It is often said and written that empaths are very intuitive people, and this is true for some, but there is nothing that says an empath must be intuitive, or that an intuitive must possess great empathy.
While the words are seen as interchangeable by some or intrinsically linked by others, it is very much the case that not all empaths are intuitives and not all intuitives are empaths.
In fact, the two abilities – empathy and intuition – are quite different in one important respect.
Look at the definition and you’ll see that empathy is, very generally speaking, the ability to sense and feel the emotions and energy of other people and your surroundings. It is almost entirely outward facing and concerned with things other than oneself.
Intuition, on the other hand, involves turning inward and consulting your unconscious mind and ‘gut feelings’ to assess and understand a situation. It certainly relies upon absorbing and processing the world around you, but the final element is very much internal.
Thus, the assumption that people endowed with highly levels of empathy are equally as blessed with intuition is misguided. They are distinct aspects of one’s personality and should not be merged into a single trait.
So what is an intuitive empath?
It is someone who possesses both outwardly expressed empathic abilities toward others and inwardly experienced feelings of intuition toward a situation.
With this in mind, how can you be sure whether you are an intuitive empath, or some other type of empath? What marks one apart from the other?
Here are 4 signs that you are an empath with a high degree of intuition.
1. You Can Tell The Difference Between Your Feelings And Those Of Others
One of the major struggles facing many empaths is the assimilation of other people’s feelings into their own mind and body. The energy they absorb merges with their own and pollutes their inner river. They often become like those around them because they cannot tell what’s theirs and what’s not.
For instance, if they encounter angry people, they grow angrier; if they meet an anxious person, this feeds their own anxieties; and if they come across sadness in others, they become sad themselves.
It’s very different for an intuitive empath. They are so in-tune with their inner state that they are able to easily differentiate between it and anything they might soak up from their surroundings.
They are less influenced by the emotions of others. While they can still recognize and feel these emotions, the impact upon their own mental state is less noticeable than it is for other empaths.
They are better at creating a permeable, but controllable, barrier between their own feelings and those of others. They are able to let the two merge should they wish, but they can also keep them separate for the most part.
2. You Can See Beyond Feelings To The Reasons For Them
While empathy allows you to detect and embody the feelings of others, it cannot, by itself, tell you why they are feeling that way.
For non-intuitive types of empaths, this can be a source of great confusion because they end up feeling something that they can’t fully understand or explain.
One of the traits of an intuitive individual, however, is the ability to take a step back and view things from a broad perspective, and this allows them to identify the links – both direct and indirect – between cause and effect.
Intuitive empaths spot things that other empaths don’t; they let their unconscious reflect on what they see, and it provides them with insight into why a person may be feeling they way they are.
They don’t necessarily do this with any conscious intent; it is simply a natural instinct and skill that comes from having both empathy and intuition in abundance.
Sometimes an intuitive empath may even have a better understanding of a person’s feelings than the person does themselves. This is a major reason for the next sign.
Related posts (article continues below):
- 13 Absurdly Awesome Traits Of Highly Intuitive People
- 14 Ways To Better Listen To Your Intuition
- Are You A ‘Sensing’ Or An ‘Intuitive’ Personality Type?
- 7 Signs You’re An Extroverted Empath
- 10 Ways To Build Your Immunity Against Empathic Illnesses And Pain
3. You Help People Understand Their Own Feelings
If you’re an intuitive empath, there is a good chance that you’ve helped many people figure out what they are feeling and, more importantly, why they are feeling it.
You probably enjoy talking with others about their emotions, their thoughts, their dreams, and their worries. You just seem to be able to ‘get’ what it is they are telling you even if they can’t really put it into words.
Like most people, you have probably experienced the full spectrum of feelings during your lifetime and these are stored, along with the relevant context, deep within your unconscious. It is your intuitive ability to perceive and understand the signals sent by this part of your mind that prove so valuable in identifying why others feel a certain way.
You aren’t just able to put yourselves in their shoes from an emotional standpoint; you can grasp their rationale and the wider circumstances too. These help you to piece together a more detailed picture and give them potential reasons for their feelings.
4. You Are The Go-to Person For Advice And Counselling
With their abilities to understand and appreciate the feelings of others and their inclination towards taking a bird’s eye view of things, intuitive empaths make ideal counselors.
You are probably the person others turn to first when they are facing a problem and are unable to see a solution to it. Once you have spoken to them, felt what they feel, and understood why they feel that way, you have one last trick up your sleeve: your creativity.
Intuitives tend to be creative people and their knack for thinking outside of the box means they are exemplary problem-solvers. You are able to suggest various ways of approaching the situation and offer the pros and cons of each.
Where third parties are involved, your empath traits mean you are also adept at stepping into their shoes so as to consider how they might respond to each given option – even if you have never met them and are simply going on what you’ve been told.
All of these things mean you are often called upon by friends and family members to lend an ear and provide advice. You become a confidant of sorts; someone that they can discuss anything with and someone they know will give a frank, but constructive response.
