Support for Empathic Children

By Caron Goode

Empathic children feel their way through the world, and they have acute mental or emotional sensibilities, and they want to be responsive to other people’s feelings. Yet, at times, their sensitivity threshold is low. They are often told, “You are too sensitive,” rather than being recognized for their gifts of emotional intelligence.

What a delight when a child is recognized for his gift of empathy! Our friend, Dr. Minette Riordan, shared that when her sensitive son Conner was five years old and entered kindergarten, she went to work in launching a local parenting newspaper, North Texas Kids. One week of every month was pressure filled with newspaper deadlines, and Conner's response was to feel his mom’s stress and become distressed also.

Connor ended up getting into trouble at school for pushing another child into a locker. The teacher was clear that he was provoked but expressed concern that Conner, a normally happy, relaxed child, should react aggressively. After a lengthy discussion about what was going on at home, Minette realized that Conner would react to her stress at work by acting out at school.

Minette learned to help Conner through these stressful times by giving him plenty of advance notice about the timing of her busy, upcoming week. She would tell Conner, "I won't be home much this week" or "You won't see me as often this week, but once we get to Saturday, I will have the whole weekend to spend with you." Moreover, Minette made herself smile, hugged her son more, and talked to him in calming tones rather than strident tones. By managing her own stress and preparing Conner, she gave him language and a way to healthfully express his distress at not seeing her enough during that week of the month.

Minette’s story demonstrates what goes on in every household with parents and children. Children feel the parents’ pain, tension stress or discord—basically the emotional energy of the home that makes everyone uptight and upset. Yes, kids are adaptable, and part of parenting is to soothe and help children learn to soothe themselves. Such interactions are even more necessary for the “sensitive kids.”

For more information on helping empathic children, please see Raising Intuitive Children.

If you are an empath struggling with managing the energy overload that tends to accompany this gift, you might want to join us for a free training event: “Empaths Shifting into 2012: A Telesummit to Help Energy-Sensitive People Understand Their Spiritual Role on Earth” September 6, 13, 20, & 27, 2011. Sign up at http://live-spirit.com/empathytelesummit.

© 2011 Dr. Goode is the founder of the Academy for Coaching Parents International, a global online school for training successful, wealthy parenting coaches in home-based businesses. She is the author of fifteen books, including the international best seller, Kids Who See Ghosts, the national award-winner Raising Intuitive Children. See and review all of Dr. Goode’s books here.


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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.

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Resources: Audio to Help Empaths Ground and Center Their Energy - 2

This is part two of an audio for clearing, cleansing, and balancing chakras. It begins where the first audio left off. This segment lasts eight minutes, and reminds the listener of these truths:

• I am connected to the source of all life
• I am one with the divine
• I am a co-creator, working with my spiritual guidance team to bring heaven on earth through my words, thoughts, feelings, and actions
• The divine essence within me is activated and merged with every cell in my body
• My ALL THAT IS aspect is joined with my mind
• I am spirit having an experience in a human body. I am much more than a body.
• I am a powerful manifester
• I manifest on purpose, not by default.
• I have the ability to set and maintain healthy boundaries.
• I am keenly interested in growing spiritually; therefore, I take the time necessary to know my true self and hear the voice of wisdom within.
• I am willing to change, evolve, and ascend in order to accomplish my divine mission.

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Get the 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.

If These Walls Could Talk: How Your Home May Be Affecting You More Than You Think

Growing up it pained me to go into antique stores. I would get this suffocating feeling that felt like the walls were coming in on me. Not to mention all the smells lurking around. I thought I just didn’t like antiques. But looking back I realize that I was picking up on all the energy emanating from the antiques. Each item had stories to tell and memories to share. I just wanted to go home.

It was about five years ago when my understanding of energy took a leap forward. I was lying in bed one Sunday morning gazing across the room thinking about my day when I saw an aura field around the curtain rod. How could this be, I thought? I had previously been able to see aura fields around humans and flowers. But, curtain rods aren’t living. In that moment, I inherently understood what quantum physics has been trying to tell us. Everything is energy and everything has an energy field.

With this understanding, my feng shui practice took off. Every item in our home has an energy field. And that energy field contains everything that item has experienced and witnessed. So you can begin to imagine the overwhelment of walking into an antique store with thousands of items holding years and years of collected energy. You most likely have experienced this yourself. Have you ever walked into someone’s home or even a store and immediately felt uneasy for no apparent reason. The phrase, “you could cut the tension with a knife,” perfectly describes the powerful effects that we all pick up on in spaces, regardless of whether we are extra-sensitive, or not.

We can choose what spaces we go into, but what about our own home? Have you ever considered that the energy in your own home may be negatively affecting you on a daily basis? Our home should instead be our refuge from the world. It should be the one place we can go to recharge our batteries, not run us down. Here’s some suggestions on what to look for and how to minimize the effects of lingering energy in your home.

1. Items With a Past: I walked into a client’s home recently that was filled with amazing, museum-grade relics, such as masks, sculptures, and paintings. These items had a lot to say! Take inventory of your home. Do you have antiques, pre-owned items, or hand-me-down furniture? Hold or touch the item and notice how you feel. You may even be able to read the item for information. No worries, if not. Just notice how you feel. If it’s not a positive feeling, then consider getting rid of the item.

