Star Trek got it wrong?  

Actually Star Trek was correct, because I've seen a similar episode on the series "Charmed". There apparently (or at least in stories) are such people known as empaths who can sense other's emotions.

To understand someone else's feelings I tend to put myself in their shoes, imagine myself going through a similar situation. The problem is I view it as ME going through that situation. Which means I can't get excited for a pregnant woman, because that is not something that would excite me. I can't feel sympathy for a woman who is trying to get pregnant and can't.

I understand what you feel because I have felt that way myself, but my reaction is get over it and deal with the problem, what ever it is. This is the way I deal with myself and I guess I expect others to do this. I know that may not be very realistic, but you can't cry over the burned house if you're in the path of the flames. If you do you won't last very long. I will morn a loss as much as anyone else maybe even more but only after the necessary things have been done.

I can actually feel what they are feeling, or maybe more discriptively put myself so completely in their place that I can feel what they are feeling. Sometimes I will physically hurt for someone that I know is hurting/having a bad time/depressed, etc. I've always referred to myself as very empathic. ;shrug;

I remember that episode of Star Trek, and I was (novice to science fiction that I was then) mentally (since I couldn't do it aloud) screaming at the TV that they had it wrong.

She MIGHT'VE been a healer, but she wasn't an EMPATH!

Boy, talk about messing up badly enough that someone who barely knew any science fiction as I did at the time could spot the error!

Speaking as a Yogi, who studies Meditation, its my view that one should never try to feel the emotions of other people. If this became a habit, it could tear the psyche apart. Its OK as a friend to empathize, and by staying back from the impact of the emotion you will be better able to be a friend and counsel.

empathy: the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner

Empathy is the understanding of feelings and thoughts as you posted above. Beinng an empath is understanding them to the point of actually feeling others emotions as your own, so the Star Trek episode is correct as is the one of Charmed which someone posted about.

I am an empath. I can literally feel the emotions of the people around me. I cannot be at places like funerals because the pain and sorrow is so powerful that it overwhelms me. It makes it easy to understand how other people are feeling, but hard to express my own emotions because I cannot put them into words.

I don't think you actually have to actually share every bit of the other persons emotional journey to understand their feelings. Empaths are just very sensitive, more than the usual empathic person would be. This sensitivity is so deep and profound that unless disciplined it can be very invasive and hurtful to the empath. And, no, I don't think Star Trek had the wrong idea at all.

This is a hard question to answer because I think that I do both. I feel pain or whatever emotion another person is feeling and this is worse for me if I have personally experienced what the othe person is going through. for example if a friend/relative has lost a spouse through death then I have experienced death of my husband and it is so much worse for me. It ios like I am experieincing it all over agai - yet becuase of my experience I am better able to help this person. I guess that I have both empathy and sympathy in my make up. I am very emotional.

Dawn-

I never truly thought that Star Trek had it wrong where Diana Troy was concerned. In fact, I thought she was quite well suited. Though, I think that when we use the terms in conversation there is the clinical definition and the more paranormal definition where empaths are concerned.

In the clinical definition I think you have the right answers. Sympathy is what I show you, empathy is when I can put myself in your place.

In Star Trek, I think they take the latter a step further into the verge of paranormal and that she's able to tell you what emotion the person is feeling. In a lot of paranormal fields, there are those that are very asstute in picking up on these emotions, and are sensitive to them and what people are thinking, etc. I've never been around a psychic such as that yet, but I'm sure they do exist. This is where I think Star Trek was going.

Now, in terms of myself, I love reading people. I tend to try to make sure I'm using intellect to deal with various people, but I do rely a great deal on their body language and their emotions (obvious and hidden) to get a good reading on them. If I'm doing an aura reading, etc I always have permission to do so before I start. I would never read the tarot, aura, or what not without permission. That just violates my ethics.

Namaste-Anora

I have the ability to both empathize and sympathize with people. As a matter of fact, I am so moved by what they are going through that I can cry with them and for them. I am an intellectual though and I will try to reason with the person to see if I get them to see the situation in a different light so that they feel better.