I recently had a conversation on Facebook about being an empath and asked what others thought an empath was. I was only answered back by the woman who wrote the post asking who all was an empath. So now I take this and other questions to all of you that find your way to my blog and read me ramblings.
What do you think an empath is? If you’re an empath, what does that mean to you? How goes this gift/curse in your life? Has it eased your path or hindered it? Do you think that people confuse empathy with sympathy? Think I asked enough questions? Cause I can do more, seriously.
Being an empath for me is not just about what I “feel” from others, but what others sense about me, and that is the fact that they can confide in me. Being an empath and a confidant has always gone hand in hand ever since I was a wee lass. I often heard "I have no idea why I'm telling you this". Well I had no idea how I managed to have answers! I was rather young and adults were doing the confiding and though I could “see” a snapshot of them and somehow had the right thing to say, it still made for very uncomfy moments in my preteens.
Empathy and being an empath are kissing cousins but may not be the same thing. As an empath I use empathy to access my more expansive skill of “reading” people…that snapshot thing I mentioned earlier. It’s the foundation for my tarot readings and really most of my dealings. I truly am a person who bases decisions on what I “feel”, not what’s logical and sound. Having a mood disorder makes this tricky.
It may be obvious or not…that I feel at times this “gift” may be more “curse” in how it has impacted my path, how it has at times felt to be a hindrance and how being bipolar only amplifies this all. And so, when I’m able to utilize my empathic nature to help others, it be a gift. When I’m overwhelmed by knowing what others hide or do not see and oh so not wanting to be privy to so, then it be a curse.
Yes, I do think empathy is often confused with sympathy and this only because of those manners we were taught. Those empty I’m sorry/s we dole out liberally these days. In order to be empathetic, you need to see the person on a whole, the info that is all there to be observed. If you do not take that moment to really try to understand, then you are not empathizing, you are sympathizing. Which in my opinion, is as empty as asking “how are you” and are put out when someone actually does tell you! But you know, this is my opinion, which I use not sparingly at all.
Well there be my uneven post about empathy! Circumventing just one meandering path in the map of how my brain works. Is that “in the map”, or “on the map”? So not a map person and unclear as to why I’m writing in pirate speak.
I'm eager to hear what other people have to say. I loved what you posted on FB about 'spidey senses' because I call it the same. I experienced (and still do) the same about having people naturally and easily confide in me (something I appreciate and is very sacred to me). Not having grown up with appropriate boundaries, this was used against me quite a bit- but now as an adult I can teach my kids to balance these things for themselves.
ReplyDeleteLet's see, what does an empath mean- I think I am more open to the Spirits than others who might have to work harder for that relationship. I dream serious Dreams that give me a lot of information and sometimes get visits from spirits, including my guides. I'm open to their presence, I think this fosters a stronger communication. Like I told you before (posting it for the discussion), I love the snapshot I get of people and it feeds me to be in public, engaging people. I can see both sides of a discussion or conflict very quickly and can help both sides understand each other.
I'm sure there's more, I'd love to hear what other people have to say.
When I was about 15 I was on the ferry. This guy in his early 20's sat down with me to talk to me and very quickly I got information about what he was about, and I just basically told him what I saw. He tripped out because I nailed it and had his friend come over- I was really super tuned in and did the same for his two friends. He invited his last friend over to talk to me too and when he sat down I got clear images and when I told him what I was seeing he told me I was wrong - I knew I wasn't. I could feel it in his energy, he didn't want to be 'outed' and thus weakened by the information I had offered.
One of the starkest examples of my experiences as an empath.
I think there are a lot of folks who misunderstand what being an empath truly is and mistakenly identify themselves as such. Anyone can be empathetic or sympathetic, but to truly be able to tap into what someone else feels or is experiencing as if to experience it for themselves with their own emotions is an innate gift. It goes beyond simple understanding to a more cognitive level; and although it may appear similar, it differs from being telepathic in that it is emotion and "knowing" that is "sensed" rather than communicated through words or thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI used to think I was "an empath," but I don't believe that anymore. I can read people, but I often misread or entirely miss important things about people. However, I have managed to develop my empathic skills which I typically tap into while I'm doing readings for people. For me, I believe it's more of a learned skill than a true empathic gift. Maybe I'm wrong. I do often "know" things about people without explanation. Maybe that's just my spidey psychic senses kicking in.
I could see where it might be considered a gift to be an empath, but I envision it as more of a curse. To literally feel someone else's pain or to be continually bombarded with the emotions of others would be overwhelming if you didn't know how to shield yourself. I suppose if you had this gift from birth, shielding yourself from unwanted "sensing" would be second nature. I actually address this in my books because a few of the characters are empaths, however one receives her gift late in life and it overwhelms her.
Since I don't experience any uninvited knowing or sensing consistently throughout my day, I can only conclude that I personally am not an empath.
So here's a question I'll pose to others:
Do you believe in distance empathy? If you are an empath, can you sense what someone is going through even if they are far away?