Am I an empath? How extensive are my abilities?

Originally posted by guidanceofthe third kind
reply to post by forgetthenwo

 

mainstream is not the place for this discussion. Although i wish it was, starting a thread there would garner a much harsher response, one that would makes some here feel that their responses did not reflect to true vitriol toward the topic

I beg to differ. Mainstream would bring out views which are so commonly overlooked by us here on ATS because our mindset is so fixed on conspiracies and secrets.

reply to post by forgetthenwo


well for the sake of continuing the discussion, a series of threads is like a series of stores on 5th ave in NYC. You do not go into every store and start critique it's wares. you only go into the ones that interest you. If this thread only interests you because you disagree, join PETA and destroy the store of an Italian designer. Its the same thing.

reply to post by forgetthenwo


thats a good point. Shooting holes in something is actually a good way to make it more sound... at the end of the day

Originally posted by doped00
reply to post by forgetthenwo

 

Ok. Let's say a man/woman is on the corner of the street selling style of shoe that you hate. Do you a) keep walking or b) Go up to him/her and be like "dude you suck, no one is gonna by that shoe, get a life, kick over the shoe stand and run off laughing".

Sorry but you chose option b. Your putting someone down when he never said he was above you in the first place. Just look at the thread and if it isn't attacking you and you don't believe in it just move on and mind your own business. One of my room mates and myself seem to agree on the notion, "Just worry about yourself, if it doesn't concern you then don't MAKE it concern you."

I'm still trying to read this , despite of your grammatical errors

reply to post by mjtwelve

Thank you.

On another note, I just thought I'd add, for the interest of the OP and any others, that I too have had a life long interest in the paranormal...I even swear that I seen a "ghost" when I was younger...I almost passed out in shock. I've also noticed for a long time that some people will instantly be my best friend or jut outright hate me for no apparent reason...I'm not going to explain my theories on why this happens but I have some ideas...

Anyway, believe me or not, I can see a very apparent connection between what the OP has described and what I've experienced throughout my life...and if there weren't so many similarities, and I hadn't experienced these things for myself, I would probably be one of the people on this thread stating the OP is delusional.

Originally posted by guidanceofthe third kind
reply to post by forgetthenwo

 

well for the sake of continuing the discussion, a series of threads is like a series of stores on 5th ave in NYC. You do not go into every store and start critique it's wares. you only go into the ones that interest you. If this thread only interests you because you disagree, join PETA and destroy the store of an Italian designer. Its the same thing.

I guess you guys are all really just like the "sheeple" you claim to hate. You hate opposing views. I guess there's no way to get it across your heads. You are the "sheeple", just in a different coat.

reply to post by forgetthenwo


i guess i am, but where is the counter to my assertion? that is, if you have one.

reply to post by emayarsh

loser.. fink ur different lol.. sort ya life out.

your exactly the same as the rest of us.

Wow... I really hope that was sarcasm or something...

Is everyone really the same? I think not...and there's really no need to call anyone a loser...are you 5 years old?

reply to post by CHA0S


dont worry about him. Like a lobster in a tank he is trying to pull the ones escaping back in. Just slap his claw away and keep on keepin on.

wow, some people need to chill....

i have never seen or heard of the term empath before this thread...

it has given me alot to look into however......

i have always had all the same symptoms as the OP...
for those of you that are saying he is claiming he is special, please, go post in one of your conspiracy threads...

never once was supernatural claimed...
i find it to be very scientific myself...

nothing PARAnormal here, just SUBnormal people picking on a HIGHSCHOOL KID for trying to make sence of his experiences...

does picking on a highschool kid make you feel better about yourself??? did you do the same when you were in highschool, or were picked on looking for revenge???

people should grow up... the OP seems to be more mature than to resort to name calling... follow his example...

p.s.

i am roflmao because I just realized I resorted to name calling... hhehehehe.. oh well...

Im also an empath. every person on this planet is quite capable of all the things that relate to empaths, its just that some people for whatever reason either suppress their ability to feel the energy around them, or just dont know that they can.

I have a very high level of trust in my instincts and i also have dreams that seem to predict the future. im good at reading people and i can get to know quite a few things about a person simply by being near them, and having a chance to look them in the eyes. i dont need to talk to someone in order to get a feel for who they are and what they're like. i also know when im being lied to. immediately. i get this weird feeling, its hard to describe. if a person is trying to lie to me, theres something inside my head that i would equate to a small child tugging at your coat, its a nagging feeling that something just isnt right. and so far, i've never been wrong, not once. if someone is having an off day, and they're in a sad/bad mood, i know as soon as im near them, regardless of how hard they try to hide it. i have difficulty with this because empaths tend to feel other people's emotions as strongly as their own. at times its sometimes hard to decipher if its your own emotions you're experiencing, or the emotions of another person. school and workplace settings have always been difficult places for me to be because of this interesting quirk.

one thing that has helped me to deal with this is a concept called "mindfulness". its something i learned in the therapy program im in. practising mindfulness is helpful because it teaches you to simply observe your emotions, and not let them overpower you or affect you more than they're intended to. heres a link to a wikipedia write up about mindfulness en.wikipedia.org... i hope that it can help!

