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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I'm now 24 years old and I can't remember I time when I was never highly intuitive and honestly overly empathic. As soon as I meet someone I can sense how they feel, sense what sort of being they are , I'm overly observant of micro emotions, and body language. I've always cared deeply for other people, ANIMALS (reptiles and amphibians too), places, etc. I can describe it physically as a buzzing or tingling throughout my body and depending on the intensity and waves I can decipher what the emotion or message is. I'm not introverted, but I'm not a serious extrovert either. I guess I can deal with large social gatherings in doses, but I can't fake it if I'm not feeling it or if I become overwhelmed. Sometimes this ability itself overall, is overwhelming, and certainly tiresome. Absolutely agree with this great article, true to the tune.
The more I research/read on the subject the more I find explanation for my feelings and actions. I've always: felt I "knew" what people were thinking/feeling regardless of their words; asked often how I knew things and really couldn't answer; needed time alone (preferably outside); felt uncomfortable in crowds, felt angry-sad-scared-uneasy-anxious with no clue why. So many people in my life said they just "didn't understand" what my "problem" was. It is a comfort to know I'm not crazy and feel gifted and blessed to have an answer. My biggest regret is that it took so many years for me to realize it!
I have always just been able to sense the positive people from the negative people from our first exchange of words. I feel as if I can see the energy that is put off as well as what their eyes show me . I have also at times out of no where just thought about a person I havent talked to for a long time , then suddenly that exact person contacts me or I will physically see them in person. I also at times just have a strong feeling of dread or negative heavy energy feeling and instinctly know something bad is about to happen. I normally stop when I get this warning , observe and think of what it might be . Then go back the other way or quit doing what I was doing. Its true that going to groups or counciling with a lot of people around is misery . I hear see feel everything all the time I am always on and it does drain me , put me in bad spirits. I like being alone all by my self , I am always tired it seems. Now I know whats going on with me. This is a gift and I want to research how to better hone these skills to strengthen the ability . Like any thing the more you use it the stronger better and easier it will be to reconize all the things I take in . Yes and I know for a fact that music defentaly effects us in a serious way. It can pull you back up if your drained, fuel us up with motivation and happyness but be care full I find that listing to sad depressing music will pull you down in to the hole . And when I have music on the only thing I hear /feel the notes or music lyrics pretty much are blocked out for me its the feeling of the vibes or energy vibrations.
Hi I think I am an intuitive empath and have been my whole life. I first new I was different when I was four as I had an out of body experience one afternoon when my mom put on the couch for a nap. Since then I had excelled at anything I put my mind too. I can and could feel peoples feelings,emotions and depression. I took computer programming at 14 which was 1974. Also other electives like chess, junior drafting, art and percussion. I can feel the presents of ufo's as well as other things. My mind is like a sponge. I absorb everything. The thing I hate the most is fear and panic when absorbed because it always takes me by surprise and is the hardest to shake afterward.
Yes I am an intuitive empath and have been a caregiver my entire life even as a child. I never grew up wanting to be a caregiver or anurse but somehow when I had to pick a major for college that was the one I chose. Worked as an RN, took care of my four children, their families, my extended family etc. Being an empath is exhausting and can be very anxiety producing and depressing. Feeling everyone's pains and struggles makes me feel like I have to take on their pain to lessen it for them. I wish I could stop being an empath although I believe God created me this way. I have also had psychic ability since I was about 11 years old that I can remember. The first time I went to see a medium, she closed her eyes to start reading me and said "why do I feel you should be reading me?" That was how I knew she was a legitimate medium. Try explaining being psychic, an empath to regular people especially religious people who then think I am either crazy, a "witch" or worse. When a family member is ill I can't begin to describe the level of anxiety it causes in me. I have do meditation, yoga, prayer, massages, hot baths to release some of this energy that I absorb around me.