This awesome question came up in the Empath Community forums.  It felt very interesting to me because my background is in psychology and I’ve come across this debate many times, in other areas than being an Empath.

I personally feel that being a functional Empath can be taught to anyone who wants to learn.
I also feel this explains why sociopath can’t possibly learn this but a 6 year old can

We all have the biological “equipment” to be Empaths (i.e. our brains can perceive the magnetic waves emitted by other people so that we can “read” them and experience their emotions directly) but it all boils down to being inspired to be an Empath as opposed to being educated to become one.

Although this decision is often unconscious, Empaths are fundamentally willing to experience the depths of human nature in a profound manner. That includes both ends of the emotional spectrum: we can span from utter desperation to indescribable bliss.

In fact, my work as an intuitive counselor is deeply rooted in my willingness to personally experience what my client is going through.  It’s not just some theoretical technique that I learned in school.  It’s a very personal process that allows me to follow someone in their really dark places while remaining completely fearless because I *know* that we can find a way out.  It is that knowledge that keeps me grounded no matter what.  Once I’m “with them”, I can grab their hand and start tracing the shortest route out of there.

This kind of experience is not for everyone, obviously.

I like to think of being an Empath as a type of extreme sport…LOL! Some people are willing to jump out of a flying plane in order to experience the free fall feeling and the exhilaration of floating above the world. Other people prefer knitting. And as long as you do what makes you happy, you’re in the perfect place in your life

in love,

Elise Lebeau, M.Sc., Professional Intuitive

www.EliseLebeau.com

Intuition