Its official: Im an Empath......how about you?

Discussion board is not compatible in discussing this matter. Please continue providing information on a daily basis. 'Cause in the interest of all involved I got the problem solved. Slipknot - Spit it out.

Been an Empath all my life
i know what you mean
sometime i more sensible to other emotions then my own

but its good to be empath
not a curse at all

Yes, I'm an empath, and not that happy with being it.

I'm like an emotional sponge, and in the world we're living in, it really makes me be "careful" with environments/people I'm around.

My girlfriend tells me once a month that it's really a pity that I absorb so easy emotions

Originally posted by captaintyinknots

Originally posted by SplitInfinity

Originally posted by captaintyinknots
I will say, one of the more fun things about being an empath is being able to read what kind of a reaction people are trying to get, and giving them the exact opposite.

Being Empathic by nature would preclude the probability of you making this post. Being an Empath or having the ability to have EMPATHY to the point of being able to easily detect it...would mean that you would not want to post something that might have a negative Effect upon someone nor would you consider it FUN to read peoples dispare or anxiety.

You might share in a persons Joy or Happiness but to express a willingness to play with a persons emotions does not lend veracity to your posts. Split Infinity

Completely false. The empathic ability has nothing to do with staying in the positive. Furthermore, I never said ANYtHING about eliciting a negative response. More often than not, I use this tactic when someone is pushing overtly negative energy at me. Negative energy generally seeks a negative response. To give them the opposite changes the entire dynamic of a situation. Take the couple of 'psuedo science' jabs in this thread for example.
You simply misunderstood what I was saying. I do not do it to take positive energy away from a situation. Only to ad it.

That you automatically assume it has to do with affecting someone in a negative way says a lot about you.

edit on 18-8-2012 by captaintyinknots because: (no reason given)

Your words...I will say, one of the more fun things about being an empath is being able to read what kind of a reaction people are trying to get, and giving them the exact opposite.

Tell me...what exactly did I misunderstand or assume? Split Infinity

Originally posted by SplitInfinity

Originally posted by captaintyinknots

Originally posted by SplitInfinity

Originally posted by captaintyinknots
I will say, one of the more fun things about being an empath is being able to read what kind of a reaction people are trying to get, and giving them the exact opposite.

Being Empathic by nature would preclude the probability of you making this post. Being an Empath or having the ability to have EMPATHY to the point of being able to easily detect it...would mean that you would not want to post something that might have a negative Effect upon someone nor would you consider it FUN to read peoples dispare or anxiety.

You might share in a persons Joy or Happiness but to express a willingness to play with a persons emotions does not lend veracity to your posts. Split Infinity

Completely false. The empathic ability has nothing to do with staying in the positive. Furthermore, I never said ANYtHING about eliciting a negative response. More often than not, I use this tactic when someone is pushing overtly negative energy at me. Negative energy generally seeks a negative response. To give them the opposite changes the entire dynamic of a situation. Take the couple of 'psuedo science' jabs in this thread for example.
You simply misunderstood what I was saying. I do not do it to take positive energy away from a situation. Only to ad it.

That you automatically assume it has to do with affecting someone in a negative way says a lot about you.

edit on 18-8-2012 by captaintyinknots because: (no reason given)

Your words...I will say, one of the more fun things about being an empath is being able to read what kind of a reaction people are trying to get, and giving them the exact opposite.

Tell me...what exactly did I misunderstand or assume? Split Infinity

the entire thing. Please re read my previous response to you.

I said nothing about eliciting a negative response. Yet you assumed thats what I meant. Being an empath has NOTHING to do with giving people the response that you know they want, and it certainly has nothing to do with only eliciting positive responses.

The biggest misconception I am seeing in this thread is that all empaths are good by nature, or only have positive responses to positive emotions. Its simply not true. An empath can be good, evil, or neutral. Furthermore, your entire first response to me was based only on assumption.

reply to post by captaintyinknots

Empath has, as the name suggests, empathic abilities, both to sense and manipulate emotions.

