What makes an empath

I may withdraw for awhile, but seem to become even more sensitive towards people I know or can just empathize with who are hurting or suffering a loss, even if their situation is completely different than mine. This has described me perfectly. I have always known I was different. I was not very accepting of this in the beginning but now I cherish it.

I use to think I was unable to connect with anyone on a higher level. Only after surviving a traumatic and near death event did I begin to truly understand, embrace, balance and share this beautifully intense gift. I have also learned a more effective way to explain what my life is like on a daily basis.

I simply express that my life would be best described as an emotional rollercoaster that I was afraid to ride and left me completely helpless of ever making sense of it. I have been blessed with meeting others like myself that leave me feeling complete and one with this courageously spiritual quest better known as life.

I am also a very intense and overly expressive speaker. The few who withstood my storm of emotions have always come back to just enjoy things on a level few can only experience through one perfect experience of levels most could not even fathom. I enjoy who and what I am. I am a being unable to ignore or take for granted life in grandest sense. Thank you for allowing me to share a little about my life living outside the box.

Inner peace is the ultimate freedom. Oh my, I just met myself. Who could describe oneself better?! Amazing share! Thank you for your courage, insights, and bless…ed gifts!!!

A blessing because I know I have enriched the lives of others and a curse because the people who know me the best , my family use it to hurt me in ways like no other!

My nephew in so many ways is like myself and this is yet another example of how! Totally, BAC, blessing and curse! I could see the person who wanted to speak with me and I would duck out.

They would even invade my dreams. Love it. Whatever I am be it empathy or other I also hate it. I just ever wanted to be a normal human being. I have no problem admitting the things, thoughts, emotions that come with being like this but I know that it does not agree with me. Others may benefit but some of us are left with nothing but our hell. I was in a cafe watching all the people and tried to distract myself by looking on the Internet instead but I was drawn to the people and sat outside and just watched …and felt and it was too much.

All of them seems joined by lines or cables leading to me. Some were so angry and hateful while others were enjoying themselves and I focused on those ones but one angry man walked up and past me and that did it.

I left, went home and felt relief but tired and napped. I still see the lines and people though. Angry people I need to stay away from. Soon I wont be able to be around anyone. Brutal and lonely. People have such troubles and they are wide open books. In 9 years only 3. Due to my unease with people I pushed them away. A lifelong one. Even people I would like to be friends with, male or female, I cannot usually spend much time with. I do get tired.

So how do you know or rather determine when your own feelings are being detrimental to your well being? Since empaths are based upon their sense of feeling it just seems like it could cause some major psychological damage if left unchecked. Please give me some clarity on this. This leads to depression and a sense of unimportance. I was attending a church where I could really feel the emotions of others and would come home crying because I could sense the lack of love and compassion among the congregation.

I left and found a church that is the most loving place ever! Being unnoticed is probably the best thing about it. Thanks for posting. Yet, when and of them were in trouble, they turned to me. I listened to their darkest fears and most terrifying memories.

I held their hand and swallowed their darkness. I never disclosed what they confided in me. My strength has always come from nature. She is cruel, but kind, She plays no favorites. Yet her world is heartbreakingly beautiful. I have four acres of wood behind my house that I walk in every day. Amazing, growing up with many acres behind our home probably saved me too.

I just had to be home for dinner. You are fortunate to have someone in your life who understands. I have outlived my partners, the fee that I found. Only in the past few years do l know who l am. A natural, born Empath and HSP. All natural. It would be nice to hear from other Empaths. Only me in my family are an Empath, but my Mother and daughter are psychic, naturally. I really need my downtime alone, to recharge. So, a little lost career-wise, but I also trust the Universe will show the way, as it has done all my life.

I do have a handful of very close, dear friends, and I am aware that many people like me. I found this website, I had a yes for every question. It now makes sense why I find myself avoiding people, why after visiting friends, I end up with anxiety for days, because I may of said something that they did not like.

