So, how many “10 Signs You’re an Empath” articles have you read before you got here? You’re another walking radar of emotion and you just want to understand how that constitutes as psychic. Basically, this means that you are one of the few that intensely feels the emotions and sometimes the thoughts of others. Most people don’t see emotion as something you can sense and physically feel, but you’re proof that it’s possible. It’s not just a chemical in the brain or the imagination going haywire. Emotion and thought is energy and you can detect it, which is why you most likely have psychic potential.

If you’ve embraced the title of empath, then learn about the term “clairsentience.” It means “clear feeling” and is a little different than basic empathy. It may seem like empathy is a common thing that humans should feel for one another, but don’t confuse that with sympathy, which is feeling sorry for someone. Being an empath means you directly connect and understand someone’s emotion even if their situation is different than anything you’ve ever experienced. Combine that with clairsentience, and you have the potential to be someone who can “read” people; you practically feel their life story or feel the current situation that’s weighing on them. You may even accidentally mimic their nature or have a physical reaction to how they feel. When your awareness of emotional and mental energy extends past the physical, being an empath becomes so much more than being an understanding person.

The Emotional Body

The picture above is the emotional body from Hands of Light by Barbara Ann Brennan. Those who can read auras could be considered as clairvoyant or visual empaths. They see colors around someone based on their feeling. This is often compared to synesthesia, “a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathways lead to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway,” (Wikipedia).

The Mental Body

Here’s another picture from the same source of the mental body. Notice how it’s very different than the emotional body. I assume it’s because intentional thoughts aren’t as abstract as emotions, which can be unpredictable and extremely raw. If you feel what someone is thinking, there’s the possibility you’re not just an empath, but also claircognizant (clear knowing) or telepathic. Please keep in mind, that these abilities aren’t easily influenced by anxiety or fear. I definitely know what it’s like to let anxiety take the wheel and run a bunch of hypothetical situations in my mind based on what I assume someone is thinking, but I also know what it’s like to feel I just read the mind of someone I don’t know way too many times for it to be dismissed as something that happened by chance. It can get pretty freaky.

Emotion + Mental = Astral Body (Pretty, huh?)

The point of the pictures is to show how emotion and thought have been perceived as energy. I won’t even begin to go into the numerous studies that have been done on bioelectromagnetics and electrophysiology, but many who are spiritual and have psychic experience find that emotional energy, mental energy, and these sciences go hand-in-hand. I’ll leave it up to you if you want to solidify that connection.

What if I'm not really psychic? What if they're just "gut" feelings?

Actually, those gut feelings are considered psychic abilities. If people perceive you as empathic, you may have also been called intuitive. Your intuition is an experience that only belongs to you and only becomes stronger if you trust it. The protective people in our lives may walk down the line of paranoid or intuition, depending on their rationale. Though many people don’t find psychics to be logically reliable, it’s definitely encouraged that you marry your emotion with logic so you stabilize yourself and find your intuition to be more trustworthy. Having the potential to be psychic isn’t a synonym for losing emotional or mental stability; it’s simply the chance to perceive your life in a different way. You may gain greater depth in the personalities you cross and become more understanding of the people who hurt you or why you have certain people in your life. You’ll also have the opportunity to reflect upon yourself by noticing how your emotional and mental energy is far more sensitive and powerful than you thought.

Maybe I'm too sensitive.

From Netflix's Daredevil (Matt Murdock is not an empath...I think.)

I GET YOU. Being an empath is overwhelming and so many types of empathic abilities overlap our sensory processors. Ever got a headache from “feeling” someone’s negativity? Did a contact high ever feel like an overdose? From being overwhelmed in a crowd to losing yourself in someone else’s personality, the life of an empath can be pretty damn hard. If you’re planning on having a greater understanding of your abilities, but want to decrease the chances of having a mental breakdown, here are some spiritual and not-so-spiritual suggestions:

Find a licensed therapist you feel comfortable around and talk about being a hypersensitive personality

Look into cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy (I don’t care if you’re diagnosed with anything or not. Some of these techniques can help if persistently applied)

Research “grounding” techniques (different than outlets). Grounding is the self-initiated process of keeping yourself in the present moment through healthy, stimulatory acts. It's also been called "mindfulness." (going for a swim, taking a barefoot walk, sitting near a campfire, dancing in the rain, feeling the sun on your face, enjoying a gentle breeze, breathing exercises, appreciating silence, exercising, meditation)

Talk to friends about your sensitivity and stick to the ones who truly understand.

Look into holistic health advice and natural remedies (natural supplements that help your health, TEA, LOTS OF TEA, meditation retreats, spiritual healing, aromatherapy, essential oils, candles, cannabis, music, massages)

Reflect on your extraversion and introversion: do people energize you or drain you? Really think about this, then balance your schedule to either have more alone time or time with trusted people

Personal Outlets. I don’t care if it’s binge watching a show on Netflix or becoming a carpenter. Hobbies that resonate with you help you understand who you are. Why are you watching that show? Why do you want to master that craft? Reflect and enjoy.

Third Eye Chakra

Before I end, I want to give a mini-introduction to the third-eye chakra. Understanding chakras, even when I wasn’t really into this stuff, helped me to sort of categorize my emotions and be more objective about the emotions of others. If you’re an empath, your third-eye chakra is probably very open or active. The Book of Chakra Healing by Liz Simpson (2013) assigns personality archetypes to chakras for those who may feel connected with certain chakras, but aren’t sure what that means for them. Read these two definitions and decide which one fits you or if you’re a mix of both:

• “The Psychic: Having honed their skills, psychics often become exceptional artists, healers, and therapists. They know the difference between theory and practice – that the truly gifted individual is one who doesn’t just ‘live by the book’ but trusts their instincts to supply them with unique and telling insights.” • “The Rationalist: Having chosen not to trust their feelings, insights, and inner wisdom – perhaps because these aspects of themselves were ridiculed in childhood – rationalists force themselves to abide by a set of rules that becomes increasingly limiting and isolationist.”

Being a sensitive soul is not a bad thing, neither is being a deep thinker. Just imagine the possibilities for you if you were to combine these qualities of yourself and expand your consciousness, like all psychics aspire to do. Don’t fear being psychic, embrace it if you feel led to. If being psychic doesn’t feel right to you, then trust your instincts. Always trust your instincts, empath.

Thank you so much for reading. Please chat with me @Authentikei on Twitter if you consider yourself an empath. Are you taking the psychic path or the rationalist path? Tell me why.