Empath Awareness

As a child growing up in the 80's with the ADD Revolution on the rise, parents were desperately trying to figure out why their children were "different". My mother had me evaluated, the doctor said that I had ADD or "ADHD", and I was instantly put on Ritalin. That was a decision that created a divide in the relationship between my mother and her sister. Her sister, my aunt, did not agree with the medication Ritalin. I'm not completely convinced that she even believed in the diagnosis. Today, I am not completely convinced ADHD is what was happening with me or most children in those days. The symptoms that were used to diagnose ADD/ADHD in children and adults in my opinion were the result of Empath tendencies.

To better understand this theory lets first discuss the symptoms of ADHD or “Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder”. Then we will discuss what an Empath is, an example of how being an Empath works, the effects, and then the results of those effects. Finally, we will discuss how ADHD and being an Empath relate to each other. I believe that understanding this fundamental concept, we can better help and guide our children and adults. Being an Empath is not a disease, or a condition that needs to be cured; one cannot “cure” being Empath. Empath Awareness I believe is the first step in understanding ADHD.

ADHD

Let us begin with what is ADHD. ADHD, which is often referred to as ADD, although ADD according to Michelle Frank, Psy.D., as adapted and updated from Peter Jaska’s article, “ADHD Facts” on ADD.org, ADD was just used as a substitute name for what was the condition ADHD. Michelle’s article goes on to state that, “ADHD is a highly genetic, brain-based syndrome that has to do with the regulation of a particular set of brain functions and related behaviors”.

When we think of behaviors, we think of them as a reaction to an occurrence. The occurrence may be from a chemical reaction in the brain due to chemical and structural differences in the brain as well as genetics as described in Frank’s article. Her article also states that, “Research shows that those with ADHD have abnormalities in how the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine work to facilitate communication between neurons and activation of various brain functions”. Due to this, a person with ADHD may have troubles paying attention, are easily distracted, avoids tasks that require too much mental effort, often fidgety, and are always on the go to name a few. This energy that individuals with ADHD have can often make them physical and mentally drained and often cause sadness or depression from the overwhelming bursts of energy and constant flux of emotions which also causes either an increase or decrease in the amount of dopamine and norepinephrine produced in the body.

According to Hormone.org:

- Neurotransmitters Dopamine and Norepinephrine are produced naturally in the body. They are chemical messages that are sent between the nerve cells of the body.

- Dopamine communicates to the body, how we feel- "pleasure”.

- Norepinephrine is both a hormone and a chemical messenger produced by the adrenal glands and sends signals across nerve endings in the body, according to the Hormone Health Network article about Norepinephrine. In short, Norepinephrine is responsible for adrenaline and plays a role in mood and the ability to concentrate.

- Both can be increased by getting exercise, sleep, making small accomplishments, listening to music, meditating, and eating Dopamine rich foods such as chocolate.

Could a surge of positive energy passing through a person’s energy field cause an increase Dopamine and Norepinephrine, or a surge of negative energy passing through a person’s energy field cause a decrease in Dopamine and Norepinephrine? The answer to this question is still unclear since scientists are still studying how this process is formed in the brain, but if you look at the facts and compare them to the following information on how being an Empath works, you will see how they line up together. This may bring more clarity in my theory on with Empath Awareness and ADHD in relation to each other; Empath Awareness (being the cause), and ADHD, PTSD, and a few other diagnoses related (being the effect).

It is important to remember that ADHD is not a mental condition or a disability. One would argue that an individual who is ADHD is “not smart”, but this is not true either. These people just learn and approach the world a little differently. If we can get a handle on the right way to help an individual with ADHD learn they can develop a high IQ (Intellectual Intelligence which is a learned intelligence), and a high EQ (Emotional Intelligence which is not taught).

