Well, true empaths are usually much more susceptible to other people's emotions. My first magical teacher was a very sensitive empath, and actually had to constantly dampen his power, or strong emotions would hit him like a shot to the stomach. It was actually a pretty big inconvenience in his life, and for a long time it kept him isolated from other people.
As far as telepathy, I'm not sure I'm the best one answer that, seeing as I have no experience with it.
He learned to supress and control the power, and was actually a very happy guy. You just need to find your balance. Consider seeing a doctor, and any number of enchanted talismans and charms to help you supress the ability. I know Jeffrey really enjoyed combat sports and exercising in general, because he said it helped him tune it all out.
that's super interesting, thanks. i have seen a psychiatrist and psychologist, and am now on Abilify for major depressive disorder...but if it's because i'm an empath i don't know if it will help...do you think I am one?
Generally speaking what makes a person an empath is having physical sensations of the emotions of others. Most normal people can observe another person and identify the emotions they are exibiting through body language, tone of voice, behavior, etc. But when an Empath encounters the same emotions they go past identifying the emotions present to physically feeling them personally.
For example, when an empath comes into contact with someone who is intensely angry, they might feel a sudden tension or knot in the stomach, or a sensation of a physical force suddenly pushing them, or prhaps feeling a bit ill. For some, they can end up picking up/sharing in that emotion, becoming angry themselves for no discernable reason.
of course the level of sensitivity to this one has varies from person to person, and it can be a valuable tool for some, and downright debilitating for others if they are over-sensitive to it. i have found that it is helpful to practice mindfulness wheneve you can, to learn to be aware of the differences between when you are feeling your own emotions versus when you are experiencing someone else's. And also in practicing to recognize when your emotions are being affected by external influences. By being aware of when these things are happening you can then make conscious choices to separate yourself from their influence.
Another helpful practice is shielding. It is a quick meditation that helps reaffirm a sense of protection and balance. there are many versions out there but they all involve the same basic process. You start by taking two or three bull breaths, focusing on your breathing and awareness of your body and the sensation of the air movement. This helps bring your awareness into the present moment. Then imagine some form of a shield or protection surrounding you in a strong bubble. Some people imagine a white light, others imagine their own aura solidifying like an egg shell. or like a beam of sunlight shining down over them. Heck I have known people who imagine it as a Star-trek like forcefield blinking on. The important part is that whatever image you use, it represents protection and safety, and as something that acts as a solid barrier against unwanted outside forces.
It can take some practice, but the more you do it the easier it will happen and the longer the idea will stick with you. Like anything else it is about developing a habit of keeping a mentality of safety. The more you do it, the more naturally it will come to you until it happens with little more than a personal affirmation or positive thought. In the end, if you can balance out the influences of your empathy it can become a really powerful tool in helping you be more aware of yourself and your surroundings. But the tricky part is in separating yourself from the influences of others in a way that you can recognise that those influences are there, while not letting yourself be negatively affected by them.
When it comes to the idea of telepathy, For most people it is again a measure of open awareness to the subtle non-verbal cues of others that trigger an intuitive understanding of what they are thinking. it is pretty rare for it to translate into a direct hearing of the literal thoughts of others. So naturally this is a little more prone to being associated with other possible sources and the possibility should be always examined carefully. Asking yourself some specific questions might help to narrow down what is going on as well.
For example, when you hear voices, how do they come to you. is there a pattern like happening when you are in certain moods or talking with certain people? Are the thoughts immediately relevant to the conversation or situation, or does it make sense for someone to be having those thoughts at that time? Are they just projected information, like listening to a radio, or do you interact with the thoughts? IE; are the 'outside' thoughts in response to your own? is there any specific purpose to the thoughts? like instructions, negative or positive suggestions to actions, or just random sentences or words? What is the verb-tense of the thoughts? (I/me/he/she/they, etc) and does the verb tense make sense in relation to the the person who is the source of the thoughts and where they are directed?
Spirit really hit the nail on the head with her description of empathy. My first teacher almost vomited once when somebody he was sparring with twisted their ankle.
If you are in fact an empath, the depression could very well be that absorbing someone else's depression. The best thing is to learn to shield yourself but there are stones that you can wear to help shield. I use snowflake obsidian as well as a few other empaths I know.
There are several different kinds of empaths, as well as different levels. Most (not all) can feel others emotions, some can actually see the emotions. Not just feeling humans either, some can feel spirits and even animals.
If in fact, you are an empath, the first thing you need to do is protect yourself, learn to shield yourself and block others.If you think you are one and you are not really sure how to confirm it, find another empath (in person) they can usually tell. And if you cannot find one, visit a psychic medium, they can tell you for sure just by reading you.
