Are Empaths Psychic? What the Word Claims and What It Describes

Where the word empath came from

Empathy comes from the German Einfühlung, feeling into, which nineteenth-century aesthetics used for the way we project ourselves into a work of art. The psychologist Edward Titchener coined the English word in 1909. The noun empath is much younger and owes a good deal to science fiction, where it names a character who senses feelings directly. A 1968 episode of the original Star Trek series was even titled The Empath.

That history is worth knowing because it shows how the modern empath idea took shape: a real human capacity, a story about a superpower and a spiritual vocabulary were joined together over a few decades.

The types of empath people describe

There is no official list, and writers do not agree on one. The following divisions turn up most often in books and articles on the subject.

• Emotional empaths, who say they take on other people's moods
• Physical empaths, who say they feel others' aches or tension in their own bodies
• Intuitive empaths, who say they sense motives or truth behind what is said
• Animal and plant empaths, who say the same attunement extends to other living things
• Place-sensitive empaths, who say they respond to the feel of buildings and landscapes

Empath, highly sensitive person and empathic: how they differ

These three terms are routinely run together, though each means something different.

Psychic or not: the two readings of the same experience

Someone who feels sick when a friend is hurt can read that two ways. The psychic reading says a feeling was transmitted. The psychological reading says the body responded to cues, such as tone, face and posture, that the person noticed without thinking about it. Researchers also describe emotional contagion, in which moods spread between people automatically.

Neither reading is a judgement of the person. What the psychological account has over the other is that it can be examined and tested, whereas the claim of a psychic channel has not survived testing so far. A person can sensibly hold either view and still deal with the practical side: how to live with strong feelings.

Practical ways to feel less swamped

Whatever the explanation, these habits are used by people who find other people's feelings overwhelming.

1. Notice the feeling, then ask whether it started with you or arrived in a particular conversation.
2. Step out for a few minutes after emotional meetings, even to walk to another room.
3. Say what you can and cannot take on. Listening to someone does not oblige you to solve their problem.
4. Keep regular sleep, food and time outdoors. Tiredness makes everything seem more intense.
5. Be careful with the label itself. Being an empath does not mean you must tolerate unkind treatment.