Empathy is the capacity to recognise and, to some extent share, feelings (such as sadness or happiness) that are being experienced by another sentient being. Someone may need to have a certain amount of empathy before they are able to feel compassion.

These are the definitions. You called yourself an Empath. Thus manipulation is possible and this is what I see when you posted about first sensing a persons feelings then getting a kick out of what you would then do.

What did I miss? Nothing. Split Infinity

Originally posted by SplitInfinity
reply to post by captaintyinknots

 

Empath has, as the name suggests, empathic abilities, both to sense and manipulate emotions.

Empathy is the capacity to recognise and, to some extent share, feelings (such as sadness or happiness) that are being experienced by another sentient being. Someone may need to have a certain amount of empathy before they are able to feel compassion.

These are the definitions. You called yourself an Empath. Thus manipulation is possible and this is what I see when you posted about first sensing a persons feelings then getting a kick out of what you would then do.

What did I miss? Nothing. Split Infinity

Nope. You're still missing it. Nothing I have said goes against what it is to be an empath. Sorry that its so difficult for you to understand.

I think that there are two aspects of empathic abilities.
Our subconscious mind records and categorizes much more than we are consciously aware of. I feel that some people pick up on clues that are not obvious to most people and the subconscious mind processes that information and feeds back a complete picture to the conscious mind. So you might see someone and the conclusion is drawn that they are sad even tho they may be acting as if they are happy. Your mind recognizes that sadness and recalls your own sad feelings and you then have the sad feeling as well. You are not actually tapping into the other persons emotion and feeling it, but rather mirroring the feelings with your own. This process I feel is the first aspect of empathic response and is more likely something that is learned, only works with people, animals, or things, that we are directly in contact with and everyone can do or learn to do.

The second one I feel is being able to pick up on various magnetic fields, or electrical waves in the world around us and a part of us is able to interpret those the same way our brains interpret the things we see, hear, smell and touch. This would also encompass all the aspects of the first empathic ability and in fact it may be enhanced. This also means that we are feeling the emotions of others and not mirroring the feelings with our own.

I feel that based on those declarations, I would consider myself an empath although I would go a step further and say that being empathic is also only a small part of a more encompassing psychic ability and I would hypothesis that empaths may have other unique gifts as well and that all people are predisposed to have other perceptions and abilities. I feel that the experiences we have in life may open or close us to being able to utilize these abilities.

I have been an empath all my life, but only realized it in recent years. I hate using the term "empath" or putting a label on it like I am blessed with a superpower. But it's the only name it's got.

I used to come home from school crying over someone else getting their feelings hurt. I was still devastated at the end of the day, as if it was personal. My mom would ask, rather irritated, "Why do you care? It didn't even happen to you?" I would reply, "How can you NOT care?"

In more recent years, I would get upset with my husband because he didn't seem bothered by how much his mother & sister hated our daughter & myself. I will spare you the details, but there was a lot of negativity and hatred directed at us. I would be upset for a few weeks after seeing them. He just seemed to ignore it as if it was acceptable.

My husband once hired a guy to work for him. He seemed nice. Very outgoing, friendly & talkative, lots of energy, very charming & charismatic.... on the outside. I told hubby it was all an act. He's not right on the inside. He thought I was nuts. Turns out, he was narcissistic, manipulative, & a con artist. He lacked any real emotions, but could cry at will to manipulate people. He liked to turn all his friends against each other, so he would be everyone's only friend. He was a typical sociopath. He's in prison now. I never said "I told you so", but I felt it.

I suffered through 3 teenagers worth of angst, countless break-ups my daughter went through, & my husbands depression. He got meds, the kids grew up, & I got better!

Crowds of people at parties, at Walmart, etc, can be extremely draining. Being in a smaller group with a few conflicting personalities can be rough too. I usually require solitude for a while afterwards. Being around one person with a negative, manipulative nature, even if they pretend to be all sparkling and cheerful on the outside, will leave me messed up for a few days.

I used to watch Star Trek: The Next Generation. When the episodes focused on Counselor Deanna Troi, the empath.... I thought, "What's the big deal? So what??"

