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I can just seem to appear in the middle of everybody when I arrive at my destination.

WHAT IS EMPATHY?

Empathy is the ability to "read” and understand people and be in-tune with or resonate with others, voluntarily or involuntarily of one's empath capacity. Empathy often works alongside with telepathy, and this mutually enhances the strength of these abilities.

Empaths have the ability to scan another's psyche for thoughts and feelings or for past, present, and future life occurrences. Many empaths are unaware of how this actually works, and have long accepted that they were “sensitive” to others.

Empathy is a “feeling” of another’s true emotions to a point where an empath can relate to that person by sensing true feelings that run deeper than those portrayed on the surface. People commonly put on a “show” of expression. This is a learned trait of hiding authentic expression in an increasingly demanding society.

An empath can sense the truth behind the “cover” and will act compassionately to help that person express him/herself, thus making them feel at ease and not so desperately alone. It’s as though the empath truly understands, and, in many cases, they do through personal “firsthand” experience.

Empaths experience empathy towards family, children, friends, close associates, complete strangers, pets, plants and inanimate objects. Thus, an empath can feel the emotions of people and things at a distance. Some are empathic towards animals (the “Horse Whisperer”), to nature, to the planetary system, to mechanical devices or to buildings. Others will have a combination of the above.

Empaths are highly “sensitive”. This is the term commonly used in describing one's abilities (sensitivity) to another’s emotions and feelings. Empaths have a deep sense of “knowing” that accompanies empathy and are often compassionate, considerate, and understanding of others. Everyone has this natural ability; however, many never choose to utilize their ability and/or are completely unaware of their empathic ability.

There are also varying levels of strength in empaths which may be related to the individual’s awareness of self, understanding of the powers of empathy, and/or the acceptance or non-acceptance of empathy by those associated with them, including family and peers. Generally, those who are empathic grow up with these tendencies and do not learn about them until later in life.
by: Christel Broederlow

The 10 Levels of Empath from Jerry Breen in Seattle

General (1)
The feeling you get when walking into a room where the feeling(s) are 'so thick in here, you could cut it with a knife.' (Everyone has experienced this level of empathy, even those who claim to not being empath!)

Empath (1)
(a) They are hit with all sorts of feelings and emotions, but know that those emotions/feelings are not theirs. But have no idea where they are coming from SPECIFICALLY, and or are unable to identify those specifically.

(b) Over all 'static' feeling of emotions or are over-whelmed and consumed.
~ Do not know where it's coming from or why.
~ Generally in 4 people or greater groups or crowds.
~ The larger the 'group/crowd' the more 'over-whelmed' feeling one would get.
~ It is possible that some 'clinically depressed' people MIGHT fall into this category. Because the 'over all emotions' of others so overwhelm, that they avoid groups of any size, because it causes ‘depression’. (These are those where there is no 'clinical' or 'medical' reason that can be found.)

Empath (2)
~ Same as EMPATH (1a & b) BUT: They can identify the emotions of the above.. HAPPY, SAD, JOY, PAIN, etc. But are unable to focus on where specifically it is coming from except one-on-one, without obvious visual clues.

Empath (3)
~ Same as Empath (2) BUT: They can identify the emotions of the above and tell where they are coming from in small crowds, without the obvious visual clues.

Empath (4)
~ Same as Empath (3) BUT: In large crowds can focus on strong emotional out put from individuals, and tell generally where it it's coming from and focus and search it out.

Empath (5)
~ ALL THE ABOVE plus over great distances of people they love or know, and major events: earthquakes, bombings, celebrations, etc.

Empath (6)
~ ALL THE ABOVE, and be able to hone in and know WHY the feeling is there in general to slightly specific reason for the emotion.

Empath (7)
~ ALL THE ABOVE, and be able to detect if emotional or physical in nature, and why in rather specific detail.

Empath (8)
~ This is in level of 'Psi' abilities. All the above, and know without 'seeing', 'knowing' or observing by natural means... in very specific detail.

Empath (9)
~ All the above, and is able to focus and "scan" the person for detail or information physically, emotionally, etc. And give very specific information / detail.

Empath (10)
~ ALL the above, with great control, this person also branches into PSI abilities and is able to control to various levels thought / body and other functions in another person. Depending on the level of PSI, which is another, and deeper study and research.

by: Jerry J. Breen

A true empath's own emotions are subdued by others. In a crowded places it can become overwhelming which is why they seek solitude.
On the whole they are very happy, positive people. Children and animals seem to be drawn to them although adults can perceive them to be aloof

I refuse to believe that simply feeling overwhelmed- or underwhelmed- in such scenarios is signs of some metaphysical gift. And it is most certainly not grounds for considering oneself special or superior. That is simply part of the Human Dichotomy in action.

All humans require the following, seemingly contradictory emotional mechanisms:

1) Every human must feel unique: as if they are individual, special, and unlike any other human.
2) Every human must feel like part of a group: as though they belong somewhere, or contribute something.

In my experience, this dichotomy most often manifests as people thinking themselves special because of the group they belong in. I'm sorry, but I don't buy it.

EMPATHY ISN'T ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN FEEL

Empathy (from the Greek εμπάθεια, transliterated as empatheia, meaning "physical affection, partiality") is commonly defined as one's ability to recognize, perceive and feel directly the emotion of another. Since the states of mind, beliefs, and desires of others are intertwined with their emotions, one with empathy for another may often be able to more effectively define another's mode of thought and mood. Empathy is often characterized as the ability to "put oneself into another's shoes", or to in some way experience the outlook or emotions of another being within oneself, a sort of emotional resonance.

The word 'empathy' comes from the German 'Einfühlung' (literally, "in-feeling"), coined by the psychologist Theodore Lipps in the late 1880s.

Empathy is also a concept recognized as "reading" another person, completely translating each movement into understandable conversation. Often, an empath can quite literally feel the emotions of another person or persons.

Psychological perspectives

Other aspects

In addition to the above use, the term empathy is also used by some people to signify their heightened or higher sensitivity to the emotions and state of others. This, reportedly, can lead to both positive aspects such as a more skilled instinct for what is "behind the scenes" with people, but also to difficulties such as rapid over-stimulation, overwhelm or stress caused by an inability to protect oneself from this so-called 'pick-up'. Such people may for example find crowds stressful simply due to picking up what is often described as "white noise" or multiple emotions as they pass through it, a phenomenon not to be confused with agoraphobia and sometimes informally known as crowd-sickness.

Empathy in this sense is ascribed by such people to various mechanisms. These include simply more sophisticated subconscious processing of sensory cues or stronger emotional feedback than the norm, (i.e. the normal human experience but more so), and therefore fit within present models. Some people, perhaps due to synesthesia, believe it instead to be a direct emotional sense or a feel for others' "energy". The New Age religion(s) have constructed belief systems around anecdotal evidence of persons who claim to be "empaths" in this sense. This aspect of empathy is not clinically recognized, and someone calling themselves an "empath" usually does not intend to imply that they are gifted with any psychic ability.

A recurrent theme of discussion on such websites relates to the impact upon individuals, and therefore also methods (including mental practices, emotional processes and ritual) which anecdotally can help reduce the intensity of empathic reactions to others' feelings to a more bearable level (informally called 'shielding' or emotional detachment).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empathy#Methods_for_empathising