Are You An Empath? Why You Feel So Intensely

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The Empath self-care blueprint, how to manage, navigate, and thrive in an overwhelming world, written by Nick Trenton, narrated by Russell Newton. Maybe people constantly tell you to grow a thicker skin or to “stop being so sensitive." Maybe you’ve noticed how easily a negative person can completely throw your mood. Maybe you avoid the news or scary movies because it’s as though you literally experience the fear of people on-screen. If you’re like many “sensitive” or feeling oriented people, you may have stumbled on the label of empath and immediately felt validated—could being finely tuned to the emotions of others, slightly introverted, or complex emotionally be not only normal but even a good thing? The world is quickly becoming enamored with what used to be a niche topic; today, empaths are speaking out, forming support groups, writing books, and sharing experiences online.

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More and more people are stepping up and claiming this—not to mention enterprising individuals now positioning themselves to offer expensive training courses, healing sessions, and self-help packages to sell to the growing number of people callings themselves empaths. Spend any time researching this topic online, and you may quickly get confused. Some empaths treat their personalities almost as an enviable superpower, while others act as though their abilities are a terrible weakness that means they need to “shield” from others. Some empaths lump their characteristics with ESP or even psychic powers, like predicting the future. Others claim an intense bond with nature. Some frame their experiences in relational terms, and point to the perils of getting involved with “energy vampires” and narcissists who would seek to take advantage of their emotional intelligence and generosity.

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On the other hand, critics of the entire concept have suggested that the label is pure fiction, and one that introverted people with mental health disorders are drawn to. As the conversation around the special type of person we call an “empath” grows, more and more is seemingly added to the definition. You could be forgiven for asking, what is an empath really? And more importantly, are you one? Let’s begin by trimming down to the basics on which everyone can agree—an empath is a person with a heightened capacity for empathy, or someone with the ability to feel the emotions of others. Rather than merely understanding another person’s state of mind on an intellectual level, empaths seem to “let more in,” and can find themselves literally feeling the emotional reality of another person.

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This is a psychological definition rather than a spiritual or esoteric one, although it’s easy to imagine that the lines blur. Many empaths additionally describe themselves as extrasensory and intensely interested in psychic phenomena, spiritual matters, or learning to sense the emotions of even animal or extraterrestrial “energies." We can understand empaths as supremely emotionally intelligent in the way that some people are gifted with musical ability, or are born with heightened taste buds and become acclaimed chefs. An empath could be seen as more emotionally aware or more sensitive to emotional stimuli than the average person. Like an animal that can see in ultraviolet light or hear super high frequency sounds, an empath seems to inhabit a different world entirely—one dominated by felt experience, i.e. emotion. Empaths have been described as excellent listeners and truly compassionate, generous people.

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Others describe their enormous ability to care about others; they’re gentle, perceptive and insightful people with a natural flair for understanding others—sometimes even better than they do themselves. On the other hand, it’s this very ability to allow in the emotions of others that can overwhelm an empath, deplete them, or have them unable to discern whose feelings are whose! An empath without an understanding of their unique characteristics can quickly find themselves retreating from the world to “recover,” or worse, falling into relationships with people who would actively exploit and manipulate them, even as they try valiantly to “rescue” them. Yes, empaths can also be easily targeted by certain types of people because of their willingness to engage and feel. Emotions are sadly afforded little attention or respect in our world today, a world that surely isn’t built for such an immersive experience. An empath can feel like they’re an alien in a foreign world, perceiving and being affected by things other people don’t comprehend.

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It’s understandable that people who identify primarily as emotional and empathic beings are happy to discover a term that describes their unique strengths not as a failure, but simply as another way of being. Many empaths have struggled for years before having the courage to reframe their experiences and reclaim their unique ability to feel in a world that strongly discourages it. Putting a name to this term, and simply having the knowledge that they are far from alone, can be empowering and comforting. But simply having a name for this special kind of person is not enough. If you identify as an empath, the question is, what next? Well, because we have a label, we can dictate a path for better living and taking advantage of this trait rather than falling victim to it.

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At first, we will be left with more questions than answers, but we will slowly work our way through the following in this book - •Is being an empath an inborn skill or something you can learn? •How is life different for an empath, and what does it mean to consider yourself one? •How do empaths get to be the way they are? •Are empaths really better than everyone else—more spiritually enlightened, kinder and so on? •What makes an empath happy and healthy? •What does an unhealthy empath look like?

