It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
Empathy is the ability to read and understand people and be in-tune with or resonate with others, voluntarily or involuntarily of one's empath capacity.
Empaths have the ability to scan another's psyche for thoughts and feelings or for past, present, and future life occurrences. Many empaths are unaware of how this actually works, and have long accepted that they were sensitive to others.
Empaths Sense Deep Emotions
Empathy is a feeling of another's true emotions to a point where an empath can relate to that person by sensing true feelings that run deeper than those portrayed on the surface. People commonly put on a show of expression. This is a learned trait of hiding authentic expression in an increasingly demanding society.
An empath can sense the truth behind the cover and will act compassionately to help that person express him/herself, thus making them feel at ease and not so desperately alone.
Empaths experience empathy towards family, children, friends, close associates, complete strangers, pets, plants and inanimate objects. Empathy is not held by time or space. Thus, an empath can feel the emotions of people and things at a distance. Some are empathic towards animals (ie: The Horse Whisperer), to nature, to the planetary system, to mechanical devices or to buildings etc. Others will have a combination of the above.
Empaths Have Deep Sense of Knowing
Empaths are highly sensitive. This is the term commonly used in describing one's abilities (sensitivity) to another's emotions and feelings. Empaths have a deep sense of knowing that accompanies empathy and are often compassionate, considerate, and understanding of others.
There are also varying levels of strength in empaths which may be related to the individualís awareness of self, understanding of the powers of empathy, and/or the acceptance or non-acceptance of empathy by those associated with them, including family and peers. Generally, those who are empathic grow up with these tendencies and do not learn about them until later in life.
Empathy is Inherited
Empathy is genetic, inherent in our DNA, and passed from generation to generation. It is studied both by traditional science and alternative healing practitioners.
Empathy has both biological/genetic and spiritual aspects.
Empaths often possess the ability to sense others on many different levels. From their position in observing what another is saying, feeling and thinking, they come to understand another. They can become very proficient at reading another personís body language and/or study intently the eye movements. While this in itself is not empathy, it is a side-shoot that comes from being observant of others. In a sense, empaths have a complete communication package.
How Empathy Works
While there is much we don't yet understand about how empathy works, we do have some information. Everything has an energetic vibration or frequency and an empath is able to sense these vibrations and recognize even the subtlest changes undetectable to the naked eye or the five senses.
Words of expression hold an energetic pattern that originates from the speaker. They have a specific meaning particular to the speaker. Behind that expression is a power or force-field, better known as energy. For example, hate often brings about an intense feeling that immediately accompanies the word. The word hate becomes strengthened with the speaker's feeling. It is that person's feelings (energy) that are picked up by empaths, whether the words are spoken, thought or just felt without verbal or bodily expression.
Empaths are often poets in motion.
[...]
Empaths Are Good Listeners
[...]
They are most often passionate towards nature and respect its bountiful beauty. One will often find empaths enjoying the outdoors, beaches, walking, etc. Empaths may find themselves continually drawn to nature as a form of release. It is the opportune place to recapture their senses and gain a sense of peace in the hectic lives they may live. The time to get away from it all and unwind with nature becomes essential to the empath. Animals are often dear to the heart of empaths, not as a power object, but as a natural love. It is not uncommon for empaths to have more than one pet in their homes.
Traits of an Empath
[...]
Originally posted by andrewh7
Originally posted by paxnatus
Originally posted by andrewh7
I think we need to come up with a definitive label for these kinds of threads because they are posted over and over again. Allow me to summarize:
1. OP appeals to outsider, social phobics by dropping personality traits that would describe the vast majority of this population, or, quite possibly almost everyone on earth.
I can sometimes be a social phobic but it depends on the company I'm with because sometimes people can just be too much like hard work. I'm aware that my time, is actually MY time and I can't always be bothered if I feel like I'm going to be wasting it. I'm sure everyone feels like that from time to time so not sure it makes anyone a social phobic. I can be anti-social at times and I do often prefer my own company.
As the majority of the population do have the ability to feel their emotions then yes, you are correct that it could apply to almost everyone on earth, at various times of their lives. However, what empaths feel can be overwhelming emotions all of the time rather than just because a particular something has triggered a lot of emotion.
2. Rather than flaws, OP insists they are merely objective symptoms of a thread reader's special and rare gift or status, e.g., having latent superpowers or being an alien.