I feel like a outsider all the time. I feel other peoples emotions. Even to the point where it has endangered my life. It all makes sense, where do we go from here? I am wondering if Empaths find themselves overly sensitive in movies as well. If a character has a skin disease, I find myself itching. If a character is dodging arrows, I am dodging in my seat.

But movie characters? Suffering the pains of others to such a degree that it makes us introverts, sick and depressed prevents us from being of value to our loved ones and fellow human beings. We all need to be valued.

When I finally understood this and that there is someone who already suffered for me and all my fellow humans then I was able to unburden myself, find joy and provide empathetic support to others and stay effective and mentally healthy in all my relationships. I discovered a foundation of joy under my anguish and depression. The term empath until about a year ago when I read it in a medical journal.

All of a sudden I realized all the characteristics that had set me apart from other people since I was a child were all attached to being an empath. I also realize that two of my three children are empaths as well.

That makes it hard For my daughter and I when it comes to having a relationship with my mom at times. I am currently getting out of a 29 year marriage With a narcissist.

I went back to college I studied psychology as a concentration and never even saw the signs that he was a narcissist. I was in complete denial and unaware of the codependency that was occurring. All of this was occurring because I was just trying to be a peacemaker. I married into the relationship with two young children and all I wanted was for us to become a family after my third daughter was born and the older girls became teenagers the normal conflict started to occur but he would break out in an out rage over some small decision or some chore and all I wanted was everyone to just calm down take their corners take a deep breath and start over.

My health has suffered as I have severe G. I have now found who I am and I am embracing it and learning to set boundaries. When people get things such as gifts or a note or a phone call or a text from me and they say how did you know?

I always say I pay attention. Would it be great if there was some huge convention of empaths absolutely I think we can solve world peace and world hunger and get rid of all the hateful people in this world and find better ways to rehab those that are in prisons and get our government street but more so just so that we can get together and realize that were in my purse sensitive beings who are special people on this earth for a reason.

I think a lot of you have confusion about what an empath is. We know and feel shit way before it happens. Empathy is walking through Walmart and picking up the emotions of every being in the place. Empathy is walking through a place where people died and knowing how, when, and why they died. I felt someone writing something about me several times just 2 or 3 times. But Now I think I wanna test your proposed way. I always said it was a blessing or curse.

I absorb emotions. I can read a person upon first glance. It brought me to dark places. I called it shutting people out. I drank to much. Not understanding why. I debunked the argument. I quit drinking. I detoxed myself. I had already been to detox twice. I renew my faith. I just recently learned what an empath is. I read percent. I also read ambidextrous about 10 percent and blue eyed 8 percent. No more self destructing. My ability to talk to people is second to none.

I can finally help people. Just now! But also extremely entertaining for injoyment of the gift. That i was highly Intuitive of this gift and aware of the ability to see mass amounts of information from a perfext Stanger to the point of extremely entertaining my extremely receptive mind abilitys.. With out knowing what was going on with this ability about what I highly sensed that i referred privately to myself as a superpower.. I highly keyed in on how to balance the lonelyness of the curse that comes with this ability.

Until now.. Miking senses were so strongAnd excelled to the point of letting a person into my lifeFor the only purpose of using my secret abilityAnd gift Of being able to see into other people.

And with heaven that ability I was able see To the super unnatural excel point of Changing their life for ever By using my extremely adapted abilities.. But just for a project knowingWhat the abilitiesThe level that I have gripped.. But I Have learned how to use it on other people in great ways… In ways that have changed their life forever In a very beneficial positive way… And the reason why do this, From the overwhelming lonelinessThis has given me a sense of satisfactionTo help balance out The cursesThat comes along with the blessings..

My emotional intake can get to the point of stress hives and just breaking down, not very enjoyable. But at least now I why I feel this way! After all these years, today I learned I am an empath. Holy crapola. So can someone on here help me understand why I keep seeing synchronize digits. Does anyone else feel cold breezes, get poked, hear knocking on walls? Is this part of being an empath? I have also been receiving feathers from what I think are my spirit guides?

