There doesn't seem to be a lot of consensus on what empaths are, or what the various types of empaths are.  Spiritually it may refer to people who display clairaudience, clairsentience, etc.  There is no board of directors for empaths no strict code of requirements.  We simply know we are different, we are sensitive, and we care.  I personally do not agree that all empaths feel the emotions of others, and in my opinion it is just a common specialty trait.  The traits I list below may well be interchangeable, and are not limited to empaths.  Which traits do you or the empaths in your life have?  

The Super Empath - This label has been used to describe an empath who also has narcissistic traits, though in far lesser degrees comparative to their empathic traits.  These folks have a strong ability to tone down their empathy to fight, challenge, create boundaries, express anger, etc.  For this they may be seen as having an activated warrior archetype.  Narcissists may find them an interesting challenge.  They are more likely than lower-functioning empaths or codependents to recognize narcissism, and to therefore leave a toxic relationship. 

Truth Seeker - This is an archetype who has a strong devotion to objective truth.  This is symbolized by the sword bearer, or light-bearer.  The blade of truth can cut through facades and masks, it may wound, and it may also cut the chains of oppression.  A truth seeker may stay in a toxic relationship until they know the full truth, even if they are driven to near obsession.  They will gather evidence, test their theories, and relentlessly explore new territories in the service of truth and transparency, even under great duress, or to the point of neurosis.  Truth seekers may also be motivated to use their findings and conclusions to expose others.  Perhaps the Truth Seekers are also the Super Empaths, as warriors may also carry the sword of truth.  This is the energy that brings the darkness to light.

Emotional Intuitives - these are the empaths with the classic trait of feeling what other people are feeling emotionally.  If you ask them how you feel, they will often be able to articulate your feelings with greater ease and accuracy than you yourself could.  They may feel uncomfortable in many situations because of this trait, and will potentially have a harder time attaching to others because of their need to protect themselves from being constantly drained.  These empaths are said to have thin skin, and they are often very concerned about how to create energetic walls of protection around themselves.  They may have a very hard time with cities, busy lifestyles, or chaotic energy.

Nature-Based - These are the people who feel deep connections to the mineral, vegetable, or animal kingdoms.  Some people can feel the energies of minerals for example to such a degree that they may be uncomfortable around these energies at times, as if they cannot find privacy when certain minerals are in the room.  Perhaps the energies are too strong or imposing for certain activities.  They may place them face down for respite, or keep them outside.  Another example was the plant empath Dr. Edward Bach.  He was so sensitive to the energies of plants and flowers that he developed a series of essences and knew the specific emotional patterns that each could harmonize and heal.  He eventually died from his sensitivities, by taking on the illnesses of his clients.  An animal empath may intuit the pains and physical pressures of animals, or may be able to naturally communicate telepathically with them. 

Innocent Empaths - I'm inventing this phrase to describe empaths who connect to children.  They relate to children naturally, can more readily protect them from disparent energies, and can enjoy all the nuances and joy of play.  These are the people children are always drawn to, sitting in their laps and asking for a playtime.    

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Here's an outline of the basics of the empath/narcissist dynamic, and hopefully it will add to your current perspective and help you process your experiences within the dynamic.
  
Everyone has narcissistic traits, so they say, and they exist on a spectrum. What is perhaps less discussed, is that empaths also exist on a spectrum, and it can be viewed as an extension of the narcissistic spectrum.  Everyone is somewhere on the continuum, with 'normal' people in the middle or neutral position. ​                               

​A person is not considered a true narcissist (Narcissistic Personality Disorder, as outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders - DSM), unless they exhibit the qualities on the far right of the spectrum, and are diagnosed by a psychiatric professional.  For those of us who have dealt with a narcissist however, we can often draw our own conclusions about why our loved one or coworker is abusive to us.  If you are unsure, please look into researching the Dark Triad and/or Cluster B personality disorders, and see if you think your situation relates. 