Empath Awareness

An Empath is according to Paul Wagner, a writer for Gaia.com (an honorable source for New Age Philosophy), “someone uniquely open and highly sensitive to the point of being able to embody and process the emotions that someone else is experiencing”. Wagner also lists traits of an Empath that are as follows:

- Often considered a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)

- Materially, energetically, and spiritually generous

- Absorbent to the point of having to shed the emotions collected from others

- Highly intuitive, telepathic, or clairvoyant

- Sleep is filled with potent dreams that are easily remembered and interpreted

- Appear to be slightly sad or depressed, more than most

- Come off as mystical or spiritual

- Tend to be shy, introverted or avoidant of conversation

- Able to heal others of physical, intellectual, and emotional challenges

- Easily manipulated or coerced

- Easily overwhelmed

- Can quickly become the dumpster for every else’s negativity

- Energy can be rapidly drained

- Equally helpful to friends and strangers

- Often feel better in solitude

- Feel as though they can deeply and genuinely relate with trees, plants, and animals as if they are kin to human beings

- Able to pick up the disease and physical symptoms of the sick

- Able to quickly parse the emotions and thoughts of others

- Attractive to narcissists and energy vampires

- Attuned to the moment someone is lies

- Tend to give far more than is required or necessary

- Tend to have a tipping point where the individual cuts cords with others

- Might temporarily hate themselves, and as a result, get stuck for a while

- Might be seen as a doormat or sucker

- Sensitive to smells, sounds, and tastes to the point of being immobilized

- Feel full of love and light when they are surrounded by nature

- Feel replenished during thunderstorms and snowstorms

- Shocked by event crowds, cocktail parties, and busy department stores

- Loves to write, paint, sculpt, color, dance or play music

What physically takes place in a person’s energy, their mind, and their body as an Empath? Well lets for start with a visualization on what the process is of being an Empath. Imagine you have a radio, and it tunes in on local radio channels my picking up frequencies that come through with a receiver and provides one with the ability to hear a music station.

An Empath is like that radio picking up frequencies of energy with their "receiver" (the brain) that is local as well. Energy is everywhere and we as human beings are constantly bombarded by different types of energy that is processed in our mind as thoughts.

Now, technically every organic being is an Empath on some level. It is how animals sense danger or how a human has a “random thought” and sometimes "intuition". These energies are processed through the human mind and are communicated to us by creating a thought. An Advanced Empath however receives these frequencies in larger amounts and from a further distance. Sometimes they even tend to take on physical ailments in their body from another person or animal, especially if they spend a good amount of time on a daily basis with another person or animal that has a “dis-ease” in the body.

Imagine if your radio were XM radio (which is satellite radio), and you were able to pick up frequencies from further away? What if you had an actual satellite dish that picked up frequencies from outer space? There are human beings that have “receivers” that can pick up energy frequencies from longer distances. Imagine all that information and your body trying to process it. It can be very overwhelming which is why many Advanced Empaths find themselves extremely exhausted often.

Taking in this overload of information can also affect the mentality of an individual by making them feel certain things that is not a true part of them. Therefore, Empaths tend to feel sad or depressed when there is no reason other than the energy outside of them that attacking their psyche. This is a common trait of an Empath, to feel the emotions of another being. Most of the time they do not realize that a simple shift in awareness, “taking out the trash” (as Socrates in the movie The Peaceful Warrior states), and not internalizing the negative energy can help them. Realizing that not all thoughts reflect them individually, and that a frequency or a “wave” of energy is just passing by can limit the amount of stress to the mind and the body. When one sits on the beach and watches the waves come crashing in, do you think they contemplate every single wave that comes?

ADHD and Empath Awareness Together

So how does Empath Awareness relate to the symptoms of ADHD? It is my belief that with the constant waves of negative and positive energy in the form of frequencies picked up by the brain's "receiver", and then transformed into thoughts can be hard on any individual who in not an Advanced Empath, just a normal every day normal person. With an Evolved Empath however who's receiver picks up at least twice than the normal amount of energy and from longer distances away, it can cause major stress on the mind that is transferred throughout the body. With ADHD, an individual who has troubles paying attention, is easily distracted, and avoids tasks that require too much mental effort, and then scientists do not understand why this happens. It is my theory that this happens due to the overload of energy being received by the Advanced Empath, causing these tendencies being clinically diagnosed as ADHD.

Let’s discuss this at a scientific level for a moment with bullet points in layman's terms:

- A massive amount of energy that surrounds us is taken in by receivers in the brain and are transformed by the brain into thoughts and feelings.

- These thoughts and feelings then trigger the neurotransmitters in the brain (like Dopamine and Norepinephrine) and send messages throughout the body.

