Have you ever had a strong gut reaction to anything that seemed off? Perhaps you have a keen sense of deception or simply know when something seems like a good (or poor) idea.
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Empaths, according to Barrie Sueskind, a Los Angeles-based therapist who specializes in relationships, are able to pick up on tiny indications that provide insight into others' thoughts. “An empath's intuition can often identify whether or not someone is telling the truth,” she explains.
When making decisions as an empath, you may place a lot of trust on your instincts. Others may think you're rash, but you're actually relying on your instincts to guide you to the best decision for you.
What is spiritual empath?
A spiritual empath is someone who is very sensitive of other people's emotions and sentiments. They're also acutely aware of their own internal emotional condition, which some may describe as finely tuned intuition or gut instinct.
A spiritual empath may look into the soul of another person. This can be a wonderful gift as well as a source of immense anguish if they get overwhelmed by what they see.
A spiritual empath may also be able to perceive more information than the normal person. People's thoughts, feelings, intentions, and emotions can be included in ways that appear to be psychic powers.
The ability to perceive more information than the average individual can. This includes perceiving other realms' presences or energies. These could be interpreted as psychic powers or “vibes.”
A spiritual empath is someone who has a strong sense of empathy and understands others better than the average person. They have an instinctive desire to assist them in healing when they are harmed, which happens frequently! They'll put in the effort to understand one another so that everyone feels heard and understood.
What Is a Spiritual Empath Like?
People with this kind of empathy are more likely to feel deeply and comprehend a lot more than the normal person.
They will frequently be called upon to assist and heal others. As a result, empaths have a difficult time making friends or forming relationships. This is because they are more concerned with helping others than with helping themselves.
A spiritual empath is a person who has emotional intuition and sensitivity that extends beyond the physical sphere. These are two of the most important characteristics to be aware of in empathic people!
What do Empaths suffer from?
While there is a lot of study on empathy, there are just a few studies that specifically look at empaths. According to research findings, empaths are likely to have hyper-responsive mirror neurons, which are a type of brain cell that triggers responses like compassion. This enables someone to be particularly sensitive to the electromagnetic fields generated by a person's brain and heart, as well as to infer the emotions felt by those around them. The energy of a raucous crowd or a group of sad people can be felt deep within an empath's body.
Introverted empaths may be more sensitive to the brain chemical dopamine, which is responsible for feelings of pleasure. When there is too much stimuli, an empath can become overwhelmed. Empaths can be programmed to avoid or require very little external stimulus to feel pleased over time. Exhaustion, overload, despair, and anxiety are all common side effects of hypersensitivity, whether or not a person is introverted. When these feelings come, it's often beneficial to have a quiet room at home or a favorite outdoor spot where you can recover.
Empaths who are overwhelmed by intense emotions may experience anxiety, panic attacks, despair, and weariness, as well as bodily symptoms like a racing heart and a headache. This is because they internalize other people's sentiments and pain without being able to tell them apart from their own. Empaths should try to separate their own thoughts and feelings from those of others as much as possible to help them cope with these overwhelming periods.
What are the 3 types of Empaths?
While each empath has a unique experience, Orloff's book distinguishes and categorizes three primary sorts of empaths.
1. Empathic Physical
You are particularly sensitive to other people's physical ailments and are prone to absorbing them into your own body. You can also be energised by someone else's happiness. If a physical empath's acquaintance is experiencing strong stomach aches, the physical empath may experience a comparable agony in their own body.
2. Empathic Empathic Empathic Empathic Empathic Empathic
You mostly pick up on other people's emotions and can become a sponge for their happy and unhappy sentiments. Orloff uses the following example to illustrate what an emotional empath is: “They can sit next to an unhappy individual while seeing a comedy and feel depressed when they leave the theater. How? Throughout the film, the energy fields of the other person and the empath merge.”
3. Empathic Intuition
You have unusual perceptions such as heightened intuition, telepathy, dream communications, animal and plant communication, and touch with the other side. These seven sorts of intuitive empaths can be split down further (warning: this is more spiritual than scientific):
- Intuitive information about others is received by telepathic empaths in real time.
- While waking or sleeping, Precognitive Empaths receive premonitions about the future.
- Dream Empaths are dreamers that are able to get intuitive knowledge from their dreams that can aid others and guide them in their own life.
- Earth Empaths are sensitive to changes in our planet's atmosphere, solar system, and weather.
Does any of the above ring a bell? If you think you could be an empath, look for these 11 telltale indicators, then read Orloff's book to discover how to make the most of your empathic abilities.
