate my body because my SOUL belongs to GOD and it is through this soul that I feel what other souls are feeling. I FEEL you're afraid of being wrong, so afraid that you rather follow the crowd than to even try to see the world by what it is. You feel safe IF you do what your pastor or priest say because is easier to follow the instructions than to follow your heart.
We know how to go back home, this information is embeded in our soul and you know it. Is not the priest nor the pastor who can give you HEAVEN but yourself. Try to open up to the world and don't look salvation in other mortal for that's the real evil.
~M~
let me add that i have been tested at NYU and several hospitals in NYC yet no one could help or stop it. Does anyone have a clue of how to stop it with drink? please i don't want this anymore i want to have a real relationship without all the real bagage ever women caries.
I am a true empathy no bs and I have spent my life trying to feel nothing staying alone. I have spent most of my life in hiding or drunk. I have to drink just to keep others distress out. I cannot even go to Wal-Mart without being overwhelmed by others distress and I have to be pissed just to go in the door. I have my own anxt to deal with. I have searched for help but never get any reply (i guess no one is going through what I am) and I have tried with every part of my being to block this crap out. I want to live but I am at the point of thinking what the use is. Can anyone help me block this out without drink? I want to allow myself to feel.... do you have anyone that can take this curse from me! I need real help I cannot continue like this I am almost 45 and alone cause I cannot take all the emotions of others... If you believe in Christianity it is called discernment. if anyone can help please contact me at afreemailbox@gmail.com. i will pay at this point
Would an empath become so overwhelmed by a childhood wrought with arguing parents that he became a sex addict? Would he be diagnossed as bi-polar but the medications don't really help with the feelings? Would he find it so easy to read other people that he never looses an argument unless it is one waging within himself? Judging by what you've written I am an empath, one who has spent most of his life isolating. I would love some advice.
I am an Empath and to some extent I wanted to deny it because i never really thought that it could be real, like they say forsight is a lbunch of crap. ive always picked up other emotions, and untill lately i have been able to block them out pretty good but a good friend of mine grandfather recently died and i cant look in his eyes without completly breaking down.
I am not sure if i am a strong enough Empath where i can heal, or even if i ever will be that strong. i wish i could help my friend but sometimes i cant even move because of the pain.
I have a couple of questions. Am I feeling this pain more stronger then usual because this is a person so close to me or is it because im getting stronger as an Empath?
Also, how can i develop this abaility without feeling so many different emotions that i cant function? p.s. i'm a college student so the ability to function is vital.
Please expierenced Empaths send me a e-mail with some advice.
hey my friend is an empath but does not know very much about it. no matter where i am at (whether it be in our home town,germany, or iraq-everywhere i have been) she always feels when something is wrong with me and when im completely happy. she says i am the easiest person for her to feel. so my question is, why does she feel me easier than nanyone else? please email me the information at privatenutt04@yahoo.com. i would greatly appreciate it..
Hi. Well, I always knew I was different, and friends I've had since childhood now tell me that I was the "oldest six year old" they ever met. I've found out recently that friends I was drawn to (or were they drawn to me?) when I was little were being abused by their parents. One little girl said she broke her arm falling off a swing, but I never quite believed that, and a few years ago she told me that one of her parents did it.
Fastforward to my adulthood...I always knew I was different and I was (still am) sick all the time. I'd go to the dr and go to the dr and they'd do test after test and find nothing wrong. One day my hand swelled up, as if I'd been stung. Well, the next day I was talking to my mom and she told me that my nephew, who lived nearly 2000 miles away from me, had been stung by a wasp on the back of his hand...same spot of the same hand where *I* swelled up!
That's when I started searching. I knew there was something *wrong* with me! I knew what empathy meant, but had never heard of an empath.
Sometimes I feel like a disabled person. I work in a grocery store now, and I am bombarded with bad attitude all day long from co-workers and nasty customers and it's all I can do NOT to go running out of the place, pulling my hair out by the fistful! BUT, there is something about me that seems to turn most of those bad attitudes around...to get a smile out of people who look like the top of their head will come off any second. I've been there long enough now to notice that these same people keep coming back to me over and over and over. Sometimes I'll have a line of customers when there are other cashiers with no one in their lines! It's very, very strange and it makes me feel uneasy and even just a little bit stalked. LOL!
Anyway, I knew something was going on with me a long, long time ago. Just didn't know what it was called. Now that I know, it's easier for me to discern what feelings are my own and what aches and pains are my own, and somehow, I am able to block things out when I need to without all this shielding stuff that I have read about. No surrounding myself with golden light or whatever. I am more straight forward, I guess. I just basically say, "KNOCK IT OFF" when it gets to be too much for me, and it helps.
First of all Jules, dont assume you are an emapth or any other label of understanding based apon what you have read. Know that your level of conscienceness and the awareness that comes with it is unique to you. Once you connect with the universe on deeper levels you can really achieve a positive understanding of all things, but in this instance, based on your few words which just happen to ring of depression, my advice to you would be to stop and rediscover beauty. Take the time to notice the simplest things. Take the energy from these things and look inside yourself to find acceptance in the things that bother you, for if you cannot accepet them you cannot change them, and finally,. try not to "hate" anything. even the utterance of negativity will regress you connection. Introspection is key and acceptance will set you free. Learn to love and know that every situation that comes to you is an oppurtunity to learn that you asked for simply enough because you are there...so go with it.
Hi, from what I've read I'm an Empath. but this is no fn for me. I've been clinicly depressed for almost 4 years nw, because I feel so much pain. I can't watch the news or hear a certain song without feeling all this sadness and pain.
So if anyone here could tell/teach me how to controll this I would really appreciate it. I'm 23 and I feel like I can't live my life the way I want to because I don't know what feelings are mine and which are from others, I hate that everyoe I know or don't know just feel like talking to me will make them feel better. WELL IT MAKES ME FEEL WORSE.
So pls anyone, how do you controll this.
Excelent, and verry professional article. I found myself in almoust every, single word.
Though it can cause much trouble ( did for me! ) , it isstill a blessing.
About what that guy, Fret said, Adverssary has better things to do instead of giving ~positive~ abylites to people, he doesent nead that to confuse us. Unforunatly. He`s not invincible though.
i have a sort-of friend who has told me he is an empath as well as a Christian. Being a Christian myself, I've had doubts and worries about it but dont want to fully disregard it. How far does being an empath go from just having empathy towards others? It seems more supernatural but i dont know where to draw the line. I am a very empathetic person but I dont think its to a supernatural degree. But lots of people can be empathetic without a need to put a name to it or assume it is supernatural. They can still 'feel' music or nature or other peoples feelings to a higher degree but I would not be quick to label them an empath, as it does take it to a whole new level, involveing the whole supernatural quality. Also, how does Christianity relate to being an empath, I'm not sure what to think. Thanks for the hub though it was an interesting read.
thank you so much for writing this. i've felt this way for so long and it's nice to know there are others out there. this certainly is something i've been struggling with and knowing there are so many others out there makes me feel less alone. thank you again.
Wow. This is me. Ever since I was a kid, I've hated being around people - I take in their energies, their feelings, their sickness. I've been diagnosed with everything from social phobia to extreme hypercondria to being a compulsive liar. Yet, for some reason, people always felt the need to share their life stories with me. I know things about people, even without them telling me. It's so miserable - I'm only 16, I want to have a life, but I can't even go to the mall.
I finally trusted one of my friends enough to tell her, and she told me what an empath was. It makes me so happy to know there are people like me out there.
