Am I an Empath or am I Psychic?

Want to know the difference between an empath and a psychic? Well, don’t look to the internet where a host of contradictory descriptions and definitions will make your head spin. But while there is no consensus about the full meaning of either of these terms, there are some general concepts we can follow that are consistent and true.

The definition of an empath, for example, has evolved away from earlier vague descriptions into a single sentence: An empath is someone who takes on the emotions of others as if they were their own.

The definition of psychic is messier. It’s often synonymous with terms like mind reader, clairvoyant, fortune teller, prophet, seer, oracle, medium, telepathist, spiritualist, mystic, and other enchantingly woo-woo words. But let’s stay grounded in the good ol’ fashioned dictionary, which says that the term psychic is “used to describe strange mental powers and abilities that cannot be explained by natural laws.” 

If we stick to these basic definitions and avoid the rabbit hole of fringe explanations, the difference between the empath and psychic becomes easier to discern. The empath receives information through emotional energies, and the psychic receives information through mental energies.

The Sponge and the Reader

Many have referred to empaths as emotional sponges. That’s because they soak up the emotions of others and feel them as their own. Psychics are often referred to as mind readers because, well, they read your mind.

Despite the frequent overlap in popular definitions, these two abilities are not that hard to tell apart. And while opinions about them are often fraught with otherworldly overtones, we can easily keep two feet on the ground and make sensible statements about empaths and psychics that help our understanding.

Let’s look at three areas in which the differences are pretty straightforward.

#1:  Two different kinds of sensitivities

Empaths and psychics both have special sensitivities, but to different stimuli. By sensitivities, we mean that they are both attuned to information that comes from outside themselves. Empaths are sensitive to the emotions of others, while psychics are sensitive to thought.

In other words, a psychic is sensitive to knowledge-based information and receives it in their mind, and an empath is sensitive to emotion-based information and receives it in their body.  

We can also say a psychic is connected to and perceives your mind, and an empath is connected to and perceives your heart.

#2:  Two different kinds of “knowing”

The information that comes into both the empath and the psychic results in a kind of “knowing.” The knowing that comes to the empath is more experiential and involves body sensations, and the knowing that comes to the psychic is more intellectual and involves language or images.

An empath experiences another’s emotional state and knows what it’s like to be another person. Their “knowing” is more visceral.

A psychic reads the mental state of another person and knows their thoughts through images and language. Their “knowing” is more cerebral.

#3:  Two different limitations

The empath can feel someone’s emotions, but not know what the accompanying thoughts are. The psychic, on the other hand, can know another’s thoughts, but not be sure about how they feel about those thoughts.

Let’s imagine someone sitting down to watch a movie in a theater next to a stranger. The empath will pick up a sad energy coming from that person but won’t know why they are sad. The psychic will pick up on that person’s thoughts, knowing, for example, that they just quit their job for a new one, but won’t know how they feel about it.

What about a psychic empath?

Many empaths think of themselves as psychic, and psychics often see themselves as very empathic. Truth is, you can be either to varying degrees, neither, or have both these personality traits. Each situation is unique and there are endless nuances in each gifted person.

But if you do identify as a psychic empath, you will both read the thoughts and absorb the emotions of others. Can you imagine reading the negative thoughts of the person sitting next to you and then, gee thanks, getting their anxious stomach ache to boot? Or picking up from a stranger that they just got news that their grandbaby arrived, and then experiencing their joy in your own heart?

This is a very intense way to live and requires more self-care than the average person needs, especially when the information coming in is negative. And the best way to care for yourself as a psychic empath is to practice (without fail) good boundaries. If you don’t, you will be living the lives of everyone else, and not your own.

Science vs the Paranormal

Now that we understand more about the empath, the psychic, and their differences, it’s worth talking about the controversy that both stir in the scientific and paranormal communities. Do you prefer to remain grounded in science, or do you like to explore the paranormal?

Well, there is opportunity for both when studying empathic and psychic gifts. We hear a lot about the claims of spiritualists but, believe it or not, both these traits have been studied scientifically and have mustered enough interest to be taken seriously by reputable organizations, including the US government.

Neuroscientists have found evidence that mirror neurons are responsible for empathic gifts and that these brain cells are believed to be more sensitive, and possibly more numerous, in the empath.

For the psychic, there is less scientific proof but no shortage of studies. Dr. Dean Radin, the Chief Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), has forged a path to the scientific research of psychic phenomena. With a new generation of scientists dedicated to this topic, it’s possible that its legitimacy will be established.

It's also safe to say that both empaths and psychics can look forward to new scientific methods for identifying the origins of these gifts. Dr. Radin and others are hot-on-the-trail to discovering how science can explain these traits that many believe exist, whether they have proof or not.

Let’s sum it up

If you identify as an empath, a psychic, or both, it’s worth examining the gifts that are unique to you as an individual. In this way, you can come up with a plan for care of those gifts that is tailored to your own truth and soul.

Similarly, it’s helpful to know where science lands as we discover more and more evidence that supports and explains these talents. It’s both encouraging and exciting to see the wave of contemporary academics and professionals who, against the mainstream, dare to make empathic and psychic abilities topics of legitimate scientific inquiry.