Empowered by sensitivity? It sounds strange, doesn’t it? Sort of ironic, contradictory, even mutually exclusive.
How can you be empowered by something so soft, subtle and delicate, in a world full of hard, overpowering and loud people? Indeed, many of us Empaths get trampled, used, thrown around, and taken advantage of. But we have a secret.
Deep down inside, beyond the veil of our superficial appearances, we harbor something quiet, but powerful. Our gifts don’t dominate, tyrannize or overthrow people, but that doesn’t detract from their strength, or usefulness. If anything, our powerful but subtle gifts benefit us more in the long term, allowing us to gather emotional, psychological and physical information from our surroundings that is often inaccessible and undisclosed to the average, unreceptive mind.
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While we can’t bully, back-stab or use brute force, we can heal, guide, protect and deeply understand the lives of the people around us. In essence, we can gather immense amounts of knowledge. And knowledge, as they say, is power.
If you would like to discover whether you are an empath, take our empath test. Also, if you would like to discover what type of Empath you are, you will discover the 10 types at the end of this article.
Are You An Empath?
If you are an Empath, you will experience a combination of some or all of the following symptoms:
- You absorb other people’s emotions like a sponge, carrying them as your own.
- When someone close to you is physically ill, you can feel this as physical pains in your body.
- You often suffer from physical or mental fatigue and tiredness.
- You find Solitude immensely refreshing, and you require it to “recharge”.
- You often experience many mood swings or emotional states throughout the day.
- Witnessing violence or cruelty is unbearable to you.
- You are a very good listener.
- People often come to you with their problems.
- Animals and children are attracted to you.
- You are caring and nurturing by nature.
- You are hyper-aware of the physical environment, e.g. to smell, taste, sight, touch, hearing, etc.
- You can’t stand interpersonal conflict.
- Crowded places are very overwhelming and draining to you.
10 Types Of Empaths
While being an Empath can have its many positives and benefits, it can also weigh us down heavily with confusion, disorientation and anxiety. That is why it’s important to put a name to what we individually experience to better understand ourselves, and identify others who share the same abilities as us.
For this reason, I have included below a list, and small description, of each type of Empath. By understanding who you are, what gifts you possess and where you stand in life, you will be able to begin working with your soul. I elaborate on these types in our awakened empath book.
Claircognizant Empath
This is usually defined by the ability to simply know something needs to be done, or is true or misleading, without having any basis in logic or reason. Often this type of Empath will just “know” when something is right to do, or not, or when someone is lying or hiding something.
Emotionally Receptive Empath
Most Empaths are emotionally receptive, and can physically and emotionally feel the emotions from other people before they are even expressed.
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Physically Receptive Empath
Many Empaths are also physically receptive to other people’s illnesses and bodily pains. This often manifests itself in the Empath’s own body, and can be an especially useful skill in healing.
Fauna Empath
This type of Empath can hear, feel and interact with animals.
Flora Empath
This type of Empath can communicate with plants, being able to receive physical and emotional signals.
Geomantic Empath
The Geomantic Empath can read the energy and signals transmitted by the earth. Many are able to feel/predict natural disasters before they occur.
Medium Empath
This type of Empath can either see, hear, feel (or a combination of these elements) spirits, usually from deceased individuals.
Psychometric Empath
This manifests itself as the ability to receive information, energy and impressions from physical objects, e.g. photographs, clothing, jewelry, utensils, etc.
Precognitive Empath
This type of Empath can feel the occurrence of an event or situation before it actually happens. This is usually manifested in dreams, or as physical/emotional sensations, for instance: dread, anxiety, or excitement.
Telepathic Empath
The ability to accurately read a person’s unexpressed thoughts is the main defining feature of the Telepathic Empath.
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Free Test (Discover Which One You Are)
If you have trouble identifying which empathic gift you have, feel free to take our Empath Type Test
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Being an Empath can be difficult and confusing, but with awareness of your gifts and abilities, you can refine them and use them to guide, heal and protect yourself and the people you love.
My hopes are that the information within this article can continue to make ripples within your life. Please share with me any stories or experiences you have below. This will help all of us broaden our knowledge and understanding of what it is to be an Empath!
If you would like to keep reading about empaths, you’re welcome to click on one of our other empath articles below:
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There most likely are Judy. ;)
Its so amazing to finally have the clarity to put together all the thoughts, feelings and emotions into a way that actually makes sense to myself and others. I very much am affected by the energy around me and tend to mirror it. I can be the life of the party if the energy is right, for example at my cousins wedding a few weekends back, talking to strangers going from group to group just to feel the happiness and positive energy they were all sending out. It makes me shine to feel that and it doesn’t happen nearly as often as I would like. To get lost in the music and feel it I dance so freely that at one point I was in the center of the dance floor, eyes closed in a trance and realized everyone was dancing and clapping around me just watching me. On the flip side though is the anxiety from a negative crowd, no joy, uncomfortable energy, creepy thoughts, flashes of pain. Your mind takes over racing with images and scenarios all horrible, unlikely, never going to happen but still terrifying. And you tell yourself to be calm and relax and focus as you try to regain control. And you just want to shut it off and close the doors and build up the walls. And a random guy is on the TV talking about losing his wife and two kids in a plane crash and you suddenly FEEL his pain and you imagine receiving the news that your spouse and children are gone and your left behind and your whole life has stopped. No wonder were exhausted. I truly didn’t know anyone else would read what I just wrote and not just conclude I must be nuts. Thank you. Thank you. :)
Since my childhood, I’ve always known whats right or wrong without knowing why, people have always opened up to me even as a stranger, I’m often told “get out of my head” because I know what they have been craving to eat, bring up whats on their mind, know they feel a certain way. I have bipolar and fibromyalgia. However my empathy is soo strong now that I truly ‘feel’ others emotions. If i go outside and the neighbors are fighting, I ‘feel’ their pain and anger. I am unable to disconnect until I race inside and shut the door. I have a husband and kids, and when they are feeling strong emotions…sometimes its so intense I have to hide in my room, need the physical space in order to not feel them, to calm down. If I dont, or It is too intense, i end up hurting, feeling sick or so tired I need a nap. I have no idea how to disconnect or let go of their emotions while in the same room as them. I’ve gotten so bad I havent worked in years. Any idea whay I can do to balance myself?
