Empaths and Highly Sensitive People with guest Signe Myers Hovem

Signe Myers Hovem is a spiritual counselor, an energy worker, and the author of The Space in Between: An Empaths Field Guide. In this interview on Jump Start Your Joy podcast, we are talking about empaths and highly sensitive people (HSPs).

As defined by Psychology Today: “Highly Sensitive Person, or HSP, is a term coined by psychologist Elaine Aron. According to Aron’s theory, HSPs are a subset of the population who are high in a personality trait known as sensory-processing sensitivity, or SPS. Those with high levels of SPS display increased emotional sensitivity, stronger reactivity to both external and internal stimuli—pain, hunger, light, and noise—and a complex inner life.”

And, they also define an empath as someone who, “senses subtle energy (called Shakti or Prana in Eastern traditions) and actually absorbs it from other people and different environments into” their own bodies. Additionally, empaths sense the energy around them, including emotions and physical sensations.

If you are a highly sensitive person, or if you have a sense that you may be an empath, then I think you’re going to get a lot out of this conversation (which ties so closely to this season’s theme of intentional comfort on the podcast). HSPs and empaths notice the energy around people and places and things, and this can be overwhelming to them. The Empath’s Field Guide, and this conversation, offers a lot of insight on how to manage your energy, hold space, and work with your gifts.

In this episode, Signe Myers Hovem talk about:

• What it means to be a functional empath.
• The difference between empathy versus being an empath.
• Exploring what it means to identify as a highly sensitive person.
• The power of our words and what we choose to call things.
• Minding your energy, and holding space without having your own energy drained.
• How to set up strong boundaries with people, places, or things if you feel an energetic drain and decide if you want to get involved further.
• How do we navigate through the space of being an empath or an HSP in everyday life?

Resources

Signe Myers Hovem’s website

The Space in Between: An Empaths Field Guide by Signe Myers Hovem