Hello Everyone....I am so happy to have found this community. This is my first posting and I'll be uploading my photo soon. I have felt "different" for almost everone else from my earliest memories. I have always "known" things without ever learning or reading about whatever it is at the moment that I "know". I accepted this at a very early age without ever telling anyone, because I also knew that they wouldn't have the ability to even remotely understand my abilities.
I have suffered greatly my whole life from feeling the hatred, the vengence, jealousy, anger, resentments, and every othermanner of negative feelings. I've always known if someone was lying to me or withholding somethiing, and if it was to protect my feelings or if the cause was some sort of negativity against me.
But, along with the "knowing that I know that I know" I have experienced a lot of self doubt. It is only within the last 15 years that I have accepted that I am a true empath and a modern day prophet. And I am now very comfortable knowing this. But life continues to be such a struggle because I am constantly aware of the evil projections which people send my way. But really, what is worse, is feeling the awfulness of the race consciousness. Sometimes I hate the fact that I chose to re embody on this earlth plane.
As I have grpw older, and as our planetary society draws closer to the darkness, I increasingly feel the weight of the world on my shoulders. I feel like I have taken on the pain and suffering of the entire planet. Lately, I have experienced many health crisis. I have broken out in rashes, sores, and eruptions all over my body. Teenage acne was nothing compared to this.
But, I feel that I am finally comming into my own, ie: that I came here to take on the pain and the suffering of the world, to always speak the truth boldly, and in some way to help to raise the race consciousness.
I need the help of this community to learn how to protect myself from somatacizing the emotional feelings which I experience. I don't want to be sick. I can't be sick. I have a lot of work left to do on this planet. It took me a long time to accept that I am a modern day prophet because I was so afraid that others would believe I was insane. But I know its true and I am finally free from worry about what some psychologist might think. It is a science in it's infancy anyway. They really don't know much about the human mind, and even less about the esoteric experiences that many of us go through.
So happy to be here. I bless you all and send a pure stream of energy your way.
LostInIndy
I agree with you. Being an empath isn't fun and isn't something you should lie to yourself about to make it sound like a truth.
Feeling others emotions can really wipe you out. I know for a fact. My mother has a bunch of illnesses, so she is pained a lot. So everyday, especially on those bad days of hers, I keep myself in my room. Baring those emotions of hers isn't easy.
As for my dad, he tends to get depressed a lot. So taking in that is also hard. To otp it off, my little brother is extremly emotional when it comes to my mom in bad shape. Taking in all this is very difficult to get out. Because once you've felt it, it never really leaves.
School isn't easy either. I go there and feeling their emotions is even worse, expecially a guys!
Not many people know this about me, but its true. And if they do not it, they don't really believe it.
Anyways, I think everyone should gain control of their power of empathy, if they have it, and use it for good. Not to tease some one. Take me for an example, I plan on being an SVU cop. Cause if I know what my victim's emotions are, I can comfort them in the way that they need it. And I can always tell when the perp is lieing.
I'm empathic and I'm a christian. My God and Saviour is the Lord Jesus Christ and He is the only reason I've made it this far as an empath. (to those out there who say being a Christian prevents one from being an empath)
Anyway, I've been able to block the feelings most of the time in crowds. Sometimes I can't though and that's bad. I can never block people I care about. Which can be bad since I tend to attract 'needy' people. Then they begin to rely on me for their emotional state.
I dont know whether to be intrigued or disgusted by your comment. Seems like a half hearted attempt at trying to seem understanding, and sincere, while at the same time being sarcastic and mocking. If you cannot contribute something worthwhile, true and productive then go elsewhere. i dont knwo if I am reading intot his comment the wrong way, but it seems like you are almost mocking those of us whom this is a very real truth. If you wish to be insulting, please go elsewhere. This is a place for those of us whom are trying to find insight and understanding into the gifts we have been given. if you cannot respect that and or relate to it. Then please leave.
I, uh, feel a broad sharp pain in my legs that renders them almost completely useless when I see or know that someone is in pain. I am fine when I watch a surgery and I'm ok when seeing blood. But hearing a story about how someone got a bruise will almost always hurt my legs. I know I have some sort of supperhuman understanding of people. Yes, I NEVER misunderstand anyone. I feel what a person is saying rather than hear it. I know what person isn't saying and why. This article brought tears to my eyes. Are there others? What does this mean? How can I gather 500 of us for experimentation? Oooh, I can't wait to stick needles into us freaks!!!
hello, i am an empath as well, i have been for the past four years, going on five now. i just seem to not know anything about what i am. sometimes, i have really wondered if i am more human then supernatural, or the other way around. u r quite right, it can be such a burden more often then not. sometimes, i just dont know what to do. it is so overwhelming at times. and i never ever feel like i belong anywhere anymore. so is it true? are we just a more evolved species of human? or is something supernatural going on?
I am of the Wiccan faith and lately have been wondering if I am Empathic as well. I have been told by many I have "healers hands" though that does not mean that I am empathic. I seem to know when others are in a bad mood, whether they realize it or not. i realize they have things on their mind, they feel like they can discuss anything with me, I can give insights into things and help in that way, plus in my stuying of healing, my study of martial arts(with studying Tai Chi) I have found with the learning to control and heightening of my energy i can impart healing this way as well. Havent had an experience where i can take anothers pain, be it physical, mental or spiritual and take it as my own. Nor has it ever been to the point to take a physical wound of someone else and it disappears, reappearing on my person and then healing itself. I have often wondered if I may have some hidden talent in these matters that just need the proper instruction to bring it into its fullness. Any feedback would be appreciated and perhaps, some guidance into what I can look into. To perhaps see if this may be the case.
On another note, I have seen miracles, in healing in one way or another. By Christians, Wiccans and all the like. I believe in one very real truth. God doesn not wish for us to suffer, some of us are gifted by God to help and heal others. When ever it comes to something imparted to a fellow human being for good. With no personal gain and no expectation of gratitude or praise. This is condoned by God or which ever deity to whom you give praise to for the blessings you have in your life. The devil cannot soothe pain, cannot heal, cannot in any manner do anything like that which the Creator or the Goddess has granted a person or persons. He does nto create, he destroys, he plunders, he twists, he perverts all things that he touches and offers. If you wish to believe that these gifts of healing are of the devil then so be it. I pity that you would rather listen to the preachings of those whom you think know all and are God's mouthpiece. The truth shall be granted unto you. If you take the time and effort to ask for your self and no one else. That you ask God of these things, that you truly wish to know. Unjudgemental, unbiased and completely open to receive his word on it all. If you do this, i think you will find you have a very different answer. As it is said," Let he who has no sin, cast the first stone" It is taught to not judge, to love your fellow man and to not speak ill of things which you do not know. Keep that in mind and mind your own teachings before you choose to go against the very things you are taught.
I just realized what I was a few days ago. Not even kidding. I started becoming paranoid when I was in large crowds a few years ago and thought nothing of it.I also had trouble sleeping and recieved frequent headaches. Over the summer I attended church camp as usual (I am a strong Christian. Fretz or whoever you are, think before you speak. Or whatever. My "gift" comes from God and not Satan.) The last day, always very powerful, we had some bad experiences at camp. Our pastor informed us that Satan was working against us. I thought little of it until I left the chuurch. I was hit by a horrible feeling of sadness and I couldn't breathe. When I got home, I became very withdrawn and almost depressed. I went back to schoool and when I sat next to my best friend I always got a headache. I asked her if she had one and said yes. Now I get headaches near other people with them. I can also feel strong emotions such as anger and have extreme mood swings. One of my friends mentioned her abilities and I told her about mine. I am currently researching this topic. Thank you for posting this hub as it has been the most helpful so far.
