Are there any other empaths out there?

Snit Fit..........LOL .............I like it. Can I borrow that?

I've been in a snit fit all weekend. I was tempted to take something to help me sleep and stay in bed till tomorrow.

I am trying to read the book My Sociopath. So far it is sounding like a long snit fit of a strange woman who had a bad boyfriend. I am only a few pages into it, but already am ready to put the book down. I'll read a bit more, but so far can't recommend it to anyone.

Yes - I think I am an "empath". Thank you for putting a word to it.

Actually the book is anything buy amusing. It is about the struggles of a child growing up with a narcissistic parent and the journey to overcome the damage done. I thought it interesting that she mentioned becoming an empath. It made me wonder if being raised by a narcissistic or borderline parent would make some children be more empathetic. I wouldn't be surprised.

Yeah Jessie.........amusing...........? Hmmm

That is an ambiguous choice of words. Amusing haha or amusing keeping interest?

That book looks amusing.

I just ordered a book My Sociopath – An Empath’s Soul Journey Among Sociopaths by Lynna Kivela. It sounds like the things that happened in her life parallel my own. I am really looking forward to getting it. There's so much twisted stuff that I'm working through at the moment. The title of the book is a bit extreme. The author apparently uses it as a stand-in for the narcissistic personality types.

Thank you for this post. I am overwhelmed with empathy and have been for most of my life. I too feel as though it has allowed me to remain in situations and with not necessarily the right people far longer than was good for me. It helps knowing I am not alone. I am now paying closer attention to my empathic nature and am working to reign it in when it is not needed, I.e, people who are more than capable of taking care of themselves and situations where I can have no impact. This monitoring helps me focus on what I can do, where I can help, rather than be swamped with others needs and agendas. Tricky balance for me but I believe achievable. Good luck and take good care!

Yes Rainmom when I saw what I had typed I had a real laughing fit about it. LOL!

Gershun- OMG! Thanks for a good laugh! "...go to Africa and feel hungry children"! I'll giggle all day over that one.

Interesting topic! I didn't know what an empath was but I did some googling and took a couple of online tests and I believe I have most of the traits. I'm guessing there are probably a good amount of empaths who turn out to be caregivers..

Here are some of my traits : I am extremely logical and a problem solver (even in my profession), I do not do BS .. I can see through it immediately and know when someone is not truthful or genuine, I am an animal lover, being around other people for too long drains me of energy so I prefer to be alone a lot, It is hard for me to see others pain or misfortune, I am the person people turn to because I am a good listener and care about their problems, I worry about others all the time..even the people on this forum I will think about a post I read and wonder how they are doing and even want to help them in some way. .

Hmmm.. it makes sense. I am continually frustrated when others don't see and feel the things that I do or who do not reciprocate the caring/listening/empathy .

I meant "how to protect myself from anything that will compromise my personal balance."

According to an online test, I'm supposed to be an Atlas Empath (Planetary Healer). I usually shy away from these kind of questionnaires because I consider them a lot of baloney. But the results uncannily described who I am on the inside.

When I read your question, the first words out of my mouth were "My instincts of self-preservation are too strong. No way I could be so masochistic as to take on someone else's baggage."

The reason for this kind of thinking is that although I do have a lot of the characteristics of an empath (e.g., picking up negative energy instantly and seeing right through people), I'm yet to learn how to effectively cope or block out a lot of the toxic energy around me. In a nutshell, how to protect myself that will compromise my personal balance.

Your question was a wake up call. Thanks for asking it.

feed hungry children, not feel .............sigh! LOL

Good posts people! So much truth I'm reading on here. I don't even have much to add. You've all stated exactly how I feel.

You can't take on the world's problems. I was just saying to hubby today that everybody doesn't have to go to Africa and feel hungry children. You can do good right where you are. H3ll, there are homeless folks living right outside my door.
So true about character being what you do when no one is watching.

Captain I don't make eye contact with people as much anymore cause yes, there are a lot of crazy people out there but having said that I think people get put into my path a lot of times for a good reason and if I can help them just by smiling or what have you I will. That doesn't require a lifetime commitment on my part.

I just read a paper about how people with greater empathy have greater activation of certain areas of the brain associate with emotional and physical pain when seeing another being excluded socially. They also had a more sympathetic follow-up when they wrote the person an email. I know that looking at things actually affects the results, but I am inclined to believe the study.

After reading news report on the study of acetaminophen reducing the empathy people feel, maybe empaths need to start taking Tylenol. Really, though, I like feeling empathy for others. It makes me feel more human.

Not sure if I am an empath, per se. But I read people extremely well. And I have always been able to see straight through to the crux of the matter. Any matter.

I can sniff out an addict, user, abuser, pervert, scammer or con-artist long before "everyone else" figures it out. Because of this, my insights are unpopular with the Pollyannas, sheeple and otherwise unrealistic people in my life.

My "gift" cuts both ways. I'm also tuned-in to genuine, caring souls who make our world a better place. Unfortunately, they are outnumbered.