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Do empaths suffer from anxiety and depression more? •Is being an empath the same as being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) or an introvert, or something completely different? •Does being an empath affect your career and your relationships, and if so, how? Ultimately, what an empath is can vary widely depending on who you ask! In the chapters of this book we’ll consider all the many facets of being an empath to help you decide for yourself if identifying this way resonates with you. We’ll look at ways to decide if you are an empath, learn skills to enhance your strengths and mitigate your weaknesses, and learn how to communicate your needs and experiences to other people.

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We’ll take a look at some aspects of the discussion that are a little more controversial, and answer the above question and more. The first question we’ll look at is the obvious one—are you an empath? Why do I feel so intensely? The first thing to understand is that being an empath is a relatively new idea, and there are no fixed, standardized definitions available (yet?). Though people throughout history have had different ways of talking about sensitive, delicate, ultra-compassionate or perceptive people, the term “empath” is only a few years old, and most are unfamiliar with the term. It’s not a “diagnosis,” psychiatric or otherwise, and many people simply decide that if the description fits, then they are happy to think of themselves as empaths.

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Empath’s Survival Guide in: 2017

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The idea is not to get bogged down in who is and who is not a “real” empath, but to navigate our own identities with care and compassion. Rather than seeing how high we can score, we can use these lists to learn more about ourselves and what we need for our wellbeing. The list Orloff gives is as follows - •Have I been labeled as “too emotional” or overly sensitive? •If a friend is distraught, do I start feeling it too? •Are my feelings easily hurt? •Am I emotionally drained by crowds, require time alone to revive?

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•Do my nerves get jarred by noise, smells, or excessive talk? •Do I prefer taking my own car places so that I can leave when I please? •Do I overeat to cope with emotional stress? •Am I afraid of becoming engulfed by intimate relationships? If you answer “yes” to one to three of these questions, you’re at least part empath, but responding to more than three is a strong indication that you’re an empath. Other people have given slightly different lists, claiming that empaths are - •Sensitive, big-hearted, tender, nurturing.

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•Able to absorb the emotions of others, and feeling like other people’s negative emotions can overwhelm them. •Often introverts, since crowds and big groups can feel draining. They may choose to regularly recharge their batteries with alone time—or risk exhaustion if they ignore their need to retreat. •Deeply intuitive, and can “sense” even subtle shifts in mood, pick up on concealed emotions, tell when people are lying, or even understand someone’s innermost experience within minutes of meeting them. An empath who follows their gut is seldom wrong! •Overwhelmed in crowded or busy places.

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•Nature lovers. Many empaths feel rejuvenated and balanced in nature, near the ocean, forests, or animals. Empaths seldom feel happy in bustling cityscapes, malls, or traffic. •Literally sensitive, in that their senses are often heightened. They may notice changes in smells, sounds, textures on their skin, light levels, etc., and be deeply affected by these where others might not even notice. •Sometimes guilty of having poor boundaries.

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These are the people who cannot see suffering without trying to help in some way. This can leave them exhausted, cynical, and run down, however. •Often find that people gravitate toward them and want to share their deepest secrets and problems. •Easily targeted by individuals who have relatively less empathy, i.e. narcissistic individuals or those who want to exploit an empath’s kindness. Empaths can unwittingly become involved in toxic relationships with others to their own detriment. •Deeply affected by depressing news, violence on TV, or the stories of other people’s suffering.

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•Often overwhelmed in close, intimate relationships. Ironically, deep intimacy can be threatening for someone who feels as deeply as an empath does. Romantic relationships can sometimes lead an empath to feeling overwhelmed, or as though they “lose themselves." •Often drawn to caring professions. •Often able to physically feel emotions, such as feeling sick and unwell around angry people. •Unable to say no as often as they’d like, and may constantly be drawn to being the helper or rescuer.

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•Unable to tolerate much conflict. Empaths try hard to create harmony and cohesion, and can find disharmony very upsetting, often finding themselves the peacemakers. •Able to tell when people are being insincere. •Able to almost predict what will happen next because of how deeply they understand the present emotional situation. •Sometimes alienated, feeling as though they’re very different from others, and alone in the way they see the world. Empaths can feel very passionately about topics others don’t understand, and this can leave them feeling abnormal or outcast.