- Dopamine communicates to the body how we feel about these energy frequencies throughout the body.

- Norepinephrine is a hormone and chemical messengers that are responsible for the adrenaline rush that plays a role in mood and the ability to concentrate from these energy frequencies throughout the body.

- Multiply the amount of the energy frequencies received by the brain that transfer throughout the body of a normal person by AT LEAST 2 times (as an Advanced Empath).

You exhausted yet? I am!

It can leave one to feel fatigue and run down. One may have trouble paying attention, can be easily distracted, avoids tasks that require too much mental effort, is often fidgety, and make one feel like they are always "on the go" when they really have just been sitting in their chair physically doing nothing. How can one concentrate with all that mental chatter? Sounds exactly like what ADHD is. Therefore, being an Advanced Empath may be the cause of the effect that is the result of what psychologists call ADHD, or at least play a huge role in ADHD.

Resolution and Healing

Where do we go from this idea of ADHD and Empath Awareness as far as properly treating a person who have tendencies of both? Where does the healing begin? The suggestion begins with first recognizing that these two could be in fact related. As mentioned earlier, both Dopamine and Norepinephrine can be increased by getting exercise, proper sleep, making small accomplishments, listening to music, meditating, and eating Dopamine rich foods such as chocolate, according to Hormone.org. This addresses the symptoms of ADHD and can also help with Empath Awareness. Let’s start with Empath Awareness first though, since it may possibly be one of the causes of ADHD in theory.

Being an Advanced Empath does not have to be so overwhelming if you learn specific techniques that will limit how much energy you accept as yours. It may require a little bit of effort in the beginning but like everything it becomes easier over time practiced until one day it is automatic. Recognize that many of the thoughts, feelings, emotions, and even bodily ailments are “NOT YOURS”. This can help you to identify what IS yours.

The mind and body will listen to you if you tell it, “No, that doesn’t belong to me”, or “Yes, that is kind of how I feel because,”, or even “No, that does not make any sense because, and I am not going to accept it”. A person does not have to internalize any thought, feeling, emotion, or body ailment they do not want to, and your mind and your body WILL listen to you. Of course, like training your muscles, you must train your mind and your body to this. Once you have trained yourself though, you will find your body to be strong and will have conquered the biggest obstacle of being an Advanced Empath. You will feel like a huge weight is lifted off you, find more energy, and know yourself better.

Practice the following mantra, “I do not identify with this feeling. It is not mine. It belongs to someone else’s energy around me, and I do NOT accept it as my own.” Then let it go or just keep telling yourself, “It is not how I feel!” This mantra will work, just don’t give up. You are stronger than you think.

Practice telling yourself all the positive things about you. Tell yourself a story every day that makes you the "hero" of your own story.

Another important step is forgiveness. You MUST forgive yourself. If there are others in your past or present that have hurt you, forgiveness is an important step towards peace within your mind and body. Otherwise, they will continue to hurt you every moment of every day with or without any effort on their part.

Find the strength and do it. Don’t do it for them if it is hard for you, do it for yourself. Letting go of this negative energy is a huge step and you will feel better once you do so.

Below is a list of other things you can do as an Advanced Empath to help you:

- Learn how to set healthy boundaries with others in the world. Don’t allow the toxicity of another to continue. Communicate or lessen the amount of time you spend with a person that is toxic.

- MEDITATION. You do not have to create a meditation that is fancy. Closing your eyes and focusing on only your breath for a couple minutes with you feel tense in your mind or body is just as effective.

- Spending time in nature is important.

- Epson Salt Baths are very helpful. Empaths love water. Go to the lake, the beach, go swimming, or just soak in your own tub. Even as simple as taking a shower is a good “reset button” for an Empath.

- Your diet is VERY important. Empaths tend to have digestive issues due to the constant tightening of the muscles from being tense a lot. There are a few things an Empath should cut out of their diet such as gluten, high fructose corn syrup, and junk food. Now, every now and then a tasty treat is called for as a reward, but it should not be a regular thing. You want to put foods in your body that allow your body to process them easily. An Empath has many emotions in the mind that transfer throughout the body. Therefore, every single organ, tissue, and cell in your body IS EMOTION. Your heart beats with emotion, the valves in your heart open and close from emotion, and if you can control your emotions, you can calm yourself. If your body is functioning properly and not having to work harder to digest and send nutrients out to the other parts of the body, calming yourself will be even easier. You will have a healthy body.