2. Items With Emotional Attachments: Items that trigger emotional memories within ourselves can be the most potent. Once again, take inventory of your belongings and make sure you are not holding on to anything that conjures up negative memories. The most common example what be an item from a previous relationship that was not so good. Use the item to forgive and make peace with the past so that you can move forward. And then say good-bye to that item too.

3. Paint a Room: Paint can immediately transform a room – aesthetically and energetically. If a room doesn’t feel good to you, give it a new coat of paint. It immediately cleans, clears, and brightens a room.

4. Energy From Previous Owners: The first thing we all do when moving into a new space is clean it. No one wants to live among others’ dirt and grime. But what about the previous occupants’ energy? It is essential to space clear your space upon moving in. If you haven’t done it yet, go ahead and do it now! The most common method is by sage smudging with a bundle of sage. However, if you are sensitive to smoke, then check out my Smudge Spray. Using bells is another great way to clear and energize a space. Both of these methods are discussed in more detail in my book, Feng Shui Your Life. The same method you use for your space can be used to clear individual items as well.
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Tisha Morris is a feng shui expert, life coach, and the author of Feng Shui Your Life. For more information, visit www.tishamorris.com.
Get your FREE Feng Shui Bagua Map + Goal Sheet DOWNLOAD HERE!


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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.

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Resources: Audio to Help Empaths Ground and Center Their Energy - 1

Empathic or energy-sensitive people need help and resources to stay emotionally balanced and protected from the energy of their environment. They pick up all kinds of electrical impulses from cell phones, power plants, and computers to the thoughts, feelings, and emotions of those around them. Here is the first in a series of audios designed to help empaths ground and center their energy.

Prepare to establish the color of grounding cord you desire and the length of minutes you would like to have the golden sunlight flow in your aura. Two to five minutes is recommended for beginners. Click the small arrow in the player below to listen to the audio.

Go to here for part two of this exercise.

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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.

How to Smudge Yourself with Sage

For many years, Native Americans have used smudging to cleanse an area, a person, or auric field of detrimental energy. The most common herb to use for this purpose is white sage.

When my husband is home and I need a clearing, I’ll ask him to do the honors, but when I’m home alone, I smudge my own body with sage. In the video below I show you how I do this.You can smudge yourself quite easily by using a piece of cardboard to fan the smoke over your entire body. I use a smudge wand that I created from feathers of birds that I resonate with.





Our guides wait for us to ask for their help rather than infringing upon our free will. Simply ask that your entire body and aura be cleansed by the high, pure vibration of the smoking sage. I also call upon the Violet Flame of St. Germaine to transmute any detrimental energy released in my clearing session into a useful, positive, uplifting energy that will help you sense your oneness with Source, which is Love and Light.

Your intention is powerful and Source knows what you need. Therefore, there is no right or wrong way to smudge. It will be effective rather quickly.

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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.

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Great Times for an Empath to be Alive!

We live in such wonderful times and it is a privilege to be on planet Earth. We have always been spirit beings with abilities beyond our limited human imaginations, but now we are waking up to these gifts in order to help heal the planet and ourselves/others. Having the ability to shape what others think and experience is quite a serious responsibility. Use your power and send love and light to benefit all.

Here is an encouraging audio message for empaths:

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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.

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How To Stop Absorbing Other People’s Negative Emotions

Adapted from Dr. Judith Orloff’s new book “Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life” (Three Rivers Press, 2011)

Emotional freedom means learning how to stay centered in a stressful, highly emotionally charged world. Since emotions such as fear, anger, and frustration are energies, you can potentially “catch” them from people without realizing it. If you tend to be an emotional sponge, it’s vital to know how to avoid taking on an individual’s negative emotions or the free-floating kind in crowds. Another twist is that chronic anxiety, depression, or stress can turn you into an emotional sponge by wearing down your defenses. Suddenly, you become hyper-attuned to others, especially those with similar pain. That’s how empathy works; we zero in on hot-button issues that are unresolved in ourselves. From an energetic standpoint, negative emotions can originate from several sources. What you’re feeling may be your own; it may be someone else’s; or it may be a combination. I’ll explain how to tell the difference and strategically bolster positive emotions so you don’t shoulder negativity that doesn’t belong to you.

This wasn’t something I always knew how to do. Growing up, my girlfriends couldn't wait to hit the shopping malls and go to parties, the bigger the better--but I didn't share their excitement. I always felt overwhelmed, exhausted around large groups of people, though I was clueless why. "What's the matter with you?" friends would say, shooting me the weirdest looks. All I knew was that crowded places and I just didn't mix. I'd go there feeling just fine but leave nervous, depressed, or with some horrible new ache or pain. Unsuspectingly, I was a gigantic sponge, absorbing the emotions of people around me.

With my patients, I’ve also seen how absorbing other people’s  emotions can trigger panic attacks, depression, food, sex and drug binges, and a plethora of physical symptoms that defy traditional medical diagnosis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that more than two million Americans suffer from chronic fatigue. It’s likely that many of them are emotional sponges.

