Here are a few indicators of what I think might be the characteristics of an empath

Are you one??


You may be an empath if:

     
You can’t bear noises - They go right through you. (Oh!! The unspeakable agony of my wife vacuum cleaning with that demonic machine)
You hate crowds .
You suffer anxiety, but there is no apparent cause
You feel depressed for no apparent reason
You take on the guilt of others and their actions
You are overly sensitive to people and sense if they don't want you around.

You tend to avoid such people if you feel you're not wanted.
You  feel ungrounded.at times
You always are sensitive to how others will feel.
You become very drained in the company of certain people
You are deeply hurt by the smallest criticism.
You can sometimes feel the actual physical pain or illness of another person, even at a distance.
Your mood can change from sad to joy in a brief moment and you do not always know the reason
You become aware when something is wrong with a family member or close friend
You have few real close friends.
You find it hard to forgive because you are somehow aware that the person who hurt you still dislikes you

Come on guys, if you think you are an empath then add to the list

I know I am an emphath and this does not make life easy at times

Take care
Alan

Hi alan i'm an empath,each one of those is what i experience most of the time,only i dont know what empath means ,could you please tell me what it means.

Love and God bless   love juditha

Greetings,

:)  do we have to agree with all of those points?

Empathy is a wonderfully humane quality when experienced to a smaller degree than what you've described. Without empathy("sharing the feelings of others'), we could be oblivious of our commonality with humanity. I've been shaken to find that the word has been left out of some newer dictionaries. I wouldn't want to live in a world without empathy!

One amazing approach to drawing (and art in general) was published by Simon Nicolaides (sic?), who emphasized emotional and kinesthetic empathy with the subject, in order to motivate student artists. I will always be grateful that I was taught by that empathic method.

But when the suffering of mankind becomes so personally felt, I wonder if such overwhelming of one's self with empathy is good for the soul. Even JChrist, who is associated so often with the suffering of mankind, separated himself from people in general by keeping his disciples nearer than the public and telling them to not throw their 'pearls to the swine.'

Bets

an empath can also mean a sensitive Judith, or as well, a medium.
I'm going to see how much I am like Alan by going down his list for fun. he put a lot of thought into it.
but remember, labels we put on ourselves limit us. so it should be done just as a game as we are so much more than a label infers.
______

Alan says:
Here are a few indicators of what I think might be the characteristics of an empath

Are you one??


You may be an empath if:

     
You can’t bear noises - They go right through you. (Oh!! The unspeakable agony of my wife vacuum cleaning with that demonic machine)
alan, really, someone should invent a muffler for those demonic vacuum cleaners. I agree, an empathic person ears pick up more vibrations.
_____
You hate crowds
My physical body begins vibrating in a crowd situation and it's not pleasant. Only by consciously shielding the energies from feeling them do I relax

You suffer anxiety, but there is no apparent cause
____
an empath can suffer anxiety if they are not shielding themselves from other's thoughts. in the collective.

You feel depressed for no apparent reason
____
the depression is because we're not ascended yet and we've temporary slipped out of the truth of ourselves. for me, the reason behind the depression can be found to be a conflicting belief system. once that's found, the cause, the depression lifts

You take on the guilt of others and their actions
thats the collective guilt. at first it seems like its us that did something wrong. again, it's being human that makes us do this. u have the power within to transmute guilt feelings into right action.
You are overly sensitive to people and sense if they don't want you around.
____
its a lie though. they simply couldn't do their part, if not for you doing your part. its because we are all One. U don't have to convince anyone they want you, all u have to do is be yourself, the god part of them recognizes the god part of you

You tend to avoid such people if you feel you're not wanted.
_____
Yes, I've avoided certain people, like people who talk too loud who sound like a demonic vacuum cleaner. lol but it doesn't make you an empath to avoid obnoxious loud people, it's common sense.

You  feel ungrounded.at times
_____
that's something everybody feels. at times.

You always are sensitive to how others will feel.
yes. this means you are thoughtful of others. its a good trait.
You become very drained in the company of certain people
____
yes, but as mentioned in the crowd situation, there is a mechanism you can turn on, in your mind to prevent being drained. Some empaths "leak." I've done this. It's the leaking that needs to be stopped and then the draining won't happen.
You are deeply hurt by the smallest criticism.
this is u and me Alan. I know you're working on not being easily hurt. I am too.