Here is what I've learned so far about the traits as they fit into the spectrum.  I'll start with the high-functioning empath, and work my way to the high-level narcissist:

High-functioning empaths could be considered the true altruists (givers) of this world.  Their distinguishing feature is that they know their inherent worth as divine beings, and they have a high sense of self-love (not to be confused with selfishness or self-importance).  They give because they know it is their birthright to share their unconditional love with the world, to spread what overflows from their hearts and the the joy of the soul.  This is Joie de Vivre, innocent, as a child who picks wildflowers for his mother.  High-functioning empaths do not seek recognition, accolades, or anything in return, not even subconsciously.  They also have the quality of a spiritual life, with purpose and meaning.  They are not cynics, and their giving does not define their worth. One does not have to be a saint to be a high-functioning empath, they must simply have an unwavering sense of self-love, and thus are able to ask for their own needs to be met, without shame.  They know they are worthy.   

Mid-level empaths are also givers, they may volunteer often, give to the poor, pick up hitchikers, etc.  They do a good job.  They may also follow a spiritual path, or they may not.  There is however a pattern stemming from an unconscious motivation which underlies the giving.  Mid-levels may identify as givers, caring people, nurturers, and healers.  They may believe these acts define and exemplify their worth.  They may believe that they can fix or heal others.  They are often highly motivated to do so, and may even overstep the boundaries of other people for this reason.  They may think they know best, may give unsolicited advice, and may meddle in the affairs of others because they truly do want to help.  (Does this sound like anyone's mom?).  The reason these empaths are not considered high-functioning has to do with the emotion of pride, and the emotion this pride masks, which is shame.  Pride says "I can fix this for someone else, I can heal them with my love, I can right the wrongs of the world."  It is a noble enough thought, but it belies a hidden and unconscious shame, which is where the lack of inherent self-worth comes in.  There is a touch of unfulfilled self-love.  It says, "I do not think my needs are worthy, because I am not worthy, and I can therefore not ask for my needs to be met.  I am ashamed of my needs.  If I give, others will see my worth, and they will give to me in return so that my needs can also be met."  What happens when the recipient of this giving does not meet the unspoken needs of the giver?  Displaced anger and resentment.  Edit: It has recently been brought to my awareness by a friend that giving where it is not asked for or welcome is actually a matter that violates consent.  It is contrary to creating a strong consent culture.  Thoughts? 

Low-functioning empaths lack self-love and self-worth.  Of course their ego may tell them they love themselves, but their actions and behaviors do not convey that.  A major symptom of self-love deficiency is extreme codependency.  Often this codependency comes with sex or relationship addictions, and/or drug and alcohol abuse.  They are most likely to be involved in abusive relationships or sketchy sexual interactions.  They are incredibly self-sacrificing, and may have even been religiously or culturally programmed to submit to man and god unwaveringly. They also exhibit a great deal of pride in their belief that staying with an abusive partner, self-sacrificing, or martyring themselves will heal their partners and secure their redemption in paradise.  They may believe they are doing God's work.  But as mentioned before, this pride masks a great amount of shame, maybe even (subconscious) self-hatred.  They will give without return until they simply shut-down.  They often end up hospitalized if they are being drained endlessly as a primary source by a narcissist or abusive partner, and they may lack the will or desire to live.  Low-functioning empaths are quintessential and die-hard enablers.

Neutral/'normal' people have equal amounts of empathic and narcissistic traits.  They are not likely to become involved with narcissists, as neither themselves nor the narcissist will have much interest.  These people probably have decent boundaries and trust structures within their personalities.  

Low-level narcissists, as all narcissists, lack empathy and the ability to take authentic accountability for their own actions.  They act instinctively from a 'dark place,' or 'dark presence,' and generally have lower cognitive function than their mid and high level narc counterparts.  They are most likely to react with brute force and violence than a more subtle manipulation tactic.  They are essentially wife-beaters.  

Mid-level narcissists are a bit more cunning.  They may have high cognitive function, be intelligent, and highly skilled in their manipulation and abuse tactics.  They also may act from a 'dark inner presence,' as they cannot take genuine accountability, yet they are not self-aware.  They do not realize what they are doing, and while they may scheme and plot, they do not do so with full intention.  Their disordered personality acts instinctively, which is how they have honed such sophisticated abuse tactics.  It's simply what they have done throughout their lives, and it's all they know.  They have no desire to change and thus will not change.  They may resort to violence in many cases, but often covert tactics are employed first.

High-level narcissists are self-aware.  As such they may be highly intelligent, and highly capable of conscious manipulation.  They may take great enjoyment from watching other people suffer, and also feeding their incessant need for power as a result of this awareness.

