What's an Empath?

Although I have been an Indigo and Empath all my life, it wasn't until early 2013 that I awakened to the fact that there were names (or labels) for what I had been experiencing. Once I realized this and did some research, many pieces of my life suddenly fit together like a puzzle. Many long standing questions were answered. Everything about myself suddenly made sense. I have always felt different. I just could never put my finger on it or name it or understand it.

What I have learned so far about Empaths is that almost all (if not all) Indigos are also Empaths, but not all Empaths are Indigos. (Learn more about Indigos here.)There are some people who are Empaths or what is called Highly Sensitive People (and who are not Indigos). "An Empath is someone who has been hard-wired from birth to perceive, and literally experience the thoughts, emotions, physical sensitivities and spiritual urges of other people," explains Dr. Michael R. Smith, Ph.D., N.C.C. An Empath is always "on" to process other people's feelings and energy. It's much more than being a highly sensitive person, and it's not limited to just emotions. Empaths are energetically sensitive and are affected by all types of energy.

From what I understand, the difference between Empaths and Highly Sensitive People (HSP) is that Empaths are more tuned into the spiritual realm than a sensitive person, though both are open and perceive and feel the energy around them. This is according to Dr. Michael R. Smith, who is a wonderful coach and teacher for Empaths and HSPs that I discovered on an on-line webinar in 2013. He is an Empath himself. He said there is a study that reported that around 20% of the total population is what's considered to be sensitive people, and he estimates from his clients over the years that about 5% of those are Empaths.

Here is a list of some characteristics of Empaths according to Dr. Smith:

• You look at someone and just know their emotional state.
• You can feel the energy coming at you (or being drained) from another person, especially from the eyes.
• You have a blocked feeling in your chest or sternum, as if someone is tugging on it.
• You tend to run away from people when stressed, rather than engage.
• You've been called "oversensitive" or "hypersensitive".
• You always know where danger may lurk. (Curiously, you may have avoided accidents because of this hyper-vigilance).
• You are drawn to the tranquility of animals.
• You are drawn to mountains, nature, the ocean -- anywhere outdoors for it's grounding effect.
• You cannot bear violence in any form.
• You can easily produce tears, sometimes at will.
• You may be able to feel the physical aches & pains of others in your body (this often leads to chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, or other energy illnesses).
• You feel better after a good, intense cry.
• You are overwhelmed by large crowds or mobs.
• You can sometimes feel affected by the energy of the full moon.
• You have had spiritual or paranormal experiences that include seeing or hearing ghosts, sensing presences, and/or having intense and sometimes lucid dreams.

Empaths directly perceive energy from other people's bodies and feel it in their own bodies. We feel everything, even if we are not aware of it. When I am focused on someone, whether in person or on the phone or someone on the TV or internet (it doesn't matter), I can literally feel what they are feeling. Mostly I feel the emotions but occasionally I may feel physical things as well.  For example, a client called me once about something that I forgot to do and though she was very nice and cordial on the phone, I could actually feel her agitation and annoyance. If someone is not honest or sincere, like when someone says one thing while they are feeling something very different, I know because I feel what they feel, regardless of what they say. I don't necessarily have to be focused on someone to feel their energy either.

My beloved Australian cattle dog Einstein, who passed away at home at the age of 17 a few months ago, taught me a lot in the thirteen years I had him but I learned something amazing just before he passed away. I had been giving him some pain medication in pill form but at the very end he couldn't swallow so I gave him an inject-able pain medication and it made him nauseous. I felt terrible for making him nauseous of course, but I also felt his nausea. I physically felt it in my body. I realized at that moment that I could feel what he was physically feeling. My empathic abilities extend to the animals. Also, the moment he died, I was in my office just a few feet away and I felt his energy come in the room and guide me out to where his body was and I saw that he just passed away. I had just checked on him five or ten minutes prior. I could feel Einstein as energy after he left his body. He got my attention and led me to see he had just left his body. He was free! 

Empaths are connected to their intuition, good listeners, very emotional and we feel very deeply. We experience emotions for unknown reasons and we cry easily. We are sensitive to our surroundings. We typically avoid places like malls, shopping centers and anywhere there might be chaos or negative energy. Lower vibrations drain us. I am really sensitive to violence and any other negativity on the TV, radio or otherwise. Considering we are bombarded with violence and negativity, the world can be a pretty painful place for an Empath. This is why it's common for Empaths to have addictions. We have to learn to discharge lower vibratory energy "crud" that we pick up over our lifetime that collects in our aura (energy body). If not, we can become sick. 

Trauma is associated with being an Empath, and according to Dr. Smith, occurs in about 50% of us and may have actually enhanced our energetic perception. We cannot change the fact that we are Empaths. "It is akin to your eye color", says Dr. Smith. It's not something that is teachable and you can't learn it. You either are or you aren't. It's a gift but can feel like a curse. We have to learn how to manage and adapt to our energetic sensitivity and that's what I have been working on and continue to work on. Dr. Smith has great tips on how to develop inner power and energetic balance so we can become empowered Empaths. We are fortunate to have someone like Dr. Smith to help us! If you or someone you know is an Empath or a HSP and would like more information, you can visit his website here.