You can sometimes feel the actual physical pain or illness of another person, even at a distance.
____
yes, but I don't feel their pain in terms of pain. I get tuned into a belief system they are stuck in.
Your mood can change from sad to joy in a brief moment and you do not always know the reason
____
I can go from bored stiff to high octave joy in 2 seconds flat. it's usually only happening with music though, and the people that express it

You become aware when something is wrong with a family member or close friend
yes, like my deceased mom told me to email my brother the other day, she made me aware to do it. he's probably depressed and maybe my email helped. hope so. that's receiving a psychic impression, related to empathic abilities. I think the empathic person has a larger emotional body or more sensitive emotional body. it can be a curse or a blessing.

You have few real close friends.
I think I have 3 or 4 that I call closer to me, friends. these are people who never go away. so I call them like best friends. these are also people whom I've had mystical out of body interactions with, so we adopted a mental signal on each other's growth patterns. they always know what to say to you, and it seems like a light bulb goes on when they speak. I think it's normal Alan, that you have different levels of friends.

You find it hard to forgive because you are somehow aware that the person who hurt you still dislikes you
____
this relates to being hurt too easily by careless remarks which are said. it's usually a misunderstanding, not their intention to hurt you. this makes it easier to forgive the remark carelessly tossed out. further communication clears it up. Alan points out that being an empath does not indicate necessarily high intelligence level.
Alan says:
Come on guys, if you think you are an empath then add to the list
____
thank u Alan for spurring me on from time to time. I still think you are a good teacher by your various input here and u fit right in with the rest of us.

Alan says:
I know I am an emphath and this does not make life easy at times
____
ah, if u know where easy street is could you map it for me?  :)
love to you..see ya when we get home.  :P

The items are characteristic for depression rather than empathy in my view.

Spooky

I thought that myself Spooky, I just didn't want to say that about Alan, I didn't want him to think I was judging him that way.

I think that most of us are insane, or perhaps missing a few marbles is a nice way to put it. sensitives like Alan, have a harder time of it, as does Juditha and she is really sensitive also.
they pick up the neg vibes easily and then they feel bad because they think the neg vibes are their own.
that is the way I see sensitives who haven't gotten strong yet.
depression seems to be a world wide thing. those who have it, hide it, those who don't hide it are put down for having it.

Yes, there is a correlation between depression and empathy.

Spooky

I should have given more details about what an empath really is

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Empaths are emotional sponges

Traits of an Empath

Empaths are often quiet and can take a while to handle a compliment for they're more inclined to point out another's positive attributes. They are highly expressive in all areas of emotional connection, and talk openly, and, at times, quite frankly in respect to themselves. They may have few problems talking about their feelings.

.

Empaths have a tendency to openly feel what is outside of them more so than what is inside of them. This can cause empaths to ignore their own needs. In general an empath is non-violent, non-aggressive and leans more towards being the peacemaker. Any area filled with disharmony creates an uncomfortable feeling in an empath.

If they find themselves in the middle of a confrontation, they will endeavor to settle the situation as quickly as possible, if not avoid it all together. If any harsh words are expressed in defending themselves, they will likely resent their lack of self-control, and have a preference to peacefully resolve the problem quickly.

Empaths are sensitive to TV, videos, movies, news and broadcasts. Violence or emotional dramas depicting shocking scenes of physical or emotional pain inflicted on adults, children or animals can bring an empath easily to tears. At times, they may feel physically ill or choke back the tears.

Empaths will struggle to comprehend any such cruelty, and will have grave difficulty in expressing themselves in the face of another's ignorance, closed-mindedness and obvious lack of compassion. They simply cannot justify the suffering they feel and see.

People of all walks of life and animals are attracted to the warmth and genuine compassion of empaths. Regardless of whether others are aware of one being empathic, people are drawn to them as a metal object is to a magnet! They are like beacons of light.

Even complete strangers find it easy to talk to empaths about the most personal things, and before they know it, they have poured out their hearts and souls without intending to do so consciously. It is as though on a sub-conscious level that person knows instinctively that empaths would listen with compassionate understanding.

