What Is an Empath?

While it's not an official psychological term, empaths are generally understood to be people who are extremely attuned to the feelings and emotions of others. The term stems from the word "empathy," which is the ability to understand another person from their point of view rather than your own -- in other words, to put yourself in their shoes. It's not quite the same as sympathy, which means you feel concern for someone who's going through a hard time.

People with high levels of empathy tend to have strong social, communication, and leadership skills. But empaths sometimes have a hard time setting boundaries between themselves and others.

Types of Empaths

In the broadest terms, there are two main forms of empathy:

• Emotional, in which our feelings mirror those of someone else
• Cognitive, in which we intellectually understand another person's emotions

Some psychologists say there are different types of empaths as well, such as:

• Emotional empath. This means you're very sensitive to other people's emotions. If someone you know is happy or angry, you may have those feelings as well.
• Intuitive empath. You're so skilled at picking up on the thoughts and emotions of others that your insights seem intuitive.
• Physical empath. You're sensitive to the physical pain others feel, sometimes to the point of feeling it yourself.
• Dark empath. You use your insights into the feelings of others to benefit yourself.

5 Signs You Might Be an Empath

1. You have a lot of empathy

The term empath comes from empathy, which is the ability to understand the experiences and feelings of others outside of your own perspective. 

Say your friend just lost their dog of 15 years. Empathy is what allows you to understand the level of pain she’s going through, even if you’ve never lost a beloved pet. 

But as an empath, you take things a step further. You actually sense and feel emotions as if they’re part of your own experience. In other words, someone else’s pain and happiness become yourpain and happiness.

2. Closeness and intimacy can overwhelm you

Empaths often find frequent close contact difficult, which can make romantic relationshipschallenging. 

You want to connect and develop a lasting partnership. But spending too much time with someone leads to stress, overwhelm, or worries about losing yourself in the relationship. 

You might also notice sensory overload or a “frayed nerves” feeling from too much talking or touching. But when you try to express your need for time alone, you absorb your partner’s hurt feelings and feel even more distressed.

3. You have good intuition 

Ever felt like you have a strong gut reaction to things that feel a bit off? Maybe you pick up on dishonesty easily or justknow when something seems like a good (or bad) idea. 

This may be your empath trait at work. 

As an empath, you might put a lot of faith in your instincts when making decisions. Although others might consider you impulsive, you’re actually trusting your intuition to guide you to the choice that feels right for you.

4. You take comfort in nature

Anyone can benefit from spending time in natural settings. But empaths may feel even more drawn to nature and remote areas, since natural environments provide a calming space to rest from overwhelming sensations, sounds, and emotions. 

You might feel completely at peace when hiking alone in a sunlit forest or watching waves crash against the shore. Even a quiet walk through a garden or an hour sitting under trees may lift your spirits, soothe overstimulation, and help you relax.

5. You don’t do well in crowded places 

Empaths can absorb positive and negative energy just by being in someone’s presence. In crowded or busy places, this sensitivity may seem magnified to the point of being almost unbearable. 

Egel agrees, adding that “empaths can be easily overwhelmed by feeling everything more intensely.” If you can easily sense how others feel, you’ll likely have a hard time handling the emotional “noise” from a crowd, or even a smaller group of people, for an extended period of time.

When you’re picking up on negative emotions, energy, or even physical distress from people around you, you might become overwhelmed or physically unwell. As a result, you may feel most comfortable on your own or in the company of just a few people at a time.

Schedule Free Consultation

WHY WORKING WITH YOUR GALACTIC FAMILY IS EFFECTIVE FOR ACCELERATED ASCENSION

Many people who practice Reiki stick to the traditional techniques that were discovered over 100 years ago.   However, there is a growing number of people who are becoming aware of the fact that newer, more advanced Reiki techniques are available to us and can help us in our healing journey.  Some of these techniques leverage our 'galactic family'— the energies derived from The Arcturians, The Pleiadians & The Sirians.  These energies can help heal our energy bodies in less time and with less effort.  Results can be transformational. 

To take your Reiki practice to the next level, Udemy Arcturian Reiki Training, as well as the 5D Lightbody Activation can prove to be powerful options. 

Arcturian Reiki was a Reiki technique channeled in 2021 that has helped hundreds of people heal faster and more efficiently.  The 5D Lightbody Activation has helped many people accelerate their ascension by ending the two steps forward, one step back struggle that most empaths face when trying to heal their chakras.  Turning to The Reiki Club can truly help you accelerate your ascension in amazing ways.