Maybe an Empath?

[junglejym]

how would a person know for sure that they are an empath?

[Andrea75136]

An empath always able to pick up other people's emotions. ( Like me for example. ) Always could tell if someone is upset, sad, happy, joy.. ect. Even some empaths are noted to be able to sense others from a far off. Depending how strong of an empath they are. This is why shields, grounding and meditations are very important to empaths. Emotions from other people does cause an empath to be drained.

For me, it usually doesn't take long before I know if someone is upset or happy. Or somewhere inbetween. I have to keep on reminding myself to keep my shield up. It is something that a person that has this ability knows that they have it.

[[ForestWitch]]

Actually, it took me a while to figure it out. I experienced other people's emotions as my own and I didn't realize right away that I was picking up on someone else's feelings. I just knew that my emotions could sometimes change suddenly for no apparent reason. I thought I might be bi-polar (having a poor understanding of that condition) for a while before I figured out what was going on.

And, to be honest, I'm not a particularly strong empath - nothing like some of the people in my family.

[kgwitch]

I remember when I found out. I was in English and suddenly my tooth started to ache... couple of seconds later, the guy next to me puts his hand up and complains the teacher saying he has toothache. Then I just started picking up on everything; if someone near me was upset I'd end up crying my eyes out! I walked past a man with a walking stick and suddenly got a searing pain in my leg. But i have more control now.

[Andrea75136]

There are times when I could feel someone's pain or emotion through the computer. There was one time where I was talking to someone in a chatroom and was telling me about her leg. I could actually feel which leg that it was and how she hurt her leg. There was another time that I could feel the anxiety level of another person. All of this from just sitting at my computer and their emotions would come through loud and clear. I have to learn to put my shield up in order to keep myself from getting other people's emotions. I already know that I am an empath and had been told that I am a strong empath at that too.

[Frost]

Something I do not understand is why people make such a big deal of the "empath" thing. I'd say most people can pick up on others feelings. It's nothing special, we all do it.

[Starwitch]

I think it's true that empathic ability may be common in many of the younger people. I am empath as well, though usually only with emotional feelings, not physical feelings. I am an introvert and I'm guessing I have learned to stay away from others because I'm an empath. I get overloaded when I'm in a group of people, especially if they are not emotionally well-adjusted.

I think it seems like a big deal to older people because we aren't used to meeting people like the Indigo Children and Star Children. These people are a sign of the human evolution that is taking place. Humans are evolving to a new type of person. The new human is in tune with other people, with nature, and with spirit/God. It used to be quite rare to meet people who were like this but it is becoming more and more common. I am still always thrilled to meet anyone with special abilities. I am sure that over time it will stop being seen as anything different and will start to be the norm.

Brightest Blessings,

[EalainCoill]

I've been thinking for a while I might have something - this is the first I've heard the word "Empath" used. Sometimes, when I look at someone, I think I can feel what they feel - usually physical discomfort more than emotional.

The one time it really freaked me out was when I was shadowing a doctor (I was considering becoming a doctor at that point - but have opted against it since). We walked into a room with a patient, and I had a searing pain in a very specific part of my head - my head had felt fine before, but when I saw this woman, my head just started to hurt (no, she wasn't holding her head in pain or anything - just sitting in a chair smiling). The doctor asked her a few questions, and when he asked where the pain was, she described EXACTLY what I felt when I walked in, and pointed to the exact spot I had felt it. I was surprised, but chose to ignore that as coincidence - science does not support the idea that I might be really accessing what someone else is feeling.

But science does support the idea if it reoccurs again and again. I've had several similar experiences, and over the years, my mother has always told me that I have a "gift." It was because of that "gift" that she pushed me towards medicine.

I don't know if this makes me an Empath, or what. From what I'm beginning to understand, it may be something to do with energy available to anyone who can/would access it. Just an idea. I'm curious to know what others would think about it.

[Moon_Stone]

What a great discussion topic!

