Posts: 823
From: USA
Registered: Feb 2013

posted April 26, 2016 01:02 PM            

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Who here believes they are an empath?

For each of you, what does it mean to be an empath?

What does it look like?

I know I'm an HSP (highly sensitive person) but I'm trying to figure out what it means to be an empath.

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Posts: 4569
From: UK
Registered: Nov 2012

posted April 26, 2016 01:14 PM            

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I think you will find this thread helpful. Readers have spoken of their experiences, many of which are empathic.
http://www.linda-goodman.com/ubb/Forum11/HTML/018195.html

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Posts: 2953
From:
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posted April 26, 2016 02:38 PM            

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It means going to pieces on public transport for no reason, among other things.

It means feeling like a total idiot and wishing you could shout "but this person is super-mean, why can't you all see this" and then they do in a little while

It means knowing that unf**kable dude in the corner tries you on for size thinking he would totally sleep with you (and then you try to contain the nausea)

It means feeling the love of the guy who is in love with you

It means loving everyone at the nightclub without MDMA

Basically it's like everything else, a gift and a curse lol

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Posts: 5309
From: us
Registered: May 2012

posted April 26, 2016 09:04 PM            

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^ Andstuff!!!! that was TOTALLY COMPLETELY well-said! {{{{ }}}}

How REFRESHING!!!

EDIT... woah! Andstuff.... you changed your wordings?! LOL Now I know why many people *quote*. I try not to.
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I agreed with the part about feeling when someone else is in love with you. Feeling their pains, etc, not realizing it---- then LATER ON, you found out it didn't belong to you.

I've had particular neighbors who had serious health problems, and I was experiencing 'crises' in my own body-- and it wound up being *theirs* and NOT mine. But it sure sure sure FELT real to me.
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I'm one of those..... And it's soooo confusing at times. I don't know whether to be in my head, my heart, my body, the outside places, the inner places.

It's like everything jumbles up, all at once!!!

There's another LL forum where we discussed that too. I think it was in Uni-versal Codes forum.

EDIT ADD... here is the info I had provided.

(topic) Five Types of Empaths (Erin-Ashley Kerti) [13:11] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JolPEXU0Vic

Emotional Empath
Physical Empath
Animal Empath
Global(people) Empath
Earth(planet) Empath

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Posts: 4477
From: Georgia
Registered: May 2009

posted April 26, 2016 11:24 PM            

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I am an animal empath. I feel extremely bad after seeing animals in distress, or hearing about it, to the point I cant even take it. Interestingly enough, I do not care much about people. Only about kids and animals.
I also can feel someone having a negative energy. I can feel it right away. from the first minute and i steer clear from such people.

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Posts: 1694
From:
Registered: Mar 2014

posted April 27, 2016 01:04 AM            

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Oh my gosh andsfuff 😱I didn't know how to put it into words but you described it really well!! 😊

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Posts: 17326
From: Bella's Hair Salon
Registered: Jul 2011

posted April 27, 2016 09:03 PM            

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My friend who is a counselor told me I'm an HSP, it's the first time I heard the term. If I remember correctly, she told me this before I knew I had a Pisces moon. She based that on the way I intuitively handled our conversations.

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Posts: 193
From: another place, another time
Registered: May 2012

posted April 28, 2016 12:53 AM            

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I would say I'm an empath. If I try to do something devious to someone, I feel nauseous and horrible about it, even if they did something to deserve it (like one time in high school where a girl stole my photo and wouldn't give it back to me, so I had to devise a plan to get it back from her). I can be cold and shut someone out instantly if they have mistreated me, but if this same person is experiencing loneliness and reaches out to me I find it hard to turn them down.

In primary school I remember this one girl (3 years my junior) who would often come up to me and hit me. I was so timid that I didn't even fight back against a younger girl to defend myself. The only time I hit her back was when she hit me across the head. I have a big, big thing about people hitting me on the head. Hit me anywhere you want and I'll tolerate it (just), but the moment you hit the spot that has all my brain cells, that's when my eyes blaze and I transform into something scary lol. No one hits me there and gets away with it. No one should be hitting someone on the head ever anyway, it can be dangerous. ANYWAY, one day we were in a group and this same little girl was being ganged up on by two of the other girls, and she was crying a lot. I could have joined them and picked on her too, but I instead felt sorry for her and calmed her down. After that she started treating me well. I don't know why I remember that. You can't do that and not be an empath.