Here are some strategies from Emotional Freedom to practice. They will help you to stop absorbing other people’s emotions.

Emotional Action Step: How To Stay Centered In A Stressful World
To detach from other people’s negative emotions:

• First, ask yourself: Is the feeling mine or someone else’s? It could be both. If the emotion such as fear or anger is yours, gently confront what’s causing it on your own or with professional help. If not, try to pinpoint the obvious generator. For instance, if you’ve just watched a comedy, yet you came home from the movie theater feeling blue, you may have incorporated the depression of the people sitting beside you; in close proximity, energy fields overlap. The same is true with going to a mall or packed concert.
• When possible, distance yourself from the suspected source. Move at least twenty feet away; see if you feel relief. Don’t err on the side of not wanting to offend strangers. In a public place, don’t hesitate to change seats if you feel a sense of depression imposing on you. 
• For a few minutes, center yourself by concentrating on your breath: This connects you to your essence. Keep exhaling negativity, inhaling calm. This helps to ground yourself and purify fear or other difficult emotions Visualize negativity as gray fog lifting from your body, and hope as golden light entering. This can yield quick results.
• Negative emotions such as fear frequently lodge in your emotional center at the solar plexus. Place your palm there as you keep sending loving-kindness to that area to flush stress out. For longstanding depression or anxiety, use this method daily to strengthen this center. It’s comforting and builds a sense of safety and optimism. 
• Shield yourself. A handy form of protection many people use, including healers with trying patients, involves visualizing an envelope of white light (or any color you feel imparts power) around your entire body. Think of it as a shield that blocks out negativity or physical discomfort but allows what's positive to filter in.
• Look for positive people and situations. Call a friend who sees the good in others. Spend time with a colleague who affirms the bright side of things. Listen to hopeful people. Hear the faith they have in themselves and others. Also relish hopeful words, songs, and art forms. Hope is contagious and it will lift your mood.

Keep practicing these strategies. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time you’re on emotional overload. With strategies to cope, you can have quicker retorts to stressful situations, feel safer, and your sensitivities can blossom.


Judith Orloff MD, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA and intuition expert, is author of the New York Times Bestseller Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life (Three Rivers Press, 2011) Her other bestsellers are Positive Energy, Intuitive Healing, and Second Sight. Dr. Orloff synthesizes the pearls of traditional medicine with cutting edge knowledge of intuition and energy medicine. She passionately believes that the future of medicine involves integrating all this wisdom to achieve emotional freedom and total wellness. www.drjudithorloff.com

FREE MINI VIDEO CLASSES ON YOUTUBE FOR YOU!
Please check out “Dr. Orloff’s Living Room Series” to find out more about the special method Dr. Orloff recommends to remember your dreams and other topics to build the power within. Stop by www.youtube.com/judithorloffmd anytime.
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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.

Why Do Some People Have The Gift of Empathy?

Recently I was asked if being able to feel so much as an empath has such damaging side effects why is it called a gift?
The true purpose of this gift is for humans to be able to transform detrimental energy into beneficial energy and keep the planet in balance. If we continuously live aligned with our ego instead of our higher self, we have a problem. Rather than transmuting negative energy and allowing it to flow through us, we absorb it and it sticks to and combines with lower vibrating frequencies (anger, resentment, shame, guilt, codependency, etc) that we have within us. Thus, we collect stuff in our field, which can cloud our judgment, cause mood swings, and even make us physically sick. Many times the fields of empaths are so cluttered they are unable to identify or separate their own energy from that of another person.

You’ve been around being who spread cheer or “light up a room” so to speak. If an empath is clear and living in alignment with spirit/higher self, they are filled with Love and Light, and can act as a filter. Any detrimental energy around them is automatically transmuted and darkness is exposed as an illusion of the ego. The unwanted energy moves through in the auric field and subtle bodies a non-resistant manner. If any low-vibrating energy does gets stuck, the trained empath can quickly clear it before it become a problem.

From birth to death to afterlife, we are mysteriously connected. Because we are connected, everything we think, say, or do affects all of humanity and ultimately our planet. The awakened empath who employs a practice leading toward spiritual ascension will find their intuition stronger and more reliable. Most empaths also have some healing abilities that become keener as the gift is developed. Without even realizing it, a conscious and clear empath is constantly releasing the karma of others by bringing in and anchoring higher frequencies in the Earth plane.

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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.

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VIDEO: Clearing and Protecting Your Energy Field Part Two

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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.

Intriguing, stimulating, and exceptionally informative

This is a book that needed to be written! Starting from the premise that “Empaths are loving, caring and kind people who want to help others,” Yvonne comprehensively and yet engagingly maps out the whole subject of empathy, weaving her own extra-ordinary experiences and search for understanding through an abundance of researched facts, resources, and advice. Dr Caron Goode brings examples from her practice of working with empaths and looks at the psychological aspect of empathy.

I personally most enjoyed the chapters on setting boundaries to support oneself (and the huge list of tools she gives us!), the development of empathy in children and how it often gets lost, and how established churches react to empaths, but I found the whole book intriguing, stimulating, and exceptionally informative. ~ Shelagh Jones, Spiritus - the Spiritual Marketing Directory

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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.