Narcissists use others as appliances to draw fuel from.  They grossly objectify other human beings, and will even use their own children as pawns for triangulation.  They may use gaslighting, blame shifting, physical violence, love-bombing, seduction tactics, romance, and other means of emotionally hooking others into their harem.  They will always seek to serve themselves, and any seemingly contrary action is only employed to get something they want.  They sit on gunpowder. and are potentially very dangerous if their facade or fuel sources are threatened. 

Information here is taken from numerous personal experiences, information from survivors, and the work of various professionals including Abdul H. Saad, a clinician with Vital Mind Psychology, and psychotherapist and author Ross Rosenberg, who developed a theory of self-orientation I find to be very useful.  

                  

People are always saying 'self-love' is the answer to everything.  And while that is true, it is not something we relate to, not easy enough to understand.  We need a bridge to get there.  I will attempt to concretize the abstract concept of self-love here. 

The nature of our reality here on earth is duality.  We experience things as separate from ourselves, and we desire union more than anything else.  Union with people, money, our true selves, and union with our purpose in the world.  how do we achieve that, or at least get on the path?  Let's break down some of the dynamics of the human condition first, with an emphasis on how we hold expectations and obligations.  

What do most people believe on a subconscious level?  That we are not worthy, not lovable, not good enough, or not seen and appreciated.  As children, we as the living did have our basic needs met, or we wouldn't be alive today.  But our desires and yearnings, our emotional needs, our spiritual needs, perhaps not so much.  Children are very pure energetically, but they are also extremely fragile and vulnerable.  Anything perceived as scary can cause a crack in the energy field, and those experiences from early childhood set the template for the lessons we may work on for most, if not all of our lives, until we fully heal and integrate them.  These wounds show up like vows we say to ourselves: 'nobody will love me,' 'I am not good enough to do that,' etc.  It is important to understand that we often give away exactly what it is we desire from others, and in doing so we become very vulnerable.  We work up our bravery to do this.  We may seek to engage lovingly and emotionally with another person, and on a deep level.  We may do something nice for them or reach out to them.  The tricky part is that within these interactions, we usually have at least an unconscious expectation of return attached to it, even if it comes from a place of wanting to express joy and love.  Unfortunately, the reaction to an expectation placed is often a sense of obligation.  We may be expectant, or we may be much obliged.  The person who is obliged may run, ignore, or feel resentful or drained.  You can see there is an energetic dynamic here.  The dynamic of both sides of this drama is that they both stem from the energy or belief in lack, either lack of self-worth, capability, resources, etc.  The lack is the sense of a vacuum within us, the place where our sadness and despair dwell.  You know the pit of darkness in the stomach if you have ever felt depressed...

So we hear in the self-help world that 'self-love' will solve our problems.  OK, let's take a soak and eat a salad and get our nails done.  Does it work?  No, but those acts of self-care may lead us closer to the experience of self-love.  Self-love is not just an affirmation or a mechanical action, it is a feeling and an embodiment in the heart.  How can we reach that state of being? 

Given that our world is one of separation and duality, and our brain's tendency to recognize patterns and contrast, I find that it is far easier to see something beautiful and worthy in another person, or as something outside of ourselves.  Achieving union with the self must be undertaken first by seeing ourselves from an outside perspective, because this is how we observe things and come to know and understand them.  Many cultures and pathways have a name for this higher perspective technique of seeing ourselves and the world.  It is often represented as a great bird such as eagle or hawk, or it is called the observer, the watcher, or the witness consciousness. 

Inner child healing work is a wonderful place to begin seeing the self, as it requires one to create an inner adult that can switch roles with the inner children.  Depth psychologists often function as guides to help people through various role-playing scenarios with their inner parts, archetypes, dream characters, or children.  People often choose to work with the feminine/masculine duality within themselves as well.  I will share an example of how it works from an inner child/inner adult style healing session. 