Right. You have to pick your battles. I can't save everyone. I can't necessarily help people who don't want help, but there are some things that I can do. I have to figure out what makes sense and then work on it.

Sometimes, you can help from behind the scenes. No one even has to know about it. What is that saying? True character is the way you behave when no one is watching.....

in only the last few years ive came to realize that the world is full of pain and injustice and theres not much i can do to change it . i dont have a need to have the last word anymore . people are nuts and its a waste of energy to argue with them . many are nuts to the point you dont wanna even make eye contact with them .
so , no . i dont feel hypersensitive anymore ..

I've always been an empath and as I got older, (in my twenties), I realized clairsentient as well). It can be exhausting and I've had to work at protecting my own self interest. Sometimes, I just know something needs to be done for a particular situation, but realize it's not my call. For some things, I act anyway and that has always worked out well. This has involved the protection of children or animals. I learned to be an advocate and do have to work at keeping that in check.

I've wondered for a long time how other people don't sense things the way I do. Some of my best friends ask my opinion about matters and tell me they are confident that I likely have picked up on hidden feelings and intentions and what I think about them, because, I'm usually right.

I now see it as normal. I think it affords me the opportunity to do a lot for others though. To whom much is given, much is required. That's how I see it.

I've never attached the word empath to myself but I suppose, going by your initial post, that's exactly what I am. I am very emotional and my emotions are often affected by the emotions of others or energy in the room. I am "too nice" and "too caring" and have found this to often be a negative thing rather than a positive thing. The trait itself might be positive if you know how to set your boundaries and stick to them, but I am what's considered to be a doormat. Because I am so emotional and sensitive and caring I end up letting people walk all over me. And people who are users and abusers look for people like me. Sadly, this has been my experience. And my love for animals is often what has kept me from falling apart. Therapy has taught me where I go wrong and what I should do differently but in the end I don't seem to know how to not be the way I am. So how do I deal with it? I pretty much keep to myself. I have a few friends from my younger years but we all live in different states now. I don't date and don't really try to make new friends any more. I am very excited though to have made a new friend recently.....a very nice woman from an organization called Visiting Angels who was coming a few times a week to help me take care of my mom and do some light housework. We "clicked" right away. And to add to our bonding experience is the fact that we both also have auto-immune diseases which is another thing that makes it difficult to find friends. She had to quit last week due to her medical issues and this is where the empathetic side in both of us really showed....she was so worried that we would think/feel that she was abandoning us and that we wouldn't want to continue a relationship with her outside of a business capacity....while we were worried, knowing she'd feel bad, and wanted to make sure she knew that we totally understand that she needs to take care of herself first and that we hope she still wants to keep in contact with us and visit when she is up to it. We cried....mostly happy tears because truly good friends seem to be very hard to find these days, especially in Vegas. So I've come to realize that I need to stop taking on the weight of the world and caring too much about everyone around me and instead focus on me and the people who really matter, like my mom....and the right kind of people will come along when they are meant to and they won't suck the energy out of me or make me feel bad to make themselves feel good, etc. So yeah....being an empath has it's positives and it's negatives. My pets especially give me unconditional and healing love that helps keep me from letting my emotions...and others' emotions from overwhelming me. Yeah, that turned out to be a lot more than I was planning on saying, lol. And it's my first post on the site. :)

JessieBelle I believe that there are people out there who have no humanity. Sociopaths and the like. I agree that you have to protect yourself from people like that especially if you are sensitive.

Jessebelle, I hear you, I think I understand.

I don't know if I'm an empath. I'm very sensitive. Things affect me more than they should. I feel the pain or fear of something, so often wish people wouldn't show things that are so bad. I often find myself wondering if some people are born with a soul so black or if maybe they are dead inside. People can be so cruel.

I'm very shy inside. Outwardly I'm friendly, but inside I am pulled back. That may be true of a lot of overly sensitive people. It may be the result of growing up in a cruel dysfunctional environment. Gotta keep yourself tucked inside your fort.

I am an empath for sure. I always hurt when people hurt. I am ultra-sensitive to the point where I feel like the energy is sucked out of me

Tacy not offended at all. Don't worry! :)

Sorrynotsorry I pray for people I see who look downhearted and are suffering too.
My dear Mom used to call them arrow prayers. Like you are shooting an arrow of love at someone so to speak except they are not cupids arrows. They are God's arrows.

For me I have to practice giving things to the Lord and not take them back. This morning as I walked by the local elementary school I witness a very upsetting thing. A mom was yelling at her little boy to " get out of the car- repeat! He looked about six. Then she drove off in a huff while yelling at her passenger ( I think her mom) " oh be quiet , he's nothing but a little)" I gave her the stink eye but then proceeded to cry. My heart was broken for this precious little guy. I have never believed in yelling. It is child abuse. I immediately prayed for him . And continued to do so, I asked the Lord for him to come across adults that day that would show him how much he is loved and treasured. I prayed that as he grows he'll be surrounded by those that will lead him to know the only true source of love. And that this horrid mother would be blocked from further harming him. That's how I deal with it.