I too feel that I possess this to a degree. I don't like to be out in large crowded areas because it is too easy to become overwhelmed with information. Because of this, I have often been described as being cold towards people. It is very easy for me to sense things about people and it gets me into trouble from time to time, even as recently as this past July.

I work with someone and I just sensed that she was pregnant. Almost immediately I was overcome with nervous excitement and wanted to tell her what I felt. I pleaded for this to go away as she is not one to be receptive to things of this nature. Well, suffice it to say, this sense did not go away and I didn't feel that I would be released from this unless I asked her, so I did. Sure enough, she was pregnant and nobody in the department knew. I ended up telling her how I knew and needless to say, she labeled me as some sort of stalkerish freak, which is completely untrue and even told my boss about it. And since that event, we haven't hardly spoken two words to each other. I've had to consciously block any information from her. I went back in my mind and tried to examine if I had picked up on any subtle clues that might indicate she was pregnant, but I swear I didn't know or have a feeling until that event.

Anyway, I have to be very careful with the information I seem to get. My dreams are usually very vivid and I too love nature and animals. I also have an Australian Shepherd, mainly because they are so intelligent.

I remember my first thoughts about having this ability back in the 5th grade. I can remember distinctly hearing a voice in my head (not my own) that said I would help a lot of people someday. I don't think that day is here yet. At least I don't sense that it is. However, I have a sense that there is something on the very near horizon that will shake what we know as civilization.

Just be careful how you handle the information you receive.

reply to post by mossme89


Empathy is the ability to feel another emotions. what your describing is simply intuition. I spent 3 years in sales, and got very good at reading people. The "Feeling" you get about people is mainly a mental reaction to subconciously recognizing ques and body language.
Though I fully believe in Psycic abilities and supernatural happenings, but "sorry this only seems to come out in a condencending manner" your 16 and you don't have enough life experiance to compare, and make a true analysis of the occurences. So just hang in there, and if you still feel a bit off after a while of just leaving it out of your mind, look into support groups for psycic individuals. Just becareful about it.

Welcome to puberty

You dont honestly sound different to anyone else. Everyone feels 'different' to everyone else, thats just how things are. Ive yet to see anyone be like 'hey, I fit in SO well with everyone.. Im definately the same as everyone else'.

Originally posted by mossme89

I love nature and animals. My Australian shepard & Chesapeake bay mix ADORES me, as I do her. She comes and curls up next to me, but when I look into her eyes, I see a deep and sophisticated, but pure living thing. I'm not sure if we have a type of telepathic communication, but when I tell her something and look into her eyes, she seems like she understands.

I know you're being serious, but that one made me giggle. No doubt dogs are one of the more intelligent species of animals. But remember you are talking about a creature that gets an immense amount of pleasure from repeatedly fetching a stick. And one who (if you have a male dog) is quite likely to mistake your leg for a lady dog. So I think complex emotions such as understanding its owners troubles arent really possible.

reply to post by ladyinwaiting


I am so glad that I am a part of this great website, because I now know that whats going on with me isn't my imagination! I work at a museum, I have been there for little over a year. I just this summer told a coworker, who totally is into new age and spirituality, as am I, that some days when it's very crowded at work, I feel like I am being bomb-barded with emotion from the visitors .
Some days its more pronounced than others. I only just realized that this was going on with me this past spring-summer. I have been going through an awakening for the last 2 yrs. And I believe that this is part of it.
As I walk around and do my job at the museum, as I pass people, and look at them , I can feel the emotion of the moment for the person. It's not always warm and fuzzy. I have had my share of people who have given me the creeps. Or that person is so depressed, that you feel the sadness.
I try my best to stay as far removed from the crowd as possible. If I don't I am emotionaly exhausted after work.
Any way just wanted to say I feel the same thing and it is something real.
Peace

Okay interesting points have been made here and I consider myself an open minded person who is more than willing to listen to different takes on a topic but I still don't have a satisfactory answer as to why people feel the need to ridicule someone when someone posts something they don't like. To say because you think people like this live "mundane lives" or that they're destroying the credibility of ATS just doesn't answer the question. I mean really, why bother? Do you get off on ripping people verbally? I see countless posts that I consider garbage yet I don't feel any need to go on them and disrupt their conversation. It just seems rude and immature. (except for the recent vampire thread- even I like a good laugh). At the end of the day it's all good fun and we can all "agree to disagree" as the old cliched saying goes.
If you admit that it makes you feel good and you get a good laugh out of it I'll accept that. It's just one of those odd human quirks that I've noticed and feel needs to be addressed for the sake of decent and open conversation. 'nuff said from me. You guys are vicious.

am glad you feel like this,now you know what everyone feels like, experiences and have to go through in our daily lives,this is all normal,nothing special.