In this case, it is important to have taken the time to reflect on the adult you most desire for your inner children, and also to understand what specific needs were unmet in the children at various stages of development.  I will post about inner child work specifically another time.  For now, imagine that you can embody the feelings and sensations of your inner child, and you can switch roles with your inner adult, and you can dialogue or come to understanding between the two.  My guidance would be to experience not only the needs and wants of the child, to understand where the sense of lack comes from, but to truly experience the energy of the child.  It is the divine child.  It is the pure energy of a divine being that has recently come into human form.  One can feel the essence of the child that emanates wholeness, love, and pure potential.  That child has come here to be realized, and seen, and appreciated!  That child has so much beauty it brings me to tears to imagine the beauty of that child and it not being seen, felt, or engaged with.  The child wants to play, express the joy of being, the joy of life.  And this is the tragedy of the human condition, that we do not acknowledge these things in one another, because we do not acknowledge them in ourselves. 

Now, if you can see your inner child from an outside perspective, then you can be the person who engages with and sees and acknowledges that child's essence and beauty.  The sense of abandonment can only be curbed by taking this step.  And it feels like striking gold!  It is like finding something of great value that has been hidden from everyone.  And if you can see this from your outside perspective, as something outside of yourself, then you can begin the work of merging with that and acknowledging the worthy self.  Then you can begin to vibrate from a place of wholeness and love, and then, then you can engage with the world and give to the world without having expectations, without feeding into the energy dynamics and energy draining/sucking which come from lacking the sense of self-worth. 

We all do it, it is the nature of our reality.  It is also our birthright to experience the full range of human emotions, and to unite with ourselves, our essence, the love we have been created by.  We are of course dependent on one another.  We need to be seen and heard and loved.  We inherently know this.  But the shadow aspect of this is the dynamic of expectation and obligation.  By working with self-love we can begin to dissolve this toxic way of relating, to be able to truly give and receive, and it is our responsibility alone to achieve this for ourselves.  We cannot depend on another in this situation, and it takes choice, will, real-life time and action, commitment and dedication to get there. 

Understand also that justice is something too great and powerful for us to control, that authoritarian structures stem from this desire for power and control, and that surrendering our expectations and attachments, in wanting to control the energy of justice (expecting punishments or reparations from others) will help us to work with the transformations of our inner wounds and shadows into inner strength and wholeness.  This is the energy of grace, forgiveness, surrender, trust.  It is the swan, the dove.  It is a lifelong practice.  Blessings on you and your path.     

    

This topic requires some belief system shattering and an openness to the shifting of paradigms.  For those interested, I will offer what I know, based on my own experiences, and those of people I trust.  


I removed my chakras in 2015 after gathering information about it and running it through my filters for about a year.  There is a bit of information out there in internetland on the benefits of chakra removal, and most of what I’ve seen is pretty congruent, though some of course is not.  Questions that often arise include: Why would one want to remove them?  Don’t we need them?  Are they not an integral part of our energetic bodies?  How does energy flow in the body without them?  How does one remove chakras?


For starters, we have to understand the basics of the spiritual dimensions, at least through the 3D, 4D, and 5D lenses.  3D is physicality and the realm of manifestation on earth.  4D is invisible to us generally, and includes the realm of spirits, and the astral realm.  When our physical body dies, our spirit body remains in 4D typically.  We go from 3D life to ‘the light’ when we die which is the 4D path to being reincarnated again in 3D.  Beyond 4D is a void and it requires some effort to remove oneself from the karmic cycle and transcend to higher dimensional life and consciousness.  This is another topic, but crucial if spiritual evolution is of interest to  you.  Chakras are a 4th dimensional construct, and they play a role in keeping us locked in the karmic loop.  


Why would one want to remove chakras?  


There are several reasons.  One might desire to clear their karma, and make a conscious decision to shift out of the cycle.  If we want this, we are not taking chakras with us!  (Although they may just dissolve on their own when we are ready, but we can always choose to accelerate the process).  Another is that chakras are open areas of vulnerability within the spiritual body, and any low-vibration 4D entity or spirit, or any human who practices power-over, either consciously or not, (sorcery, manipulation, energy vampirism, etc.) can access your energy through the chakra portals, making the maintenance of chakras very important and time consuming. This is not a cause for fear, so do not lose heart!  There is also talk of chakras being fragmentations of light and energy, as opposed to a unified field.  More on that later.  Another reason people like to cite is that chakras are not organic, but are rather synthetic implants.  I’ll let you decide what you think of that.  My favorite reason, being an experimenter, or as a friend puts it “light body mechanical engineer” is that it is always exciting to be on the brink of a new paradigm, and to support the dissolution of belief systems that may no longer serve us, or that we have had for millennia and we may be ready to blaze forward, pushing the boundaries of the veil of consciousness, so woo-hoo!  