I am not sure I need help figuring out why I feel so heightened with my emotions.. She was hiding it but I told my husband that I had a feeling and later that week she announced it. Stuff like this happens all the time. I get feelings, I could think of friends or family and sometimes get vibes and feelings and get news from them the same day, next day or a few days later and it could be very woah. Thank you for saying you are a psychologist.

May I ask you how I can find a psychologist that understands the gifts of being an empath? I am artistic, a deep thinker, full of love and understanding towards others, and very hard on myself.

I love who I am as a person but also realize I am my worst critic. We all should have and exhibit empathy and love for one another, and we are the way that we were created by God. No reason to try to find labels for ourselves. We are all children, brothers and sisters and neighbors to each other. I love each one of you on this thread and your courage to comment.

I pray for all of you. Wonderful people here I know! It took me a year but everyday I am getting stronger. I take on so much negativity that it effects my health and I want to focus on people that actually need help because of circumstances beyond there control and I need to leave the people that drain me because of choices and mistakes they make over and over again. Much love and peace to all of you.

Thank you for this article. After 44 years I have realized I am an empath. I can feel everything I mean everything!

When I pass by a car accident I have flashes of being in the car with those people in the car rolling the car with them, people being abuse I can feel it even when I passed by a stranger. I can feel the hurt and pain when someone is about to die. Thanks to those who have been vulnerable to share.

This is despite having spent decades with a variety of counselors and PhD. I always knew I was different. It all makes sense now. Wife always said was something wrong with me.

Nope it was a gift. Something not ok with her. Alone time will help me heal and be strong. Anyway, best wishes to everyone. How do we know that we are not just plain crazy? Or perhaps we have a major character defect? Thanks for mentioning how empaths tend to be great friends because of their ability to listen. My sister thinks she might be an empath or a clairvoyant, so I wanted to help her understand her gift better. I think meeting with another clairvoyant can help her understand what the future has in store for her.

I had no idea that there are people who can sense the energy and emotion of other people. My sister was telling me about psychics and how I should try and meed with one. Who knows, maybe I can find an empath near me or talk to one over the phone. Omg I thought I was crazy , been different from others , I have to learn how to say no , being an empath person is not easy , been use and abuse so many times , would love to meet others like me!!!!

I relate to everything about an intuitive empath. Even the codependency.. If there is a motive, what they are wanting out of someone or a situation. It kinda makes me feel judge mental and probably looks that way on the surface but I feel that I know if their intent is good or bad.

Almost instantly. When meeting people, I feel like I know wether I would like this person or not if, they have good intentions or not, if they are fake, A liar, a user, or a good person. When a person talks I listen and I can hear them so intensely. I can feel the stories behind things they say, I can feel their emotions and understand why they feel the way they feel.

I almost instantly know And can tell when something is said if there is a reason for them feeling that way, that something has happened in life to them or an experience that has made them feel that way. I feel a lil relieved. I also feel deeply. Bit of a loner, choose not to connect with a lot of people. But when I do, I do! I can feel a good person and I trust them wholeheartedly.

So much of this feels right to me. I have a hard time fitting in, always felt different, abnormal. Now what do I do? When someone was hiding emotions, or lies, so this helped me to avoid some disappointments. My son is really sensitive as well.

No one to explain WTF is happening!? I started off my life pretty normal, then I had my first experience with real deja vu. Shortly after noticing something weird was going on, a teacher asked me what was wrong, cuz I was standing there looking confused as hell, and said why is everyone doing what we did yesterday? She what do u mean? I said I told you, this is exactly what we did yesterday!

Iacobani M. Mirroring people: the science of empathy and how we connect with others. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellMind. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data.

We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. How to Know If You're an Empath. Pros and Cons Of Being an Empath. Protecting Yourself if You're an Empath. How to Determine If You're An Empath You can start by asking yourself some questions about how well you relate to others and how you physically and emotionally respond to big emotional events taking place in your presence.

