This is my first post about my fibromyalgia or about Empaths. I have recently discovered that I am an "Empath" and it causes fatigue! So I was wondering if being an Empath is the reason why I have Fibromyalgia!
If you have not heard of the term Empaths before here is a good link to help you understand empaths.
I am also an Empath. The two go hand-in-hand, as an Empath is someone who has a heightened sensitivity to other's emotions, feelings, etc. One of the effects of Fibromyalgia is heightened sensitivity. So, it's sort of a "which came first, the chicken or the egg" scenario. Or at least, in my case. I have had both since childhood. Being an Empath can definitely trigger Fibro symptoms. Do you know how to shield yourself, so that you don't experience absolutely everything and drain yourself unnecissarily? That can be very helpful, although in my case, I have to completely shut everyone/everything out in order for it to be effective on the one hand, but on the other hand, it's not healthy to completely shut out the Empath side of you, either. I know it's not much help, but I do share your dilemma.
They most certainly are related. I am a massage therapist so I am subjected to this every single day. Most times I am able to block it, but it doesn’t always work.
There was excellent book about this...people who are more sensitive to other's feelings emotions. It was something called the Sensitive Child...something like that and came out in 90's i believe. It was excellent about for parents but it also was great for us adults who grew up being that way.
Usually, we become more that way due to our childhood, it was matter of surviving, but not always. I would urge you who are more sensitive to find a counselor or therapist that also is this way and had years of experience learning how to protect oneself. I was lucky and did find a one..by chance who was not my therapist but became a good friend. She also had been a massage therapist for part of her life...which is often a trade people go into since they can sense how to help others.
She taught me many different ways from the color of my clothing to ways to breathe and much more. It helped me greatly and i still use those techniques now without even thinking about it. Of if going through times of stress...and i revert backwards, i put them consciously back in practice.
One funny thing to be aware of is marrying another person...you both will have to be very aware of what is your feelings and those of your partners....since marriage is so intimate it often gets confusing if you do not consciously deal with this problem.
I wish i could remember the name of that book. It was excellent for ideas and ways to cope. You do not need to let it tire you...not at all if you are practicing it correctly or when sick...shut it down completely.
A local bookstore just might know the name otherwise if you are seeing a therapist and they were practicing in the 90's they might know it as well, too!!
good luck on all your journeys in learning about how it affects you, ways that work for you to protect yourself, how to use it safely etc...it was most wonderful when i met that woman, and just in class she saw me for who i was...and it is okay if you are not comfortable with word empath...many are not...just being sensitive a fine word.
Thank you for posting this! I really appreciate knowing I’m not an “oddity”. I don’t know if being an empath causes fibro, but it certainly can tire you out. It’s been awhile since I’ve posted. My daughter is preggers and has pre-existing back problems. I’ve been traveling 2 hours to her place on and off to take care of her for the last several months. Of course, it usually takes me about a week to “de-compress” from all that. It being my daughter, it’s hard to shut the empathy down when I’m around her. Not to mention the flare the FDA and DEA sent me into when I found out I have to see my doc once a month now, instead of the every three month visits I and my pocketbook were use to.
First of all I have to say WOW!!!!! I’m amazed that this topic (empaths) has not only shown up on this forum, but also—and don’t get me wrong on this next point--that the post wasn’t deleted. I’ve attempted to bring this up on other sites and my initial posting never saw the light of day. Secondly, I’m surprised, and pleased, at the number of positive responses this post has elicited. It’s nice to have helpful and encouraging feedback on this
There are few people that I actively discuss this with, but if it’s an area of ESP, I have it, up to and including empathy. Nocogirl, you are correct, you have to learn how to protect yourself from this. At one point in my working life, I, too, was a massage therapist. I had to have our instructor (who was psychic himself) teach me how to “turn all of it off”. It took me awhile to separate myself from others. One thing that works for me is running cold water over my hands. I started doing that when doing massages and I could feel the clients’ mood/feelings/pain starting to “present” in my body.
Siskyia you are soooooo right about marriage and figuring out where you end and your partner begins. Especially since having good feelings/intentions towards a person will expand their energy field. (I learned that one in massage class, also)
I don’t have ulcers, however, I was diagnosed at an early age with nervous stomach syndrome. I wonder if that’s just one of the symptoms of fibro. I’ve been drinking room temp coke or just cola syrup since I was about 3 for it. Also, I was born with a protein rash—wonder if that’s an indicator or first symptom of fibro also. Sorry for the long post, but, Nina you’re definitely not alone!
i also have been drinking either warm flat coke or now i got the streaming kind ...and as just small amount of carbonation when i am not completely in bad stomach way...like you if nauseated, cola syrup has been used for years!!
I also have had nervous stomach/ intestines ....food will go through me twice as fast as my husband and if get stressed even much faster! I believe this is common but my husband also can sense a room but not near as well as i can....again it was the why we survived as kids reading what place/mood our parents were in.
i seriously doubt being more sensitive, empath....but they do say that having some kind of serious thing happen be it car accident or emotional crisis of some kind ...any of million things that can upset us greatly can be the trigger to a puzzle in our genes carry which turns the switch on for like RA or other Lupus even fibro.
when i met that woman who helped me how to breath and do other things to help control it...it was so nice to met someone who also had felt like me inside...in such a way without even be conscious of it , like thinking in color.
that book also covered many of these ways of thinking or feeling or combo of both!!
I have just found this thread by google and have since joined the site and want to say how glad I am to know there are others similar to me. I've had fibro for 10 years now but, these other things, I've always lived with and not understood. Always confused about why folks don't understand each other the way I do. Now I get it. I have 90% of the traits of an empath. Never knowing what that was or how those traits were interacting with the symptoms. I ordered a book about it, and I hope its one that will help me figure out how to cope even better than I do now. Thanks to you all!!!
I definitely am. I have just come across this info yesterday and it is quite illuminating. No wonder I feel how I feel. I bought a couple books to help me sort of build the bubbles and protection layers but, I'm going to really ask for help from my therapist in tackling this new knowledge. It seems crazy that I have just found this out now.