Here are the listeners of life. Empaths are often problem solvers, thinkers, and studiers of many things. As far as empaths are concerned, where a problem is, so too is the answer. They often will search until they find one--if only for peace of mind.

wow Alan, u got me nailed! I never watch TV or read the news. no news is good news.

I often have some dear soul come into my inbox privately and pour out their heart. I can start crying for them, the things they confide to me, but as I cry I am praying also, and I know prayers are answered.
I have discovered putting emotion behind a prayer makes it come true faster, but always I ask only for highest good, as I don't really know what the highest good is going to look like. So that part is up to God.

to me, every time someone expresses love, to me that is like a miracle has happened.
then it makes me grateful, and that induces peace of mind.

you must be my soul brother Alan, if you are an empath too as you've described. Although we are all One, in our heart of hearts, we still have some people in our lives we tend to love "more."

blessing Alan, again, thanks for all your contributions here

My daughter is a strong empath...kind of a pain sometimes.  She once got all the symptoms (but much more lightly) of a heart attack when she was sixteen, and a guy in the next room was having one.  It took her a long time to learn to shield so she could stay in the same room with someone putting out strong negative emotions.

She's pretty much got it under control now, and only uses it when it's useful, but dang - pile that onto  normal teenage angst, and she was pretty interesting to live with for a while.

Alysia,


Quote:

wow Alan, u got me nailed! I never watch TV or read the news. no news is good news. I often have some dear soul come into my inbox privately and pour out their heart. I can start crying for them, the things they confide to me, but as I cry I am praying also, and I know prayers are answered. I have discovered putting emotion behind a prayer makes it come true faster, but always I ask only for highest good, as I don't really know what the highest good is going to look like. So that part is up to God

Wow!! To you Alysia, in this day and age you are a rare person, most people live next to their TV and the days of the family sitting around the table is long past.

You have all the elements of a true empath, you must be careful not to use your own life energy in healing or helping others, but draw from the infinite energy of God to do it.

People often mistakenly use their own energy to help others and this leaves them drained, tired and depressed. I am not suggestion you do this just a comment

Cricket your daughter is an empath but should learn how to control and direct energy to others she feels empathically about

Alan

Here are the qualities that I see that would make up a decent human being?

Principal 1: Non -violence

Principle 2: Kindness.

Principle 3: Humility

Principle 3: Integrity

Principle 4: Selfless Love

Principal 5: Compassion

Principle 4: Originality (Creativity)

Take Care

Alan

<<Here are the qualities that I see that would make up a decent human being>>

Hi Alan-

A decent human being?  Sounds like Jesus!

Rondele


Quote:

A decent human being?  Sounds like Jesus!

You hit it on the head

"The Ultimate Empath of course is Jesus"

Alan

Greetings,

The qualities termed 'empath' here are qualities of an exposed soul, IMO.

I do not agree that a soul can live well on Earth so fully exposed as what you've described. That's how depression get involved.

As a closet empath, slightly reformed, I do not like to see full empath-iness glorified. JC could never have accomplished all he did if he had lived by those characteristics.

IMO
Bets

Alan--- yes
I have been since an infant.
I don't like any loud noises. I can hear the electricity going through the house and I have been known to go through the house and cellar to tone things down by unplugging them or shutting them off. I don't like loud music. When I go to the theater for a musical, I bring cotton balls to tone it down.  I don't like the sound of traffic, etc.

I get fidgety in crowds. I will avoid crowds as often as possible. I can feel the anxiety of others, their anger, their distress.  I don't even like window shopping. I rarely go to a mall and I order most of my clothes and  arts/crafts via catalogue or on-line.

I seldom get "depressed".  I become very sadden when I see the distruction that the human rase has caused. I get very  inwardly emotional when a person is profain and swears.  It hurts my soul.

I have a good attitude outwardly, because I want to spread positive vibrations from me to the other person, but I can feel their anger, hurt, sorrow, also their happiness, joy, laughter.  

I have no real friend. Never did. I was always too outspoken and told the truth without using tactfulness. My parents never help me here, instead they critized me instead of teaching me.
My own sister said to me that we wouldn't even know each other as friends except that I'm her sister. She said we have nothing in common.