I dont remember where online, or exactly the year, but I stumbled across an article on being empathic. Like The Tall Texxxan in the OP, it suddenly hit me - everything made sense. My Mom's reaction to my sadness, my in-laws inner hatred, and a thousand other things in between... I finally realized, and was completely shocked by this, that the in-laws never actually "said" anything negative. They acted and spoke in a semi friendly fashion, but what they presented on the surface was not what they felt. My husband didn't have a clue, because they never presented one outwardly! Only I could sense their feelings. And I was blown away to discover that not everyone was like this.

Once I understood, I tried to block out the negativity. But I didn't have much luck with that. I am generally a good-natured, positive person. People like me, (well, except the in-laws.) So I struggled to remain positive in the challenging situations. But I have adapted a new technique over the last few years, that is working well for me.

Instead of going around soaking up the sadness and rage and depression others are suffering with, I try to spread my positivity to them. Not in a perky, annoying or overly sappy way, but in an honest & genuine way. Example: I go into the convenience store one afternoon. The clerk is grumpy and bitchy and ready to go home. I could have easily left the store in her mood. As I stood there waiting for her to stop griping with the other clerk, I struggled over how to lift her up a bit. I smiled and told her I loved her hair. Instantly, her face smoothed over & she smiled. It made her feel good. We were both happy when I walked out, & I knew the guy coming in as I left didn't have to get his day ruined either.

So instead of soaking in others feelings and emotions, focus on projecting what you want to spread.

Don't expect the people who don't experience this themselves to understand. Everyone has the capability for some level of empathy. Feeling bad for someone else is normal. Everyone is familiar with that. It's part of being human. They think you are describing that, & attaching some special power to yourself that is common among everyone. It's not the same. It's not just body language. They will never understand what it's like to actually FEEL that sadness within yourself as if it's your own. Or walk past someone in the aisle at Walmart, & feel enraged, & not know exactly why you are mad, or at whom. Or watch someone smile at you as they inwardly count the ways they would like to destroy you.

If you tell people you are an Empath, they will get a mental image of Deanna Troi, sensing the sadness of some alien from a dying planet, and walk away chuckling to themselves at what a kook you are. It will leave you feeling worse than if you had just kept it to yourself. The best you can do is try to use it in a way that benefits everyone.

reply to post by 321equinox


I think that trying to lift someone up and make them feel better is a good idea for anyone, not just people who are empathic. Your post, however, brought to mind a question or possible insight. I'm wondering if empath's can project thier own feelings onto someone else as well and in theory make that person feel better. I guess the best way to explain where my mind is going (if that's even ever possible lol) is to reverse the empathic ability. Instead of receiving emotion, we send emotion.
[ I haven't hit 20 posts yet otherwise I'd probably ask that question in it's own thread. ]

Not that crazy. Babies are probably more perceptive than you believe it or not. Truly i can't be bothered to put the link But Babies are lot more perceptive to the clues of emotions. We just simply lost this ability because god damn it, we're busy.But babies on the other hand. They're at their busiest forcing me to play fetch with their chicken nuggets >.>

reply to post by Myth024

I don't know either. I am still trying to figure out how it works, and how to make it work for me in a positive way. I find myself always being the peace keeper and the diplomat... trying to keep everyone else's emotions in check so I don't drown in their depression and anger. That lead to this mission to spread positivity.
Empathic or not, moods are contagious. One angry cashier can put a lot of people in a cranky mood. Those people go out among others and spread it around further. And when I can turn someones mood, I truly feel good about it, for them. I get a big rush seeing that smile. So my attempt to lift them up is genuine. I dont know if my powers of emotion projection are any stronger than the next person's. But it seems to work, so I continue.
Sometimes it's hard to remember to do it. It's a lot easier to do nothing. Sometimes their emotions rush through me before I can take positive control. And I can't possibly be Suzie Sunshine to everyone I pass who's having a bad day. I'm still learning, and trying to do my best.

reply to post by 321equinox


Most psychics can turn off the ability or shield themselves and I would suppose the same should be true for empath's. I was once told to visualize the strongest, hardest and most impenetrable materiel and then to surround myself with it. I came to the conclusion that I could use my imagination to fabricate any kind of shield I wanted and make it behave any way that I wanted it to as long as I truly believed the shield would work the way I wanted it to. I have also worked with visualizing my "ability" as a volume slider that I can turn down or turn up. This allows me to be more or less sensitive as the environment permits. While these methods work for me, they don't always work perfectly and may or may not work for other people.