Don’t we need them?


I will tell you my experience.  No, we do not need them.  My ability to ground and run energy is still intact, and my ability to perceive and ‘see’ is constantly expanding.  I still have energy centers, like a womb space, and a heart!  I do have to find new ways to clear dense energies, but I find that to be easy.  When we remove chakras, we are also tapping in to our 5th dimensional energy body, which is spherical, a torus rather, that extends from the core of our heart center.  The expansion of the heart essence is the energy we can use to match the higher dimensional energy of the planet, sun, cosmos, etc.  In this way we can do whatever we need to do energetically, and a shift happens where we do not need to protect ourselves anymore, we simply vibrate at a level that is impenetrable to lower vibrational energies.   I will share some other perspectives though.  I recently had a session with a woman whom I trust and respect.  I did not tell her I was without chakras because knowing she works extensively with chakras, I was curious as to what she would notice.  When she came to scan my root, her response was that it was very strange, it seemed like I didn’t have one, and she had never seen this before.  I stopped her and told her a little about it.  Her advice to me was that I should reinstall them because we simply have to deal with them like ‘fingernails and bodily fluids.’  She was concerned that I would not be able to properly ground without a root.  While I do have issues with chronic ungroundedness, I have no trouble doing it when I choose to, and I can do it by way of central column, or heart expansion.  It isn’t a problem.  Her belief was also that we need to be fully embodied in 3D, 4D, and 5D, and that we cannot skip over 4D.  I do believe we need to ground fully in 3D to make our energetic shifts and creative manifestations real and physical, but I do not believe we need to have chakras to do that.  I will say I had more problems with chakras than without.  


Are they not an integral part of our energetic bodies?


Honestly, I have not looked into or tracked the source of chakras personally, so I can not offer advice on that.  I do believe there are many forces at work concerning the manipulations of humans and their energetic bodies and flows.  It could be that they were implanted into humans thousands of years ago by deity or entity.  That we chose it on some level is certain, but we are not conscious of it now, so why not become conscious and figure it out?  Chakras are not necessary, and it is a personal choice to remove them or keep them.  If we choose to remove them, the Kundalini system is also going to dissolve, and the luminous energy field will slowly dissipate as well.  We empower our 5D bodies instead, which is a different energy, but it is OURS.  It is within us already.  The chakra removal folks seem to be generally concerned with the movement toward spiritual autonomy, and for me this is the most important driving force in my own path.    


How does energy flow in the body without them?


The energy is of a higher vibration, spherical, and not related to the colors as chakras are.  It is pure heart essence, expansive.  Instead of a straight line or column, it is spherical.  Isn’t that nice?


How does one remove chakras?


There are people on the internet selling their services to remove chakras, and I would not recommend this!  I find it to be unethical, because in my opinion the process is about claiming ones spiritual autonomy and power, and this cannot be done by someone else.  Anyone can do it, and it only takes 10 minutes or so.  It is also possible to reinstall later if desired, but I have never heard of anyone who removed them and was dissatisfied.  I thought about reinstalling only as one who enjoys experimentation, but decided it was a waste of time and energy.  I will refer those who are interested to Carla Fox’s blog post with instructions.  They are self-explanatory.  If you have never done energy work before, try it and realize how simple it is, and reclaim it as your power.  It is not smoke and mirrors, it is something we were all born to do, like breathing and thinking.  It is done all the time by everyone, just with varying levels of consciousness.  Intention is the mother of movement.  Use it wisely.  


If you choose to remove your chakras you will probably want to have someone check them and make sure they are gone.  Sometimes there is leftover residue lingering, and sometimes, especially for those who are very plugged in to the synthetic fields, they are stubborn.  Generally people have few problems, but it may take one or two tries.  If you would like me to check yours for you, it takes two minutes and I can do it remotely.  I’d be honored!   

Here is a link to Carla's post about chakra removal, and for good measure, one on expanding the heart (core) essence.  Enjoy!

http://thecarlafoxblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/chakra-removal.html​

http://thecarlafoxblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/core-essence.html



Blessings!