Monstrous

Monstrous People => The Psi Zone => Topic started by: Sick_Angel13 on August 23, 2008, 02:19:34 PM

Title: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Sick_Angel13 on August 23, 2008, 02:19:34 PM
Empaths, like I mentioned in one of the threads, are highly sensitive individuals (in some cases known as "highly sensitive person" or HSP) who "feel" what other people near them are feeling and experiencing. Being empathic can be problematic for anyone who cannot discern the difference between his own suffering and the pain of others. It is taxing to the emotional and physical body to take on the symptoms of others and not have the knowledge of how to release pains that do not belong there. I wonder how many are or know someone who is Empath, and know of how an Empath can prevent and fend off psychic attacks.
 
Curse or Blessing

All in all, being an empath is a double edged sword. It can be both a curse and a blessing. On one hand, you have the ability to intuit exactly what you need to do to make someone comfortable. On the other, it is easy to lose track of what you need, because you are so accustomed to caring for other's comfort before caring for your own. You have easy access to information about what is going on with the people around you, but sometimes it is hard to know your own mind.

Some people would love to learn how to be more empathic, while others would love to learn how to retain the best parts of that skill, while managing the more difficult aspects. Empaths tend to care take their environment as a way to care take themselves. This is a pretty roundabout way of doing self care. Doing or saying something that will make someone else angry or sad is uncomfortable for an empath, so that they often avoid confrontation in order to avoid feeling other people's uncomfortable emotions. It is easy for them to lose track of the fact that they themselves are feeling uncomfortable.

I'd like to discuss this with everyone because I am an Empath, and I have suffered and cherished this blessing, and burden. It makes me extremely vulnerable to attacks and the same time opens doors to other things.

 - Traits than are most common in empathy/empaths:

Feeling emotions often and deeply greatly aware of other people's feelings
Easily hurt or upset by insults or unkind remarks
Avoids conflicts and confrontations
Cannot easily release sad or upset feelings
Feel deeply for others' suffering and pain
Prone to recurrent depression
Keenly aware of and affected by beauty (ex: art, music, nature)
Feelings of being overwhelm or depleted by too much stimuli - such as large crowds, loud noises, hectic environments
And most likely sensitive as a child.

Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Levinthross on August 23, 2008, 02:25:36 PM
well most of my life ive been a non projective empath until recently, but my advice is vent through art, physical activity or anything just prevent yourself from overloading
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Daemonin on August 23, 2008, 03:20:58 PM
Um...

Well.  After reading those symptoms, as much as I hate to say it, all seem to apply in some way or another.  Does that make me an empath?

I've felt that I am for some time, but never had much "proof" (for myself to see, not for others) to say that I am truly one.  I just kind of figured I was an overly compassionate person or something.

I'm decent at blocking things out, but strong emotions that others have pass over to me when I don't want them too.  Actually, earlier today a girl started crying in class because she was saying something about how her mother had died.  She was right next to me and I had to block her out to keep from bawling with her.  I had to bite my tongue and think of other things to keep from doing so.

Maybe I'm just a bleeding heart?

And I do find my outlet through visual arts like painting and drawing.
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Nina on August 24, 2008, 01:53:25 AM
Quote
Feeling emotions often and deeply greatly aware of other people's feelings
Easily hurt or upset by insults or unkind remarks
Avoids conflicts and confrontations
Cannot easily release sad or upset feelings
Feel deeply for others' suffering and pain
Prone to recurrent depression
Keenly aware of and affected by beauty (ex: art, music, nature)
Feelings of being overwhelm or depleted by too much stimuli - such as large crowds, loud noises, hectic environments
And most likely sensitive as a child.

Uy, mama....  :-o

Yap, thats me... dammit... I knew it...   :roll:

See, now Im crying.... not... but almost.....
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Petling on August 24, 2008, 08:23:01 AM
Easily hurt or upset by insults or unkind remarks: Definitely.

Avoids conflicts and confrontations: As you've seen, if anybody I know starts arguing, I freak out. :-P

Cannot easily release sad or upset feelings: I bottle. I bottle until I explode all over the place.

Prone to recurrent depression: Yep, but nowadays I get over it real fast. It's good that I have friends I can vent to.

