Intuitive Empaths: All Your Questions Answered

Learn about empathic powers and intuitive personalities with this in-depth guide

Co-authored by Kari Samuels and Amber Crain

Last Updated: February 16, 2023

What is an intuitive empath?

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Types of Empaths

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Signs of an Intuitive Empath

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Self-Care for Intuitive Empaths

Have you ever been told that you're too sensitive? Do you sometimes sense how other people are feeling without them having to say anything? You might just be an intuitive empath. In this article, we'll explain everything you need to know, including the different types of empaths, the tell-tale signs of an intuitive personality, and how to harness your empathic powers without depleting your energy or exhausting yourself. If you're ready to get started, scroll on down!

Things You Should Know

An intuitive empath is a person with the innate ability to feel, understand, and even absorb the emotions of others.
If you're able to sense someone's feelings without them telling you anything, you might be an intuitive empath.
Intuitive empaths are amazing listeners and people often confide in them or tell them personal secrets—sometimes even strangers do it.
If you're an intuitive empath, be sure to take time to rest and recharge, especially if you feel exhausted a lot. Spending time alone can be very healing for you.

Section 1 of 4:

What is an intuitive empath?

An intuitive empath is someone who senses other people’s emotions. An intuitive empath has the innate ability to feel, understand, and even absorb the feelings of others. Most humans have the capacity for empathy, but for intuitive empaths, this capacity far exceeds the typical limits. Their extraordinary perceptive abilities are thought to be emotional, spiritual, and psychic in nature.^{[1]
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- There’s no scientific evidence that intuitive empaths exist, but many people firmly believe in empathic powers.
- Intuitive empaths are also known as claircognizant empaths.

Section 2 of 4:

Types of Empaths

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Physical empaths These empaths can sense the physical symptoms of others and they tend to absorb those symptoms into their own bodies, especially when they’re in close proximity to someone. A physical empath might pick up on someone else's physical discomfort or even experience another person's anxiety. They may also sense when someone is ill (even if that person isn't showing any obvious symptoms).^{[2]
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- For example, if a physical empath is hanging out with a friend who has a headache, the empath might start getting a headache, too. Likewise, they feel energized when they’re around someone who feels healthy or well.
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Emotional empaths These empaths tend to sense the emotions and energy of people around them—positive, negative, and everything in between. They’re emotional sponges, soaking up whatever the people near them are feeling. They may also take on the problems of others as their own.^{[3]
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- For example, if an emotional empath is in a great mood and then sits down next to someone sad, they’ll start feeling depressed, too.
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Intuitive empaths Intuitive empaths have heightened abilities of perception and a strong sense of intuition—they seem to know what others are thinking and feeling. They may also claim to experience flashes of telepathy, premonitions in their dreams, or unusually strong connections to nature.^{[4]
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Research source} Intuitive empathic abilities usually fall into 7 different categories:
- Telepathic: receives intuitive information about others.
- Precognitive: has premonitions about the future.
- Dream: receives intuitive information from dreams.
- Mediumship: can communicate with spirits.
- Plant: feels the needs and essences of plants.
- Earth: sensitive to changes in the planet, solar system, and weather patterns.
- Animal: feels attuned to animals and can communicate with them.

Section 3 of 4:

Signs of an Intuitive Empath

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You’re extremely creative Since intuitive empaths are so sensitive to the world around them, they need some kind of outlet to process all of that information. Most intuitive personalities gravitate toward creative outlets to serve this purpose—art, writing, music, photography, etc. They may have artistic professions or spend a lot of free time on creative projects.^{[5]
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- Does it ever feel like you’re bursting at the seams with creative ideas?
- Do you look at your art as a way to process your everyday life?
- Does it feel detrimental to your well-being when you can’t engage in creative pursuits?
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You understand others deeply Intuitive empaths go beyond just reading and absorbing the emotions of others—they also understand why other people feel the way they feel. They’re able to completely put themselves in the shoes of another person.^{[6]
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- Are you able to understand feelings that you’ve never experienced yourself?
- Does it seem like you can read a person’s emotions just by looking at them?
- Do you often guess a friend’s problem before they confide in you about it?
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People confide in you constantly Intuitive empaths exude a sense of understanding and acceptance that draws people to them like moths to a flame. Their friends, coworkers, and sometimes even complete strangers will confess their darkest secrets or seek them out for advice.^{[7]
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- Do people frequently talk to you about extremely personal matters (even if you don't know them that well)?
- Do people instinctively trust you with their secrets and share them willingly?
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You absorb other people’s emotions Intuitive empaths are psychic sponges, which can be really great when they’re around positive energy! But they also soak up other people’s bad vibes, heavy emotions, and negativity just by interacting with them. Sometimes, even just being in close proximity is all it takes.^{[8]
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- Do you ever feel utterly drained after having an emotional talk with a friend?
- Do you feel overwhelmed in crowds and actively try to avoid them?
- Do you struggle to watch violent or scary movies because they affect you so deeply?
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You need a lot of alone time An intuitive empath usually comes off as a people person on the outside, but deep down, these folks are classic introverts. They seek out solitude to recharge and getting their alone time is crucial for their well-being.^{[9]
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- Do you often turn down invitations because you want to be alone?
- Does solitude invigorate you? Are you perfectly happy in your own company?
- Do you feel drained or exhausted when you don’t get enough time to yourself?
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Sometimes you just sense things An intuitive empath may wake up in the morning and just know that their best friend is in trouble. They might get the sudden urge to call and check on them, and when they do, their suspicions are confirmed. These incidents are par for the course for an intuitive empath.
- Do you regularly experience gut feelings about people or situations?^{[10]
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- Do you trust your intuition without question?
- When you have the opportunity to confirm a gut feeling, does it usually turn out that you were right?
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You’re an amazing listener People are drawn to intuitive empaths and find it extremely easy to talk to them. And luckily, intuitive empaths are very open to that. They’re the supportive friend who always listens without interrupting. They encourage others to speak, and they're equally comfortable waiting in silence until they're ready to do so.^{[11]
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- Have others complimented you on your listening skills in the past?
- Do you feel truly engaged and interested when people speak to you?
- Are you drawn to career paths like counseling, psychology, or therapy?
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You’re drawn to the metaphysical Transcendental meditation, crystal work, seances, astral projection, near death experiences (NDEs)—intuitive empaths are fascinated by all of it. In fact, they usually want to experience or explore these things personally. Supernatural interests seem perfectly natural to them; they’re willing to consider all possible truths.^{[12]
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- Have you always been drawn to paranormal or supernatural topics?
- Do you seek out unusual experiences that most find strange or even silly?
- Is your living space filled with esoteric objects that reflect these interests?
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You’re a truth-seeker Intuitive empaths put a high value on knowledge. They want to learn and understand everything around them, and they long to understand the fundamental core or essence of reality. Beyond that, they can read any person like an open book—there's no point lying to an intuitive empath because they’ll see right through it.^{[13]
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- Do you spend a lot of time researching the nature of reality?
- Are you able to strip away the frivolous and easily see the big picture?
- Have you ever avoided someone because they seemed dishonest or disingenuous (even though you had no proof)?
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You feel a special connection to animals All empaths love nature and animals. They often feel like they can communicate with animals of all kinds just by looking at them or touching them. Most empaths keep pets of their own and the bond they share with them is incredibly strong.^{[14]
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- Are you intrinsically drawn to animals? Do you feel like you can send and receive messages from them?
- Are you deeply bonded to your pets in an unusually intense way?
- Do you work with animals at your job or are you considering a career in that field?
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You feel like you don’t fit in Even though intuitives are able to connect easily with others, their empathetic powers also set them apart from everyone they know. They often feel a bit adrift and alone in the world. Most will tell you that they’ve always felt different and can’t seem to find a place where they belong.
- Do you sometimes feel lonely, even when you’re in a crowd of people?
- Did you struggle to make friends growing up?
- Do you keep your inner circle small and tight-knit?
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Apathy simply isn’t an option for you Being an intuitive empath is often exhausting because the power can’t be turned off; it’s always there. The experience of soaking up energy and processing it can feel never-ending and overwhelming. People often tell empaths they need to "toughen up" or develop a thicker skin, but that's just possible for them.^{[15]
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- Have you ever been told you’re too sensitive, but you can't seem to turn off your emotions (no matter how hard you try)?

Section 4 of 4:

Self-Care for Intuitive Empaths

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Surround yourself with positivity. Being positive all the time is pretty unrealistic, but as an intuitive empath, it’s important to maintain a positive atmosphere as much as possible. Spend your time in positive spaces and keep optimistic people in your inner circle.^{[16]
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- If you hang out with someone more than once and feel absolutely exhausted afterwards, you may want to spend less time with that person. Even though they probably aren't doing it on purpose, they're draining your energy.
- If you’re out someplace and the vibe gets dark, try to leave ASAP. It’s only a matter of time before you starting soaking up those bad vibes yourself—and you don't need to put yourself through that.
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Take time to rest and recharge when you need to. You already know how much you need solo time, but it’s still easy to overbook yourself—be sure to honor your need for alone time. How much alone time you set aside for yourself is up to you, but the goal is to feel refreshed and recharged afterwards. If you don’t feel that way, you may need a little more me-time to replenish your energy.
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Learn to meditate. Meditation allows you to ground yourself and release the negative energy you’ve absorbed—as an intuitive empath, meditation is a skill you truly need. If you’ve never meditated before, just aim for 5 minutes. When that gets easier, work up to 10, and so on. How often you meditate is up to you, but most intuitives will benefit from meditating a few times a week.^{[17]
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Work on setting healthy boundaries with others. As an intuitive empath, you struggle to say no to people—you always want to help or be there for them in whatever capacity you can. You’re only human, though, and your energy is a finite resource. You can’t help anyone if you’re depleted yourself. Try to be more assertive in your daily life, especially if you’re feeling exhausted constantly.^{[18]
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