What Is an Empath?

Empathy is a trait that most humans have; however not everyone labels themselves an empath or sees themselves having psychic abilities. Everyone is born with intuitive skills although some societies do not acknowledge or encourage the development of them—sometimes the family that the empath is born into hinders the advancement of these spiritual gifts.

For years while in the constraints of organized religion, I didn’t know I was an empath. I had never heard the term, but I tried to help people understand and accept my spiritual “gift.” Those who witnessed my intercessory prayer efforts didn’t understand what was going on and very few desired to pray with the intensity that I did. I still wonder how many prayer warriors are empaths who simply don’t know why they have mysterious illnesses and feel drained all the time. When I let the word out that I was writing a book on this topic, people started coming out of the woodwork, asking questions, relating their “ah ha” moments, and willing to share their stories as empaths. Alas, I found that we empaths are plenteous in number!

The word “empath” may be a new term to some, but an ever-increasing number of people are reporting that they are sensitive to all types of energy, including those produced by other humans, the environment, electromagnetic frequencies, geophysical stress, and even non-physical beings. Being empathic simply means you are able to pick up on the energy of others—we can all do that to some degree—but some people are so sensitive to environmental stimuli and the emotional energy of others that it causes disturbances in their health and life. Empirical evidence suggest that some people seem to have unique variations in their central nervous system that cause them to have an unusual sensitivity to light, smell, sound, taste, and touch, and may be very intuitive. Some are so detrimentally affected that they rarely go into public because they feel overwhelmed by the energy they pick up. These highly-sensitive individuals are referred to as empaths.

Anywhere there is a crowd of people, there is abundant energy, both positive and negative. Those who assist with victim protection, do police or detective work, have served in war zones, operate as healers or psychics, or have careers at hospitals, clinics, or hospice centers deal with an overload of emotional energy from trying to help people. Many of them feel depleted, overwhelmed, nervous, depressed, or angry much of the time; they may feel as though someone is watching or following them, or have a difficult time finding peace of mind. They may not know they are carrying or attaching to someone else’s energy, but would love to stop the emotional, physical, and mental turmoil they encounter on a regular basis. That’s why I wrote the book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You.

By setting healthy boundaries and developing emotional intelligence, you can manage your own energy and discern what others are feeling without actually having to suffer for it! In fact, with a little more information, you will be able to turn this “curse” into a gift that can ease the emotional and physical pain of others.
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PURCHASE paperback book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings,and Energy of Those Around You at http://tinyurl.com/EmpathAmazon. The e-book version is now available for Kindle, iPhone, iPad, and other digital reading devices.