A few months ago I did a video on understanding empathic abilities. Since then I have received questions from people all over the world who are finally realizing they are empathic but unsure how to control it or what to do with it.
Any of you who who are reading this post probably understand that having extremely active empathic abilities can be emotionally overwhelming and even scary at times. Public places can feel like an emotional war zone and anxiety can become a daily struggle.
Many people who have powerful empathic abilities don’t have the 
slightest clue what is happening to them. They just feel everything deeply, and it often seems as if their emotions are controlling them. How could they possibly know that this circus of emotions within them is in fact, a gift, and part of how they have chosen to heal humanity?
Often those with highly developed empathic abilities write themselves off as “emotional” at best, or psychologically unbalanced at worst.
The good news is, there are ways we can learn to control our empathic abilities and use them to our advantage.
To even begin to comprehend the seemingly endless well of emotions within us, we must learn to truly embrace and accept that our emotions are our greatest tool, our guidance system, our compass, and our best our friend. Emotions are not the enemy.
Now let’s get to work on understanding them:
1. Find out where the emotion is coming from
Each time you feel a strong negative or overwhelming emotion, ask yourself whether it belongs to you, or whether it is coming from someone else external from you. Your intuition will know. Listen to it.
2. Embrace the emotion (don’t bypass!)
If the emotion is in fact your own, try to embrace it. Allow yourself to 
feel it fully, and tell yourself it is OK to feel. Imagine you are looking at the emotion from a higher perspective — almost as if you are outside of your body, viewing yourself and your emotions remotely. This will help give you some objectivity. Notice what you observe about yourself from this higher perspective.
3. Discover the core belief, validate it and sooth it
Ask yourself what the core belief of your emotion is (what thoughts are you thinking that are causing you to feel the negative emotion?). Feel where the emotion is inside your body (our bodies carry emotion in a very real and tangible way). Imagine your crown chakra opening-up and Source energy (unconditional love) pouring through your body, directly to the area where your emotion is stored. Allow the energy of Source to love and sooth you.
4. Shift your focus
After you’ve spent time validating and soothing your emotions, try to find thoughts that feel better than whatever thought it is that is causing the negative emotion. Finding any thought that makes you feel better (even if it is only slightly better) is a step in the right direction.
Change your focus. This is where a lot of people go wrong in their attempt at “positive thinking.” It’s not about ignoring how you feel, or trying to pile up a bunch of happy thoughts upon sad ones. It’s about recognizing the emotion, validating it, sending it love energy, and then shifting your focus away from it. Some emotions need more time than others to heal, but ultimately your goal is to validate and accept them with love and change your focus. Imagine the soothing energy you give the emotions literally transforming them into other things — new thoughts.
5. Transmute
If you realize the negative emotion you have is not yours (but coming 
from outside of you) this is when you transmute. Put up a beautiful white light around you, and imagine the emotion going through it and being transformed. This is where you become a true alchemist. Imagine the emotion (like sadness, for example) being transformed into joy, and then send it back out into the Universe.It is easier to do this when the feelings you are transmuting are not your own, because you realize you have no attachment to it. You only need to recognize those emotions that are not yours in order to be free from them.
For me, the more I use visualization the better. When you are shielding, for example, use your imagination. What makes you feel the most joy, comfort, and peace? What colors do you want to surround yourself with? How would you like others to feel after their energy has been transmuted through your alchemy shield? Infuse your shield with all of your powerful intentions.
Because you are entangled with each person to whom you share emotions with, you will certainly feel the lifting of emotion when you transform emotional energy, whether it’s yours or not. When you send transmuted energy back into the Universe, the person whom the emotion came from will feel the difference — even if they don’t quite recognize what has occurred. This is how you heal. Your abilities are a gift.
6. Embrace your gift
Recognize that this is your gift to the world. It is the way you heal, and it is a beautiful gift indeed. Strong empathic abilities are not something to be feared, but rather embraced.
7. Shield (comfort)
If you are incredibly empathic and sensitive to other people’s emotions, it is a good idea to ALWAYS shield yourself before going out into public places.
Shielding does not need to come from a place of fear, but rather love. 
Love for yourself and others. It is not about hiding from your gifts, it’s about learning to use them in a way that best serves humanity. Soothing yourself with white light helps you learn to see thought forms and emotions that “bounce” off your shield (or are transmuted through your shield) without your conscious thought. You can put this intention into your shield — the intention that the light will surround you with comfort and keep your love energy in a high vibrational state while transmuting negative energy.