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If you’re an empath, you’ve likely been told in life that you’re too sensitive, too intense, a “big softie,” an idealist, very perceptive, kind and compassionate, or even a bit of a doormat! Though the above are the most commonly accepted traits of being an empath, others have shared unique experiences that may resonate with you - perhaps you have a problem with emotional eating, or suffer with energy levels or tricky illnesses like IBS, chronic fatigue or migraines—signs that you’re holding on to emotions in your body. Perhaps you have issues with depression and anxiety. Many empaths are vegan or vegetarian or passionately involved in campaigning for justice and equal rights. Others have suggested that empaths are not just able to pick up other people’s emotions, but can “tune in” to the world at large, and many report feeling positively overcome with grief when contemplating environmental degradation. An empath may identify so much with being a caring, giving person that they quickly become martyrs in their own lives, losing touch with the ability to care for themselves or identify their own wants and needs in a sea of other peoples’.

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Empaths can be spiritually gifted, artistic, or unique in many other ways, but they don’t have to be—they come from all walks of life, and the only thing they seem to routinely have in common is a heightened capacity for emotional empathy for others. If you can confidently say that you feel that you do this more than the average person, it’s likely you’re an empath. Let’s delve a little deeper. Origins, Causes, and Journeys If you’re like most people who eventually come to call themselves empaths, you may have felt this way your entire life. Many empaths describe knowing that they were different from a very young age, and having troubled childhoods as they grappled with the intense and often overwhelming burden of feeling as much as they do. But does this mean that a “normal” person is lacking something in comparison to an empath?

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Surely every human would like to believe that they are caring, considerate, and empathetic? There are countless well-adjusted, caring, and happy people in the world who would nevertheless not identify as empaths. And yet there is still a marked and obvious difference when trying to compare life experiences. What can this tell us about the life path of the empath and how they arrive at their unique set of abilities? Let’s examine all the factors that make empaths what they are. There are several models and theories that try to understand the development of the empathic personality, but most of them fall in roughly four categories - genetics (i.e. empaths inherit the trait from their parents), inborn temperament or character (i.e. from birth), the result of childhood trauma, or, on the other hand, the result of positive parenting that helps those with inborn gifts to develop them properly.

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The way that people (and empaths themselves) talk about the cause and history of their unique set of characteristics has important consequences—for example, some empaths see their abilities as something they control and can be proud of, but others believe that who they are is an unavoidable result of trauma, neglect, or abuse in childhood, and they spend considerable efforts to “fix” themselves or overcome what they perceive as a weakness. The reality is likely to be somewhere in between. Consider how we think about other traits that we have—we may not be able to change them completely, but we can certainly learn to use them in more productive and empowering ways to the point that it can become a huge strength. The first step to this process is an awareness that something needs to change, and if you’re reading this sentence, you’re already far past this point. Whichever way a person chooses to think about empaths, one thing is consistent - these are people who do not react to external stimuli in a “normal” way. Whether because of an innate characteristic, or because of parenting that has worn down certain natural barriers and boundaries, empaths seem to have a lower threshold for emotional arousal, and can be thrown off balance by stimuli that would not bother another person.

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Again, it’s no different from having a certain sensitivity to taste, sense, smell, touch, or bright colors—any of the normal five senses. For ongoing growth and comfort, it’s important that empaths find others like them, and especially seek out help and support from professionals who not only understand the empath phenomenon but think about it in the same way as the empath themselves. Much of the early writing—including Orloff’s book—focuses on the narrative of the empath as a fragile, delicate person who needs to “heal” and find ways to protect themselves in a big, brash world. However, other empath writers have argued that this is an essentially disempowering narrative and that if empaths are truly to own and accept who they are, they need to stop talking about their personalities as though they were disabilities, or something akin to an allergy or intolerance. Rather, many empaths have found their journeys have taken them on other paths—i.e. ones where they think of their empathic abilities more as a muscle to be trained and flexed, or a tool that simply needs to be understood to be used wisely. That’s certainly the approach that I want to take—arming you with tools and techniques to harness your abilities into a superpower.

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While it’s true that empaths can become exhausted and unwell by constantly internalizing the emotional state of others, they can learn to moderate these effects and use their empathy more consciously, directing it at will and learning how to use healthy boundaries so they can be more compassionate and sensitive, not less. What does the science say? There have now been many studies done directly in empathy, but also in the field of compassion, neurotransmitters like dopamine, and how emotions really work in the body. The so-called “mirror neuron system” is a clump of brain cells strongly associated with compassion, i.e. the ability to “mirror” another person’s emotions. They literally provide the ability to see and understand someone. Some research has suggested that empaths have stronger, more, or better-wired mirror neurons, while people with narcissistic personality disorder may lack this ability, and hence have difficulty empathizing with others.

