Hyper-empathy and mirror-touch synaesthesia

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The idea that Aspergers is strickly speaking lacking empathy is rediculous. That is wrong. There may be emotion recognition issues, but what is registed is felt. (imo)

But, this thread reminded me of my friend. He is diagnosed sociopathic. But, he does "feel" emotions and even physical senstions of others. He doesn't have many/any emotions of his own, that he is aware of. Just the ones others experience. And yea, the sensations, like of the mirror-touch synthaesia described.

I feel I have hyper-empathy. I can't say I feel anything when others are touched, but I do experience symptoms of another person's pain or discomfort. I remember a girl at school had a case of Bell's palsy and one side of her face was temporarily parlaysed. She couldn't blink, so her eye was watering. The tears were streaming down my face when I looked at her, not in sympathy but empathy. When someone cuts themself I feel the pain in my inside. I'm not frightened by the sight of blood.

Actually, I don't think people with ASDs lack empathy any more than NTs. NTs just think they have empathy. I've suffered from infertility, but thankfully after 8 years my daughter was born. My sister-in-law told me that she totally understood how I felt as she'd been through the same thing. She'd been told that she'd have problems conceiving, before she'd started trying. In fact, she was pregnant 3 months after that meeting with her doctor. It's possible to have empathy with someone if you haven't experienced anything like it, but for her to equate her own experience with mine proves that she didn't have empathy.

its funny you mention hyper empathy, i just wrote about an find that there is a discrepancy because empathy can be acquired.. It is not hard to imagine a NT's negative situation happening to yourself. its that easy..

also the hyper part is intresting...
giving too much empathy does not have a negative outcome (as long as it is consistant) unlike over laughing or talking to loud which are things that need to be adjusted and toned down once we start to try to improve..

This also makes empathy, or ability to show empathy, a easy thing to pick up.

it also has high rewards in forming a bond

also we may be hyper empathetic because we may know that NT's have greater difficulty dealing with negative situation as they cant separate emotion from logic where we can simply look at the situation logically and get over it or maybe see potential for an oppertunity

my post titled help! personality adjutment thoughts,theory on empathy. was just posted and would love some replies and thoughts.

I'm hyper-empathetic but I'm pretty sure I'm not like that.

I have something similar...if someone has an injury to a part of their body, I feel pain in the same region. It has lessened now but was really bad when I was little...I couldn't watch videos of operations or people hurting themselves.

I grow tired of labeling everything a disorder just simply because the majority of people don't experience it. This is clearly a gift.

Greetings, I'm new here.

I have a similar sort of issue.

When I watch movies/videos of people suffering distress (falling, Jackass movies, etc) I feel a tingling in my legs or something that seems to travel up my body. It seems to be getting worse, as I age. Thoughts?

I feel pain and some touches. There are some forms of human contact that are uncomfortable for me to watch because they ... don't precisely trigger tactile sensitivities, but remind me of those sensitivities. I do feel pain when I see someone injured. Rather directly and in the same place. I don't find this pleasant.

I didn't think this had anything to do with synesthaesia until a few weeks ago.

Hi, there.

I found your forum, and I agree with most of the things you have said. I can just add my experience. I can't attend a mass at my church with my wife, because of other people there. I can feel most of their feelings, whenever I look at their face.

I don't know if you have a problem with crowded places, but I have to walk without looking anyone in the eyes, so that I don't feel some of their feelings.

Sorry about my English, I don't speak it well.

Greetings from Croatia

i experience something simular indeed; and maybe even stronger; i am able to learn new physical skills by just seeing someone perform them once or twice; i have even managed to reproduce movements i saw someone do on film months after i actually saw it; just by recollecting the memory, which in turn just randomly popped up

Aanii, I'm new here. I experience something like this as well. I feel physical pain when I see someone hurt and prickly skin and sometimes stabbing pain when I'm around people who are emotionally upset. Being in a crowded room with people who are upset or angry can make me want to pull my skin off. I also pick things up very easily by watching people, like bead work and quillwork. For instance I made a drop spindle and taught myself how to spin after watching one youtube video of someone spinning. When I was tested for a learning disability at school they decided not to do the full testing for ASDs because they said I reported experiencing too much empathy. However the diagnosis they gave me doesn't cover all the sensory issues I have and experiencing empathy doesn't mean I know how to communicate it well. I'm thinking of looking for a second opinion.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIBzbdo2LjU[/youtube]


TheSunAlsoRises

I really identify with the "tasting words" part. Though I also find that languages in general have tastes or textures. It's hard for me to taste English since it's my native tounge, but French kind of tasted like almonds, slightly bitter and smooth. Japanese has very little taste but has the texture of water. I think it's one reason why I am particular about words, colors, textures etc. in general. The sensations overlap. I think this is also part of why I subvocalize when I read because the sound of the word in my head is connected to a variety of sensations that I associate with the meaning of the word. As an artist I think it helps me to coordinate colors/textures etc. and in general I enjoy it.

I don't feel a complete mirror of others in terms of physical touch. Perhaps an analogy would be more like a warped or somewhat dirty mirror. I might feel something, but not exactly the same as I observe. Sometimes it's more generalized. For instance, looking at a plastic replica of a human with the muscles exposed causes a certain level of discomfort, though not (I would imagine) the same as if I had actually had my own skin removed. I do feel like the emotions of others can affect me, rather like a drop of dye in a glass of water. Sometimes it can be energizing but other times I feel a need to escape and be by myself.

I prefer to engage with people one on one or in small groups because it's much easier to keep track of their emotions whereas a larger group is overwhelming and the added layer of social context is much more difficult to navigate. This is probably one of the reasons why I have reclusive tendencies.

I just found out this Summer that feeling the pain of others wasn't "normal." I thought everyone did!! ! I have a hard time watching violent movies because it literally hurts. Lol. But I'm really good at massage because I feel the back rub while I'm giving it

I'm sometimes able to detatch from it so that's good!! But like, in High School, when we dissected a frog, I literally felt like I was being cut; not like, in the same way but it's an uncomfortable feeling, especially over the ribcage. I'm able to empathize easily with people though that's not always good for me.

Anyways, I'm still not convinced that everyone can't feel the pain of others... Otherwise, how do you empathize and why do you flinch when someone breaks something??