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"empath" i think is another lens on "sensitivity" emphasizing sensitivity to other people's emotions. i think people like this really exist and often have a lot of problems. other people's emotions can be scary and overwhelming https://t.co/C7TYPo0SB5
so, let's imagine that there is some kind of "sensitivity" spectrum along which people can vary, with probably a large genetic component. sensitive children will be impacted more by anything that happens to them, good or bad; they feel it more, they "overupdate" on it
and a common way i think people in this situation respond is by learning how to construct powerful defenses against their own sensitivity. erecting huge walls of blankness and numbness, which is what can make them *less* sensitive to others in practice, as an adult
i suspect this is related to another funny symptom of stuff like ADHD: paradoxical reactions to substances - e.g. caffeine making you sleepy. paradoxical reactions suggest a body which is constantly fighting its own reactions https://t.co/oVg4bj7Ep8
you might say that an "empath" who is actually very bad at reading other people has a paradoxical reaction to other people's emotions - there's an initial overwhelming experience which is quickly suppressed, leaving them more numb than before
there is a process one can learn of how to be with other people's emotions without letting them take you over, that i guess is pretty close to the process one can learn of how to be with your *own* emotions without letting them take you over. hmm 🤔
i don't want to be too negative about this - the good news is that sensitivity to other people comes with legit actual powers. i know several people who seem to be intuitive massagers. one woman touched my face in a specific spot for a second and... wow
pls read this lovely thread from @captain_mrs who goes into a lot more detail https://t.co/k4V0MX9vsb
particularly noteworthy is her emphasis on the fact that there are (often?) *three* layers of stuff https://t.co/PNg2rLC2lG
empath takedown compilation thread to provide some context on the kinds of takes i was responding to https://t.co/WyYgpVYGQu