Flaws - hah, I have plenty but then so does every other human being I've met. I don't claim to be special, have a rare gift, status, superpowers or to be an alien. Maybe I am one of those things or all of them - I like to keep an open mind as to who and what I am because I don't know for sure.
3. Based solely on the satisfaction of the OP's own test or symptom checklist, thread reader enthusiastically claims to be a member of this rare class of persons.
I don't claim to be a member of any rare class of persons. I don't like to be put in a box or labeled as I believe we're all unique and all special and some of us have flairs for different things. It would be an extremely boring world if we all had the same level of intelligence, bodily strenght, IQ, emotions, etc, etc.
4. Thread reader eagerly describes personal anecdotes or behavioral tendencies that are consistent with the OP's checklist.
Why shouldn't thread readers that can understand, sympathise and yes, empathise with the OP add their own personal ancedotes or behavioural tendencies? Isn't that the whole purporse of the OP's thread - to find others that maybe think and feel the same way and can share experiences. I don't understand what you're getting at here? If someone doesn't understand what the OP is talking about then they are free to visit another thread and leave others that do understand to comment. I'm sorry but I just don't understand why you would even bother to comment if you think the OP is a load of tosh? There's many threads I don't comment in because the discussion doesn't interest or concern me so I leave them to it.
5. Thread readers states, "I knew I was different from most people but until your thread came along, I just couldn't figure out how. It's good to know that I'm not alone."
No, I don't think I'm different to most people in the sense you mean. Yes, I am different from you and every other individual on planet earth - again, it would be very boring if we were all the same physically, mentally, emotionally, etc, etc. However, it is fantastic to find others that do think and feel along similar lines as me and to be able to talk to those people and know they might understand me more than some other people do. Do people that like football tend to hang out with others that love football when they want to discuss football? Do people that love discussing UFOs not hang out in UFO threads to discuss it with like minded individuals? It would pretty silly to try to discuss football with someone that isn't interested in football.
I've run out of space so will continue my reply in my next post.
Edit to change my response from the colour purple, which didn't work, to bold. I'm not using bold to emphasis my replies, just so they're easier to read. I hope it works better than trying to reply in colour! No doubt there are many people here that are more technically minded than me - I don't claim to be super human and have extraordinary abilities that enable me to be better than everyone else, in every respect. I'm just a more feeling type person than a lot of people I know
[edit on 16-8-2009 by Maya00a]
Originally posted by blujay
reply to post by TruthxIsxInxThexMist
They sure are persistent! Once you realize what's going on, it's maddening, isn't it? Knowing you are constantly being attacked, argh!
I am a huge empath. Man oh man, all my life I've had the hardest time. Everyone telling me to toughen up, I tried, but to no avail. It is a curse and a blessing, though the blessing times are few and far between! I get it from animals, plants, people... it screams at me and I want to hide.
The Empath thread is a good one, I just found it yesterday and was gonna head over and contribute there, too.
Type Four in Brief
Fours are self-aware, sensitive, and reserved. They are emotionally honest, creative, and personal, but can also be moody and self-conscious. Withholding themselves from others due to feeling vulnerable and defective, they can also feel disdainful and exempt from ordinary ways of living. They typically have problems with melancholy, self-indulgence, and self-pity. At their Best: inspired and highly creative, they are able to renew themselves and transform their experiences.
* Basic Fear: That they have no identity or personal significance
* Basic Desire: To find themselves and their significance (to create an
identity)
* Enneagram Four with a Three-Wing: "The Aristocrat"
* Enneagram Four with a Five-Wing: "The Bohemian"
Key Motivations: Want to express themselves and their individuality, to create and surround themselves with beauty, to maintain certain moods and feelings, to withdraw to protect their self-image, to take care of emotional needs before attending to anything else, to attract a "rescuer."
The Meaning of the Arrows (in brief)
When moving in their Direction of Disintegration (stress), aloof Fours suddenly become over-involved and clinging at Two. However, when moving in their Direction of Integration (growth), envious, emotionally turbulent Fours become more objective and principled, like healthy Ones
Originally posted by Badfuture
reply to post by jackieps1975
This is so exciting to me, I've never spoke to fellow empaths.
How do you all deal with the negative sides of it? the older I get the more exhausted I become.
I am becoming increasingly more consumed with hate and anger at how petty the human race is.
Any tips on how to deal with this would be much appreciated.
This is thrilling.