Empaths
What Are They and Are You One?
Written by Randi Fine
Narcissistic Abuse Awareness and Guidance with Randi Fine
Are You An Empath?
Have you ever wondered why strangers or people you hardly know open up to you and share their most trusted thoughts?
Do you have an instant connection with animals?
Are you unable to watch violence, cruelty, or tragedy on television or in the movies because your soul just can’t bear it?
Do you have an instant knowing about the character of the people you meet upon first meeting them?
Are you highly spiritual and find the physical world and everything in it heavy?
Are you often tired and have physical ailments that cannot be medically explained?
Empaths are people who are highly sensitive to the energy and the emotions of people, animals, and sometimes energetic imprints around them. Some are sensitive to the energy of plants. This extreme sensitivity applies to the familiar as well as the unfamiliar; people they know and total strangers.
Empaths experience the world around them and feel what other people are feeling through their extraordinarily heightened senses and keen intuitions. They tend to internalize others' feelings without being aware they are doing it and then interpret those feelings as their own.
Empaths are set apart from non-empaths by their higher-than-average level of empathy, the ease at which they can connect to the feelings of others, and the range within which they can do it. And where others experience feelings of empathy cued by interacting with others, empaths can feel and internalize emotions from people near and far.. They don’t have to rely on the physical senses of sight, hearing, or touch, or clues from their interactions with others to pick up on the emotions and energies around them.
Crowded places such as shopping malls, supermarkets, stadiums or movie theaters can overwhelm the senses of empaths. These places may fill them with uncomfortable emotions, emotions that feel as if they are their own, picked up from the array of energies around them. Environments with depressive, low energy, such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and hospitals can cause feelings of depression, physical maladies, and fatigue in empaths. Thrift stores, consignment shops, and antique stores, places that carry the residual energy of previous owners can be very draining for empaths as can used cars or pre-owned houses.
Empaths thrive in peaceful, harmonious environments. Disharmony makes them uncomfortable; they will do everything to avoid it. If and when they are confronted with turbulence or chaos they assume the role of peacemaker and will work toward a quick resolution.
Violence, cruelty and tragedy on the television, in the movies, or in print involving the physical or emotional suffering of people or other living things feels nearly unbearable. Whether real or dramatically acted out empaths are painfully sensitive to these things.
Others are drawn to the deep level of warmth and compassion empaths exude. Strangers find themselves sharing private things with them about their lives. Animals quickly bond to them for the same reason.
Empaths deeply connect to animals of all species; they resonate with their energies, love their pureness, and highly value their unconditional love. Preferring the company of animals over the company of humans, they usually have pets. Many empaths become vegan or vegetarian because they can feel the vibrations of the animal that the meat came from when they eat it.
Avid seekers of solutions, answers, and knowledge, believing every problem can be solved and uncomfortable until they figure them out, empaths will tirelessly search until they are satisfied. They are deep thinkers and studiers.
Because of their ability to know things not told to them, they naturally sense the agenda of others. This ability makes it difficult for others to lie to them, manipulate them, put on a facade, or hide their emotions. They are adept at reading body language and noticing subtle inflections of speech that others might miss. Natural prey for predators, empaths must implicitly trust their keen senses to avoid being targeted.
Requiring truthfulness in others and in themselves, empaths feel terribly uncomfortable and energetically drained around unauthentic people. And though generally tolerable of others, they absolutely cannot withstand others' negativity, unnecessary drama, egotistical behavior, self-centeredness, judgment or jealousy.
Whether in social activities or work they cannot lie to themselves or pretend to enjoy things that they don't; their feelings are written on their faces. Work must feel meaningful or they will become emotionally, spiritually, and physically unwell. Empaths feel best in creative fields such as art, dance, writing, or music; expressive fields that feed their souls--that are vital to their well-being.
Because they feel things so deeply and tend to be nurturing, they often work as volunteers, passionately dedicating their time to helping animals, children, others in need, or the environment. Excellent listeners, they are truly interested in the happiness and welfare of others.
With a natural ability to tap into Universal energy and heal others, empaths tend to gravitate toward medical fields, mental health fields, holistic therapy fields and energy work. Their sensitivity allows them to feel the emotions of others, influence their bodies and minds, and create harmony within them. To avoid absorbing energies from others that cause them unbalance and disharmony, empaths must learn how to protect their own energy.
Free spirits who must have freedom of movement and expression, restrictions cause them unease. They feel imprisoned by control, schedules, routines, and overly rigid rules or ones they don’t believe in.
Daydreamers who get bored or distracted easily, empaths have difficulty staying focused on things that don’t stimulate their minds. They live their lives in duality, existing in the physical world but equally connected to the light, pure, realm of spirit. Understanding the freedom of that alternative reality, it is hard for them to stay grounded.
Likely having experienced paranormal experiences of their own, whether near death experiences, out of body experiences, psychic ability, or a connection with those who have crossed over, they easily and without question incorporate this unseen reality into their physical experience.
Having had a broad range of life experiences, they are knowledgeable on a wide array of topics. Others tend to view them as wise. But empaths are not boastful people. They are more comfortable recognizing others' achievements and attributes than their own.
Their deepest mutual connections are with those like them--those who get them and those they can be expressive, open, and frank with. Though lasting friendships can be formed with those unlike them they will always feel as if an element of the relationship is missing.
With their special ability, empathic people can be powerful healers. It is a gift; one that can make life emotionally and physically difficult until they learn to understand, honor, appreciate and embrace it.
Randi Fine is an internationally renowned narcissistic abuse expert and coach, and the author of the groundbreaking book Close Encounters of the Worst Kind: The Narcissistic Abuse Survivor’s Guide to Healing and Recovery Second Edition, the most comprehensive, most well researched, and most up-to-date book on this subject. In addition to helping survivors recognize their abuse and heal from it, this book teaches mental health professionals how to recognize and properly treat the associated abuse syndrome. She is also the author of Cliffedge Road: A Memoir, the first and only book to characterize the life-long progression of complications caused by narcissistic child abuse.