- Drink more water than normal. Carry a gallon or a half gallon around with you everywhere you go. Do not allow your body to dehydrate.

- Be true to yourself and follow your passion. Have a hobby or a talent? Make time for yourself to do it. You will feel good about yourself.

- Spend some time alone. You need to rest your mind away from the energy of others.

- Do some research, reading, and watch feel good movies. Some of the books I would recommend off the bat are “The Four Agreements” & “The Mastery of Love”, both written by Don Miguel Ruiz. Alan Hardman’s “Toltec Wisdom” book, “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle, and then keep a journal of your own. A good movie to watch is, “The Peaceful Warrior”. Make sure to sit down with paper and pencil the second time you watch it and take notes. This movie has SO MUCH information that is valid. Finally, research about being an Empath, but keep an open mind. There is some information that will resonate with you and the parts that don’t, let them pass by. You choose what you feel is right for you.

There are many ways to help calm the storms with in you as an Empath. Be wise, use what is useful, and be mindful of narcissism and narcissistic people. They are drawn to Empaths and Empaths tend to trust to easily, even when they think they don’t, they do. We are in an era where our minds are expanding and opening to new possibilities and reasonings. “New Age” tactics are not so much science fiction anymore because we are connecting the science to them.

In Conclusion

The idea that ADHD is a result of an individual being an Advanced Empath who is sensitive to energies passing through or simply being in a range of energy frequencies and picking up on them is just that, an idea. It is not my intention to stop individuals from seeking medical attention, only to help quiet their mind and focus more. It is my intention to open one’s mind to the possibility that we are not broken. We simply have the possibility to understand ADHD and the relationship to being an Advanced Empath, by finding a new way on how we approach ADHD all together. Maybe learning how to cope with the different energy frequencies everyone encounters daily can change the outcome on how we are affected and find better treatments.

I have a dream that one day we will realize how truly unique we are as human beings and all the beautiful ways, we express ourselves. I hope that one day we are all able to see past labels that society throws at us that there is something “wrong” with us, and instead work to find answers on a more philosophical level than just the surface level. Part of my studies at the University of Metaphysical Sciences is going to be about addressing issues that have to do with Empath Awareness. Although Empath Awareness is not as mainstream as it should be currently, I believe that it is the answer and guide to some of what today’s society considers “ailments” in the mind and the body. I believe that carefully considering Empath Awareness tendencies and acknowledging them for what they are, learning ways to not internalize energy that does not serve them, and using Empath abilities to help serve humanity will help us grow as a race altogether.

RESOURCES

- Michelle Frank, Psy.D. adapted and updated from Peter Jaska’s article, “ADHD Facts” originally posted on the ADDA website in 1998. 23 January 2022. https://add.org/adhd-facts/

- Hormone Health Network. Updated 23 January 2022. "Norepinephrine | Hormone Health Network.". Hormone.org, Endocrine Society. 22 January 2022. https://www.hormone.org/your-health-and-hormones/glands-and-hormones-a-to-z/hormones/norepinephrine

- Paul Wagner. January 10, 2020. “What is an Empath? An Absorbent, Intuitive, Emotional Warrior”. Gaia.com. 23 January 2022. https://www.gaia.com/article/what-is-an-empath-an-absorbent-intuitive-emotional-warrior

Author as a Resource

As an Advanced Empath myself, I have been writing this article for the last 15 years. Paying attention to myself, doing mass amounts of research, and asking many questions has led me to the idea that my own diagnosis as a child with ADD was not altogether complete. I believe that it is because of my Advanced Empath abilities and experiences that I was able to come to this conclusion, this “theory” of ADHD and Empath Awareness relations.

Currently there is not enough scientific information out there that fully explains Empath Awareness and it is my vision to change this. Hopefully the desire to be the best person I can be for myself can help inspire others to research, ask questions, and join my quest to get to the truth about what being an Advanced Empath really means. It is a blessing, and I am grateful for it.

Thank you for your time. Much Love and Light.

Angela Gerber