Holy Crap, All my life I thought I was crasy, I have been fighting with something deep inside that does not rest. My only wish since as early as I could remember was to have peace of mind. I even tried doing claivoent readings, I seemed to be ok at it but was an emotional reck because of it. I want to say so much here but I am getting lost in thought again. At any rate I want to know way more. I need help controling this.
I can't believe I found this site. I can't believe I found this word.
I am absolutely an empath. I see that so clearly now that it makes me want to laugh out loud with relief.
I knew I wasn't depressed, but I had all of the symptoms. But then I found that the symptoms of depression would come and go depending on where I was, who I was with, the weather, the music around me (if any), the colours myself or others were wearing and most importantly, depending on what fears or pretences people were radiating. I could feel them like these big waves that seemed to go unnoticed by everyone except me.
You put me in a room with someone I have never met, let me observe a conversation they are having with someone else...like in a pub, or at work or something like that, and within five minutes I can tell you so much about them. What they are feeling right at that momment, why they aren't talking about it, or if they are talking about it: why they aren't telling the whole story, what they are trying to conceal in their words and body language, if they can lie naturally or whether it's difficult for them, whether they think it's important to be good, or whether they have potential to do bad things, whether they have a lot to learn or whether they are pretty together for their age.
I can tell what they think of the person they are talking to, what they want to get out of the next few hours, how they want to be seen by others, what they hoped to achieve by the way they dress, and sometimes I can even picture what they want out of life, how they want it to play out, I get visuals, strong ones, and because of that I can always always always think of the right thing to say to them, I can make a comment and I can make it in a way that completely validates them. I have always been able to tell people what they want to hear, make them feel like the little things have been noticed, that they are indeed on track.
Because of this is have many many friends, and I don't say 'friends' lightly. These are all people I have properly connected with if only in short periods. I've probably got a hundred people who would ring me, ask me for my opinion, call me at an unsure momment, and they can't quite be sure why they like me, except that when they leave me they feel substantially better about themselves.
I however, find myself tired, angry, drained, embaressed, annoyed, and feeling very mean about humanity. I find myself jealous at their ability to feel better. Even though I actually helped them reach that point. It feels like I drank their wine for a night, and now I have their emotional hangover, because I made them feel that they don't need to have one themselves.
Because of this, I can really only muster the energy for one person at a time, and usually after I have had this social interaction with this one person, I will avoid seeing anybody else for another fortnight or so. Till I can shake it off.
I hate being out in large groups, there's just too much flying about, and it's funny, because I always thought everyone felt the things that I felt, but that they were just happier people than me. (hence thinking I was depressed)
But the thing is, I am a happy person, but I am just too aware of how everyone else wants their day or night to go, and it feels selfish of me to do anything that might steer it off in a different direction. So I have become a people-pleaser. They get whatever version of me best suits the occasion. It has been truly exhausting this last couple of years.
I am such a hermit now, and if I do venture out, I absolutely have to go home to my own home when I'm done, because I absolutely cannot sleep in other peoples homes, around their possesions, staring up at their walls, feeling the fabric of the quilt they gave me to sleep with, the smells, the light, the way the rooms are spaced out, my stomach curdles with this indescribable awareness of their inderviduality, of their life, and I am aware of them breathing in and out in the next room, and I can't stand it, it suffocates me, and I can't turn it off.
I thought maybe I was crazy, or depressed, or anxious, or maybe I just wasn't a good person. That I will never truly be able to enjoy myself or my surroundings because everything else always speaks so much louder than me, because there is something wrong with me. But now I can see what it really is.
It feels like I can now forgive myself for the way I've been living, for the way I have become. It feels like there is this chink in the wall and I can see that on the other side; it's gonna be ok.
When I found this site last night, I cried for about 10 seconds and then I laughed and shook with this feeling of release, of validation.
And I know this is long, and I'm sorry to go on and on, but I just had to spill it.
I wanted to be selfish for a change :)
So if anyone has any advice on how I can harness this power that I have so I can be happy with myself, I am open to any suggestion....
wide open :)
already did this. help!
I cant help thinking that if Jesus was the son of God with great wisdom and the ability to heal the sick and to teach us that we are all the sons and daughters of God and to teach in a word love. We all have abilty to do the same. Unfortunately greed and closed mindness stops most of us. As for Frettbuz your brainwashed by organized religion and closed mindedness. I am an empath as a few of my cousins as well. I am also a gay man too! Oh my my What would poor Frettbuz have to say about that. Frettbuz I will pray for you. You need it. God loves you and so do I.
Intresting... I was searching on the internet for some help but its just the same thing everywhere. Empathy is a burden. How do you get rid of it?
I'm just so confused with this! I've always been COMPLETELY over emotional. At four, I always felt like I didnt, and never would, belong anywhere. At six, I suffered from a deep and horrible depression that lasted until I was eight, among others that went on and off. The last one was about six months ago, and is now staying away for the most part. But the fact remains that, even now, I try to stay as far away from human contact as possible, and have extreme panic attacks when someone yells or becomes violent in any way.
According to most of the things I've read, I'm an empath, but I got a few of these questions wrong. What does that mean?
1st, thanks Isa for this article. 2nd, a question - can empath's sense eachother? if so how? what happens when that happens? etc. Also, would you consider this something people who might be suffering from social anxiety disorders might actually have? I've actually gone to doctors to see if i had nervous disorders, or social anxiety disorders, or depression and they would always say i didn't even though i thought i did.
So I think i'm an empath, what now? The miserable existence is ringing pretty true for me. I used to be very sociable and had a lot of freinds, and I get along with ppl well wherever i go (usually), but over the last few years, the symptoms you described, besides the healing, have been getting worse and worse and I'm finding myself slowly turning into a hermit. Even though my friends and family worry and are constantly looking for me because I avoid them, I don't know what to do since I'm always feeling overwhelmed. Also, this post for me is pretty much my first dab in this kind of stuff. I'm not particularly interested in being an empath nor proud of it, if the case is that i am one.
actually another question then: if a person is an empath, regardless of whether they do know they are or not, can a social anxiety disorder develop from it? and if so, what then? how do we deal? I read your tips and will try them, but as someone who isn't a strong paranormal believer or is jsut too new to it, I guess I'm wondering if there are more clinical or scientific ways of dealing with this.
In any case, many thanks for writing this...you have no idea how much its helped me understand myself a little better...
Wow, I actually read all these comments, and all of it is fascinating. Great hub! And so useful. I love that you made the distinction between clairsentience and being an empath. The first really can feel fairly detached, but to be an empath can be very painful if you don't know how to take care of yourself.
I know I have both gifts or qualities or whatever you might call them. I have a job in a phone center, and it's the absolute worst job in the world for an empath. I soak up everything and come home exhausted and overwhelmed every day, and yet, the most common thing I hear from people on the phone is "You are such a kind person," and I think to myself, how do they know? They can't see me! I could be a raving puppy-eating bitch for all they know. I'm not a raving puppy-eating bitch, but I mean, it's just weird.
One really good book I read on this topic that gives lots of useful tips for learning to live with this kind of disposition is called "The Highly Sensitive Person". I liked it because it approaches it from a purely practical standpoint, none of the New Age hype or anything, just, OK so this is how you are, this is how to cope with it.