Thanks OP for fearlessly sharing, the state of our emotions that many will never dare to admit, including the insignificant nobody me.

As a child, like some posters here, I have that ability to feel the emotions of another person and persons. It is no fun.

It begins with the eye and the body movements, no matter what they say, good or bad, real or lies. The eyes had long been touted as the window to the soul.

Many a time, I had known who and what those persons I had the honor to come into contact with. Sadly...many a times, I knew...their betrayals.. But being an idealistic youth, I thought...I may have the ability...to change them, and even myself, if I am wrong....but I many times, if not most, I fail....

As a child, I was interested in books, and could often comprehend beyond what the authors, non-fiction or fiction, were writing about, what they truly meant, better than my peers and get better academic ratings than any of them, even if that was not I ever wanted, being only a naive child.

The most ever painful episode I could ever experience was the end days of our Messiah, as a child whom had not even stepped into a church before. Even though those autobiographers, the few of them, were rather clinical and conscise, I could feel every moment of our Messiah's arrest to the end, right to his final cry to our Creator ' Why have You abandon me?'

Our Creator had not and never abandon him. Prior to his day before his arrest, he was praying for more time, to teach and save mankind. But our Creator showed him why his mortal life in human skin shell would not be enough - 3 times he prayed that night and 3 times his disciples were found sleeping even after his rebuke.

Truth was - mankind was not ready for the advance civilisational guides, more so with a new group beyond the jew mandate - the gentiles. It would take time to grow and evolve. Our Creator was proven right as always, as today, we comprehend the teachings.

I felt for the good prophet Muhammad, and fortunately, he passed on in a peaceful sleep, having done his duty as ordained - to bring the barbaric tribes of Arabia into civilisation, use the very means they could understand to give up on barbarism, to adopt other more softer engagements with civilised states such as Persia and to other children of the book.

He left with no inheritors, nor appointed anyone, even though he had all the time to do so, and even forewarned that he was the last prophet, for his mission was to wake up humanity in that sector on Earth to share,discuss, and debate as individuals but responsible for the civilisational progress and evolution of a people.

When those divine personages left, it is only natural and unfortunate flawed mortals ruled, and took time for mankind to fully comprehend what those teachings were meant.

My purpose of sharing this is not for 'religious' purposes, but that a true empath has that gift to put himself in another's shoes, and with education and cross referencing of data, to ensure truths can be gleaned, can one thus form an informed opinion, NOT that he is right, but only to present logically and rationally to others, to share, discuss and debate and find solutions to progress from the past into the future.....

Every effort counts, regardless if for whole humanity, or just one life, for each life changed for the better through comprehension of the motivations and circumstances that led to the present, is important, as one is an exponential number.

Cheers!

I think the challenge is to remain open and be a calm place in the storm.

We all fall off the horse once in a while, however.

Sometimes we just have to pan back and look at the bigger picture to get centered and grounded again.

Originally posted by RealSpoke
It's really not hard to read anothers emotion if you are observant of their body language, facial expression, voice and general actions.

Most people don't care enough to be observant.

I know its been a few months, yet I thought I'd a little here just from personal experience.

What you are talking about and what is actually occuring in a true to life empath is 2 entirely different things.

Im not reading emotion through body laungage although that does help in translating the actual feeling. The ques i get are actually emotions, i can feel them coursing through my body. It used to be I had no idea that it wasn't my feelings but someone elses. because you can feel others emotions you often mistake them for your own when you know in the back of your mind they are not.

The physical detriment that occurs to me from others emotional energy is not from just watching how they move in body laungage. It comes from actually feeling that emotion. And a well practiced empath like myself has the ability to channel that emotion into something else entirely or can shunt the emotion onto others either voluntarily or involuntarily. They can also bring chaotic emotions under control and restore calm in a individual who is anything but calm at that moment.