First of all, let me say thank you for posting this.

Originally posted by mossme89
At 16, even since i was 3 or 4, I've always felt "different" than my peers. As a result I have struggled socially. I have had constant ups and downs. The last few months have been a spiritual awakening for me, as I try to find what makes me different. One thing that makes me different is that I have had a strong passion for the supernatural, even at a young age. I'm also an avid daydreamer.

As a fellow empath, let me give you a piece of advice. It is important to build up a form of protection if you are to function socially.

I sometimes struggle going into large, chaotic, settings because I'm overwhelmed with such a variety of emotions. It is important to learn to focus.

Try to avoid eye contact when you do not wish to gain insight. Also accept that this is a gift but at the same time it is not up to you to solve everyone's problems.

I've had...odd things happen to me. For example, I often know what people are going to say before they say it. I also can tell people's deep inner emotions even if they try to hide it. As long as the person is within sight, I can tell their feelings by looking at them for a moment and putting myself in their shoes (metaphorically of course). I can also tell when someone is lying or not telling the whole truth.

You sound a lot like me when I was younger. Know that trials can be a tool to build or a destructive force. It is up to you how you perceive the situation.

 I only "feel" people I focus on, but all people influence me in a way. At the end of a school day I always find myself with a headache, and it feels like me head is about to explode with pressure.

Your mind can only take on so much information at once. You say you only feel when you focus on a person, if it's overwhelming, try not to "focus" on everyone around you.

During this time, I'd recommend you focus on yourself, not to be selfish but rather to build yourself up.

Recently a kid died in a car crash at school. I didn't know him, but all the sad emotions caused me to become very depressed over almost anything.

Can I ask you a question? Is it easier to feel sad, happy, or does it pertain to who's around you?

As much as I try to make their negative energy bounce off me, it easily pierces my shield because I am nervous of getting in trouble with them.

Well either you will have to overcome this now or as an adult. This seems to me, phycological, at least in part. Particularly the feeling of feeling like you can not protect yourself.

Perhaps you feel consciously, or subconsciously, like you must submit to the authority. While it is important to respect those above you, it is also important to make up your own mind.

I'd recommend trying to get to the bottom of why it is you feel like you can not shield yourself from adults. Try to get to the very root, when you do, examine that, come to acceptance.

Also, I find either people think I'm the sweetest guy ever, or absolutely hate me, for no apparent reason or over something stupid. I find people coming up to me to let me know their problems. The weird thing is my mom says the same thing. She jokes that she is the therapist of her office.

I know how it is, I've been there. Later in life you will find that what everyone in life thinks of you is not so important. Especially as you grow in understanding of others you will come to accept that everyone feels as you, goes through the same ups and downs, everyone feels anxiously, nervous, ect.

It is a matter of perception that separates the "cool" kids and the outcasts. If I could do High School all over, I would not spend so much time with trying to get others to like me. Rather I'd accept me for me and not try to gain everyone else's approval.

Love yourself, accept yourself, and you may find more meaningful relationships. Positive attracts positive and negative to negative.

Do you think I might be an empath? Also, how could I work on extending my abilities to calm someone else? I  don't even think about influencing emotions, I just do it subconsciously, but how could I do it consciously? 

Yes.

It is important to be compassionate with your abilities but is important not to overextend yourself.

Extending your abilities to influence others is not a good idea. Free will is not something I would not recommend interfering with, in the sense of mentally trying to affect a person's mood.

Rather I'd recommend mastering and harnessing your ability before you expand further.

You'd be surprised how you influence everyone around you. Human interaction is a very effective tool to influence a person in a positive way.

It is said that joy can be infectious, to me this is very true. People's moods and state of mind all have an affect on those around them. Some people are more sensitive than others.


[edit on 6-12-2009 by oconnection]

reply to post by Bluebelle


Well from your statement, I gather you have never "connected" with an animal. I have owned several cats and dogs in my forty years. I can tell you that everyone of them could understand what I was saying to them. Some much more than others. As a small child I would run the woods behind our house with the my dog "Ledo" , and he would interact with me. Whether we were just sittin and listening to the wind in the trees or we were making a fort. He was always right there with me, like another kid.
I also, had a boxer "Roxanne", it got to the point where I didn't even have to speak, I would just look at her in a way she just understood. I can't explain it, It just happened
Oh and the "humping thing" you spoke of, if I am not mistaken, when a dog does that it's a show of dominance over you. That's prob. why you never connected with a dog, they owned you.