Thanks for all the excellent information.
thank you for this. i was born an empath-- ever since i was a baby i had such painful reactions to sad music or animals being hurt, etc. i would physically and emotionally just beocme so drained and sad. over the years i found that i was a healer too, which, as you say, is NOT fun at all. i'm so alone b/c i have to be. people drain me. situations and the pain of others drain me. the only thing that seems to bring me back around is music and animals and nature. otherwise, it's just hell. i dare not tell my shrink this, because no one understands unless they are one. i used to think i was just a depressed baby and child, until i came across the term "empath" around 2000. then i knew-- it just all fit. but still... that doesn't help me out. i'm still so sad and need to be alone 95% of the time (with the exception of my dogs). i hate always *knowing* peoples' motives. i hate always sensing what they feel and think, as well as mirroring it to them. it's so difficult. i can't fake any of it. i really have just wanted to die the past few years. it's the only way i feel i can release myself from everyone's pain.
FOR THOSE IN NEED OF TALKING TO SOMEONE....THERE IS AN EMPATHIC COMMUNITY THAT HAS SEVERAL DOZEN EMPATHS THERE TO TALK TO AND TO LEARN FROM.
i AM A MEMEBER AND HAVE LEARNED MUCH FROM THEM...SMILES. I TOO AM AN EMPATH...i HAVE BEEN FOR A VERY LONG TIME...i PULL THE PAIN FROM OTHERS INTO MYSELF...THAT IS MY OPERATION...I NEVER LEARNED TO UNLOAD THAT PAIN AND UNTIL RECENTLY I WAS IN A LOT OF PAIN BECAUSE OF IT.
WHEN I WA "EMPTIED" THE PERSON WHO HELPED ME TOLD ME THAT I 'LOST A 1000 YEARS OF PAIN..." AND IT FELT IT...FOR ALL OF YOU WHO ARE EMPATH YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO HARBOR THAT PAIN...I AM ONLY NOW LEARNING TO GROUND AND SHIELD..SMILES...AND THAT MY FRIENDS IS NOT EASY FOR AN OLD MAN.
THE COMMUNITY IS LOCATED AT WWW.EMPATHCOMMUNITY.NING.COM
GOOD LUCK AND I HOPE THEY CAN HELP ALL OF YOU IN YOUR SEARCH AND JOURNEY AS THEY HAVE HELPED ME...
Thank you for this article. It has helped me to confirm things that I do know and learn things that I didn't. I have been an Empath since I was in my mid-teens (I am 38 now). I consider being empathic both a gift and a curse. Now I have found that my abilites have extended to the Internet which makes things more difficult when my job is computer related. Meditation has been a great help to control my abilities. Carrying a piece of Rhodenite helps a little as well. My current spiritual path has opened my mind to new possibilities and has helped me to better control these gifts. Thank you for posting this article.
hello this is my first time here i have been having dreams about me having a heart attack and dont know if that is a form of empath or not i know iam clairvoyant i was even told that by some psychic from california psychics.com but i know i still have alot to learn
I have always been an Empath, though I seem to have developed some deeper trends as of late. I wasn't aware of what I was I just knew I had what I believed was a God given gift to help others. I achieve many levels of picking up these emotions. Before I knew exactly what was going on I had spend an unmeasurable amount of time crying when I had no personal reason to cry, I later learned the day I was crying was the day the man I have been in love with for far longer than I am willing to admit, his brother was found early that morning dead of natural causes...
It isn't easy being an Empath, it really isn't easy being an empath in love. I don't know that I will ever rid myself of this man he seems so deeply embedded.
Any suggestions?
I understand very well just what it means to be a heavily empathic person... and its not what I would call an easy thing... its often hard to tell what I personally am feeling when surrounded by people with strong emotions of their own... its almost frightening how without a single word I know how my friends are when I see them for the first time in days... it sucks me in, and I have to resolve the conflicts somehow or I cannot even function... For the sake of critics, I am an atheist with an abundance of doubt for anything spiritual or metaphysical.... I can't explain how I "read people"... I just know... simple as that...
I don't beleave in false hope. Please be greatful. It is rare to fell so positive with so much going on. Maybe its God helping you though this season in your life. Or maybe your going to receive a huge blessing. I have found that I can feel a blessing coming. Its funny, I tend to get more excited when God tells me about the blessing than I do when I acturally recieve it. Good luck and God bless.
All the information on this website is wonderful and very helpful. I am an Empath since i was born and it is very difficult and painful to have this ability. Sometimes i feel very tired and sick of it because I feel as if i am responsible to bring solutions to the issues that are currently happening in this world and in my family obviously i do know that whatever i will do will be by the Grace of God but its just that how much can i do. I cant go and feed every homeless child but i feel that I am the one who have to take the first step. My question to all Empaths is that- Has anyone ever felt good deep down inside your heart in a situation which might seem to be upsetting. What i mean here is that you feeling good about a situation which in real should make you feel bad. The positive feeling is not going away even when the situation does not seem like a positive situation. The excitement is not going away. I do not want to get involved in false hopes as i have recently discovered that i am an empath any help will be dearly appreciated.
SilentWhispers, you're comment touched me. I may be wrong, but I feel, although you do NOT concider yourself an anticrist ; Mr. ( or Ms.) Fretbuzz and others of the like make you question where your gift has come from. First off, remember it is a GIFT even when it doesn't feel to be. Secondly, and most importantly: this gift IS from GOD. He gives everyone different gifts although not everyone is in tune to it (or them) I do have a question to those like Fretbuzz.... Was Christ Himself not the ultimate empath while he walked on Earth? To that fact is He not still an empath today? Plus, if the definithion of christianity is to be Christ like, then how can you rationalize your comments? I do not know if I am an empath but I do know God gave me empathic tendecies and now my journey of what he expects me to do with this gift begins. Love in Christ to all
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I am an empath.I am also a Christian.I don't believe I'm an anti-christ.People enjoy being around me when I'm happy.It sometimes feels like they are trying to feed off of it.I will get sudden moments of rage or depression when I'm in the happiest of moods (but this is only when I'm around people) and I usually cannot tell where it is coming from.I am pretty young and have not tried to develop it.I thought I was crazy at first.I'm happy that I read this because these things have happened to me.A lot of the time it is not fun to be empathic.I even wished to get rid of it for awhile because I was tired of feeling so many different emotions and I couldn't sort them out.It has gotten better,but I do still wish to be alone when I start feeling strong emotions.Thank you for writing that.It did help me understand more.
I'm an empath and thanks to you i've realized why I get sick alot and everyone else seems to be perfectly healthy after I've been around them. I honestly did not know that empaths could heal. THANK YOU!
Isa;
You speak well about transgression and empath channeling. We should talk sometime.
R. Martin Basso
Click on the link to my other tips. :)
Thank you for this article,this helps. I was at a coffee shop feeling so good and then it felt like a sword went into my heart I looked up across the room and the woman sitting in front of me facing me from across the room was practically in tears and she looked really upset. I felt it before I saw her. Unfortunately, I had to move because it was so uncomfortable. Any suggestions on not picking up on this stuff?
HELLO,,,All,,,, firstly would like to stay isabella ,,,, WELL DONE !!,,,great post ,,love it ,,,, fretzzzz,,, u need healing ,,,
to everyone else that is or thinks they are an empath ,,,RESEARCH ,,,
you can only do good ,,, never evil ,,,, it is worth the effort to find,,deal with ,,and understad within for ur well being and own soul,,,just release the negative keep the positive ,,,smile ,,,, ur blessed ,,,,
the holy spirt is and dose work in mysterious ways ,,,
love ,,,light,,, and purpleness to all ,,,,,
Thanks, Isabella, I will look at these as soon as I can! I can't believe I finally found a blogsite where the speaker on empaths actually knew what he/she was talking about. I was getting tired of the wannabees. I know that sounds harsh, but everyone makes it out to be a fantasy world that exists. Sometimes it gets irritating.
