The Heyoka archetype is one of the most powerful and rarest types of empaths. They are hard to read, pinpoint, or fully understand at all times. And yet, we learn so much by being in their presence and receiving their messages.
Heyoka empaths are said to be the rarest and most powerful variety, acting as a spiritual mirror to those around them to assist their growth.
Perhaps you have always had the ability to feel the emotions and physical symptoms of others as if they were your own. If this rings true in your life, you may be an “empath.” Only 1 to 2 percent of the population experience this type of sensitivity, having the ability to feel and absorb the emotions surrounding them.
In rare cases, being an empath may refer to intensely heightened perceptions. Roughly 1% to 2% of people can feel sensations on their skin while watching someone else be touched, a phenomenon linked to empathy and known as mirror-touch synesthesia.
One of the more common types of empaths, an emotional empath can easily pick up on—and even take on themselves—the emotions of others. If a friend or family member is upset or sad, they may soon find themselves upset or sad.
Hyper-empaths take everything on (noise, colour, conversation), so often find crowds overwhelming. Of course, there are many reasons why we might be flooded with emotion, but hyper-empaths are so tuned in to other people's feelings that the sensation of taking on someone else's experience is unmistakable.
Heyoka empaths are known as the most powerful due to one key factor: They have a tendency to heal others. The way they see the world, the way they live, and the way they feel and reflect back emotions can have a transformational impact on people they encounter.
1 Being an empath comes with a lot of positive traits. For one, Brown says, empaths are "highly intuitive and emotionally intelligent," so they can read the room, pick up on other people's energy, and be very aware of their own emotions, too. The catch? Taking on everyone's feelings can be a lot.
The empath concept is controversial. Opinion is divided on whether empaths actually exist. There is also debate around some abilities associated with empaths. For instance, empaths are thought to have special skills in reading others, detecting lying, and healing.
Empaths are usually introverts, and they require a certain amount of alone time in order to recharge. A study from 2011 suggests there may be a link between highly empathic individuals and social anxiety.
Being an empath is not something you can control; it is something that you are born with. It is a wonderful gift to be so in tune with your and other people's emotions, but it can become difficult. You are not alone.
When empaths are exposed to early trauma or abuse their young nervous system may develop without healing making them hypervigilant. They can become exquisitely attuned to their environment to ward off threats and ensure they are safe or enter a state of hyperarousal.
Compared to someone who is highly sensitive (empathetic vs. empathic), an empath has a greater sensory awareness and feels extremely emotional about others, their surroundings, and the visual images or media they're exposed to. (You'll often hear empaths say even TV commercials can elicit spontaneous crying).
Intellectuals can make good partners for certain empaths because their sense of logic compliments and grounds an empath's emotional intensity. Ask for help.
Empaths and intimate relationships
Empaths tend to love hard and intensely, experiencing deep feelings of connection. They are fully in tune with their partners - reading not only what they say but also what they don't say - their body language, their silence and even their lies.
As mentioned before, being an empath comes with loads of superpowers and, in the famous words of Uncle Ben: “With great power comes great responsibility”. If you are an Empath, one of those responsibilities is to take care of yourself first so you can better take care of others.
“Empaths not only feel for others, but absorb those feelings in their own system,” says Orloff, whose private practice is in Santa Monica, California. Additionally, empaths are often able to pick up on unspoken feelings as well, drawing on subtle energy fields that emanate around other people's bodies.
Highly intelligent children are more likely to develop higher levels of empathic skills because they are more sensitive to other people's emotional cues, and are better able to understand other people's thoughts and feelings (Hay, Gross, Hoekman, & Rogers, 2007; Lovecky, 2009).
Most HSPs need at least 8 hours, and many sleep over the average -- 9 or 10 hours nightly. If you're not getting enough sleep you WILL burn out and edge towards depression, anxiety and become less capable of functioning.
Empaths need to be around people who accept their beautifully in-tune nature instead of trying to change them. Those people see how giving, open, and caring empaths are. They recognize that empaths can be amazing friends, partners, and confidants, and they don't take that for granted.
You don't always know which emotions are yours. This is probably the biggest ongoing challenge empaths face. When you're constantly absorbing emotional information from other people, it can be hard to know what you're feeling from others vs. your own thoughts and emotions.
They may become easily overwhelmed by negative emotions or feel as though they are responsible for the emotional well-being of others. Additionally, because empaths are so in tune with the emotions of others, they may struggle to express their own feelings, leading to difficulty in forming close emotional connections.
An estimated one in five people is considered highly sensitive, and many of these folks are empaths, too. Yet, being an empath is not a diagnosis found in the DSM-5, the consummate guide to psychiatric disorders, so “it's often misdiagnosed as social anxiety,” Dr. Orloff says.