Are you a Highly Sensitive Empath?

“On a bell curve, we’re all born with certain skills. Some people are better track runners than others, and on and on, and everyone knows this. But there are some people who are more psychic, more tuned in. If you’re too far above average, you can walk down the street, go into information overload, be empathic, be an empath, pick up all the feelings of all the people around you… and your life can be miserable.”   Major Ed Dames (Expert on Remote Viewing)

Picking up feelings that don’t belong to you is uncomfortable.  It can make you miserable…but it doesn’t have to.  It can be your greatest gift.

In the next few weeks I’m going to share with you some things you can do to help alleviate the overwhelm that can come from being a Highly Sensitive Empath.  But today, I want to explain to you just what I mean by this term.  It’s not the same as a highly sensitive person.

A Highly Sensitive Empath (HSE) is a term I created to describe a person that feels energy from other people, animals, spirits and even plants. We walk in the world with our energy field reaching out to others and absorbing energy. We don’t do this consciously (at least initially); it is how we are. We have been this way since we were children.  Our energy field is more sensitive and often more expansive. We are more intuitive as a result. It is as if we are more in tune to the energy of the world. Since our world is comprised completely of energy we are more aware of what is happening around us if we are aware of our sensitivity.

There are a few terms that are similar but not the same. They are empath, highly sensitive person, and a sensitive. Each of these is different and yet one person can have all these traits.

An Empath is defined as someone who can literally feel the emotions and physical feelings of other humans, animals and all living creatures. Many of us are familiar with the character, Deanna Troi, of Star Trek: The Next Generation who is an empath. She has the ability to feel other’s emotions. True empaths can also feel physical feelings from others. Until you learn how to turn off the empathy when needed, you are subject to physical and emotional feelings that don’t belong to you. Yuck!

A Highly Sensitive Person as defined by Dr. Elaine Aron, is someone whose brain processes information differently than others. They are born this way and are often described as introverts. While a Highly Sensitive Empath does process information through their brain, it is how they use their energy field that differs from others. Of course, you can be both!

Another term often used in the “new age” world, is “sensitive”. Someone is said to be a “sensitive” if they readily pick up on spirits, beings in other dimensions and psychic information. A highly sensitive empath may or may not naturally be a “sensitive”. Picking up on other dimensions can be learned and can come as a result of practice with meditation and other “opening” exercises. It is ultimately under your control. (And I can help you with this through my Illumination Program).

The Highly Sensitive Empath is an empath with other intuitive abilities, such as communicating with animals and with an extra sensitive energy field that tends to promote the ability to channel large amounts of healing energy.

Some of us were simply born this way. Many of us have hyper-developed this sensitivity through early childhood experiences of physical, sexual, emotional or ritual abuse. Our challenging experiences caused us to continually “send” our energy to the people and situations that surrounded us. Thus we developed this ability to read energy more acutely than others.

Does this sound like you?

• You easily feel overwhelmed by crowds, large stores, or chaotic environments.
• When you are with someone who is sad, angry or displaying strong emotion you can’t help but     feel their emotions as if they were your own.
•  You sometimes feel emotions that seem to come out of nowhere.  You feel anxiety, grief, anger   or sadness that does not seem to be coming from your current thoughts or situation.
• You have dreams that come true.
•  Once you are experiencing a deep emotion it is difficult to shake it off.
• You have always been drawn to animals and they to you. You may even feel more comfortable    with animals than people.
• You wish you weren’t so sensitive.

If you answer yes to most of these, you are most likely a Highly Sensitive Empath.

Next week I will share some tips on how to feel more comfortable in your sensitive energy body.

Remember, this is a GIFT.