Phil -- Most empaths have no idea they can heal, so I wouldn't use healing as a major indication. But, yes, if other peoples energies suddenly improve, it can be because you sucked up all the negative stuff. I'm not an expert at blocking these things out -- but I can tell you how to get rid of it once you absorb it, and that will make a big difference. I cant tell you if youre an empath, only you can know.. but try these tips and they should help some.
Isabella, hi. i had a question. due to personal reason, i'm not going to reveal what's going on, but can an empath be drawn to a thing or person someone else desires. and can emotions be running haywire even if an empath is alone? see, my whole life, i've had this problem. a lot of friends say that i'm empath, but i'm not sure. i do have all the signs that you described except i can't physically heal anyone or anything, but i'm pretty sure that i have spiritually healed a lot of people cuz i walk into a room, and according to my friend, everyone's energies shift in a good way. but i make all this difference, and yet, it feels like the life force inside of me gets drained away. i even find myself drawn to things that i hate. i guess what i'm asking is, how can you shutout people's emotions because so many times i feel like i'm dead on the inside nor do i truly know myself at all.
Thank you Deelstra, I'll google it. :)
Isabella, you've just gotta read Blessings InThe Mire, a book of "True Stories and Recollections." It's NON-FICTION and filled with current day "miracles."
Thanks for this great hub. One of your best yet!
Hi, To lifted shadows - I do some holistic therapy work and think i'm beginning to tune in and heal people - i have absolutely no idea how this is happening as its a new thing but a piece of advice a friend gave me might be of use to you. She said that rather than build barriers to stop energies entering my body that I should think more along the lines of "think of yourself standing in the desert and a swarm of bees comes towards you, if you run around, shout and scream you will be stung, if you stand completely still and just watch them, then they will fly straight past you" in this wee story, the energy, feelings etc that you are picking up (whatever they may be) might pass through you if you stay neutral. You will be able to feel what you need to to know whats going on but won't pick up the negativity if you stay neutral. Hope this helps a bit, its all a bit new to me but it might be useful.
Has been interesting to hear what you all have been saying, hope you all progress through with all your issues really positively. bx
I'm a Christian and a skeptic. Not of you and of your article, but of myself, I should say. I've had...supernatural issues, to put it lightly, ever since I was little. Dreams of the future, no matter how dramatic or mundane, symptoms that are very close to those of an empath, healing abilities...and, I will be frank, it stinks. Completely. Plus, considering that the range and control over these "abilities" changes rapidly, I feel like a rejected X-men character.
Please don't get me wrong. They have an upside. I am able to calm down my friend, a bipolar individual, when he has not had his medications. I am able to give good advice to the crowds of people who ask me for it, because I can see both sides of a problem rather well and have a level head. I've even lifted some "burden" from people, whether or not they were aware, so that they were better able to handle situations. My issues tend to deal with me being able to control the "abilities."
I have issues even touching some items. I'll touch something, and I got swarmed with emotions. Sometimes, my intake of emotions from touching something or just being near people has gotten so bad that I may literally be reduced to gasping for breath, kneeling on the floor. And since I plan on entering the field of psychology, possible in a forensic aspect, I'm very concerned about my ability to control my empathic abilities.
I suppose, in short, my question is fairly simple: am I empathic, or something else entirely? And do you have any ideas on how to control my...whatever it is I have?
I'm an Empath and I am here to say that it is extremely difficult being one. I have always been able to pick up other people's emotions and never knew why. I figured it out a couple of years ago when my then 16-year old daughter was going through severe mental health issues. Right now, I am going through a very very bad time at work and actually have an ADA claim against the company. I haven't said a word to my co-workers but I think the management has and I can feel everyone's emotions and they are not kind towards me. People who were friends are no longer and let me tell you, it is hell. I know I am right and I am trying to make it better for everyone and get justice. I go to the bathroom and cry when it bets too much. I know I have to see this through the end to get the justice that is needed but there are days it is way too much and I hate being an empath. The worst part is that what I feel actually is what it turns out to be. But I have been lucky that I have received the strength to continue and I look to my angel and guides for guidance. Believe me, they help.
I have been an empath forever, when I was younger I was totally overwhelmed all the time, depressed, always needed space, thought i was the problem, always feeling others pain, but so so confused as to why, whose pain is this. I did a personal growth counselling course and i did not need to learn empathy, it was there, what I found i learned the most on was seperating from the group. I remember going into the group and feeling all these emotions. I love my job as a counsellor and now seperate when I need to, you need the awareness and to keep checking whats going on for you and asking whose pain is this if your not sure, I still struggle sometimes and find myself needing my space which i honour, otherwise i give on empty. I have a few things that help me which is breathing in someone you want to help but upon leaving them breathing them out, also shaking them out of body which leaves me clear.
I had one experiance where I was in my bathroom and suddenly felt like I was being strangled and broke down in sobs, really really sobbed. Then i met up with this lady who i had been working with and she told me of her experiance in the bathroom, which was just like what I had experianced. this women was able to live her life after that. I have had loads of differnt experiances, trust yourself, look inside yourself, stop look and listen cos its vital you give yourself the energy you give to others.
I really like this web site and I thank you for putting your energy into it
Dawn x
Good hub, Keep Writing!!
Thanks for the post. I am so glad to read and have the information about empaths and how to handle the emotions. I did not realilze there were so many. Any information on this and how to handle it are a big help as I do not go around discussing this with people.
I found the information very helpful. I did not know I was an empath. I have a tendancy to be able to pick up very intense negative emotions kinda like a magnet, and I had no idea of how to clear them out. Rather confusing to say the least.
If I can pickup such intense emotion, can I also send positive emotions to people. When I was very young, I had a friend that I talked to with single words, but we conveyed whole thoughts to each other. His mother asked if we understood each other, and she would ask us to explain the thought we received or communicated, and we were spot on with each other. That brings me back to my question of can I relay postivie emotions to others?
i think i might be an empath but its just a hunch whomever wrote this is a genius. i've seached everywhere trying to conferm it but everything i found wasn't as helpful as this
Hi,
I feel very happy to have found here. I am a clairsentient and have developed my ability to be equanimous around other people, animals, plants or elements. I have been practising meditation since 2004 almost everday. The last years have been quite strong in terms of rising empatic abilities. I was overwhelmed when in public with other people or with just being with people. Could not look at people, I already felt so much about them so I did not want to know more by looking. It was just too much information coming to me than I could manage or bare, really. There were times that I cried and asked for the reason why was this happening. I knew that this was a gift but I did not know how to use this gift for self development and for the benefit of others. As I went deeper with my meditation and became more and more equanimous with my own feelings and know my feelings and its roots, I started undersanding people and their behaviours. The source comes from love of course self love and love for others. So now I feel very good about this ability. Now I can feel people, see thru them and read their mind and I just let this be. I become transparent, I let these emotions, thoughts pass thru me. And during this pasing if I am equanimous with what I experience than often there is a very creative way about doing things. It s again with love. At that moment I look at myself, if I am total and feel in balance and harmony with my feelings, than I can act with care and help this person see what he/she experince in a way that she/he can undersand with my best intentions. It can be as simple as a smile. Sometimes you just be there for the sake of being and do nothing. Compassion can travel very far. When you are compassionate, all your being resonate with love and wellbeing and can fill all around you and have a transforming effect. Sometimes silence is very powerfull. Stillness carries certain bliss which can be stronger than words.
