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Are you an empath? What a funny word you will say to me! Of course, empathy is known. If we take a very classic dictionary definition, Robert for example, empathy is “the ability to identify with others in what he feels”.
And for Wilkipédia, it is “the recognition of the feelings and emotions of another individual”. There is therefore in empathy a relationship to the other, a kind of connection that is created in spite of ourselves with the person to whom we are talking.
But this empathy can have several degrees. Some are devoid of it, others experience it to varying degrees, others are overwhelmed with it, they are compared to sponges because they absorb all the feelings of others.
And you, in which category do you place yourself?
Empathetic, hypersensitive or empath?
The different degrees of empathy
We can feel the other to varying degrees. We find this feeling in expressions such as: “I pity him”, “I feel sorry for him”.
It can be identified with sympathy and stop there, or it can touch us a little more deeply, then we feel empathy. Sometimes, we want to act to help the other to get out of it, so we talk about compassion.
For others, it takes such turns that they can no longer think of anything else. Empathy then becomes extreme and is akin to emotional contagion. There is no longer any distance between oneself and the other, we are then dealing with someone with an empath.
L’hypersensible
Some people are hypersensitive, they have a feeling of the world, beings and events higher than the average person (1). It is as if there is no filter.
All the feelings, all the emotions are multiplied, and the consequences on the daily newspaper are sometimes quite difficult to live. The hypersensitive in particular have a lot of empathy for others.
They feel them deeply and are able to put themselves in their place, to fully understand each of their reactions. But the hypersensitive and empathetic person doesn’t have to be an empath. She knows how to keep her distance and does not merge with the other.
The empath
The empath is still at a level above. He feels by intuition everything that the world and people give off. He captures all the energies that surround him, and in particular suffering, to such an extent that he sometimes does not know what belongs to him or not.
He can be overcome with negative emotions and must sort through all these feelings.
I personally knew an osteopath who felt from the first session all the problems of his patient, both physical and psychological, the two being moreover often linked, which gave him an excellent diagnosis and a very great power to treat the patient. body and soul.
In this case, he knew how to use this ability perfectly, this gift, in an appropriate manner, and returned to his initial state when the consultation was completed.
How to recognize an empath?
You’ve probably met an empath before, maybe without knowing it.
Have you ever had the experience of wanting to tell you about someone you didn’t or little knew, who listened to you with particular kindness, and who seemed to understand everything you did to him? were you saying?
If you’ve met her, that person was definitely an empath. Their first characteristic is their very high capacity and listening quality.
Empaths immediately understand what you are, how you feel, and even grasp things intuitively, without needing to see or hear. They let themselves be invaded by your emotions to the point of no longer distinguishing theirs from yours.
Empaths, in addition to this characteristic, which may be akin to a gift, have a special personality which distinguishes them. (2)
- They give off a lot of human warmth, which pushes others to reach out to them and confide in them.
- They love freedom and can’t stand constraints or routine.
- They have a mind that is always on the move, very curious about everything, and need to understand the meaning of life.
- They are in search of the truth, cannot stand lies, hypocrisy and the unspoken. Moreover, they themselves are incapable of lying.
- They are also very sensitive to images, and cannot stand the violence shown on television or in the cinema.
- They love all that is artistic and their creativity is expressed in all that is art.
We could cite many other characteristics of these highly sensitive people with very strong intuition. (3)
How does an empath’s brain work?
The empath has a very specific and highly developed analytical capacity, and this in an innate way.
When they are in front of another person, a whole process of analysis is automatically set up, in relation to what the other says, but also to the non-verbal, to body language, to the emotions released.
In fact, empaths read people like an open book.
Neuroscience studies have shown that empaths are more sensitive to dopamine, a neurotransmitter that increases the pleasure we feel. Introverted empaths will find more pleasure in solitude, meditation, and study.
They have an ability called visuo-tactile synesthesia or mirror synesthesia, which allows them to feel the pain and emotions of others.
Their mirror neurons, which make it possible to understand others and to feel compassion, are hyperactive in them. In contrast, psychopaths, sociopaths and narcissists have none at all and are unable to understand others.
Electromagnetic fields generated by the heart and brain more easily reach an empath, as do the electromagnetic fields of the universe. It is thus more connected to Man, to the Earth and to the Universe (4) and (5).
How do you know if you are an empath?
In daily life
It is possible that while reading this article, something resonates with you and confirms your intuition.
If you’ve wanted to read this topic, it’s because you wondered why you felt a little different in your dealings with other people, and maybe why your life turned out that way.
Indeed, you realize that you are especially attentive to others, and that others like to come and talk to you, that you tend to be overwhelmed by the emotions of others or of the world around you.
On another level, perhaps you have been the victim of negative, narcissistic, perverse or manipulative people?
If so, there’s a good chance you are an empath, as empaths unfortunately attract these kind of nefarious characters to them.
So it’s time to ask yourself the question, to know what you are and to be able to protect yourself, instead of receiving all the negative waves and manipulations of others.
The empathic person feels the other’s problems so strongly that they think they are the only ones who can heal them, and in order to be loved by them, they will try everything and undoubtedly fail.
Take the empathic quotient (EQ) test
In order not to repeat unhealthy and toxic patterns, and so as not to be constantly overwhelmed by the emotions of the people around you, it is good to take an empathic quotient test, to find out who you are, and then learn how to do better. manage the situations you find yourself in.
A test can partially answer the questions you ask yourself. There are short tests, others longer and more complete.
Professor Simon-Baron-Cohen’s first test (6) consists of 36 photos of eyes, the expression of which you must find among four choices offered. For example: terrified, upset, arrogant, upset.
Or again: joker, agitated, desiring, convinced. If you have more than 30 correct answers, you have a very strong ability to recognize other people’s emotions.
Another test (7) developed by the same teacher, is composed of forty questions, for example: “I like to take care of others”, or “I quickly detect if someone says one thing which means another” with four levels of choice. (6)
These tests will allow you to place yourself on the empathy scale, or to confirm that you are really an empath, to help you better protect yourself, not to suffer like a sponge all the negative emotions of those around you. , and not to let yourself be manipulated by your opposite, the one who does not feel empathy but who knows very well how to use those who have too much.
Since I identified myself as such, my life has changed dramatically. Although always listening to others and the world around me, I learned, through psychotherapy, meditation and letting go, to protect myself and not to be manipulated.
(1) e-psychiatrie.fr: emotional hypersensitivity and hyperemotivity (2) psychologie.net: 11 characteristic traits of an empath (3) metapsychie.com: being an empath, how do you know if you are one?
(4) scienceshumaines.com: the mechanisms of empathy (5) lecerveau.mcgill.ca: neural bases of empathy (6) medecine-des-arts.com: knowing your level of empathy (7) equilium. en: empathic quotient test