What is an HSP? What’s an empath?
You may well have heard the acronym HSP bandied about and wondered WTF it is. You have probably also heard the term ‘empath.’ So, if you’re wondering what they are – and whether they really exist, and if you are one – welcome. In this blog post, I’ll explain what these are, where they intersect and how they can present.
What is an HSP?
The term HSP was coined by psychologist Elaine Aron to refer to a subset of people who experience life with heightened sensitivity. These people exhibit sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), with heightened sensitivity to noise, light, people, emotions, music, internal stimuli, their external environment, etc. It can show up in a host of different ways.
People who experience life with heightened sensitivity tend to have a rich – and often complex – inner life, and they feel at a deep level. Everything feels stronger.
When you have repeated experiences of heightened sensitivity, it can have a huge impact on your mood. It can lift you up, and bring on euphoria, or it can bring you down. Similarly, busy, loud environments can feel ‘too much.’ You may need quiet space to be on your own, rather than wanting to be around people all the time.
SPS is considered to be a form of neurodiversity, in that the SPS brain seems to function in a different way from ‘typical’ brains. But then again – what is typical, really?
If you’ve been told you were ‘too sensitive’ or ‘too emotional’ as a child, you may well be experiencing life in this way: with heightened sensitivity. Some people who are inclined towards heightened sensitivity also tend to exhibit greater empathy, taking on the feelings of those around them. This can be beautiful, and it is not without challenge: humans who tend towards higher empathy can subjugate their own needs to the needs of those around them.
What, then, is an empath?
An empath is a term coined to refer to someone who is highly attuned to the emotions of others.
We can all exhibit empathy, and yes, we can all hone the skill of empathy. There are, however, some people who present with a heightened sense of empathy at an early age.
Just as some people find Maths easy and others find English easy, or some people understand music or have an encyclopaedic knowledge of history or dinosaurs, a subset of humans find it easy to tap into other people’s feelings or emotions.
Is it nature that does it? Is it in their DNA? Are they born with it? Or do they develop it through circumstance, responding to their caregivers’ behaviour, and that of the people they have relationships with?
There is a gene called OXTR (the oxytocin receptor gene), which relates to empathy and love. So this may be switched on in people who exhibit highly empathy, and turned up full volume.
The science isn’t clear on all this yet, though. We’re only just starting to understand that this experience of life can even exist. I can’t wait to see where the research takes us!
Regardless of whether they’re born or made, people who exhibit high empathy tend to have strong communication skills, as well as leadership skills, but many also find it hard to set boundaries between themselves and everyone else. They are naturally more porous.
By the way, the majority of highly sensitive people have sensory sensitivity to the world around them, but they are not what we call empaths. So they will have a deep sensory awareness of and response to internal and external stimuli, but the empathy switch may be attuned to a lower volume.
This is how I see it: an empath might experience other people’s emotions at a volume of 9 out of 10, while other HSPs would experience them at 6 out of 10. The rest of the population would experience the feelings of others somewhere between 0 and 6.
Some psychologists consider there to be different kinds of empaths. I’ll share more about this in another post.
There is nothing wrong with you
Before you start freaking out, let me allay your fears. If you’re experiencing life with heightened sensitivity, if you’re aware of other people’s emotions, there is nothing wrong with you.
I spent years – decades, even – thinking there was something wrong with me. But I’ve learnt that it’s just the way my brain works, and that in many ways, it’s a gift.
To know how other people are feeling helps me navigate social situations, as well as support my clients.
To feel everything – music, trees, sunshine, an amazing concert – on a really deep level and to be moved by it… that is a gift.
So don’t stop feeling. Start letting yourself feel more. Savour it. The world needs more deep feelers.
Need help?
If you think you may have sensory processing sensitivity, or that you may be highly empathic, and you’re struggling to navigate life with all these big feelings, come find me.
I’m a trained life and somatic coach, and I’m also trained in emotional intelligence testing and coaching. I’ve struggled with intense emotions, felt like I was way too sensitive, and I’ve taken on other people’s feelings. So I know exactly what you’re going through. And I’ve been researching it for years in a bid to understand my own experience.
Plus I’ve spent years building my own toolbox of meditations, mantras, rituals, mindset tools, journaling prompts and so much more, all of which help me navigate life with greater sensitivity.
It is my life’s greatest pleasure (alongside raising two beautiful humans) to share these tools with my clients so that they can build their own toolboxes. I’m here to lift you up, so that you can feel empowered as the driver of your life, knowing that you have everything you need to shape an extraordinary life, and to feel centered, calm and clear while you’re doing it.
How to get started
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