Feeling the feelings of others, like a mirror.

Page 1 of 1 [ 14 posts ] 

Erika12345
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

Joined: 20 Aug 2017
Age: 34
Gender: Female
Posts: 5

18 Feb 2018, 1:54 am

Have you ever felt like although you sometimes don't understand nuances in facial expressions, you can feel the feeling of other people, like a mirror, as like you catch their feelings by accident?

It happens to me sometimes, with people I really care about. It is as if the other one feels happy, I feel happy too, and if the other one feel depressed, I start to feel depressed as well.

Have you felt this before? Do you know where it comes from??



SplendidSnail
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 2 Jul 2017
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Posts: 887
Location: Canada

18 Feb 2018, 1:42 pm

Absolutely. Emotions are contagious for most people, including those with ASD. Sometimes I feel like it's more so for people with ASD.

You're describing the difference between Shallow empathy (or Cognitive empathy) and Deep empathy (or Affective empathy) and which is the ability to actually feel what other people are experiencing.

People with ASD tend to have bad Shallow empathy, meaning it's hard for us to imagine what others are experiencing. However, we tend to have good Deep empathy, meaning we can actually feel what other people are experiencing. Essentially, with deep empathy, you will be sad when others are sad, and you will be happy when others are happy.

Here's a good article about this:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ou ... y-disorder


_________________
Level 1 Autism Spectrum Disorder / Asperger's Syndrome.


starcats
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 30 Aug 2017
Age: 47
Gender: Female
Posts: 531

18 Feb 2018, 9:42 pm

Very much, but not just people I care about, everyone. Animals even more so. I like that you call it like a mirror, I always think of it as resonance. It's so blinding that I think it is the reason I miss facial expressions, cognitive empathy.



CockneyRebel
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 17 Jul 2004
Age: 49
Gender: Male
Posts: 113,298
Location: Stalag 13

19 Feb 2018, 12:49 am

starcats wrote:
Very much, but not just people I care about, everyone. Animals even more so. I like that you call it like a mirror, I always think of it as resonance. It's so blinding that I think it is the reason I miss facial expressions, cognitive empathy.


I experience that same feeling.


_________________
Who wants to adopt a Sweet Pea?


Erika12345
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

Joined: 20 Aug 2017
Age: 34
Gender: Female
Posts: 5

22 Feb 2018, 2:56 pm

starcats wrote:
Very much, but not just people I care about, everyone. Animals even more so. I like that you call it like a mirror, I always think of it as resonance. It's so blinding that I think it is the reason I miss facial expressions, cognitive empathy.


I thought about this phenomena as a mirror before I knew I have AS. It was kind of weird. I was in love with someone I worked with and she often had mood swings. It was bizarre going through all the emotional turmoil with her, due to mirroring her feelings.



rebeccadanielprophet
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl

Joined: 14 Dec 2017
Age: 34
Gender: Female
Posts: 157
Location: maryland

22 Feb 2018, 3:45 pm

I feel this way often too. I feel peoples' emotions, and even feel their physical pain. I feel the energy of the world, the sadness of the people hurting in wartime and natural disasters.


_________________
Change: sometimes it's painful, sometimes it's beautiful, but most of the times its both.

"Someday you might see who I really am, and it will change the way you feel about me." "Nothing could ever do that."


Made different to make a difference

whether as victor or vanquished, isn't it better than sullen resignation?


Nickchick
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl

Joined: 19 Nov 2015
Posts: 172

22 Feb 2018, 9:12 pm

You might be an empath or as others like to call it clairsentient.

I'm not saying this is definite but from what you are describing it is a possibility.

Contrary to what some might think I think this might be common when you have autism because when you have certain deficiencies you have room for other abilities you know what I mean?



starcats
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 30 Aug 2017
Age: 47
Gender: Female
Posts: 531

22 Feb 2018, 10:20 pm

I've had to learn a lot from Eastern healing philosophies so that I don't internalize other people's stuff and make it my own--emotionally and physically. It's hard because I most want to connect with people by feeling what they feel. I couldn't care less about gossip, drama, or cognitive thoughts unless they're written to give me info, but then I don't want to pick up someone else's headache!



Erika12345
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

Joined: 20 Aug 2017
Age: 34
Gender: Female
Posts: 5

23 Feb 2018, 2:11 am

Nickchick wrote:
You might be an empath or as others like to call it clairsentient.


Sorry, I don't really relate to what I've read about clairsentient. It is a bit mystical for me. It's also not that absolute for me...



blooiejagwa
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 19 Dec 2017
Age: 33
Gender: Female
Posts: 5,793

23 Feb 2018, 11:47 am

Always. I think this is partially why I hate school and other social environments because of so many conflicting feelings coming at me. If someone is angry I might not get it from their face or voice but I will feel a heat coming at me. Same with happiness I pick it up and absorb it. Serenity, etc.


_________________
Take defeat as an urge to greater effort.
-Napoleon Hill


blooiejagwa
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 19 Dec 2017
Age: 33
Gender: Female
Posts: 5,793

23 Feb 2018, 11:49 am

Here’s another example- my baby was teething and I felt a dull pain in the same place his tooth was coming out, in my own mouth! Which happened with both kids, to me.


_________________
Take defeat as an urge to greater effort.
-Napoleon Hill


Britte
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 23 Nov 2014
Gender: Female
Posts: 8,136
Location: @

23 Feb 2018, 12:30 pm

A few possibilities come to mind:

Hyper-empathy

Sensory processing

Synesthesia (There are mirror-types)

: )



Lost_dragon
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 6 May 2017
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,738
Location: England

23 Feb 2018, 12:32 pm

Erika12345 wrote:
Have you felt this before?


Yeah, I talked about it on this thread: viewtopic.php?t=356556&hilit


_________________
24. Possibly B.A.P.


vest9
Butterfly
Butterfly

Joined: 19 Feb 2018
Gender: Female
Posts: 17

23 Feb 2018, 8:09 pm

Thank you splendid snail your post kind of clarified and answered the questions I've asked myself about empathy. Some days I think I have so much empathy in a situation it makes me re-evaluate if my diagnosis is correct. Other times when I try to guess someones intentions or receive a text message and guess the context it was sent I get it completely wrong. But if I'm around someone angry I will soak up their mood like a sponge, talk to a homeless person hear their story I feel their sadness too deeply. It's like contradictory states of empathy, too much and yet hardly any at all.