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These same mirror neurons help empaths create a “neuro-physical” link between themselves and others so that the areas stimulated in their brains by someone else’s emotion is the same as if it had occurred to them. This is a powerful idea and explains why empaths feel others so strongly—as strongly as other people feel their own emotions! This degree of “neural resonance” has been shown to vary in people, however, and super empathetic people might be that way because of their overactive mirror-neuron system. Another idea is that of “emotional contagion” which is not unique to empaths but could go some way to explaining why some people can “catch” emotions more than others. All humans are social animals who respond to the emotions of those around us, even to the point of unconsciously mimicking them. For instance, think about how suddenly intense and aroused you may become if you are in the middle of a crowd at a sporting event.

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It may be a far cry from your normal personality, but you’ve just been infected, so to speak. Research in this area has shown how often people synchronize their emotions in group settings—one crying baby will often set off another, or one depressed person in the office will soon have everyone feeling depressed. Your friend yawns, and you do too. Emotional contagion can happen with anyone, but our unique personalities may mean that we’re more likely to be either “senders” or “catchers” in the energy dynamic that happens when two people encounter one another. The catcher is more powerfully drawn to the emotional state of the sender, who dominates or catches others in their “orbit” and is often a charismatic, entertaining, or even domineering person. In this model, influential or powerful people set the emotional tone, and others follow, like how a boss or parental figure can change the entire mood of the home or office.

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Subsequent research has seen people try to deny that empathy is merely emotional contagion. These researchers claim that while emotional contagion is quick, unsophisticated, and largely unconscious, true empathy is more about genuinely considering and understanding the perspective of another person. They believe that merely soaking up others’ emotions is not really what healthy empathy is about, and many of the negative traits associated with empaths come from this inability to self-regulate or maintain appropriate boundaries. Furthermore, this model doesn’t explain why empaths would experience this to a greater degree than others, but it does highlight that empathy falls on a spectrum, with some individuals showing higher sensitivity than others. A less well-known idea is that electromagnetic fields are generated by the heart and the brain, and that these can transmit emotional information between people—a process that empaths are particularly sensitive to. Unfortunately, not only does this not really explain why empaths are more sensitive to these fields than others, but the model is largely considered pseudoscience, and there is no evidence to support the idea that this is how emotions, or empathy, work.

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A more promising theory is that empaths have different hormonal and neurotransmitter regulation, resulting in them having a higher sensitivity to dopamine. This means introverted empaths need less stimulation to feel happy and content, and can feel strong wellbeing from simply staying at home, reading or meditating, compared to extroverts, who need larger doses of dopamine, such as in big crowds or exciting events. Again, though there is some evidence to suggest that people display different sensitivities to dopamine, this trait interacts with many others and can be altered by drugs or certain behaviors, such as exercise. Though empaths may well have different biochemistry when compared to non-empaths, there is probably a lot more to the empath story than neurotransmitters, not to mention the question of why empaths differ in the first place! A final strand of research is trying to connect the phenomenon of “mirror touch synesthesia” (MTS) with empathy. MTS is a neurological condition that results in the perception of two separate senses being combined in the brain—for example, tasting music, hearing colors, or seeing shapes when you touch different textures.

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Some people with synesthesia can watch another person get touched and feel the touch on their own bodies. Judith Orloff believes that empaths may be a form of mirror touch synesthesia, i.e. feeling the emotions of others in one’s own body as if it was one’s own. In other words, the empath channels the perception of external emotions through their own, and experiences unrelated stimuli as part of their own inner world. Let’s consider the psychological or developmental theories, i.e. the idea that childhood experiences determine whether a person becomes an empath. From the psychoanalytic perspective, an “ego boundary” is the line we all must draw between ourselves and others. It’s not something we are born with—in fact, we are born with the opposite, where our concept of ourselves is necessarily combined with that of others.

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In infancy, this boundary is not yet solid—when we are born, we scarcely think of ourselves as an ego at all, and may wholly identify with our mothers, or simply believe that we are all that exists in the world, unable yet to imagine that other people exist with different inner worlds than ours. We are simply not independent beings until much later in life, and that’s a process of normal psychological development. Because infants depend on adults for survival, they soon learn to “read” those around them and behave as they do, even mirroring their emotions while their own are still relatively undeveloped. Children who have been abused or had narcissistic or negligent parents may have become extra talented at detecting the tiniest expressions or changes in mood so that they could pre-empt an attack or abandonment. This is where the psychological development may take a detour. In this model, empathic abilities arise out of a need to protect the self, but in the process, the ego boundary becomes too permeable, leaving the adult with a constant sense of overwhelm, of being too sensitive, and of feeling like they could “lose themselves."