Have you been accused of being too sensitive in the past? Do you feel overwhelmed in crowded spaces? Would others describe you as empathetic? Pros You can provide emotional support for others You know when someone is in need of help You can tell if someone will be good for you. We can each conduct our own experiments.

Spend your next vacation living and volunteering in a village in a developing country. One is to master the art of radical listening. But listening is never enough.

The second trait is to make ourselves vulnerable. Removing our masks and revealing our feelings to someone is vital for creating a strong empathic bond. Empathy is a two-way street that, at its best, is built upon mutual understanding—an exchange of our most important beliefs and experiences. Organizations such as the Israeli-Palestinian Parents Circle put it all into practice by bringing together bereaved families from both sides of the conflict to meet, listen, and talk.

We typically assume empathy happens at the level of individuals, but HEPs understand that empathy can also be a mass phenomenon that brings about fundamental social change. Just think of the movements against slavery in the 18th and 19th centuries on both sides of the Atlantic. Equally, the international trade union movement grew out of empathy between industrial workers united by their shared exploitation. The overwhelming public response to the Asian tsunami of emerged from a sense of empathic concern for the victims, whose plight was dramatically beamed into our homes on shaky video footage.

Empathy will most likely flower on a collective scale if its seeds are planted in our children. Its unique curriculum centers on an infant, whose development children observe over time in order to learn emotional intelligence—and its results include significant declines in playground bullying and higher levels of academic achievement.

Beyond education, the big challenge is figuring out how social networking technology can harness the power of empathy to create mass political action. Twitter may have gotten people onto the streets for Occupy Wall Street and the Arab Spring, but can it convince us to care deeply about the suffering of distant strangers, whether they are drought-stricken farmers in Africa or future generations who will bear the brunt of our carbon-junkie lifestyles?

This will only happen if social networks learn to spread not just information, but empathic connection. A final trait of HEPs is that they do far more than empathize with the usual suspects. We tend to believe empathy should be reserved for those living on the social margins or who are suffering. This is necessary, but it is hardly enough. If you are a campaigner on global warming , for instance, it may be worth trying to step into the shoes of oil company executives—understanding their thinking and motivations—if you want to devise effective strategies to shift them towards developing renewable energy.

Empathizing with adversaries is also a route to social tolerance. And a Hindu, and a Christian and a Jew. Organizations, too, should be ambitious with their empathic thinking. His influential Ashoka Foundation has launched the Start Empathy initiative , which is taking its ideas to business leaders, politicians and educators worldwide. The 20th century was the Age of Introspection, when self-help and therapy culture encouraged us to believe that the best way to understand who we are and how to live was to look inside ourselves.

These brain responses may make it more likely that a person chooses to avoid causing another person harm, for example. People who have high empathy may have an amygdala that is more responsive to distress signals than others. The amygdala responds to fear, sadness, and pain. The main benefit of being an empath is having the ability to promote a more harmonious community, especially in interpersonal relationships, such as within family and friendship circles. Empathy also helps maintain social bonds , which, in turn, helps reduce loneliness and other emotions or states of being that may have adverse health effects.

People with high empathy may be more likely to maintain these bonds, as they are more capable of feeling, understanding, and wanting to help people who are experiencing difficulties. Some people who have high empathy may also feel compassion satisfaction, wherein helping people experiencing negative emotions or situations provides positive feedback. By helping other people, an empath might feel happier than if they did not help that person.

There are some difficulties that come with being highly empathetic. For example, if an individual is highly empathetic and other people come to them for advice, this oversharing of negative emotions may be harmful to the empath.

Empaths may also feel burnout , leading to a temporary loss of empathy and compassion, if they find it difficult to sort through their own emotions as well as those of other people. Therefore, it is important for an empath to take a step back and take time for themselves to help prevent burnout. Empathy is an important trait. This mirroring can be both beneficial and disadvantageous, so it is important for empaths to take time for themselves as well as helping others.

What are the traits of narcissistic personality disorder?