The question is why we have this gift? There must be a reason. And there is. With this gift we can know our innerself and unconscious behaviours. We have to know our feelings when overwhelmed by someone elses feelings in order to distinguish them. If you can know that it is not your feeling than you can help. But when you dont know if its your feeling or others' then it can get confusing and disturbing. The key is this: if the emotion you get is confusing the reason is that you carry that same emotion in you and this emotion has a certain effect on you. The other person might have lets say 80% of the emotion and you only have 10% it is enough to triger that 10% in you as if it is 100%. This is how you can understand yourself and work on that emotion. Because if you were free of that emotion you would still feel that person's pain or confusion but you could not take it in. You could stay with the fact that there is something happening in this person and you dont know what is it except that it is not a happy state. You can not know it because you dont have the same emotion. When you have the same emotion than you can know and understand this person. And at the same time you can look within and see if this same emotion effects your own being or can you stay in balance with it. It may be that you have healed this emotion so now you can only observe.
Helping others is a rather delicate subject. You need to be very carefull not to develop certain ego or speciallness because you have high empathic abilities. Instead you can share love and understanding and it is the most powerfull healing and helping for both you and others. After all we all are connected and one. With love..
thanks a lot Isa. you have given me a lot of answers. im greatfull!
I am a Christian who through a few events have found out that I may be empathic. I can't begin to explain the emotinal roller coaster I have been on trying to figure out if I an nuts or not. Isa, I would like to speak to you more on the subject.
First of all, I too am an Empath. I have always known this. But I have to tell you that I believe the thing(s) inside of me that make me this way are also inside each and every one of us. The power that makes you sensitive and healing and all of those things has many names. What it really is though is God. God, or a little piece of him lives within all of us. Some folks have this a little more on the surface and easier to get at than others.
I have studied Religion of all kinds. From Jesus Christ to Allistair Crowley. From Muslim to Hindu and everywhere in between. We are all connected by the power of Love or God. Empaths are gifted in that they help others discover things, healing things about themselves that end up bringing us all back together. God Bless Empath's..... scottmoriarty@hotmail.com
being a empath is not fun nor is it welcomed at time like walking into a hospital and knowing and feeling who is not going to make it :( but being able to feel what is wrong with your children i found as long as you can keep your heart light and love yourself as well as those around you you can get through the energy people send your way . thank you for your artical made me realize more what i am and how to help my self and those around me :) god bless
I wonder if there is a word for the opposite of an empath. If there is a range of skill like you can be VERY good at feeling what others feel or VERY closed to it, I am toward the very closd side. Is there any new age writing that can help me use that trait (whether it is a shortcoming or an advantage probably has a lot to do with how I treat it).
This just discribed me and I know I am. I am A completely christian girl but my youth leader explains its real. the ability to know and feel others emotions. my friend and I never could explain how we felt but this just did. amazing article:)
hello Isabella.
i like the information your bringing to the web. i've been digging and digging all over the place for [keyword] empath, empathy, clairvoyence, guidence to empathy--etc etc... though i have yet to completely understand it all. all searches have led me to the same dead end. alot say this or that---but theres not really any solidarity to much of it.
the reason im here today is to ask you for advice. n__n
im 20 now. but since i can remember i've always felt so much more than my peers or family. everyones always labled me drama queen, baby, etc.. but im not! i know im a happy person---but i feel like whenever im in the room with someone close or someone i've never met---i just feel---different. sorrow or anger..excitment. just a few to name. i cannot understand this so i ask: is there really a good way to tell? if i am an empath---i want to help people. i want to develop it you know? ever since i can recall i've always loved helping others. My mother would describ me as a peacemaker, caring and creative. i try to stray from hurting people, though i am human and i make mistakes---the thought of putting someone in pain at all just burns my soul i cant describe.
is there any advice or information you could give me to help me on my quest for answers? thank you for your time.
lovely hub.
xoxo
Very nicely put, Isabella. Very. Nicely. Put. :o)
I am a Christian, born again, saved, bought and paid for by the blood of Christ. I am also an empath. I do not find this gift pleasant and I'm seeking other Christian empaths. It bothers me that Fretbuzz feels this way. I'm not even checking the date.. I could be very late here.. forgive me. I do not believe that empaths are possessed by demons. I do believe in evangilism.. as Christ commanded us to go into the world and preach the Gospel. But what got me the most was when Fretbuzz said that he/she doesn't believe in healing.. that God no longer heals! The Bible says that God is the same yesterday as He is today and will be tomorrow. That said, God still heals! God still speaks and moves in our lives. It breaks my heart that anyone would fail to believe in the healing powers of my living God! If anyone knows of a place where I can find Christian help to deal with my curse/gift, please let me know.
isabella the post was perfect ive scaned through some of the feed back and i wouldnt know what needs to be said to the negative responses to make them realise that this is very real and confusing and debilatating, but trying to explain to someone who has no understanding of this is a chore in itself,
being sat with loved ones having a nice time then getting this dreadful fealling that something is wrong with someone, personally i have to go through my little list of people close to me that i have "read" before and see if its coming from them if it is fine i'll get in touch chat about it and the anxiety goes away, if i dont know where its coming from, well it will stay with me till i find out who it is or untill they feel better themselves, im very new to finding out that something is different about me and im trying to study as much as i can, so coming across this posting was a like a breath of fresh air, thank you again angel x x x x
I really enjoyed your hub, Isabella, and some of the other things of yours I read today. Great sense of humor - very saucy wench! Yay! Long live the witches!
LOL, Greg. Very good.. and very right. I should say that there are exceptions, if only a few. The lying thing, for example. If I'm attracted to a man and have some degree of feelings for him, there's always something that prevents me from realizing he's lying his arse off to me. I know it, deep down.. but it's a fuzzy feeling and I always think I'm just picking up something from somewhere else. Very annoying!
As for everyone else's comments - thanks! Your comments were all spot on and lovely!
Very well said, Isabella. I just feel like saying "ditto" because there's not much I could add and if I added my own personal experiences it would be like preaching to the choir -- hey, you and other empaths would already understand so why state the obvious.
The one thing I will say is that I do disagree with nearly all absolutes so I can't agree that empaths "can't" be lied to although I will say it is the exception rather than the rule. For example, I've known some people with rather fractured minds from things like drug use. I found I kept associating with them because I just HAD to come to an understanding of what I was feeling from them. They were good liars at first mostly because of the confusion coming from them. In time I could tell lies from truth (with truth being very rare), but at first it was like trying to look for a single ray of light when I was being deluged with a dozen conflicting rays from their fractured minds.
I've only had a very small experience with the healing aspect you talk about so I know at least for some people there's at least something to it, but since my own experience is so limited that's the one area you talk about that I have to remain mum about.
Anyway, thanks for the summary you posted. I read your profile and I'll look for your work elsewhere. Hmmm, I notice that your profile picture make me feel like you may have a chip or two on your shoulder. I'm not complaining, I just wanted to let you know it might convey something you don't want to others since you're obviously such a very sweet, caring, docile woman...
Yes I'm being somewhat facetious -- I just saw the recovering feminist comment in your profile and couldn't resist. The beauty of the Internet: I can make a snide remark without worrying about getting your knuckle punched into my shoulder in return.
Hello, For the past few months I can't tell wheither I am depressed of not, but i have been feeling really strange. And now that I have read your passage above i can relate to all of those topics. thanks now i can research and learn.