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Posts: 4569
From: UK
Registered: Nov 2012

posted April 28, 2016 04:07 AM            

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Can you be an HSP without being an empath?

I think I may be an HSP, but I'm not an empath as in sensing people's feelings if they happen to be close.

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Posts: 823
From: USA
Registered: Feb 2013

posted April 28, 2016 10:19 AM            

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yes, I know for sure I'm an HSP. not so sure about empath...some things fit me but others not so much.

If you read Elaine Aron's books about HSP's you will find a lot of helpful information.

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Posts: 5309
From: us
Registered: May 2012

posted April 28, 2016 04:23 PM            

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^ Bonsai ... You made a Difference in her life.

I remember a Star Trek episode called The Empath. ... I still cry when I watch this.

(topic) What Empaths Do (Star Trek) [1:13] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fiVYedTVOU

I guess there's still that wish in me, that I could take it inside me and help people (The World, and all that's in it) feel better.

... {{{ }}}

(music) If I Could (Barbra Streisand) [4:25] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QFyKnMIa_4

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Posts: 11177
From:
Registered: Nov 2011

posted April 28, 2016 06:48 PM            

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I don't know about either HSP or empath but I'd lean at least towards HSP.

For me what happens is I become incredibly moody for no reason but I make the connection later about who or what it was, most of the time it having no relevance to my life whatsoever. A lot of the times I will feel people who literally live in other states than me.

For example I'll go a week sleeping terribly and staying up which is highly unlike me, and then later on I will briefly hear or see someone that specifically mentions not having slept well that week and staying up. OR it's something like I'll have a terrible time getting to sleep for a week and someone else will say "I can sleep so much better now!" Almost as if I absorb other people's s.it. That's a SUPER general example but you get the point. A better one is how I seem to absorb toxic people's habits while they are seemingly "cured" after we break up (this can be anyone - friend, coworker, etc. not exclusive to romantic relationships). It's like I inherit their issues.

I've always been concerned about other people's feelings and it hurts me when other people hurt. I can't help but care and it's very draining so I spend a lot of my time alone now without much in-depth interaction with others anymore.

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Posts: 11177
From:
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posted April 28, 2016 06:51 PM            

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quote:

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Originally posted by andstuff:

It means feeling like a total idiot and wishing you could shout "but this person is super-mean, why can't you all see this" and then they do in a little while

It means feeling the love of the guy who is in love with you

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THIS! Or knowing your friend is mad at you even when they act surprised you think that.

Knowing when people are lying despite their expressions.

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Posts: 17326
From: Bella's Hair Salon
Registered: Jul 2011

posted April 28, 2016 07:58 PM            

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Everyone

Your stories are making me sad.

But thanks...they also feel so familiar.

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Posts: 320
From: Durham north carolina usa
Registered: May 2015

posted April 28, 2016 08:50 PM            

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My sun is in cancer , my week of birth is week of the empath. To me empath is to have a great understanding of people emotionally. Empathy is to be able to put yourself in the other persons shoes, this is something that I can do on a regular. It is different than sympathy which is to feel sorry for someone.

For me, if a person I know starts to cry or become emotional over a life experience it's like I don't break down and cry with them but tey to help navigate with them threw thier emotions. Sometimes depending on the circumstances I may cry but it's a rare occurrence. It's like I have to be strong so that person can be weak or free to just unload. Also because of the emotions that I experience being a cancer, I'm able to try to give advice on how to handle a situation.

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Posts: 320
From: Durham north carolina usa
Registered: May 2015

posted April 28, 2016 08:59 PM            

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Also I can suposedly pick up other people's feelings as my own and can be at the mercy of others feelings depending on how well of a shell I have formed per what I've read. It's said that I can play other people's scripts as my own, it's true that I can get a sense of others altho it's not something I talk about alot. I always think that it's not logical because I'm not in that person's mind, body and soul. Plus people don't always want someone to be close when thier not ready for it, lessons learned the hard way. Hind sight, some people have come back to tell me that I was right in my thoughts about what was going on with them. Hope this helps!

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Posts: 378
From: USA
Registered: Jul 2014

posted April 28, 2016 10:36 PM            

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My birthday is also in the week of the empath.

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