Testimonial: This Book for Empaths Really Is Helping Sensitive People Heal

I got a wonderful review and thank you from a reader of my book, Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You (http://tinyurl.com/EmpathAmazon).

"yvonne, i just want to say a big thank you for your book..i received it in the post almost 2wks ago and was half way through reading the book the first day:) its wonderful ..your book is writen with such honesty and openness and i felt a part of my own journey in the pages as i read..it really is a great overall manual for empaths and also thank you for being so open about the ups and downs you have experienced along your journey..it gives me great hope and is so uplifting to see how far you've came and how you are embracing your empathy and with such simple methods of how to manage it myself..i feel empowered to march on and out those tips to use and i am , every day now:) thank you yvonne for sharing this treasure with the world"

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The e-book version is now available for Kindle, iPhone, iPad, and other digital reading devices. The audio version is coming soon.

Video: The Characteristics of An Empath

This video discusses the characteristics of an empath.

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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.

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What is This Power Empaths Possess?

It's exciting to connect with other empaths who are ready to start using their intuitive gifts to bless and heal others. The perk is that we heal ourselves in the process!

The "power" empaths possess is that of Spirit/Source/God/Goddess/Universe (whatever you want to call it) moving through us as a vessel or conduit. When we have loving intentions in our hearts and send out energy to others, we can trust that Spirit will direct that healing effort to the exact place it belongs and can have the best effect. We need not try to control that. All we need to be concerned about in this respect is that we stay as clear as possible and listen to the inner voice that instructs us when it is time to send energy to someone.

We do send energy by default (or unknowingly) and we also pick up energy of all kinds. Again, the key is to stay clear as a vessel for this marvelous work.

Take a look around this blog. There are a lot of recommended resources for empaths: CDs, MP3s, books, exercises/visualizations, articles, and even a free telesummit coming in September to train empaths to use their gifts in a more intentional manner.


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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.

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AUDIO: Setting Boundaries with People and Caring for Yourself

Energy sensitive people tend to have an overload of electrical impulses (thoughts, emotions, cell phones, computers, etc.) in our environment. Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You is especially geared toward helping people who are so empathic that they are unknowingly picking up and carrying the energy of other people. This manifests as mood swings, depression, fatigue, and illness. Learn how to protect yourself from energy overload, set boundaries, and keep your auric field clear.

Most people do not realize how connected we are, let alone how much this connection affects us. We feel compelled to help others even when we need to rest or care for ourselves. We have assigned nobility to the martyr who keeps pushing when they are drained. Here’s a meditative affirmation to help empathic people set boundaries and find encouragement to take time in self care.

VIDEO: What it Means to Be an Empath

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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.

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Free Training for Highly Sensitive People

If you are having trouble managing your own energy and staying clear of the detrimental energy in your environment, or if you want to learn to hone the intuitive gift of empathy, you will benefit from a free training telesummit for empathic people. Coming via four telephone conference calls in September!

Learn more or register now for "Empaths Shifting into 2012: A Telesummit to Help Energy-sensitive People Understand Their Spiritual Role on Earth" at http://whosestuffisthis.blogspot.com

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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.

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Empaths R Us

Recently, I was interviewed by Kara in her series, “Empaths R Us.” I'm including it here as part of the resources to help empaths and highly-sensitive people.

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1. Empath means “becoming one.” Empaths have the ability to become one with something (humans, animals, crystals, environment, etc.) How would you describe the kind of empath you are?

I find that I connect best with human beings, whether in physical or spirit form. I tend to get over-stimulated in a crowd of people, but I’m also easily able to tap into higher realms to glean information from my spirit guides. In taking this Empathy Quiz, I score high as a healer, human, and animal empath. I feel very connected with my dog and there are times when we communicate telepathically.

2. How would you describe your most dominant empath skill?

The ability to sense energy shifts like when someone is upset about something or when a spirit is in the vicinity. I can feel the energy of stones and sense subtle changes in the electromagnetic field around me.

3. At what age did you consciously become aware that you were more sensitive than others?

I was an adult before it dawned on me that not everyone felt as I did. Looking back though, I realize I was energy sensitive even as a young child. When I encountered a near-death experience at age 17 my sensitivity increased. It took another leap each time I had surgery. It’s like a reconnection with the spirit world occurred while I was under anesthesia.

4. How did this empathic ability affect your childhood?

Because I was picking up energy of my fellow students, I hated going to school. I sensed that my peers didn’t like me or that I was a misfit. I was depressed as a teenager due to feeling my parent’s unhappiness as if it were my own.

5. How did your parents or family reaction to your hypersensitivity?

Mom thought I was weak because I cried a lot and things upset me that didn’t upset her or others. My dad is also a highly sensitive person, but he does not have an understanding of this intuitive gift.

6. Did your view of your empathy change as you became an adult?

By the time I was in my thirties I realized that not everyone had the same ability to feel and sense energy as I did. I knew I had a spiritual gift and I wanted to use it to help others. When I sensed someone needed help, I prayed for them and many times their condition or situation improved. That’s how I became a prayer warrior (intercessor) and began to spend hours each day praying for others. During those sessions, I had some strong physical and emotional manifestations in reaction to the high-vibratory energy moving through me. I was also picking up on the emotional energy and physical illnesses that others were releasing. While I found a few other prophetic prayer warriors who manifested similar “symptoms” and accepted me as if I were part of their family, I never fit in to the framework of organized religion.