Talon
Mr. Fret, even though I am also a Christian, I must disagree with you. Of course empathy CAN come from demons, it can also come from God. Go to 1 Corinthians 12:10. God gives some the gift of discernment.
As a Christian empath, I have never felt demonic influences like feeling someone else's physical pain. For me, it's completely mental. And some people don't open up to me until I give more of an indication that I am an empath. However, I can read many people like a book. There is only one person in this world that I can't read: my friend's sister. She is a rock shell, probably from their abuse from their father.
Oh, and yes, being an empath is NOT that much fun, I agree. Whenever I pass into someone's "air of influence" I have to deal with added on emotions: worse when they are experiencing a hard time in their life. I share the burden. Embracing someone I know going through a tough time actually helps us BOTH, unbeknownst to them.
i'm not sure whether to cry in happiness or depression. I'm glad to see there are so many who are just like me but oddly enough that doesnt particularly make me feel allt hat much better about being an empath... see along with empathy I have borderline personality disorder so I am REALLY screwed up and I have absolutely no way to handle my emotions and feeling like i'm a constant emotional punching bag to every single person on this planet I meet yet I cant stop myself from helping or wanting to or even needing to help someone in pain.. I hate feeling it myself but I'd rather i feel it then see them in pain... it's so completely and utterly confusing.. i'm going through enough changes at 20 years old and I have no idea what to do or where to turn next...talk about a curse....
To christian empath ad fret buz. I'm a Christian empath as well. I know what I believe, but I also understand my gift. It's easy for Christians who've never experienced it to write it off as demon possession. Christians do that for things they don't understand. It's not divination, it's a God given gift. For example, I had a friend who, in the middle of the night, had broken down in the middle of nowhere. He couldnt' reach his parents and didn't know who else to call. I woke up and felt his panic, and called him on his cell. He was grateful and I was able to help him. THAT'S empathy. I've walked through a crowd and been able to tell that someone was distressed. I search for her, found her, and helped her. Tell me that's not Christian.
Very interesting hub! I have personally turned to Buddhism as a way to deal with my empathic nature. I discovered as a teenager that trying to block out the emotion doesn't work and sometimes can do more harm than good. You have to let it flow through you and then back out into the universe. There are many Buddhist meditation techniques which train your mind to observe and acknowledge the emotions and then process them and let them go without causing the debilitating after effects. In my own opinion it is not feeling the emotion but difficulty in letting go of the emotion that causes Empaths the pain.
This is not a quick fix solution by any means, it has taken me ten years of study to get to the point where I can actually cope and begin to enjoy life. But it most definitely helped me. Also, compassionate love for all sentient beings is a major part of Buddhism so I find it compliments an Empaths natural leaning. Just my personal experience. If it helps anyone else then that's great. Can't wait to read your suggestions on how to deal with it Isabella. Cheers!
I know I'm not an Empath, but I can certainly relate to some of these things. I think, in a way, it comes from other things in my case, and not empathy, but for people who are Empaths, it comes from that. Although I have to wonder, since there are people out there (like me) who have some of these signs but aren't Empaths, is there anything else similar with these signs that aren't Empath? I'm sorry for rambling (especially if this makes no sense) - it's 3:45 AM and I haven't slept yet. :)
Great hub, I enjoyed reading it.
It's something that can be filtered with skill, but I doubt it could be turned off. Its like being linked straight into the tap of human emotion, theres no closing it. Not really. Thats why most of us like to be alone. That said, there are a number of other things that sound like what an Empath goes through, but arent, so you may want to exhaust those possibilities before deciding youre an empath. Best wishes to you.
I am two days into 'googling' empath to learn as much as I can. Everything I've read makes me wonder more and more if this is me. I wouldn't consider myself 'into' psychism (i've never even heard that term before!), but I swear, it's like reading many of my experiences word for word, my whole life. Ever since I can remember, as a child, I was considered 'moody', I found it hard to make lots of friends, just a few close friends - as I've grown it's only intensified. I am very uncomfortable in large groups of people, getting overwhelmed. I have had panic/anxiety attacks, 'phantom' illness, and find watching other people in pain/embarrassed either in real life or on TV unbearable (I have to turn the channel and only watch comedies, no news). I often get either extremely angry or sad for apparently no reason, my first impressions of people are almost always correct, and I can feel when friends/family are angry or lying to me even if they won't acknowledge it at the time. I don't know-I had started to think I'm depressed or paranoid, but now I wonder, could I have empath tendancies? If so, my question, because of feeling things so strongly, I think I've tried to 'turn off' my emotions. While I know I am strongly affected by emotions from others, I think I unintentionally distance myself to prevent getting hurt or feeling the despair/guilt/anger/pain - however, this goes against what I've read of empaths, you say they cannot help but help others. Is this something an empath who does not know or understand it, could do, turn off their own emotions in an attempt to protect themselves from others? If so, it has not worked or made for a very happy life for me in the past few years, however I would have to idea how to improve things, as I said, I'm not 'into' this type of stuff, but I have found your topic entries very interesting. Thank you.
I have a question for Fretbuzz I believe it was. What if you are a Christian empath? Does that mean that God will does not care for me? God says that if we believe in Jesus Christ and that he died on the cross we will be saved from our sins. I do not believe empaths are bad and I cannot believe they are evil in any way. I believe in God the father, God the son, and the Holy Spirit. Does being an empath mean I will not be saved? Who am I hurting, other than myself? I am the only one that is hurt by my abilities. What about the fact that I can see Auras, is that a bad thing too? Perhaps you need to think about us too because then you will see that we aren't hurting anyone. I don't believe God will mark me as evil for trying to help people, friends, family, people I don't even know. In fact I think He gave me this power for a reason...
Sorry that I didn't mention any of you. I was a little ticked off at Fretbuzz. i appreciate everyone elses comments too.
Interesting to see you write this; I relate to much of what you have shared here. I could write much about this, but will spare you the dissertation... :-D
Just because someone is psychic, or empathic, does make them an Empath.
Many psychics show/have empath ability and don't think of it as seperate from their other psychic ability- surely?
I am appreciative of your explaination to people what an Empath really is. I have been an empath since I was born. I am just in the past few weeks able to put a name to what I do. I foind myself as a teenager and begining to work, really disliking people and it was because of the pain I felt from them. They disrespected others, they put hurt peoples feelings etc and I found myself more and more withdrawn because of how nasty I felt the world was. It was painful emotionally. I find myself cornered in bathrooms by complete strangers wpilling there guts to me about this or that. I smile, listne and engage. I wouldnt dare hurt their feelings and rush off. I know a mood when I walk into a room. I get negative and postive energy from people. I am cautious to watch the news and even hear storries of things that are currently happen to children. It can bring me to my knees and send me into a depression. Since I was young I would spend hours in my room alone. I also have to have a certain distance of personal space around me at all times or I start to panic. I find going to sleep troublesem and have never been able to go straight to sleep. I have to pray for all the things I saw that hurt me and give it to God. Again I did this as a very small child...4 or 5 at the least. The one thing I dont know for sure about right now is if I can take on the pain of someone who is ill. Its not something I have paid attention to before but will start. I have always believed I had the gift of healing. I have no idea why. I have never really tried to heal anyone except my oldest daughter when she had pnemonia. She was very ill. She woke up the next more so much more inproved. I had a daughter who was born with 3 heart conditions. I prayed over a 2 year period. On her last check up with the doctor they told me that heart conditons were barely noticable and that the life threatning condition they diagnosed her with at birth didnt show up on any ore the test they ran. They want to keep monitoring her. I didnt give a second thought to the fact that I had healed them. I do know however that my God did. If I could be used as his conduit for this sort of healing though I would definily be interested in doing so.