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This is the model of behavior that worked and protected them the best during their upbringing, but it may not serve a real purpose anymore. Empaths are thus seen to be traumatized and hypervigilant rather than strictly intuitive, and have learnt to scan the tiniest details of their emotional environment because of difficult childhoods. If a child constantly has their boundaries violated or ignored, they may soon lose the ability to self-regulate and monitor these boundaries. A parent who is overly demanding, violates privacy, or holds the child responsible for the parent’s emotions may create an adult who cannot successfully draw a line around themselves. They may feel invaded by the demands and emotions of others—on the one hand strongly identifying with the caring, even savior role, but quickly getting depleted and overcome by it all. Some empaths find themselves “enmeshed” with their caregivers who are unable to let them grow out of their initial infant dependency on them.

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A parent who makes a child feel guilty for leaving them, and one way or another encroaches their own needs and emotions too far into the child’s world, will create an adult who feels burdened by obligation and duty. Boundaries are blurred, and one person’s emotions spill over into another. A child growing up in such a household is said to not have the opportunity to develop healthy boundaries, and may go on to have traits described as heightened “empathy." As adults, they may have a hard time deciding which are their emotions and which rightly belong to others, or else they may constantly find themselves drawn into codependent scenarios where they struggle pointlessly to rescue someone else from their own negative emotions. Again, this may have served them at some point in their lives, but in most instances, this is likely hurting you more than benefiting. Many empaths will describe feeling used by others as an “emotional sponge” onto which thoughtless others can dump unwanted negative emotion.

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This is where the narrative about “energy vampires” come in, although in reality, the dynamic is probably held in place by both parties. The psychoanalytic concept of projection can help us understand this a little. When we project, we are disowning unwanted and unacknowledged parts of our own psyche onto others in order to avoid seeing it in ourselves. Empaths with poorer ego boundaries will find themselves the target of projection more often than others, the theory goes. What’s worse, they may receive the projection of someone else and identify with it, unable to see that it doesn’t really belong to them or even behave in ways that confirm the projection. For example, a person may be highly motivated to achieve and succeed, but feel unable to acknowledge a part of his personality that feels weak, vulnerable, and ashamed.

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In a conversation with an empath, such a person may unconsciously project this shame and vulnerability onto the empath, and make them feel like they are inferior, a failure, and so on. The empath may in turn accept all this without even realizing that the source of these feelings is external. They may feel exhausted after the exchange without knowing why. If this was something that happened regularly, you can understand why an empath would prefer to stay at home and avoid it all! The Double-Edged Sword Most empaths feel that their unique blend of characteristics is both a blessing and a drawback, a gift and a curse. On some days, they may feel proud of their totally different, often beautiful and rich perspective on the world, and on other days, it can feel like a burden and something to carefully manage in a world that doesn’t properly cater to them.

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It really comes down to awareness and harnessing this ability rather than letting it run roughshod all over your life. Thankfully, more and more people are appreciating just how valuable empaths are as employees, friends, family members, business leaders, and more. The message is loud and clear - the world needs empaths! There is a growing amount of external validation and recognition for such abilities and mindsets. Empowered empaths can be incredibly powerful and inspiring individuals, with a capacity to experience a vision of the world that is profound and beautiful. When healthy, they can lead with charisma and gravity, promoting harmony and balance in a world that sorely lacks both.

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When an empath is tuned into their emotions and practices discernment, they can be extraordinary individuals, capable of feats of intuition that may even seem supernatural or mystical. A healthy empath is often on an intense inner journey that enlivens and enriches everyone they encounter. Able to absorb, process, and integrate enormous volumes of emotional material, an empath can be a powerful hub of healing and transformation. A strong empath is like a machine for generating love, meaning, and evolution. It’s no surprise that some empaths find solace in developing their psychic abilities, flexing their ability to “read” energies, listening to their guts, and trusting larger forces in the universe that they feel uniquely plugged into. They are an irreplaceable part of every organization or family unit—this is always the role that someone needs to fill, for better or worse.