If you feel like you’ve tried everything and yet continue to struggle with understanding and controlling your empathic abilities, it might be helpful to have a life activation intuitive reading from someone who knows about this kind of stuff. The sooner you recognize this is your gift and learn to use it, the more free you will become. There are many incredible healers and intuitive workers out there who can help you. Don’t be afraid to reach out for support.
Much love!
Here is the original video I did on Understanding Empathic Abilities:
Chakra Center 
This is wonderful, Amanda, soothing I’d say.
Reassuring!
e
Glad it was useful, 🙂
Thank you
And thank you for stopping by my blog
Much love.
Hi Amanda, I had this experience happen in the supermarket only days ago, but it seemed to be up in intensity than my previous experiences. While in the cue paying for our groceries, two rather obese woman cued behind us. I acknowledged one of them and did not realised I had looped myself into her energy. While waiting for our transaction to process itself, I suddenly had a horrendous pain in my area of my ovaries and took it just as that. It started to get more intense, where I had to lean on something. My husband went ahead of me while I gathered packing boxes, by the time I had made my way to the car, I was exhausted, breathless, and very nauseous. He saw something was wrong and urged me to sit in the car. The ride home I felt very unwell, tried to concentrate very hard on visualising this stuff to flush out of me. The sensation ended and quickly as it arrived.
That is really interesting. Without being inside your body, I wouldn’t be able to say for sure if you were picking up on the physical pain of the people behind you, but it is quite possible. Many people with acute empathic abilities can pick up on the physical ailments of others. This is why shielding is important.
happens to me all the time. sheilding is an amazing resource I use so often.
This is lovely and it is exactly why we need a FEELING DICTIONARY that defines our own feeling reaction not what the old “authorities’ say is the correct thing to feel, not your parents, not even your friends … uniquely your own definition, description and manifestation … here is mine:
http://www.feelingdictionary.com
What a cool website. Thanks for sharing.
I watched the videos on the teaching techniques in Japan. So awsome.
I can shield but have a hard time around loved ones. My husband is military. He is the sweetest most loving and loyal man you’d ever meet. He doesn’t understand just how much of his energy and emotion I feel. I want to block some of it but am worried I’ll shut him out completely. I want to project happiness and love like I normally do but sometimes his ptsd from the military overwhelms me to tears. Not my tears, and he always says he’s fine. (He’s so strong) Then I feel bad I can’t take away his pain. Even over the phone, I feel it. It hurts. Although his words are always loving and kind, he’s not happy. (He just called, I feel it now) Sometimes I can’t shake the feeling either. He used to get bothered when I’d ask what’s wrong out of no where. Not realizing he had a thought that bothered him and I just picked up on it. Not sure how to do this. Somehow I need to strengthen myself because if I’m overwhelmed I will be of no help to anyone.
I’m having similar issues. I can pick up on my boyfriends ailments when he is near. It think today I actually was able to feel someone elses pain. I don’t know how to shield, how to project, I’m still learning. Up until the last couple of months I was a very closed off person but now that I’ve healed emotionally a lot, I’m over sensitive. I am just learning of this empathic abilities and I don’t have the slightest idea where to start. I’m so worn out.. is there a step by step beginner blog that will break everything down piece by piece and explain how it works? I’m so worn out and feel all of the negative. I’m trying meditation but I can’t seem to calm the energy inside long enough to fully focus.. Please help….
I do believe that I am an empath. I have been diagnosed with bipolar and depression. But I do not believe I am. My life is perfectly fine. As normal as most. But I can go from 0 to 60 in a second. I need to have a few drinks before going out just to ensure my day/evening goes somewhat normal. I find that no matter where I am, I can’t get away from it. About 90% of the time when someone asks “what’s wrong”, I say “I don’t know…I just don’t feel right.” Then I dig through all my memories just to try and justify why I am feeling or acting a certain way.
I can analysis any person or situation perfectly. I am the go to person for everyone. I don’t judge anyone. But I can’t seem to do it for myself. I can give the perfect advice 99% of the time but yet can’t do the same for myself. No one around me can either. They just try to ignore it, blaming my depression or bipolar.
I love photography and capturing nature and animals. The photos come out amazing. People can often feel the pictures. But if I try to capture adults they never look right. I can capture the innocence of children though. But nature and animals have so much energy. They show everything from beauty to sadness.
I often here my name being called when things are quiet around me. Then I will get a call…I’ll know immediately who it is and that is not going to be a good energy call. So in the time it takes to answer I already know what to say to diffuse the situation.
I get, sometimes, feeling of dread and I know that in 3 days to the moment something is going to happen. I just don’t know what or to who.