oh sorry my myspace is www.myspace.com/rockmusicequalslife and my email is ethanleach@comcast.net
Isa I kno after reading several different articles that I am an empath. I have always felt the need to keep to myself and as i read a book or watch a movie i cry at sad parts or feel anger at angry parts. i cant even watch tv nymore cuz it gets so bad. People open up to me that i hardly kno or dont even kno at all.And im able to isten and make them feel better about themselves. the only thing is is over the past few years ive turned into some1 bitter and jealous on the outside but on the inside ive fet the same caring loving person ive always been.so i dont kno what to do. empaths from what ive been told r supposed to be lving ppl. and i am just when i dont feel threatened. do u see what i am saying? well thank you for sharing your article with me. maybe u can leave a myspace friends request and help me learn to turn my curse into a gift? also drop me a couple lines at my email if u want. blessed be
I like this a lot! Thanks so much for sharing!! I am going to check out your other hubs and if they are this good, I will be fan soon! :)
Alyson - As a singer, I have learned to block it out from the collective, a bit, but just when Im onstage. I cannot do it the rest of the time, and I think the only reason Im able to block it *some* onstage is because Im expressing so much it outweighs whats coming in. Sorry.. no adivce for blocking it out, otherwise.. :(
Smartdawg - Yes Id imagine many clinically depressed people are just empaths who don't know what they're feeling isnt coming from themselves. Sad, really. Lots of medicated people walking around who probably dont really need it.
Through an intuitive and lifes latest lessons, I have come to see that I am too an empath. The Intuitive I met said she has never seen such a strong empath, and luckily have been able to handle the stresses that our lives lead...But the more I read about empaths, the more I understand more of me. I literally live in a round house on a hilltop house. I have lovingly refered to it as my hobbit house since I love to hide away. I could easily be Dr. Dolittle allowing every creature to come to me. They are my solace and at times saviour, but also my albatross when nature comes full circle and I am without them. My path lately has been very emblazened. I let myself fall for someone, but let him go and I have been very obsessive about what I perceive to be my biggest mistake in life.thoughts & actions that are not normal for me..There has been a lot of death around me that I have, until recently not been able to deal with, not even wanting to go to my own home where the deaths occured..Thoughts so intense that I thought about just driving into a tree..but regained myself and now am learning why these thoughts come to pass and how to handle them. It is a relief to understand why I am the way I am. I can accept my "freakness" with grace and understanding. So the next time a stranger walks into my office saying he just needs $5 for bologna and cake mix for his son, I will understand why the tears flow.
I am so glad to see such a nice article on empathy. Empathy is definately NOT a fun gift, and for lots of us it is a curse until something snaps us to the realization that some of the "feelings" or emotions aren't really ours. I am incredibly sensitive, and I, like you say, have to keep to myself more often than not just to stay at ease. Do you also pick up the big "waves" that come off the collective? Or only from individuals? I am getting better about dealing with the individual feelings, but I still have no defense for the emotions that come from the collective "soul" or unconscious. Any suggestions?
Frettbuzz - Well, I *am* the antichrist, remember..
Thanks Kenny!
Lily - Gift is a relative term. Whether or not its something to be enjoyed depends on your life. Specifically, who is in it and what you have to experience on a daily basis. if you grew up in the ghetto or just had a rough life in general, being an empath wouldnt really be much fun.
I am an empath - and yes, I agree that it certainly isn't fun - when you go on emotional ups and downs throughout life. But, I see it as a gift now and learning how to use it in ways I can heal.
Empathic abilities are beautiful actually. I'm sure you can resonate with me on this, Isa. We feel the world around us in differently - we see nature sparkles and illuminates itself - green isn't just green, notice that glow around every leaf? We hear music with our hearts - they aren't just notes and tones - they carry the emotions of the composers. We look at art, not just seeing colors and forms - we gather concept, and possibly a glimpse of that artist's complex view of life. Around people, this gift is even more pronounced - you'd know when they are happy, sad, angry - no body language needed. Sometimes physical proximity isn't needed as well - you just know. Friends often call me an emotion eavesdropper!
Developed to its height, the gift of empath has the power to heal. We can move energies with our mind, directing love and comapssion as a healing source to another. Thoughts can be directed to manifest intentions. And we can be a source of light for people - lifting up moods instead of absorbing lower vibrations. We are spiritual alchemists, transformational manifestors, and energy healers.
Here, I'm not talking about bending spoons and such, that's just show. Neither do we have to bow to every whim when someone says "If you are an empath, then read my mind." The point is we don't have to prove ourselves. Knowing deep down who we are is already bliss in itself.
Non-empaths will always be non-empathic of course - so let's leave them be. Until they are ready to develop their empathic side, they will always make excuses for their innate abilities - ie, it's demonic woo-woo, it's forgery, it's self delusion, etc. For one cannot understand what one hasn't experienced, can they? :) And it's a shame, because I cannot emphasize enough - being empathic in a very physical world adds more dimension to our being.
You're killing me, Isa.
Kenny has it right. Each person is their own communicator with God.
Nobody who spreads love and peace is a person of the devil. The world looks like it is sufferring from a deficiency of love! Don't believe what religious heads say. Ask God Himself.
So now empaths are the anti-christ, too?!?!?!?
No longer. In fact He warns us that the anti-christ will perform such "miracles".
We can thank God for all the medical technology he has blessed us with.
So God doesn't ever heal through people??
"what does Satan get out of that?" -good question.
It's a distraction from God's truth, a deception -which pleases Satan greatly.
Fret - Ah.. I see.. So tell me.. if possession is the work of Satan.... and if Empaths are possessed... if they are able to heal someone, what does Satan get out of that? Seems to contradict his usual meanie ways, doesn't it? ;)
Perfumer - Hello! And thank you, I'm glad you liked it!
Hi Isabella,
Very interesting hub!
I will be back later to read more of your hubs.
I do not believe in evangelical faith healers -they are predators that feed on the week.
Actually, I don't believe in agressive evangelism -one should merely respond when asked.
Interesting response, Mr. Fret!!! It does not surprise me, of course, as I know you don't beleive this kind of thing is possible. And I have to admit the possession remark made me smile! :))) I will not try to convince you otherwise, but I would ask you - do you believe in evangelical faith healers? And if so, where do they get their ability?
This is not a sermon, I promise.
Mark me as a non-believer. Not in the sense that I don't believe everything you described happens or in the sense that I look down my nose at those who do believe it -but in the sense that as a Christian I believe these things occur as a result of demon possession or other evil influences. Therefore I do not believe the things you described can happen to a saved person as the indwelling Holy Spirit prevents possession. And, of course, I don't believe we evolve -I do believe we adapt.
Excellent hub and topic, Isa.
crippknottick 6 months ago
I woke up today physically exhausted but mentally focused. My boss whom is 70 years old and has had 2 strokes and skin cancer on his scalp is usually a miserable person. Today I feel different, and my boss is full of energy and hope which is strange considering he is usually miserable. I still feel different.
I'm usually a nice person, though I have had my moments in life where I have been mean to others that don't deserve it.
I don't know what to feel or make of this. I just googled "when I woke up today i felt like different different person, felt a purpose, ressolve", and found this and a couple of other sites that pointed out to empathy and clairsentience. I didn't know what to think of it and I still don't.
Just like what I googled in the quotes above, I felt like I have a purpose, a resolve, I don't know. I feel physically exhausted but my mind has never been so focused before in my life.