7. At what age did you fully realize what being an empath meant?

I still didn’t have a name for what I was experiencing when being an empath finally took its toll on my marriage and my health. At age forty, I was burned out. I left organized religion and started my life over in an effort to heal myself and find out what was going on with me. I began seriously searching for answers and found ways to alleviate energy overload and remain emotionally stable, even when close acquaintances experienced an upset. I did this by detaching, setting boundaries, and caring for my own needs.

8. What did you feel like when you realized that there were other empaths in the world?

Even though I didn’t have the term “empath” when I was involved in the prayer group, I felt as if someone finally understood me. Everyone in that group experienced what we called “backlash.” I now know that this feeling that we thought meant we had been “cursed” is called empathy overload or compassion fatigue.

9. How would you say this empathic ability shaped your life overall?

There’s not an aspect of my life that being empathic has not touched. It affects how I do relationships, where I go, who I spend time with (and for how long), and how my home is arranged and decorated, as well as understanding my spiritual purpose and why I’ve always needed to spend time alone.

10. Do you consciously use your empathic skills in how you make a living?

I’m transitioning my career to use this gift more and more. I operate a freelance writing and editing business, and I use my intuition to know which clients I’m to work with. Since publishing my book, Whose Stuff is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You, I recognize an opportunity to share my gifts and experience through public speaking. I plan to put together a workshop or tele-seminar later this year. See http://whosestuffisthis.com for information and resources for empaths.

11. What are the best techniques that you have found to keep your emotional boundaries intact with others?

Grounding and centering, meditation, smudging, clearing and maintaining my energetic field, running energy through my body, and balancing my chakras are a few that I use regularly. Learn what your own energy feels like so you can quickly note when you are picking up energy that isn’t yours. Chapter 9 of my book gives about two dozens ways for empaths to strengthen their boundaries and stay emotionally healthy.

12. What is your favourite thing about being an empath?

Being able to feel connected to the Divine and to others. Helping people by being able to sense what is bothering someone and offering them practical advice (when asked) to get them on a higher path.

13. What is your least favourite thing about being an empath?

Being overwhelmed due to my extreme sensitivity to sound—especially when it is mixed with group energy. Because I get overwhelmed pretty quickly, I avoid meeting clients in a busy or noisy public place such as a coffee shop or restaurant during lunchtime. I’ve learned to pick a library or bookstore that has a quieter atmosphere and fewer people around.

14. What is your best piece of advice for other empaths?

Many empaths exhibit codependent behavior. We want to please and help people even if we find it draining us. We’ve been taught that martyrdom and sacrificial giving is honorable. But, I’ve learned that if I can’t give something (whether time, energy, or money) without feeling joyful and enthusiastic about it, I’m not living authentically. You can only give to others without draining yourself when you share from the fullness of spirit.

My advice is to honor yourself by saying no when you need to and then refuse to feel guilty about it. Let other souls have their own experiences and learn from them. There’s no need to run interference or prevent others from suffering the consequences of their own choices. Find what techniques work best for you to keep your energy field clear, learn to set boundaries, and care for yourself before you try to help others.

15. Do you believe there is any difference between empathic skills and intuitive/psychic skills?

They are very much the same, but there are some subtle differences if you want to break things down and analyze the two terms. Empathy is the ability to feel for and with others—like putting yourself in their place or walking a mile in their shoes. It has more to do with emotions and feeling (clairsentience), whereas a person with psychic skills might also experience clairaudience (hearing in the spirit realm), clairvoyance (seeing apparitions, having visions and dreams), psychometry (gleaning information from objects), and mysteriously knowing things. Not all psychics are emotionally empathic, meaning not all of them get their information from what they feel.

Empathy is just one component of the multi-faceted intuitive package that I call our divine or internal guidance system. As empaths develop their intuition, they will naturally stop giving away their energy by default and become more on purpose about what energy they send and receive. It’s best not to use our bodies as a psychic barometer or allow empathic abilities to wreck havoc upon our emotions and physical well-being.

Thanks to Yvonne for sharing her personal experiences. Here again are the links to Yvonne’s book, and blog and podcast.

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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.

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Empaths Manifesting Instantly with Spirit

I think I'm on a roll here with this manifesting things instantly. I take this quite seriously because in my heart I always want to bless (and not harm) everyone and everything. In the past few days I've seen more instances of instant manifestation.

On Saturday while lecturing at Cosmic Connections in Nashville, a woman lost a stone she had just purchased for protection. I had mentioned that we are moving into a time when our intention is going to do away with the need to have physical objects to keep us safe--that we are always safe if we truly believe we are. While everyone was on the floor looking for the stone, I spoke with the woman and said something to this effect: "I think Spirit is reminding you that you are more powerful than you think you are and that you really don't need any crutches (stones, amulets, talismans, etc.) to protect you. You have angels, archangels, and ascended masters all around you."

