As an “empath” or highly sensitive or whatever you wanna call it, I think we should talk about the “why” behind the behavior, bc I’m not sure if people truly understand how calling yourself an empath and claiming it as a superpower can seriously hinder your healing. (TW: abuse)

The term “empath” is used to describe an individual who feels they have the ability to predict the emotional or mental state of another individual. People use this term to justify many behaviors that can be quite intrusive and overly assuming.

The truth is, being an “empath” simply means you are highly sensitive to the emotional fluctuations around you, and this can often feel overwhelming. There are many reasons people become empaths, but I wanna talk about just one of them today that I think explains why the word

“Empath” has become so controversial. One of the main reasons people become empaths is through the experience of childhood neglect or abuse. These experiences have the capacity to seriously alter your sensitivity levels as an adult. This trauma leads to hyper-vigilance, and a

Tendency to become very well versed in the human-condition. You can think of an empath as a sort of emotional detective, and they’ve developed this skill over the years as a defense mechanism. If you are able to predict the emotional reactions of others, you have a much better

Chance at survival. Problems arise after prolonged experiences of neglect or abuse & paranoia overtakes intuition. This is essentially a trauma response, and leads to destructive behaviors, making up most of the “Empaths” you see online who claim to know you better than you know

Yourself. If you are an empath/highly sensitive individual, it is important to respect the emotional boundaries of others. This means allowing others the freedom to experience their thoughts and feelings privately, and trusting their intentions and motivations enough to know they

Will share if necessary, and if not, then to respect their emotional autonomy. Continuing to assume and react will only feed your paranoia further, as your presumptions lead to misunderstandings and create distrust between you and those around you.

There are ways to use your highly sensitive nature in empowering ways, by uplifting others who need uplifting, & calling attention to mistreatment/injustice when you see it. You don’t need to forcibly insert yourself to make a valid emotional contribution in other people’s lives.

This thread was written in a way that I hope doesn’t invalidate anyone who uses or doesn’t use the term. I think it’s important to talk about it whether you are a skeptic or not considering the term is out there and people will use it regardless!