Intuitive empaths know what others feel without needing to be told, and they have an unusually sharp sense for whether someone is being truthful or lying.
For this reason, many self-proclaimed intuitive empaths go into the healing professions. There’s a lot of reported evidence from psychologists for the existence of empaths, and it often seems to suggest that they are unhappier than others.
Empathy is present, in general, to a greater degree in women. A study from the journal of Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews stated that there are gender differences as regards empathic response from infancy.
It has been suggested that females are more empathic as a result of neurological adaptation to the traditional role of child-rearing, as it requires a sharper understanding of non-verbal expressions.
When empaths are in interactions with others, they’re able to understand how the other person feels and why they feel it. This makes them excellent listeners and great friends. However, being able to put themselves in other people’s shoes and feel as they feel can be extremely stressful. Apart from having to deal with the stress and difficulties which arise in their own lives, they take on other people’s suffering as their own.
If you are extremely sensitive or have been labelled as being too emotional, you may be an empath. Empaths seem to have the ability to experience emotions at a greater intensity than the rest of us. This can lead to increased joy and pleasure in life, but when they’re exposed to negative stimuli, it can cause extreme anxiety and distress.
It also means that they’re more prone to mood swings than others, as stimuli from the environment can change rapidly from positive to negative. Empaths are often very sensitive to noise and other disturbances, too.
At one extreme of the empathy spectrum (the low end), there are people with disorders which cause anti-social and often violent, criminal behaviour. Empathic people are on the opposite end of the spectrum, not being able, in some cases, even to watch violent films. They also find things that many people laugh at, like the misfortunes of others, unbearable to witness.
Because of the intensity and diversity of stimuli in situations involving a large number of people, empaths tend to find being around big groups exhausting and anxiety-creating. It’s common for empaths to prefer being alone or with one or two people.
If they have to be in social situations involving large groups, it’s often necessary for them to withdraw early and take time alone to recharge their batteries.
Empaths often find that they experience physical symptoms in response to high-intensity situations. Headaches are common as well as fatigue. Empaths may also be more likely to respond to the anxiety they feel by abusing their own bodies with drugs and overeating.
Empathy is something that nearly all human beings have, with the exception of people who have psychological disorders that prevent them from feeling empathy. Empathy is, therefore, something which is found in human beings on a spectrum – from high-empathy responses to low-empathy responses.
Confirming the existence of empaths scientifically is difficult though. Human neuroimaging is not at a level of advancement which would allow us to confirm that there’s something different going on in these people’s brains.
Up till now, tests have had to, in most cases, consist of surveys and questionnaires about how subjects perceive their own responses. This kind of evidence is very difficult for the scientific community to accept as a solid basis.
Scientists do not currently accept the use of terms such as intuitive empath just as they don’t accept terms like ‘psychic’ or ESP (Extra-Sensory Perception). Scientific research currently divides empathy into the categories of ‘emotional empathy’ and ‘cognitive empathy’. Emotional empathy is the ability to respond emotionally to what another person is going through, and cognitive empathy is the ability to comprehend another person’s perspective or mental state.
Neuroscience, however, which has been dedicated to investigating empathy over the last decade or so, has found that there is a scientific explanation for how living creatures are able to empathise with others.
Neuroscientists have called this phenomenon mirror-touch synaesthesia, where mirror neurons are activated when one animal sees another animal perform a particular behaviour. It has been suggested that in the case of empaths, mirror neuron activity is particularly acute.
It has been proposed that, like in the case of people with a very low empathic response, childhood trauma may be present to a greater degree in empaths than in the majority of the population.
The ability to empathise with the unpleasant experiences of another person may come, to some extent, from having had similar experiences. However, having had similar experiences does not always mean that someone is able to empathise with others going through the same thing.
Do you think you might be an intuitive empath? Share your thoughts with us.
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That's really me.
I've been like this my entire life. I am not sure if my native American Indian blood has something to do with why I'm this way. I feel things. Peoples emotions. If they mean me harm
I freaked my aunt out. She was staying with me after my uncle had passed. I could feel she was truly upset over something. She tried to cover it up and act like nothing was wrong. I just asked her what was wrong she said nothing. I told her I could feel something was bothering her. She looked at me and said what do you mean by you can feel something is wrong. She is the only person I've told about my secret.
I'm pretty sure that I'm an Empath, too but how do I find out for sure? Are there any tests that I can take online?