Empaths are healers, and they are the most common from of psychic there is. The idea of body laungage comes with the territory so you are correct in that assumption as most well focused empaths use all of their senses to make clear the intent of the emotion from another person.

Empathic sensitivity is also known to be a genetic trait as well.

I hope that offers some insight, sorry I stubbled across this thread and couldn't help myself....not trying to resurrect the dead or anything.

It is also wise to note that most strong empaths can come off as ignorant, arrogant, or just plain cold to others..they are the chameleons of the psychic world constantly morphing into what their enviroment demands of them. they are also quite adaptable.

Originally posted by SplitInfinity
reply to post by captaintyinknots

 

Empath has, as the name suggests, empathic abilities, both to sense and manipulate emotions.

Empathy is the capacity to recognise and, to some extent share, feelings (such as sadness or happiness) that are being experienced by another sentient being. Someone may need to have a certain amount of empathy before they are able to feel compassion.

These are the definitions. You called yourself an Empath. Thus manipulation is possible and this is what I see when you posted about first sensing a persons feelings then getting a kick out of what you would then do.

What did I miss? Nothing. Split Infinity

You are correct sir, a strong empath can push emotion onto another person causing them great fear, happiness, sadness, joy....you name it.

I once made a rather nasty fellow shat his pants, years of absorbed rage will do that I guess.

I like you, we can be pals!

Originally posted by Myth024
reply to post by 321equinox

 

Most psychics can turn off the ability or shield themselves and I would suppose the same should be true for empath's. I was once told to visualize the strongest, hardest and most impenetrable materiel and then to surround myself with it. I came to the conclusion that I could use my imagination to fabricate any kind of shield I wanted and make it behave any way that I wanted it to as long as I truly believed the shield would work the way I wanted it to. I have also worked with visualizing my "ability" as a volume slider that I can turn down or turn up. This allows me to be more or less sensitive as the environment permits. While these methods work for me, they don't always work perfectly and may or may not work for other people.

While this method works for you, i have actually developed a method for turning down the emotion knob on myself to where it doesn't effect me so much. My ability is so intense that I cannot just turn it off. And the only drawback is I come off like a cold no feeling a**hole to others when I do this in public.

Anybody can learn to read people, I'll be impressed when you can read past emotions and feelings from the place where they occurred. If you can you might be able to make some money from some scientists, assuming they don't cheat you out of it.

Ever walk into a house or a room and get a strange feeling? Could be something, could be nothing.

Originally posted by Kastogere

Originally posted by Myth024
reply to post by 321equinox

 

Most psychics can turn off the ability or shield themselves and I would suppose the same should be true for empath's. I was once told to visualize the strongest, hardest and most impenetrable materiel and then to surround myself with it. I came to the conclusion that I could use my imagination to fabricate any kind of shield I wanted and make it behave any way that I wanted it to as long as I truly believed the shield would work the way I wanted it to. I have also worked with visualizing my "ability" as a volume slider that I can turn down or turn up. This allows me to be more or less sensitive as the environment permits. While these methods work for me, they don't always work perfectly and may or may not work for other people.

While this method works for you, i have actually developed a method for turning down the emotion knob on myself to where it doesn't effect me so much. My ability is so intense that I cannot just turn it off. And the only drawback is I come off like a cold no feeling a**hole to others when I do this in public.

It sounds like you are turning down your own emotions instead of turning down the ability. Sorta of like plugging your ears so you don't have to listen to a loud radio instead of just turning the radio down. I've always felt and believed that any ability can be adjusted, you just have to find a visualization that works for you and believe that what your doing is going to work. Some people use shielding, others use a volume control like I mentioned, or using a dimmer switch. It's whatever works that you can connect with. Some people believe that there are angels, your higher self, or an enlightened energy that you can ask for help from. I feel that abilities like this should be a blessing not a curse and there must (at least in my mind) be a way to control it. You might even be able to find other empaths that are experienced with using the ability and they may have some ideas or insights.