There is growing awareness about how to determine if you’re an empath—a person who senses and absorbs someone else’s emotions and energy.
However, most don’t know how they become one or what causes their extreme sensitivity. The truth is, there are many ways a soul may inherit the characteristics of extreme sensitivity and not all of them are based in our human experiences. In fact, most often, it has little to do with experiencing events that stress us; instead it is how our soul was created either from the beginning or for the sake of any given lifetime.
The bigger question is why we become one—and what we’re supposed to learn from our extreme sensitivity to other people’s situations.
From a human perspective, our day-to-day human condition—the existential experience of the good, bad and ugly of daily living—can certainly leave a person more sensitive to the challenges they see in others. This might stem from an individual’s own trauma and/or stressful experiences that, then, cause a person to identify with discomfort another person might be feeling regarding their own unsettling or painful events. It can evolve from growing up in a household where a parent is sick, abusing substances or demanding in general. Empathy can also emerge from what is considered vicarious stress or trauma or the tendency to identify with another person’s distress without directly experiencing the situation themselves.
While all of this may be true, some individuals are naturally sensitive to the plights of others. Where does this natural tendency come from?
Is it genetic? A few studies do indicate that empathy can be linked to genetic make-up in nearly 50% of cases, primarily when it is emotional empathy vs. the cognitive version. However, this research mostly explains the lack of empathy which is linked to particular clinical diagnoses rather than a surplus of it. Little is known about why individuals hold so much close to their hearts—at least from the human level.
However, when it comes to the soul, more is explainable although fewer people know about this as a possible explanation. For instance, increasingly larger segments of the population are learning about the influence of their astrological chart—a science that has existed for over five thousand years. It is the combination of aspects in a person’s astrological personality that may create the factors that make them an empath. It is important to remember that a person’s astrological personality that is reflected in their chart was likely assigned according to what they are supposed to learn and evolve beyond throughout their current lifetime. Just the fact that certain aspects of their chart exist might make the difference in whether a person is considered an empath.
Also, certain soul healing practitioners are capable of identifying a person’s soul composition; they are able to describe the primary “divine energies” from which the person’s soul was created. For instance, for someone who holds certain energies (or “ingredients” as I like to explain), they may be particularly susceptible to becoming overwhelmed by another’s negative verves or vibes. Advanced practitioners may even identify what is considered the “Star Seed” origin for an individual—the planetary system in which their soul was created.
Finally, empathic characteristics could simply be part of an individual’s soul path or journey, which includes lessons related to psychological and interpersonal difficulties (codependency, a need to learn to be assertive and others).
To understand empaths more from both the human and soul side, watch the video below.
Katherine T. Kelly Ph.D., M.S.P.H.
With 35+ years of direct clinical experience, Dr. Kelly doesn’t just believe in helping others to heal; instead, her mission is to help them to evolve. Using her own integrative and trademarked framework—the Soul Health Model—Dr. Kelly approaches her work with clients from a “whole person” or “whole organization” perspective. She provides a uniquely progressive, yet down-to-earth approach and is well-known in therapeutic, medical and corporate communities. She thrives as she helps clients and organizations to reach what she calls “conscious evolution” through a variety of self-designed strategies. Her dedication to healing has been widely recognized as she was the recipient of the Provider of the Year Award by the regional Mental Health Association and was nominated as an Incredible Woman for a local community television network, which spotlights role models to inspire young women to pursue their own passions.