Coping with increased sensitivity to light, smell, taste, touch, temperature, and sound
For myself and many empaths, loud noises and bright lights are painful. They penetrate and shock our bodies. I hold my ears when an ambulance goes by. Also, I can’t tolerate the explosive bomb blasts of fireworks. They startle me, similar to how a frightened dog reacts. Empaths have an enhanced startle response and are super-reactive to intense sensory input. Strong smells and chemicals, such as exhaust and perfumes, make us feel queasy, allergic, or suffocated. We’re sensitive to temperature extremes and may dislike air-conditioning. Our bodies can be energized or depleted by intense weather such a thunderstorm, gusty wind, or a snowfall. Many empaths get energized by a bright full moon; others are agitated by it.
I find the extraordinary state of “mirror-touch synesthesia” fascinating. Synesthesia is a neurological condition in which two different senses are paired in the brain. For instance, you see colors when you hear a piece of music or you taste words. Famous synesthetics include Isaac Newton, Billy Joel, and violinist Itzhak Perlman. However, with mirror-touch synesthesia, people can actually feel the emotions and sensations of others in their own bodies as if these were their own. This is a wonderful neurological explanation of an empath’s experience.
In my book, The Empath’s Survival Guide, I discuss that researchers have discovered a specialized group of brain cells that are responsible for compassion. These cells enable everyone to mirror emotions, to share another person’s pain, fear, or joy. Because empaths are thought to have hyper-responsive mirror neurons, we deeply resonate with other people’s feelings. How does this occur? Mirror neurons are triggered by outside events. For example, our spouse gets hurt, we feel hurt too. Our child is crying; we feel sad too. Our friend is happy; we feel happy too. In contrast, psychopaths, sociopaths, and narcissists (see Chapter 5), are thought to have what science calls “empathy deficient disorders.” This means they lack the ability to feel empathy like other people do, which may be caused by an under-active mirror neuron system. We must beware of these people because they are incapable of unconditional love.