Learn How To Set Healthy Boundaries
Setting limits in one's interactions with others and with oneself is beneficial to everyone, but empaths especially appreciate the freedom that boundary-setting provides. Empaths should restrict their time with those that trigger or drain them, according to Routh. “Empaths can have more productive but shorter contacts with people rather than being overwhelmed and withdrawing during lengthier encounters, which is a sign of respect for the self and the other person.” She also suggests giving consent for conversations you aren't emotionally prepared to have, noting that this can be difficult “It's a nice way to tell someone that while you may not be able to fully understand what they're trying to say, you appreciate the conversation and will be more likely to get the message in the future.”
Avoid Common Triggers for Empaths
Empaths must be especially aware of what triggers them in order to prevent feeling overwhelmed, as Routh points out “On a subconscious level, they are aware of and sensitive to others.” She continues, “Physical contact and proximity might have an impact on how an empath receives energy. Specific people and situations can also elicit stronger emotional responses than others, and empaths should learn to pace themselves and set clear time and commitment boundaries during potentially triggering interactions.”
Practice Empath-Friendly Self-Care
Routh advises empaths to develop confidence in recognizing and naming their own emotions, as well as where they come from and how they manifest “empowers the individual to be able to discern their own emotions from those of others.” Self-care for empaths also entails understanding what can cause an emotional reaction, with Routh pointing to factors like too much caffeine, a lack of sleep, and hormone swings as possible culprits. She suggests maintaining a journal to document daily thoughts and emotions since it can help you connect the dots between major feelings and external causes. She also believes that “To assist balance emotional overwhelm, taking time to rest, limiting screen time, unplugging from social media, and allowing yourself to be silent in a tranquil location without overstimulation is crucial.”
Protect Your Energy
Learning how to preserve your energy as an empath is critical for your mental health and well-being. Empaths must first take ownership of how they respond to external stimuli that impact their feelings and behaviors, according to Routh. She suggests using the coping skills listed below to efficiently manage absorbed energy and process it in a healthy manner.
Routh advises learning to process external energy in a way that is both receptive and controlled. “She says,” she adds “One approach to achieve this is to be curious about how the other person expresses themselves and their motivations for discussing the topic, rather than allowing the topic to take center stage right away.”
Try it out “To avoid sensory overload, “shielding” is used. “Shielding is a technique in which an empath visualizes themselves being shielded by white light, a bubble, armor, or other means that deflects any unpleasant feelings or excessive emotions transmitted onto them by others,” according to Routh.
When you start to sense heightened emotions, utilize grounding to reconnect with your mind and body “Techniques for grounding yourself before, during, and after talks with people are also beneficial. Empaths can stay present and focused by planting their feet on the floor, consciously breathing, and checking in with their body feelings.”
Kristen Routh is a licensed marriage and family therapist in many states, as well as a certified mental health integrative medicine provider and a PhD student in sport and performance psychology. Kristen is also a certified personal trainer, group fitness instructor, and mind-body fitness educator with a national certification. She is a clinical fellow with the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and she works with a variety of mental health and performance difficulties. Her background in exercise science and sport psychology, as well as her own competitive athletics and fitness expertise, enables her to assist athletes, first responders, and military service members in honing their mental training skills.
What is special about empaths?
Empaths have the rare capacity to perceive and absorb other people's emotions, making them naturally sympathetic, sensitive, and understanding. Empaths are able to see things from another person's point of view.
Is empathy a gift?
Empathy is a gift. Empathy for others, from the perspective of an outsider, allows people to trust you. It gives the people you care about a shoulder to cry on, a crutch to lean on, and an open ear to listen. People that emanate empathy are the ones to whom others turn when they have troubles or difficulties.
What does God say about empathy in the Bible?
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another as God forgave you in Christ.” Ephesians 4:32 is a verse from the book of Ephesians. One of the most well-known Bible scriptures about compassion is 1 Peter 3:8, which says, “Be like-minded, sympathetic, loving one another, compassionate, and humble.” Compassion is a virtue that we may cultivate in our daily lives.
Pisces (February 19 – March 10)
It's difficult enough to be a people pleaser, but you're also a true empath, and the combination of the two puts you in a constant state of restlessness and worry.
When members of your family are in emotional distress, you hover around them to soak up the negativity not because you want to, but because you feel compelled to help. When Pisces senses suffering, their natural talent and desire to help emerges.
Most of the time, your presence is desired since it is quiet and pleasant. You feel the weight of the world on your shoulders, and you try hard not to show it to other empaths.