When I try to learn more about how I can help myself my eyes, literally, ache. My forehead becomes “tight” and I start to get an edgy feeling. Not sure what it is. Where I live I don’t really trust the people that say they have gifts because I have contacted them just as a client and did not feel they are being honest. So I am not sure how to get help.
This is the first time that I have ever told my story online. Felt safe here. Thank you for the opportunity.
Amanda thank you my sensitivity is out of control and I have no idea what to do lately it’s like panic attacks but these are not my feelings
Understanding your empathic abilities will probably help you understand these feelings more clearly. Make sure to allow time for you to heal. 🙂
Can anyone here help me learn to use my empathic abilities?
There are two classes I offer about understanding empathic abilities. If you go to the “online classes” tab, it lists the classes that are available. 🙂
I have a question…How do you use your emphatic abilities…do you have to lower your sheild or dose your sheild always stay up while you use your abilities? Any advice please.
Amanda
I don’t shield. I don’t really believe in shielding because it emphasizes vulnerability rather than empowerment. I try to listen to how i”m feeling and move my energy accordingly (if my inner guidance tells me not to go into a certain room/store, or be around a specific person, I listen. I try to be preemptive. But if I do pick-up things that are too intense, I feel, validate, and release them.
I’m a empath and my problem is that I’m having trouble shielding it, I can feel people’s pain miles away as well as close to me. I can also take body pain from others into my bodie. Any suggestions on shielding.
I don’t really believe in shielding because it puts the focus on defense rather than on thriving. I regularly clear my energy, validate my emotions, and choose what to focus on. Releasing emotions works much better than shielding (in my experience).
I have a question for other empaths or possible empaths- have you ever been in in a situation or felt anger when people are much less aware of your emotions as your emotional awareness is so high? Thoughts?
Yes! I think this is quite common for empaths (it has been for me). I’ve learned that if I don’t turn my emotional sensitivity towards myself (taking care of myself, nurturing myself, giving myself what I need) I subconscious expect it from others (because I feel I’m doing that for them). Anger is a completely normal response to have when we feel we’re being unfairly treated or taken for granted. But what I’ve learned is that it is not people’s intentions — they are just not tuned in to those subtle emotions — even in themselves, so how could they possibly tune in to ours? Again, self-care/nurturing is key.
I am a highly sensitive emath and just recently relized it. Thank you for your video. Now im able to sheald from the energy around me. Me being on the cusp of Aquarius and Pisces makes me that much more sensitive. So now im learning to put up a sheald to help me. Thank you. Much love.
Thank you for this message regarding understand what it is to be an empath, I’ve practiced reiki for 10 years and I understand grounding and protection, I strongly feel that my work is as an empath as I feel emotions of other people, situations, places etc I know I can give messages this way but I need to learn how to control it better, no amount of protection I am doing is protecting me properly or I’m simply not learning enough. I think I’m protected then I feel someone’s energy and it hurts my head. Can you guide me on how to develop further and safer as an empath? Sorry to ask but sometimes it’s dibilitating.
Warm regards
Simon ❤
I’ve recently met a woman who immediately recognized and identified what I’ve been experiencing all my life; empathic abilities. I’ve always been deeply in tuned to people’s emotions as well as most often ‘feeling’ their physical pain within my physical core. Most recently though, I’ve had three incidents that were Extraordinary and have left me realizing that I need to somehow protect myself from absorbing so much that I am actually Harmed by the experience.
The first was when I, in the course of my job, spoke with a woman over the phone who was at that moment in the process of making herself and her home ready for her husband to come home for his Hospice care. The sudden, intense and overwhelming of thoughts and emotions left me barely able to breathe enough to let my boss, know I had to leave for the rest of the day. Thankfully, she is the person who I mentioned in my opening statement, and was very understanding of what I was experiencing.
The next two experiences have me most concerned though; both were instances that were unexpected, but became HIGHLY emotionally charged and potentially physically dangerous to me. One was with our duplex neighbor, the other with a complete stranger. Immediately at the conclusion of each of those confrontations I felt a HARD SHARP blow to the lower middle of my back, like being kicked by a horse! (from experience, I know what that feels like) It was all I could do to find a place to sit for awhile, but the pain did go away within a couple minutes.
While I most certainly do not want to “Shield” myself from this ability I am Blessed with, I do need to somehow protect myself from being harmed by it. Given that both of these situations were completed unexpected, I don’t know that I could have prepared for them.
I would appreciate your advice on what I can do to protect myself from this type of experience.
Thank You~
Lori