She agreed that she didn't need the stone and guess what? "I found it!" Someone exclaimed as they lifted the pretty stone from the same small area where folks had been searching for almost five minutes.

Today I went to the pet store and was greeted by a friendly cat who sniffed my hand and allowed me to rub her ears. I asked the clerk for probiotics for my dog. She and I were looking all over the shelves where we knew the product normally sits. Neither of us could find the brand I normally buy. About that time the cat came tumbling down the backside of the shelf and knocked several products down. Of course the one that fell off in the floor at my feet was the very one we were looking for.

Coincidence? Notta chance. We are powerful creations of the divine creator. We have the same abilities that our creator has. We are just coming into a time when these gifts are being uncovered and rediscovered. I pray that we learn to use this power wisely to create heaven on earth.

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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.

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What Inspired Me to write a Book About Being an Empath?

I was asked recently, "What inspired you to write this book?"

Like most empathic people, I have always wanted to help others avoid suffering. As strange as this may sound, the one way empaths do this is by taking on the problems of others and suffering on their behalf—kind of like a surrogate for affliction. The other person feels better, but the empath feels horrible.

Many compassionate people do not understand how to set energetic boundaries; they unknowingly pick up energy, emotions, feelings, and illness from their environment and the collective unconscious. Over the past ten years, I’ve researched and tried all kinds of things to alleviate empathy fatigue. There are all kinds of energy-related treatments—herbal remedies, visualizations, meditations, prayers, etc.—that can assist an empathic person on a path to emotional maturity (using the gift of empathy wisely without paying a personal price).

Since writing is my forte, I started writing a blog (http://weareoneinspirit.com) about some of the spiritual practices and protection tips that I use to keep my energy field clear and balance my chakras. A psychotherapist friend of mine, Dr. Caron Goode, suggested I put this information into a guidebook that could be used by energy-sensitive people to set boundaries and manage the overload of energy they absorb. Caron and I feel there is a real need for this material. She provided insight on the psychological aspect of empathy and I wrote about my personal journey through the empath wilderness and how I learned to psychically protect myself as I moved toward wholeness.

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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.

Empaths have more power than we realize

We are manifesting faster and with more accuracy and power. Spirit continues to make this known to me. You may have read the post about my experience in which I got angry and hit my husband with detrimental energy and caused him to manifest an instant headache and stomach ache http://whosestuffisthis.blogspot.com/2011/06/power-of-thought.html . Well, while on vacation last week we were visiting an area that was so dry the grass was crunchy and brown. I decided to call forth rain. Guess what happened that night?

I was the only one in the house who slept through the storm that blew down limbs and branches, flooded gardens, and washed out flower beds. Oops! I was just trying to help. I should have either minded my own business or specified a "gentle, soaking rain without damage to property or life."

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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.

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The Power of Thought

Psychics have a great deal of energy and if we are not in control of  how we use the power of our thoughts and intentions, it can cause harm  to self and others. How do I know this? Many empaths and psychics  report of equipment malfunction in their presence. After stopping  about four watches dead in their tracks within a six-month period in  early 2000s, I stopped wearing a watch. If the Universe wants me to  know what time it is, there will be a clock within sight.

Thoughts are energy, and therefore, very powerful. The more psychic we  are, the more responsibility we have to think positive, non-judgmental, non-fearful thoughts. I’m cautious to send only loving thoughts and energy toward my computer and other electronic devises I own.

One empath I chatted with said she seemed to disable cellphones, wireless devices like printers, keyboards, etc. Her boss used to think she was purposely breaking them. Her printer fried twice for no reason. After that, her boss accused her of being into witchcraft and started telling her how important religion was in society.

This empath and I have both seen manifestations from what we thought or from some intentional manifesting ritual. This is why empaths and  psychics have to sharply watch our intent. It is a very powerful tool.  Let’s use our intent to create peace on earth!

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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.

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Are You Emotionally Free?

Adapted from Dr. Judith Orloff’s new book “Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life” (Three Rivers Press, 2011)

Our society is in the midst of an emotional meltdown. People are restless, volatile, our tempers about to blow. In the past year, Prozac was prescribed for over thirty million people. Domestic violence occurs in one out of six of households. Half of our marriages end in divorce.

None of this is how we want life to be. Our pressure cooker society pushes us to our emotional limits. We deserve relief from getting crucified by daily stresses. This book empowers you to attain this high quality of life and to handle stress artfully. I’m excited to present practical new tools for mastering your emotions in our hyper-tense world. It’s lunacy to put up with being chronically anxious, fatigued, or depressed as so many of us have. I rebel against that cheerless status quo, and hope you will too.

Emotional Freedom offers the answer to reclaiming your happiness and heart. What is emotional freedom? It means increasing your ability to love by cultivating positive emotions and compassionately witnessing and transforming negative ones. It means keeping your center without absorbing the negativity of others. These fundamental living skills liberate you from fear and let you navigate adversity without attacking, losing your cool, or being derailed by it.