Hi Krys. Type in “empath healing” in our search box and you will find a few articles that will point you in the right direction. Thanks for reading!
As a high school teacher, this all (being an empath in many aspects) gets to be very overwhelming; however, when I read and research these types of articles or the universe sends them my way, authors like you empower me and all of us. Thanks, Aletheia, for being awesome.
I’m a Precognitive, Fuana, Emotionally Receptive Empath! Exception to the Precognitive Empathetic ability, I only can feel, sometimes, see what will happen in the future, so long as the current world events go on as they are. As far as feeling what other people, and animals, on target. I can have whole conversations with my dog and closest friends without saying a word! Life I feel hasn’t only been hard on me, I’m sorry for others pain they might have experienced, but I’m glad I’m not alone!
I scored over 80 on these three I mentioned!
It is wonderful to feel connected again with others through self-discoveries like this. Thanks Nate. :)
I’ve been coming across the word “empath” a lot lately in my search for spiritual guidance. Didn’t pay much attention to it because did not see myself as having any spiritual talents. Wondering why I was in such emotional turmoil when my efforts have gone to being at peace in an insane world. Wondering whether was going crazy. Had crisis at 4 am today; wrote a zillion words on FB, feeling like a voice that cries in the wilderness! Crying for all of humanity. Now I find your articles. Thank you! Thank you, thank you! Will work on healing myself because I am exhausted! Maybe then I’ll be able to make a difference. (Honestly answered quiz; got 83%.)
The word and concept of being an empath can provide immense self-understanding. But it is only a stop of the road to deeper self-healing. The label is helpful up until a certain point as it helps us to understand our sensitivity and honor it.
I’m really glad this article could help shed some light!
Where do I start again? It’s been a few decades since I’ve shut this down inside of me but now it’s like the dam has cracked and the gum holding it together has long washed away. I have to accept these gifts and learn to control them. I need help though. In the past two months, my health has taken a nose dive and I have been tested for everything and have nothing! lol it’s not funny but it is because there isn’t another way to approach this. I wrote a longer more rambling post yesterday but I just need a starting point. I’m out of sick days at work and can’t afford another body part to break down because now I’m scared it’ll be my heart next! Thanks for any help Luna. :)
I can tell if someone is popular at school or maybe going downstream or bullied always have future dams i get alot of daja view i am starting to remember dreams now so there probley future dams i forget i could see spirits when i was youmger and when me and my older sis did this spirit then were u put to pencils on top of each other and write on a piece of paper yes or no well it did not work the first time the random info saying maybe it works by belife of course she would know but maybe not me so went out the room a d it worked a little the she tried again with me out of the room and the pencil did a 360 turn and they feel of each other so yea that was weird and i see weird light normmaly around trees as in up bewteen them and at school the teacher i stare at them at i see the colour of the background there in i so e times see random bits of blue and sometimes when i close my eyes i see a beautiful pure green
Hi i just found out i was an empath about 4 days ago i can read animal feelings and human feelings i feel so bad when i see a knocked over tree/plant i always have the urge to help put it back in place i guess in order this is what i am most senstive too
1. i dont know if its people i feel animal emotions alot thats how i know when to feed my cat
2. no plants if i reallyt hink its just as strong as people and animal i dont normally see knocked over plants so maybe plants i have always been like it i know they can grow back but its just like when a tree branch snaps off in a strom its jsut like someone witn really long hair having cancer and getting there hair shaved it feels horrible
Hello. I found your article very informative and mostly spot on to my experiences. I do have one question though. What does it mean if in your 10 types of empaths, if at least six of them described me to varying levels? For example, I have always been able to feel the emotions of animals as well as other people. I often have very strong instincts of certain actions I need to take and make split second decisions based on this. I will have moments of clarity where everything just falls into place and i just KNOW something. I can almost always tell when someone is lying to themselves and me about whats really bothering them. I can tell when people don’t want to face themselves. If I get out of my mind and let my hands move they almost always know where to find the knots, in massage, I can usually feel when a spirit is around, and whether it is nasty or friendly. And I sometimes have a feeling of trepidition and high anxiety of somethng on the horizon, but I dont know what. I have had dreams that have come true on at least 2 occasions as well. So what does this make me?
You might be a highly intuitive empath stephanie.
I can do most of all that u stated what does that mean
It means that your gifts as an empath span across many different dimensions of life.