Keenly aware of and affected by beauty (ex: art, music, nature): For me it's natural beauty, like a lion wit her cubs, or an eagle flying.

Feelings of being overwhelm or depleted by too much stimuli - such as large crowds, loud noises, hectic environments: That's me, I'm an indoor nut.

And most likely sensitive as a child.: Not sure. :?

No, I don't really think I might be an empath, cuz the main thing is that you "feel" other's emotions. But I don't, really. :?
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Nina on August 24, 2008, 11:31:38 AM
Well, believe me, its no fun when you start to hysterically cry over a scene on news... and it wasnt that shocking at all, just I sensed their fear and it was overcoming..... but mum is used to it, and all who know me. I trained controlling  that by reading and watching as many bad news as possible.
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Petling on August 24, 2008, 11:35:36 AM
Is it possible that if you're an empath, you learn to block it all out as a coping mechanism from an early age?
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Nina on August 24, 2008, 11:40:00 AM
Yes, block, but you cant make it totally go away, or deleted...
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Petling on August 24, 2008, 11:42:33 AM
Well, I don't really think I am. I guess I'm the white sheep of Monstrous. :-D
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Levinthross on August 24, 2008, 04:08:34 PM
as a guy and an empath i just want to say it honestly sucks when your around women who are menstrating and refuse to take something for it
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Petling on August 24, 2008, 06:55:17 PM
I'm lucky, I'm pretty stable around then, at least compared to my sisters. & I don't get cramps or anything, which kinda sucks when it comes early & you are caught by surprise. :|

Anywhooo, :focus:
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Daemonin on August 26, 2008, 01:25:57 PM
Okay, this may just be a woman thing, but have any of you females experienced major pregnancy symptoms only to learn later that your friend was the pregnant one?
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Nina on August 26, 2008, 01:30:58 PM
No, I experienced that without any friends near me.... false pregnancy... I even went to see the doctors, and they said I was pregnant, which was really funny at the time, cause I had no sexual intercourse... imagine that....
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Petling on August 26, 2008, 01:36:02 PM
Weird, how our bodies work. I've heard of perfectly normal guys having false pregnancies, even up to the point of labor pains & lactating. I wonder if that was just empathy?
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Daemonin on August 26, 2008, 01:37:00 PM
I thought maybe it was psychological, and just sympathy... symptoms?  But then I remembered I wasn't told until a while after she had found out.  I know a lot of women that are around each other a long time tend to have their cycles close together, if not synchronized after a while (unless medication is involved), so I kind of figured it had something to do with that.  But hey, what do I know?
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Levinthross on August 26, 2008, 01:38:58 PM
most scientist say it's natural instinct for women who are close to have synchronized menstrual psychics goes with the whole hunter gatherer
mindset
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Daemonin on August 26, 2008, 01:39:54 PM
Does that carry over to pregnancy?  Because my roommate is pregnant, so if I get those symptoms again... Yeeeah...  I'd like to know :roll:
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Nina on August 26, 2008, 01:42:27 PM
When you put it like that its quite possible.
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Daemonin on August 26, 2008, 01:45:33 PM
I just don't want to go through the stress that I went through a month ago because I really thought I was pregnant.  I had every symptom known to man for the pregnancy.  After I freaked out, I learned my friend that I had been with almost every day was the pregnant one, and my symptoms didn't end until... well... she miscarried :cry: and after that all the cramps and stuff she was having I got too. 
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Petling on August 26, 2008, 01:49:56 PM
Oh, that is awful, sorry to hear that.
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Nina on August 26, 2008, 01:50:49 PM
Im sorry for your friend..... :cry:
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Petling on August 26, 2008, 01:52:08 PM
My Mom had a miscarriage, it was just horrible.
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Daemonin on August 26, 2008, 01:53:15 PM
Oh, that is awful, sorry to hear that.
Im sorry for your friend..... :cry:

Don't worry about it.  I'm sorry, too, but with her health it probably would have had to have happened anyway.  If she even survived the pregnancy she wouldn't have survived the birthing process...
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: wyson1 on October 11, 2008, 10:20:31 AM
Dont know what happened to the discussion in this thread, but it looks like many of you need to learn grounding and protection rituals - which is a way of harnessing your own energy, and repelling that of others.  Blocking is good, as most of us learn to do so anyway...but a need for control is necessary - no matter what you choose to do with your abilities.

