If you've always felt like an emotional sponge, capable of absorbing the energy and feelings of those around you, you may consider yourself an empath. However, in the metaphysical world, those intense gut feelings are sometimes viewed as a sign of clairsentience. While many people are sensitive to the emotions of others, clairsentience refers to the ability to pick up on explicit messages from the energy and feelings of those around you without having clear knowledge beforehand.
You've probably heard of the term "clairvoyant" — clairvoyants are believed to see things others can't, while clairsentients feel things others can't. To better understand how clairsentience works, POPSUGAR spoke with George Lizos, a psychic healer who specializes in this esoteric art.
What Does It Mean to Be Clairsentient?
Clairsentience comes from the French words "clair" and "sentience," which together translate to "clear feeling." According to Lizos, a clairsentient person is able to tap into the emotional energy of others and receive a clear psychic message. It's more complex than simply being able to tell when a person is upset, which can be discerned through body language, their tone of voice, and overall physical energy. Someone who's clairsentient can sense emotion even when it isn't being expressed, and construct a clear idea or understanding of a person or situation without these cues.
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For example, a clairsentient person might feel a sense of familiarity and become overwhelmed with emotion when hugging someone, shaking their hand, or simply being in the room as them — even if they're meeting that person for the first time. This "intuition" can be all-consuming, and allow the clairsentient to perceive what someone is going through privately, though they would otherwise have no knowledge of their circumstances. "It's the ability to receive intuitive messages through feelings, whether these are emotional or physical, real or imagined," Lizos tells POPSUGAR. "Being clairsentient means understanding the spiritual and intuitive messages behind your feelings, rather than just seeing your feelings as coincidental or abstract."
Signs of Clairsentience
Picture this: you meet a close friend for coffee to work on some creative projects. As soon as you enter the crowded coffee shop, you become overwhelmed with the buzzing energy. You get a weird sense that someone is grappling with grief, and in turn, you have a heavy feeling in your body that weighs on you until you leave. Sound familiar? If you're a natural at understanding and empathizing with others' emotions, even when they don't express them explicitly, or if you tend to feel overwhelmed in large crowds, these could be signs that you're clairsentient.
"[Other] signs of clairsentience include getting goosebumps as a form of validation of the truth," Lizos explains. He adds that people who are clairsentient often talk about their feelings, using phrases like "I feel," instead of "I think." And, while anyone can have a gut feeling about a person or situation, a clairsentient's hunches typically turn out to be right.
Can You Become Clairsentient?
Lizos says that clairsentience can be developed. Humans are naturally able to express empathy, so it's really a matter of honing those intrinsic skills. "We're all born clairsentient to some degree," Lizos explains. "Some people are born naturally more clairsentient than others, while others need more practice to strengthen their abilities."
According to Lizos, paying close attention to your feelings and any physical sensations you experience is the first step to tapping into your clairsentience. Ask yourself how people, objects, situations, and the energy they carry cause you to feel, and allow yourself to sit with those emotions. "This moment-to-moment emotional awareness will help you pick up on the intuitive messages behind your feelings, allowing you to more easily interpret them," Lizos says.
Alternatively, practicing psychometry — the intuitive reading of physical objects — is also a good method of practicing clairsentience. To do this, hold an object that's owned by someone you know, ideally something that's old and metallic. While grasping this object, pay attention to any emotions or physical sensations it invokes. "Ideally, you'll start getting intuitive insights about the object's history and its owner, which is a sign that your clairsentience is coming online," Lizos explains.
It takes a ton of practice and awareness to connect to the power of clairsentience. But even if you aren't gifted with the ability to receive psychic messages, paying attention to your surroundings and the feelings of others can help you be a kinder, more compassionate presence in your world.