When my mother hurt me with what she has said, it will take me a very long time to heal from the pain.  I will forgive her, but my soul still hurts.  I often search for the answer to why I must go through the hell of my sorrow when someone critizies me-- I have always been sensitive.

I get drained when someone "dumps" on me, because I experience the same feelings that they do.

I have been told by my family and acquaintances that I am now exceptionally patient.  I am a clencher now--- I clench my teeth together and hold back my remarks until I analize the best way to answer.  It has taken me half a century to get to where I am now.

Love and Light to ALL --- Carol Ann

Hey

Carol Anne,

You are an Empath but you must learn to control and direct it. You can pray for protection and at the same time imagine you are being filled from your head down to your toes with an intense bright white light,

Imagine a strong force field a bubble like energy field protecting your whole body.

Do this for a few minutes or as long as you like, Then hold both hands upwards and throw the energy at the object of your distress or at the person you want to help, both physically or mentally.

Even if the target is on the other side of the world

Wait untill you actually begin to feel the flow of energy flowing out of your body usually from your hands and fingers that comes from Godand not you.

People especially empaths wrongly use their own limited life energy to do this and end up being hurt, drained and depressed

Love

Alan

Dear Bets,

Quote:

The qualities termed 'empath' here are qualities of an exposed soul, IMO. I do not agree that a soul can live well on Earth so fully exposed as what you've described. That's how depression get involved. As a closet empath, slightly reformed, I do not like to see full empath-iness glorified. JC could never have accomplished all he did if he had lived by those characteristics.

You are right Bets unless an Empath learns to control, protect and direct this unwelcome energy one can go into severe clinical depression. And you know that I fit that bill and have suffered unimaginably from this gift of discernment before learning to control it

Love

Alan

Perhaps some of these qualities are simply a result of a lack of boundaries and confidence -- for certain people. If I look at this list honestly, I can see where I am personally responsible for how I feel in the majority of these circumstances.

No, I don't like crowds, at times. Yes, I pick up others' energy. Etc. etc.

However, I think that part of these symptoms originate from an inner resistance to what is. When I am gently holding myself within awareness of the 'larger self' which I know that I am, resistance drops away. The situation becomes more tolerable, and possibly even one I can embrace.

Each of us needs time to be alone, to be unobserved, to be ourselves. We can become oversensitive by neglecting our own needs. Overstimulation can cause us to perceive ourselves as weak, when we are really much stronger than we know.

just some thoughts, blink


Alan McDougall wrote on Oct 3^rd, 2008 at 7:34am:

Here are a few indicators of what I think might be the characteristics of an empath Are you one?? You may be an empath if:       You can’t bear noises - They go right through you. (Oh!! The unspeakable agony of my wife vacuum cleaning with that demonic machine) You hate crowds . You suffer anxiety, but there is no apparent cause You feel depressed for no apparent reason You take on the guilt of others and their actions You are overly sensitive to people and sense if they don't want you around. You tend to avoid such people if you feel you're not wanted. You  feel ungrounded.at times You always are sensitive to how others will feel. You become very drained in the company of certain people You are deeply hurt by the smallest criticism. You can sometimes feel the actual physical pain or illness of another person, even at a distance. Your mood can change from sad to joy in a brief moment and you do not always know the reason You become aware when something is wrong with a family member or close friend You have few real close friends. You find it hard to forgive because you are somehow aware that the person who hurt you still dislikes you Come on guys, if you think you are an empath then add to the list I know I am an emphath and this does not make life easy at times Take care Alan

That's a list describing a person with serious issues. And yes, I recognize myself in most of the list, haha.

I am curious about your photo...is that you with the lovely long white hair and beard???Answer me and I will give you a response. to the empath concern

devayan

Quote:

I am curious about your photo...is that you with the lovely long white hair and beard???Answer me and I will give you a response. to the empath concern

No that old guys is the wizard in the"Lord Of The Rings" movie. I dont have a beard he is a little older than me, but my hair is white just like his

Alan

This is just one example of the hundreds of threads



Alan McDougall wrote on Oct 9^th, 2008 at 7:51am:

devayan Quote: I am curious about your photo...is that you with the lovely long white hair and beard???Answer me and I will give you a response. to the empath concern No that old guys is the wizard in the"Lord Of The Rings" movie. I dont have a beard he is a little older than me, but my hair is white just like his Alan