Mediation can also be of great benefit...
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Ryobi on April 25, 2009, 04:33:01 AM
Shielding is a good form of temporary protection and blocking, as it works both ways. People are shielded from the emotional energy you project and you don't get theirs. Usually setting up a mental shield is quite intuitive though, if you don't feel comfortable being confined by it or the shield doesn't feel personal then usually it isn't as strong.

My form of shielding is a reflective egg that I build around myself layer by layer, using a light that comes from within my own body. This way I feel safe within, while all the external energies are being reflected back towards the projector of them. This also means my shield doesn't absorb the energy and I feel less weighed down. Before using this form of shielding, I followed a friends advice which was, build up a second skin with spikes coming from all angles. But I felt like I needed to sustain it constantly and I had this constant feeling that something bad was about to happen (build up of negative outside energies I suppose). 

Unless someone has a suggestion of a way to shield/block that works for most people? Wyson, what methods can you suggest?
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: NightSeeker on May 06, 2009, 10:16:12 PM
You could always try to make a reflective filter shield layer that takes some of the energy that bombards you, absorbs it and cleans/filters out the negative influences.  The clean energy would work to bolster your shields (esp. during an attack), while the 'dirty' energy gets reflected back the way it came. Think teflon-coated mirror.
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: apol on December 23, 2009, 05:36:52 AM
I know you posted this quite a while ago, but there are ways to protect yourself from all of these things that you are considering a burden.  Please go to www.placeoflight.net (http://www.placeoflight.net) to the FAQ page where there is a question about keeping oneself energetically clean.
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Xebache on May 12, 2010, 08:17:09 AM
In if I recall correctly the forth book of the "Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever" series by Donaldson was a chapter in-titled "The Empath",  while being a tale an story I found the chapter extremely profound.  Has been many a year since I first read the chapter - Empathy is a gift, however it comes with a price.. I find comfort in the Wisdom that "I will not give you more then you can bear", inherently forms the realization of "Being" able to carry the burden for the strength has already been provided... When all else seems lost --- I remember "Footprints".  You may wish to check it out... I would love your thoughts on it... X
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: Zeppelin on November 09, 2010, 04:38:45 PM
I believe i'm empathic.  It doesn't get to me unless its something i can't control..  Just last week i went grocery shopping with my parents and all the people around me with their shopping carts and talking i felt anxious and nervous and almost scared. 

My heart was beating and i had to excuse myself form the store.  Most of the time i smoke (Bad habit but whatever)  I can focus on the smoke and hear the burning at the tip and just relax but i was outside and couldn't deal with it.  I walked out to the middle of the parking lot sat on my car and called one of my close friends and i finally started to relax. 

For me music has a soohing effect, that and poetry/free writing/song writing.  It allows me to get all that pressure bottled up out.  I feel over emotional at times but can't help it and i'm the type of person that people come to unload all their problems too.  So i have my own issues plus everyone elses and its hard to deal with.  I'm also easy to agree with and identify with which makes me always right in a situation even if i'm wrong..

Being empathic is more of a burden but it makes you more able to feel what others are going through and help them.  You basically take their bad feelings from them and harbor them on yourself and keep on going.. Sucks..  I find shutting myself away and pretending to be socially awkward helps though.
Title: Re: Empaths: Traits and Survival, Gift or Curse?
Post by: bhambrice on November 10, 2010, 01:50:27 PM
How awful! I hope someone in your family can help direct you toward a less emotional path. This almost sounds like an anxiety disorder.
 
I believe i'm empathic.  It doesn't get to me unless its something i can't control..  Just last week i went grocery shopping with my parents and all the people around me with their shopping carts and talking i felt anxious and nervous and almost scared. 

My heart was beating and i had to excuse myself form the store.  Most of the time i smoke (Bad habit but whatever)  I can focus on the smoke and hear the burning at the tip and just relax but i was outside and couldn't deal with it.  I walked out to the middle of the parking lot sat on my car and called one of my close friends and i finally started to relax. 
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