I also am of Native American Indian ancestry. There have been many instances in my life when out of the blue, I just "knew" something when I had no actual way of knowing. As a child, I was often told that I was fey, the Irish version of intuitive, and sometimes told that I was a witch (not in a neg stove way). Often I have shared the feelings I had with others, and sometimes the response I get is one of fright. Your article fits me so perfectly, it could be a second skin. Thank you for clearing my mind.
For a gazillion reasons I know that I am an intuitive empath. I could portray myself as phychic easily if I Wanted to.When I was dabbling in tarot cards I gave several people readings that shocked them how I knew what I did about them. After pondering this for awhile I came up with the theory that I had the ability to pick up on minutely subtle hints or tells that most people can not. Your list of symptoms fit me to a t. I wonder what good is it to be what I am. As a kid my whole family loved watching the 3 stooges and the road runner. I hated them as I found no humor in people hurting each other or the coyote always being smashed or falling down large cliffs. In hindsight I think this was my first indication of being an empath. I am terrible in group counciling as well as it being terrible for me. It feels like besides my issues I'm dealing with all of everybody else's issue as well. I have on numerous occasions given spot on advise to people and, I would be a super psycoligist except for the fact of listening to others problems all day would be unbearable and would drive me mad and or I would wind up a suicide. At times I appear insensitive and as if I don't care. However, it is the exact opposite. I realize now that in order to protect myself I can sometimes cause others to see me as insensitive. I have felt like an emotional vampire pack is sucking the life from me. I have distanced myself from people who were especially vampiric even though it was not on purpose. I am 55 and have many many stories of being the way I am and the effects of it and the incidents of it in my life. I see being this way a curse. We all need some some amount of empathy and intuition but, to the extent that I am living with these things It becomes torture. Hevey sigh...
Wow,YES as I was skimming through some of the other comments I was thinking they have no idea , and many I don't think are , Then I saw yours and all I can say is EXACTLY.. Being an Intuitve Empath has had its moments and has guided me in or out of certain situations and given me the ability to "read between the line" for say but more then not It has been a curse and it seems the older I get the stronger my "6th sense" "Intuition" "Ability to feel what someone is feeling or to "read them' OR "hear their thoughts gets. Because I can relate to everyone and everything on some level most cant understand many think I am not who I am If that makes sense . when I was younger up to a few year ago I always wondered how I knew what I knew or knew what someone was thinking (not reading there mind just a knowing of what they were thinking) or how so often like very often I think of someone from long ago or recent friend, acquaintance whatever and soon after I would either see this person or hear from or something portraying to . I am so very observant and I can feel everything going on around me . Its hard to go out with friends at times and have real fun cause I am soaking up others emotions or feelings that it interferes with my own and sometimes I don't know if my feelings are my own.(if that makes sense) people who know me ask me all the time how did you know that , or you were just talking about them , or I can feel when someone is thinking of me from far away , I have tested this by calling just to hear them say wow I was just thinking of you .. but that is why I called ,I have been called a witch , wicked, or told my intuition is wicked. I cant explain it but sometimes something's I would rather not know..
Look what you can sense about just having something pop up in your head and then like magic that something just presents its self (person) . I have the same deal. All of this is me from being able to almost see thorugh people and see the truth in people. I can visually see this as well as feeling or knowing there intentions. Lots of big crowded places kill me I hate it or just avoid it, like or need to isolate myself to feel safe peaceful and reenergize . Music sounds not the words in the song but the actual tones flood me with energy recharge or motivate me. I am super connected with animals its like they know we understand them . I am just glad to know that what I have lived with my whole life is not just me being crazy it real and probably how I have lived this long. Not sure about you but I would say 8 -10 years ago it just hit me. A over all sense of hopelessness or dread for humanity. So much negative in this world , greed, people hurting people and I dont see us fixing this . I cant watch the news either way too negative like the majority of people dont see this or feed on the bad energy. I hope all of us can change, help each other in the end we are all one species Human.
I can relate to what you said to a tee. i too am 56 and have learned to be less sensitive due to the effects of others on my sensitivity. I was involved with a man who had personality disorder. And it was through my research of narcissism I discovered the magnetic pull between an empath and a narcissist. I always knew I was different and very intuitive. I knew when one of my sons died. Had no concrete evidence I could just feel it. I was right. That happens a lot for me. As far as I know I do not have any Native american blood but I am without a doubt and intuitive empath. I am from today forward going to comes to terms with it and learn how to set boundaries, live a healthy life.