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An empath can use their abilities to create real presence, dissolving fear and inviting others to be in the moment, in their bodies, and in their emotions. By bringing our own light to others, we can encourage them to get more familiar with their own emotions, accept their vulnerabilities and be open to change and growth. It’s all this that makes empaths identify as healers—of the body, heart, and mind. Empaths can channel extraordinary creativity, be phenomenal parents, and head projects and movements that seem to have an otherworldly quality. When empaths can fully own their abilities, they end up demonstrating an extraordinary strength and resilience—the courage to be gentle, to open instead of close, to choose love instead of fear. Empaths, when they trust themselves, know things.

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They can pick up on “vibes,” are open-minded, compassionate, and able to creatively put together rich and wonderful lives that are uniquely their own. It’s no exaggeration to say that empaths are increasingly well situated for the future, where connectivity, creativity, and emotional intelligence will be even more sought after and valued. Empaths bring heart to the equation, and the world has been missing this ingredient for a long time. Socially minded, unselfish, responsible, cooperative, open-minded, and unconventional, business needs empaths to lead, inspire, and forge completely new paths into the future. There is simply no area of life where increased emotional awareness, respect for others, and a heightened capacity for awareness are not advantageous. Their empathy and vision glues the world back together, rather than tears it apart; their strong moral compass and commitment to justice and fairness make them an asset wherever they find themselves, where their passion, generosity, and innovative way of looking at things only enriches the world around them.

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The caveat, of course, is that all of this belongs to a healthy, actualized empath who not only knows and accepts their gifts but knows how to use them, despite or even because of early traumas and unhealed wounds. With proper boundaries, rock-solid self-respect, and a willingness to live quite differently from others, empaths can reach their full potential—and it’s a lot of potential, indeed. But what if empaths aren’t empowered and strong and healed? If we think of the empathic mind and heart as amplifiers, we can see how all the troubles of the world can get trapped and exaggerated, resulting in a person who experiences depths of pain and suffering that may go well beyond the “normal." Whether it’s because they feel “too much,” or take on the weight of the world’s negative emotions, an out-of-balance or unhappy empath can rightly think of themselves as bearing a terrible curse. Being so fine-tuned an instrument, an empath can get overwhelmed by the sheer force and negativity of other people’s “stuff” coming their way.

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Bad moods, blame, shame, anger, and so on can affect you as much as a sick person could give you their flu. Empaths still learning about themselves may find that “they” are moody and shift constantly—but it’s really that they’ve absorbed and internalized the emotions of others, which can leave them feeling untethered, volatile, and emotionally drained. Without proper awareness, an empath can simply feel like they can’t fit anywhere into the world properly. When this happens, an empath can be an unpleasant person. They can feel crabby, aloof, or antisocial, or get so irritable with others they can barely stand to socialize at all. They can start to feel that compassion is a terrible obligation, and get burnt out with the pain they feel in others and the world at large.

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If an empath is in a toxic or unhealthy relationship, they may find it difficult to ask for the vital alone time they need, resulting in them feeling even more worn out and even angry or cynical. An empath who isn’t given the time to recuperate, integrate and heal themselves can even hurt others, become depressed or anxious, or feel generally crazy. This imbalance and discomfort is not just emotional—an empath will feel it in their entire body, and may suffer sleeplessness, fatigue, mysterious aches and pains, weight gain, allergies or sensitivities, and a range of signals that they are badly out of whack. Empaths are kind, but they are not stupid—sadly, others will often take advantage of them, not appreciating the true value they offer and seeking instead to exploit them. People who are less able to process emotions may unconsciously hand over theirs to the empath for processing, and an empath who does this work for several people will soon find themselves with several peoples’ worth of mental and physical trouble! Emotions are sadly not honored or acknowledged for the powerful tools they are, and consequently, empaths, who could be masters of the emotional world, may feel isolated, undermined, ignored, or belittled by those who feel that toughness, ruthlessness, and machine-like efficiency are what makes a person worthwhile.

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An empath can feel like they’re all alone in the world, unable to really communicate what they see or experience. They can feel like others are constantly testing their boundaries or taking advantage. A whole day can be ruined by a moment of violence on TV, a “small thing” that others brush off but which can leave them upset for days. In short, being an empath is a double-edged sword. You feel more—more of the wonderful stuff, including profound love, connection, peace, the joy and essence of life flowing easily through you. But you also feel more of everything else, and are porous to hate, anger, closemindedness, and a host of negativity that comes from others.

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by Russell Newton. Copyright: 2020