We have all heard the saying, “put yourself in their shoes”. However, what does this truly mean? This refers to the empathy that a person can feel for another person. It can also refer to someone being empathic. But, did you know that there are several different types of empaths that a person can be? This is just one of the elements that you need to understand to truly know how to deal with situations and how to take care of yourself!
Empath Definition
What is an emotional empath? This refers to the gift of being able to put yourself into someone else’s shoes and feel the things they feel, as if you yourself were going through this situation. This is defined as a person with paranormal ability to apprehend the mental or emotional state of another individual. However, that person does not only need to be human, as you will see when learning about the types of empaths out there.
Am I an Empath?
Many people question whether they are an empath or not. There are several ways that you can know, but most people show one or more of the empathic traits listed here:
- You absorb other people’s emotions and carry these with you
- You can feel the physical pain that another person is in
- You often suffer from fatigue, both physically and mentally
- You find it necessary to have alone time in order to recharge
- You experience mood swings thought the day, along with several emotional states
- You cannot stand to witness violence or other forms of cruelty
- You are considered a good listener
- People often talk to you about their problems
- Children and animals are naturally attracted to you. Sometimes this is referred to as an animal empath.
- It is in your nature to be caring and nurturing
- You are aware of the physical environment around you
- You cannot stand to be involved in interpersonal conflicts
- You find crowded places to be overwhelming and exhausting
- You do get uncomfortable in some situations due to the feelings that they bring on
- You often find yourself being overwhelmed with others problems, without asking for these problems to be brought to you
- You have been told that you are too sensitive since you feel the feelings of those who are around you, which can affect your mood
- People often comment that you have an uncanny ability to predict something happening or a situation
For those who have these types of characteristics, chances are they an empath. However, what type of empath they are truly depends on a few more factors. Knowing the type of empath you are, can help you to know what to avoid if you are feeling worn down or just to better understand why you do some of the tings you do!
Types of Empaths
There are several types of empaths that a person can be. These include the following:
- Heyoka
- Claircognizant
- Emotionally Receptive
- Physically Receptive
- Fauna
- Flora
- Geomantic
- Medium
- Psychometric
- Precognitive and cognitive empathy
- Telepathic
Heyoka
Those who are considered Heyoka empaths are going to be rare. They often use humor to help heal a person. They may do this through jokes or even pointing out the absurd situation a person has found themselves in. In most cases, those who are Heyoka empaths can often talk to a person and that person will start to see their situation differently than before almost immediately. This is the main power of a Heyoka empath.
Claircognizant
Those who are claircognizant empaths often just know that something needs to be done. For example, they may talk to a person and just know that they are lying or that they are in pain of some sort. There is really no reason that has given the person the knowledge, they simply have the intuition that something is wrong.
Emotional Receptive
This empath can be around someone who may not even be talking about what they are feeling, yet they feel the emotions of that person. For example, if someone is sad from a recent heartbreak, the empath may feel the sadness, not only the emotion, but also the physical pain the person may be in from the sadness.
Physically Receptive
When an empath is a physical receptive, they feel the physical pain that a person may be in. For example, if they are around someone who is ill, they may start to feel the bodily pain that this person is in. This can be great when trying to pinpoint what the problem may be for someone.
Fauna
The Fauna empath is one that is going to be drawn to animals. They can often feel the emotions of this animal. It does make it much easier to interact with these animals. Animals may naturally be drawn to this type of empath.
Flora
These types of empaths deal with plants. They can even feel the physical and emotional aspects of these plants that may be of putting. For this reason, these types of empaths are often labeled as having “green thumbs”.
Geomantic
These types of empaths can often predict when something is going to happen in terms of a natural disaster. This is due to having a deep connection to the Earth. They often feel the energy that is being transmitted and know that there is something that is going to happen.
Medium
A medium empath is the one that can see, hear or even feel those spirits of deceased people. They may not be able to see, feel or hear at all times. It may just be one or the other. For these types of empaths, they may find that this sight or feeling can be a surprise and even scary at times. But, it can be controlled if you learn the benefits of this ability.
Psychometric
A psychometric empath can take a photograph, jewelry or any type of physical object that they can handle and feel the feelings that are associated with it. They may even gain information about the person whom the object belongs to.
Precognitive
For many empaths, they may have dreams or visions of things to come, yet they know that they will happen. When this is the case they are considered a precognitive empath. They often have the dream, but it is the feeling associated with this dream such as dread, excitement or anxiety that sticks with them.
Telepathic
Those who are telepathic can read a person’s thoughts without the person telling them what they are thinking. It may not be clear thoughts at all times, but they do get a good sense of what may be going on in the mind of that person.
As you can see, an empath is more than just someone who can put themselves into the shoes of someone else. Is everyone an empath? No. There are some people out there who do not have the natural ability to feel what others feel or even imagine putting themselves into that situation. However, there are just as many who deal with the feelings of humans, animals, plants and even spirits day in and day out.
Just remember, if you are an empath, you need to take the time to keep yourself grounded instead of always focusing on the feelings or pain of others around you! You need to take care of yourself first.
Sources
https://www.thoughtco.com/traits-of-empaths-1724671