To answer the original question here, I think one realizes they are empathic only over time. Normally someone has their "ah-ha" moment (like the many posters above) where it becomes more than evident and then begins to explain a lot of things that were felt in the past. is right though, reportedly we're almost the last generation that has to "tap" into our abilities-- now more and more children are being born with full access to these things that a lot of us have to work hard at developing. I can only hope what's happening is actually a genetic mutation/evolution where everyone is beginning to use more of their brains than had been available for use in older generations.

I had an ah-ha moment myself, but before that moment I noticed a lot of little things were happening. I'd rub a friend's back and transfer the pain out of them and into me.... I could exactly mimic the emotions as well as physical pains of someone I was close to (physically). As a teenager I remember many times when I could be "seeing" through someone else's eyes- generally over the phone. I could also transfer energy with someone over the phone after a little practice. (I spent a lot of time on the phone).

My 'ah-ha' moment came in a very scary way, actually. A distant relative had passed and we were handling his paperwork and some of his remaining matters after his death, etc. (as we are the caregivers for his mother and his belongings were sent here after his passing)-- I knew I didn't want to touch anything too personal of his -I wasn't exactly sure why at the time, I only knew it wasn't something I felt I should do- so I had stayed away from the box of his belongings. One day I had to touch it, there was something his sister needed me to find in his wallet (and she lives in Texas so it wasn't as though she could drive over and do it herself....) so I picked it up quickly to do what I needed to do. I could feel his energy all over it-- this wallet was not only with him all the time but was also on his body as he took the fall down the stairs that caused the irreparable brain damage that ended his life. I didn't think much of these feelings I was having other than the chill I had, and I proceeded to go on with my day.

My head got all fuzzy. I was in my car driving to a place I had been hundreds of times before (and I've lived here for over 10 years)... and I found I had absolutely no idea where I was, where I was going or how to get there- at all. I'm sitting in a turn lane and frantically calling my husband to have him tell me how I'm supposed to get to my destination. I had become lost in a town I know like the back of my hand- and it wasn't just a normal "lost", I was in a state of panic and felt as though my mind had totally disconnected from me. My husband's voice grounded me back to reality a bit more, but I had obviously absorbed the mental state of my husband's deceased uncle at the time of his fall. (He had some medical conditions that were prone to making him fall and lose consciousness, we learned later on.) That was definitely one of the most frightening moments I've had, but it did certainly inform me that I am able to absorb energy, completely... and I'd better be careful of what I touch in the future.

I'm still working on fine-tuning my ability to be a 'vessel' rather than a sponge when I touch things to heal them (or read their energy).... till then, I'll just be sure to be careful.

[starcrossed]

I've been reading up a lot on empathy and empaths. I'm not sure what to think. Ever since I discovered wicca, my senses have hightened, I guess you could say. I never used to considered it a gift because I never thought it was anything special. It never felt like anything particular. It just was. I could just sense what someone was feeling. All I needed was some form on contact. It could have been through an email, IM, phone call, or in person. Anything. I have never been wrong about someone's emotions. I can do it to animals as well. I don't ever have to try, it feels like common knowledge.

Is this considered empathy? Is this a gift? I'm not sure... What do you all think?

[)(Apollo the Good)(]

I agree with you all, I have discovered myself to be an empath. I am VERY sensitive to the emotions of others, and I can always tell how someone is feeling even if they try to hide it or if they don't show a single sign that they feel that way. I am sure you can all relate, that I know people on such a deep level, to the core of their existence. My Dad, who is not even Wiccan, always used to tell me when I was little that he felt he had a gift for knowing people very well.

I work at a nursing home, and I used to hate putting this man to bed every night. I didn't know why, I realized that I had to do more time consuming routines with other individuals and I didn't mind that at all. Then I discovered it was because of the pain he was feeling that caused him emotional turmoil. It literally just made my stomach churn. He never complains of it but I FEEL it.

I have such a passion for people, which is both a downfall and a blessing. I cannot say no alot of the times because if someone is strongly disappointed in that answer, I feel it. I will be with my friends and they could just sit and watch tv and if they feel sad all of a sudden even without saying anything, I sense it. When I meet someone who is a genuinely happy person, they just radiate joy and I feel it to the core of my being.

Anyway, I want to thank you all for your posts. It is SO comforting to know that there are others who FEEL this. Truly and honestly.
I love you all !!