I wrote this book because, as an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCLA, I work in a mainstream medical system where the spiritual/intuitive aspects of emotions aren’t understood. During my UCLA psychiatric training, we treated depression and anxiety, as biochemical imbalances requiring medication. I’d meet with patients for fifteen minutes every few weeks, write a prescription, then send them home. Though I never saw medications as the whole solution, I saw many patients experience at least partial “symptom relief,” an undeniable relief of suffering. However, in the next two decades of medical practice, I’ve learned that emotional freedom involves much, much  more.

The intellect, stunning as it may be, has restricted vision when it comes to emotions. This is why bringing intuition to the feeling-realm is so liberating. Intuition is a potent wisdom not mediated by the linear mind--a practical, smart, decision-making aid. Intuition can be a hunch, a dream, a “knowing,” specific guidance, a gut feeling, or a warning of danger.”

Emotions also have an intuitive language that begs to be decoded in our bodies--“subtle energies” that move through us that can be sensed. These are what Chinese medicine calls “chi,” our vital life force. We feel emotions internally, while their energy expands beyond our bodies. Similarly, other people’s emotional energy impacts us.

Today, I am a woman who travels many worlds. My approach to emotional freedom blends traditional and nontraditional realms. In this book, I’ll discuss the four major components of emotions that shape your health and mood: biology, subtle energy, psychology, and spirituality. We must appreciate that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. It’s impossible to grasp how we tick emotionally without a cosmic perspective; everything about us, including our biology, is an expression of the divine. Seeing emotions as a training ground for the soul—a path to spiritual awakening--frames every victory over fear, anxiety, and resentment as a way to develop your spiritual muscles and love more.
To be free you must go inside. A defining moment of emotional freedom is when you begin to become more conscious of who you are and your motivations. You’re awakening--that’s what counts. It sends a message to all things negative within that their days of usurping your serenity are numbered.




Judith Orloff MD, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA and intuition expert, is author of the New York Times Bestseller Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life (Three Rivers Press, 2011) Her other bestsellers are Positive Energy, Intuitive Healing, and Second Sight. Dr. Orloff synthesizes the pearls of traditional medicine with cutting edge knowledge of intuition and energy medicine. She passionately believes that the future of medicine involves integrating all this wisdom to achieve emotional freedom and total wellness. www.drjudithorloff.com

FREE MINI VIDEO CLASSES ON YOUTUBE FOR YOU!
Please check out “Dr. Orloff’s Living Room Series” to find out more about the special method Dr. Orloff recommends to remember your dreams and other topics to build the power within. Stop by www.youtube.com/judithorloffmd anytime.

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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.

Are You An Emotional Empath?

Adapted from Dr. Judith Orloff’s new book Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life (Three Rivers Press, 2011)

Empaths are highly sensitive, finely tuned instruments when it comes to emotions. They feel everything, sometimes to an extreme, and are less apt to intellectualize feelings. Intuition is the filter through which they experience the world. Empaths are naturally giving, spiritually attuned, and good listeners. If you want heart, empaths have got it. Through thick and thin, they’re there for you, world-class nurturers.

The trademark of empaths is that they know where you’re coming from. Some can do this without taking on people’s feelings. However, for better or worse, others, like myself and many of my patients, can become angst-sucking sponges. This often overrides the sublime capacity to absorb positive emotions and all that is beautiful. If empaths are around peace and love, their bodies assimilate these and flourish. Negativity, though, often feels assaultive, exhausting. Thus, they’re particularly easy marks for emotional vampires, whose fear or rage can ravage empaths. As a subconscious defense, they may gain weight as a buffer. When thin, they’re more vulnerable to negativity, a missing cause of overeating explored in my book Positive Energy. Plus, an empath’s sensitivity can be overwhelming in romantic relationships; many stay single since they haven’t learned to negotiate their special cohabitation needs with a partner.

When empaths absorb the impact of stressful emotions, it can trigger panic attacks, depression, food, sex and drug binges, and a plethora of physical symptoms that defy traditional medical diagnosis from fatigue to agorophobia. Since I’m an empath, I want to help all my empath-patients cultivate this capacity and be comfortable with it.

Empathy doesn’t have to make you feel too much all the time. Now that I can center myself and refrain from shouldering civilization’s discontents, empathy continues to make me freer, igniting my compassion, vitality, and sense of the miraculous. To determine whether you’re an emotional empath, take the following quiz.

QUIZ: AM I AN EMPATH?

Ask yourself:

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• Have I been labeled as “too emotional” or overly sensitive?
• If a friend is distraught, do I start feeling it too?
• Are my feelings easily hurt?
• Am I emotionally drained by crowds, require time alone to revive?
• Do my nerves get frayed by noise, smells, or excessive talk?
• Do I prefer taking my own car places so that I can leave when I please?
• Do I overeat to cope with emotional stress?
• Am I afraid of becoming engulfed by intimate relationships?

If you answer “yes” to 1-3 of these questions, you’re at least part empath. Responding “yes” to more than 3 indicates that you’ve found your emotional type.

Recognizing that you’re an empath is the first step in taking charge of your emotions instead of constantly drowning in them. Staying on top of empathy will improve your self-care and relationships.
Emotional Action Step. How to Find Balance

Practice these strategies to center yourself.

