Psychic empathy and clairsentience get confused a lot. Because both of them involve feeling things which others don’t but they work in so many different ways. To know which one you have helps you manage your sensitivity better. And it also helps you avoid people who fake these gifts to manipulate others.

There are many people who struggle with overwhelming feelings in public or those who “just know things” don’t realize that they have a genuine psychic gift. And by the end of this article, you will have a clear idea of the differences between the two and also the first step to improving your natural talents.

What Is Psychic Empathy?

Psychic empathy goes way beyond regular empathy. Most people understand empathy as feeling sorry for someone who’s hurting. But psychic empaths actually feel other people’s emotions inside their own bodies and minds.

Imagine someone else’s joy, fear or heartbreak flowing directly into you. That’s what psychic empaths deal with every day. It’s similar to having no emotional skin where everything gets in.

A true empath not only just guesses that their friend feels sad. But they also suddenly feel sad themselves when their friend walks in the room. And this happens without any words or obvious clues. Emotions leak out of people and empaths catch them like emotional sponges.

Common Traits of Psychic Empaths

If you’re a psychic empath these signs probably sound familiar:

• You feel others’ emotions as if they’re your own. When your friend is anxious, your heart races too.

• Crowded places like malls or concerts drain you completely. Too many emotions floating around!

• Watching violent movies or news about tragedies will also hurt you physically. You might cry during sad commercials that others barely notice.

• Strangers tell you their life stories and problems without you asking. You give off a “tell me anything” vibe.

• Animals love you and seem to seek you out. You feel deeply connected to nature.

• You get tired easily and might have mystery health issues like back aches or stomach problems.

• Spiritual practices and healing work naturally attract you.

• Second-hand or antique items make you uncomfortable as they carry too much emotional history.

• You need lots of alone time to recharge after being with people.

What Is Clairsentience?

Clairsentience comes from French words which mean “clear feeling.” It’s a psychic ability where you receive information through feelings and physical sensations that go beyond the five normal senses.

A clairsentient person doesn’t just feel emotions but they also receive knowledge about what caused those emotions. They might get mental images, see complex situations or sense things that happened in the past.

For example, a clairsentient might touch an old locket and suddenly know it belonged to a woman who lost her husband at sea. Or they might walk into a house and immediately sense there was a big argument there yesterday.

Clairsentience gives you the emotional data plus the story behind it. It’s similar to having emotional X-ray vision.

Common Traits of a Clairsentient Person

Here’s how you spot a clairsentient:

• They instantly read the “vibe” of rooms, people and objects. “This place feels heavy” or “This room feels light and happy” are common clairsentient observations.

• They get physical signs of insight like goosebumps, tingling on the scalp or chills down the spine when something is true.

• They often say “I feel that…” instead of “I think that…” when sharing insights.

• They notice when spirits, angels or energy beings are nearby. The air might feel different to them or the temperature might also change.

• They pick up on emotions from past events. A clairsentient might feel sadness in a spot where someone cried years ago.

• Taste, smell and physical sensations give them clues about energy. A bitter taste might appear when someone is lying.

• Knowledge just pops into their mind – complete stories about what happened to cause someone’s feelings.

One clairsentient described her experience: “I shook hands with my new boss and suddenly knew she was planning to sell the company. Nobody had said a word about it but three months later the announcement came.”

How Psychic Empathy and Clairsentience Overlap

Many clairsentients are also empaths. The two gifts share some common ground:

Both involve being very sensitive to energy and emotions around you. Both can make you feel overwhelmed in crowds or high-emotion situations. And Both give you an edge in understanding others.

And this overlap explains why many people don’t realize they have both gifts. Both their feelings can seem very similar at first glance. But you should know that there are key differences that set them apart.

Major Differences Between the Two

The biggest difference is very simple: empaths FEEL the emotions whereas clairsentients KNOW the story behind those emotions.

An empath sits next to a sad person and feels sad too. A clairsentient sits next to that same person and might get flashes about the fight they had with their partner that morning.

Here are the main differences:

• Empaths absorb emotions but might not understand why someone feels that way. Clairsentients receive the emotional context – the whole story.

• Clairsentients can sense non-human energies like angels, spirits or energy from objects. Empaths mainly pick up human emotions.

• You can learn and develop clairsentience through practice. Psychic empathy is usually something you’re born with.

• Clairsentients often know instantly if someone is lying or telling the truth. Empaths feel distress but might not know exactly what’s wrong.

• Clairsentients can read energy from the past or from distant locations. Empaths usually need to be near someone to feel their emotions.

A woman with both gifts explained it this way: “As an empath, I feel your heartbreak. As a clairsentient, I know it’s because you found those text messages on your partner’s phone last night.”

Don’t Be Fooled by Fake Empaths

Here’s something important: some people who claim to be empaths are actually narcissists or manipulators who’ve learned to read people well.

True empaths cannot deliberately hurt the feelings of others because they would feel that same pain themselves. And someone who enjoys causing emotional pain to others is not an empath irrespective of what they claim to be.

Fake empaths might use clairsentient-like skills to gather information and may seem genuine. But they study your reactions and body languages and use that same knowledge to control you. And they also lack the genuine compassion of a true empath.

Warning signs of a fake empath:

• They cause emotional pain without seeming affected
• They use your emotions to manipulate you
• They claim to feel your pain but show no real compassion
• They make you feel drained after spending time with them

As one genuine empath put it: “I can’t even kill spiders without feeling terrible. The idea of purposely hurting someone’s feelings is unthinkable to me.”

Clairsentience as an Empath

If you’re already an empath, you’ve got a head start on developing clairsentient abilities. Your emotional sensitivity creates a foundation for deeper intuitive skills.

This isn’t about becoming a professional psychic overnight. It’s about expanding your natural sensitivity in a way that gives you more information and control.

Start with these basic practices:

• Notice physical sensations that come with emotional insights
• Pay attention to sudden “knowings” that pop into your mind
• Practice grounding exercises to stay centered in your own energy
• Trust your first impressions about people and places
• Keep a journal of intuitive hits to track your accuracy

One empath who developed clairsentience shared: “I used to just feel overwhelmed by others’ emotions. Now I can tell the difference between what’s mine and what belongs to someone else. And sometimes I get clear pictures about why they feel that way. It’s like upgrading from radio to TV.”