Alan McDougall wrote on Oct 3^rd, 2008 at 7:34am:

Here are a few indicators of what I think might be the characteristics of an empath Are you one?? You may be an empath if:       You can’t bear noises - They go right through you. (Oh!! The unspeakable agony of my wife vacuum cleaning with that demonic machine) You hate crowds . You suffer anxiety, but there is no apparent cause You feel depressed for no apparent reason You take on the guilt of others and their actions You are overly sensitive to people and sense if they don't want you around. You tend to avoid such people if you feel you're not wanted. You  feel ungrounded.at times You always are sensitive to how others will feel. You become very drained in the company of certain people You are deeply hurt by the smallest criticism. You can sometimes feel the actual physical pain or illness of another person, even at a distance. You become aware when something is wrong with a family member or close friend Your mood can change from sad to joy in a brief moment and you do not always know the reason You have few real close friends. You find it hard to forgive because you are somehow aware that the person who hurt you still dislikes you Come on guys, if you think you are an empath then add to the list I know I am an emphath and this does not make life easy at times Take care Alan

Greetings Alan.

   I never saw this post from 2008 until now. Thank you for re posting.    :)

   I sometimes wondered if I have empathic qualities, though not enough to think of myself as being a true empath. Here are your qualities that I feel match me:

You suffer anxiety, but there is no apparent cause
You feel depressed for no apparent reason
You are overly sensitive to people and sense if they don't want you around.
You tend to avoid such people if you feel you're not wanted.
You always are sensitive to how others will feel.
You become very drained in the company of certain people
You are deeply hurt by the smallest criticism.
You can sometimes feel the actual physical pain or illness of another person, even at a distance.
You have few real close friends.
You find it hard to forgive because you are somehow aware that the person who hurt you still dislikes you

I'm not 100% sure on these but they have applied to me either somewhat or a lot over the past several years.

Ralph

Ralph Buskey wrote on Apr 21^st, 2016 at 3:08am:

Alan McDougall wrote on Oct 3rd, 2008 at 7:34am: Here are a few indicators of what I think might be the characteristics of an empath Are you one?? You may be an empath if:       You can’t bear noises - They go right through you. (Oh!! The unspeakable agony of my wife vacuum cleaning with that demonic machine) You hate crowds . You suffer anxiety, but there is no apparent cause You feel depressed for no apparent reason You take on the guilt of others and their actions You are overly sensitive to people and sense if they don't want you around. You tend to avoid such people if you feel you're not wanted. You  feel ungrounded.at times You always are sensitive to how others will feel. You become very drained in the company of certain people You are deeply hurt by the smallest criticism. You can sometimes feel the actual physical pain or illness of another person, even at a distance. You become aware when something is wrong with a family member or close friend Your mood can change from sad to joy in a brief moment and you do not always know the reason You have few real close friends. You find it hard to forgive because you are somehow aware that the person who hurt you still dislikes you Come on guys, if you think you are an empath then add to the list I know I am an emphath and this does not make life easy at times Take care Alan Greetings Alan.    I never saw this post from 2008 until now. Thank you for re posting.    :)    I sometimes wondered if I have empathic qualities, though not enough to think of myself as being a true empath. Here are your qualities that I feel match me: You suffer anxiety, but there is no apparent cause You feel depressed for no apparent reason You are overly sensitive to people and sense if they don't want you around. You tend to avoid such people if you feel you're not wanted. You always are sensitive to how others will feel. You become very drained in the company of certain people You are deeply hurt by the smallest criticism. You can sometimes feel the actual physical pain or illness of another person, even at a distance. You have few real close friends. You find it hard to forgive because you are somehow aware that the person who hurt you still dislikes you I'm not 100% sure on these but they have applied to me either somewhat or a lot over the past several years. Ralph

Ralph if you have 5 or more of the qualities, I listed you might very well be an empath?

That is who it is so important for people like us to keep close to reality and deductible truth or your mind might go into meltdown like mine did IN TRYING TO SORT OUT EXACTLY WHAT WAS REALITY AND TRUTH AND WHAT WAS NOT?

Blessings and Light

Alan