• Allow quiet time to emotionally decompress. Get in the habit of taking calming mini-breaks throughout the day. Breathe in some fresh air. Stretch. Take a short walk around the office. These interludes will reduce the excessive stimulation of going non-stop.
• Practice guerilla meditation. To counter emotional overload, act fast and meditate for a few minutes. This centers your energy so you don’t take it on from others.
• Define and honor your empathic needs. Safeguard your sensitivities. Here’s how.
• If someone asks too much of you, politely tell them “no.” It’s not necessary to explain why. As the saying goes, “No is a complete sentence.”
• If your comfort level is three hours max for socializing--even if you adore the people--take your own car or have an alternate transportation plan so you’re not stranded.
• If crowds are overwhelming, eat a high-protein meal beforehand (this grounds you) and sit in the far corner of, say, a theater or party, not dead center.
• If you feel nuked by perfume, nicely request that your friends refrain from wearing it around you. If you can’t avoid it, stand near a window or take frequent breaks to catch a breath of fresh air outdoors.
• If you overeat to numb negative emotions, practice the guerilla meditation mentioned above, before you’re lured to the refrigerator, a potential vortex of temptation. As an emergency measure, keep a cushion by the fridge so you can be poised to meditate instead of binge.
• Carve out private space at home. Then you won’t be stricken by the feeling of too much togetherness. (Chapter 8 discusses nontraditional living settings compatible with an empath’s comfort zone.)

Over time, I suggest adding to this list to keep yourself covered. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time you’re on emotional overload. With pragmatic strategies to cope, empaths can have quicker retorts, feel safer, and their talents can blossom.
Judith Orloff MD, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA and intuition expert, is author of the New York Times Bestseller Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life (Three Rivers Press, 2011) Her other bestsellers are Positive Energy, Intuitive Healing, and Second Sight. Dr. Orloff synthesizes the pearls of traditional medicine with cutting edge knowledge of intuition and energy medicine. She passionately believes that the future of medicine involves integrating all this wisdom to achieve emotional freedom and total wellness. www.drjudithorloff.com

Please check out “Dr. Orloff’s Living Room Series” to find out more about the special method Dr. Orloff recommends to remember your dreams and other topics to build the power within. Stop by www.youtube.com/judithorloffmd anytime.

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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.

Why Do I Feel Too Much?

If your coworkers leech your energy; you have mysterious illnesses, aches, and pains; are depressed or angry for no good reason; feel drained around certain people; or are super sensitive to the negativity around you, you may be an empath picking up on the thoughts, emotions, attitudes, and even the illnesses of others.

As you know, “empathy” is the term used to describe putting ourselves into the situation of another person in order to feel for them or to empathize with what they are going through. Some people are so empathetic that they actually feel with or on behalf of another person.  We call these folks empaths or highly sensitive people. Empaths are often found doing volunteer work and may serve others through emotionally demanding careers as childcare givers, medical professionals, hospice workers, midwives, and such.

Thoughts, feelings, and beliefs are a subtle form of energy. Empaths are so energy sensitive that they easily become over stimulated by the energy of other people. Many are unable to be in public without feeling drained because they take on the burdens of complete strangers.

When a tragic world event occurs, empaths may feel the sorrow, loss, and despair of those in another state or country as if their own family had been affected. Some empaths sense the physical pain, and even the illnesses, of others. Feeling too deeply can cause depression, fatigue, and unexplainable mood swings. Therefore, this intuitive ability is life disrupting for some empaths.



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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.

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Empaths Have a Keen Sixth Sense

Being empathic allows us to pick up information with the five commonly accepted senses: sight, hearing, smell, feeling/touch, and taste to bring us a message about others. Empaths naturally want to help others by easing their emotional burdens or carrying their pain for them. Some empaths sympathize with another person so much so that they actually absorb their thoughts, feelings, emotions, and sickness. Empaths don’t just walk a mile in your shoes, they clean, polish, resole, and fetch them for you. It’s like psychic codependency and this even occurs with people we don’t know or have a relationship with.

They are compassionate individuals who have healing abilities they may not be aware of. They have a keen sixth sense about things. They sense and know things that no one has told them. They may hear voices, see apparitions, or smell things that others in the room do not.

When I wrote my book, More Than Meets the Eye, True Stories About Death, Dying, and Afterlife, I was dealing with a lot of disembodied spirits coming to me—my uncle was one of them. I didn’t know why ghosts were paying me visits, but I felt like I was somehow supposed to help them. Researching to write that book was very helpful in finding answers not only for what the ghosts needed, but for learning how to protect my energy field as an empath.

The ill, the suffering, and those with weak boundaries are drawn to the unconditional love an empath emits by default. Therefore, an untrained empath can be bombarded with energetic information that causes emotional, mental, and physical distress. They may feel overwhelmed in a crowd, have precognizant feelings about a situation or person, see shadows or ghosts, hear voices, or express random mood swings and bouts of unexplained fatigue or ailments. Some manifest symptoms similar to bipolar (manic-depressive) disorder. Until they learn how to shut out the energy of others, they may have a pretty miserable existence in which they feel like they have to be entirely alone in order to survive. Because they can’t go into public settings, they may become hermits.

A well-developed empath knows how to turn on and off this intuitive ability at will. They use their gift to “read” people and situations without taking on detrimental energy.

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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.