Parapsychology and Christianity

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seeker33

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Is there a Christian way to explain being an Empath and feeling energies? I have an ability to sense people’s character and some traumas or life experiences they’ve had. I can sense if they are “safe” or not regardless of their behavior and clothes they wear.
I’ve also experienced some weird synchronities and visions (non-Christian) since childhood.
Is there a possibility it comes from God or does Catholic church teach its all from Satan?
I’m very confused. I’ve had this since I was a child, I grew up in a very secular and atheistic family. I tried New Age in my late teens which didn’t end up well, however I still have this gift which I naturally have and don’t know what to think about it.

Edit: I must add that many times these were things I couldn’t know “naturally”. There were things I felt about people and their past (type of abuse in childhood) by just looking at their photos online and never speaking to them before. I also felt someone’s hidden and not noticeable disease just by seeing them for the first time in my life in the bus…
I don’t think I’m special or “important” at all, frankly such accusations are quite mean.
All I’m asking is wether catholic theology deals with parapsychological phenomena. I’m simply looking for sources. Once again I’m NOT in the new age community and I don’t do absolutely anything to develop this ability. It’s what happens to me naturally and without any effort or will. I’m just trying to understand.
 
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There are many reasons for this, and when discerning gifts, it’s best to start with the most simple explainations.

Some people are very astute at reading others and sensitive to other people’s feelings and absorb them. People like this pick up cues and things others do not notice and can be pretty accurate with determining motivation, emotional states and future outcomes.

This however is based on patterns experienced in the past. It is subconcious, and the person perhaps is not aware of it. It is rare but it is also not mystical.

There are gifts from the Holy Spirit too. In order to discern this though, I agree with (name removed by moderator), to get counsel from a priest or spiritual director and perhaps a psychologist if you are not familar with this personality typology. I think feedback from each will help you discern what is going on especially if visions are included in this.

God Bless you.🌸
 
There was a brief time in my life - where I could see halos on certain people.
About a year or two.
I never made much of it.
I even had some moments of ‘fore-sight’ …

But to enter into the carnival New Age world garbage - that’s plain silliness -
and that’s - close to dabbling - with the occult.
I wouldn’t even say 'it’s a gift ’ -
Keep yourself - unimportant - is my advice.
Keep it to yourself.
 
seeker33 said:
Is there a Christian way to explain being an Empath and feeling energies? I have an ability to sense people’s character and some traumas or life experiences they’ve had. I can sense if they are “safe” or not regardless of their behavior and clothes they wear.
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Well, all people without an empathy disability sense the emotion in other people. In addition, life experience tells us whether a person is “safe”, intuition is trained. You have observed that you are better at this than others? It is definitely believable, some people will be much more accurate than others.
seeker33 said:
Is there a possibility it comes from God or does Catholic church teach its all from Satan?
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Saying that some power comes from satan is dualism. What you have is a skill, enhanced by a gift. All we are comes from God.
 
Yes I’m working on this with my counselor. We’re trying to work on my serious issues with spirituality. I’m trying to find the right spirituality for myself… Trying to see if Catholic theology has any explanation for this. My therapist says part of my experience is caused by life experience and trauma but she also says a part of my experience/ability/gift can’t be explained from psychological perspective.

I must repeat once again I don’t think I’m “important” and I want to keep this to myself. I’m not asking this because I crave attention. I’ve always kept everything secret. There’s enough other reasons why I might be considered weird and not normal. I definitely am not doing this to make myself look even more weird and not normal. This is a genuine question. Thank you for understanding.
 
I have studied this category of abilities for some time. Scientists either don’t want to investigate or appear to not believe it. As far as Catholic theology, it can be said that all we have comes from God. As far as an explanation, I am not aware of any official explanation.
 
Some of what you’re saying sounds like discernment of spirits or prophecy, which are both charisms of the Holy Spirit. But I could not say that you have them with certainty. It depends if these gifts bring you or others closer to God. And if you’ve been baptized.
 
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Thank you for your answer! Yes I was baptized at the age of 4 despite my parents being agnostic (a long story). I was confirmed into the Catholic church at the age of 25 from my own will. I’m not a fully practising Catholic at the moment.
 
Thank you so much for your kind reply. There is a personality type that is highly intuitive. This is what I was thinking of.
Petsonality type is not related to trauma, but innate, which comes from God.

I would take your counselors medical advice and also visit with your priest. God has blessed you and is calling you to deepen your relationship with him.🦋

You are in my prayers as you journey to learn more about these experiences.
 
Prayers and good advice are exactly what I need at the moment. Thank you so much Katie. 😇
 
So you think I’m possessed by Satan? I’m very afraid of that! I don’t go to church because I suffer from severe panic attacks and every time I go to church I feel I’m going to faint or die. My family hate when I go to church and accuse me of being a medieval crusader (true story).
It’s difficult to read this forum when it seems there’s more judgement than help and support.
I don’t expect people to agree with me and not have different opinions but I have enough guilt and fear in myself without being scolded by others.
Bye everyone
 
Did you know that some spiritual directors charge a fee?

I never knew that until I was searching out some information. The ones I found are affiliated with the Catholic Church. They charge between $45 and $65 an hour.
 
Sorry woolycaterpillar I don’t know how to quote a post on mobile.
Yes I tried searching spiritual counselors and found out the fee. I can’t afford that as I already have to pay a psychologist.
I have trouble meeting a local priest in person as I suffer from social anxiety and panic. I actually reached out to a local priest here at the beginning of my crisis however he didn’t understand at all. I was in the middle of PTSD symptoms at the time and he wasn’t familiar with that issue at all and I wasn’t either. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. We only have one church in my town and I can’t drive a car for medical reasons.
 
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That is too bad. I knew spiritual directors worked in monastic settings, usually with nuns and priests. I don’t know how ordinary laypeople can afford these fees, especially if they must go every week or so. The ole budget would surely sqeek.

Perhaps you could ask Catholic Charities about some kind of spiritual direction.

We are very fortunate in the parish where I reside. They have a friend-to-friend ministry which sends trained people to the home. The parish is now getting ready to launch the Stephan Ministry, which is great for those who need someone to talk to. These people have to have 50 hours of training to start working in the program. Would anyone at your church know where this could take place?

Your priest doesn’t seem very empathetic. Some are, and some aren’t. Not everyone can deal with the things you need help with.
 
The thing is I don’t know anyone in the local church. I knew people at church where I was confirmed, which was in another country. When I returned home immediately after my confirmation things got very bad both in real life and concerning my faith. I developed religious OCD and prayed obsessively until it basically made me crazy. I literally almost lost my mind praying and thinking about God so much. I had to stop it all otherwise I was genuinely afraid I’d end up in a mental hospital.
Now I’m confused, don’t know what I believe (I’m not sure if I want to be a catholic, maybe my confirmation a few years ago was just a “phase” of a lonely and depressed uni student with no other interests than spirituality?). I’m also afraid of becoming OCD again. So I really don’t know what to do now… If I even want to be a Christian.

The reason I asked about my gift of empathy was that with my therapist we spoke about my natural spirituality, about what seems intuitive to me my original and natural spiritual life which I had as a child. I remember having this ability and even seeing light around people at the age of about 4.no one in my family did things like that, I was born in a post socialist country where new age philosophy was extremely rare and kept secret at the time. There was no chance of me hearing adults talking about auras. So all I am asking by this question is if in Catholic philosophy there’s an explanation of my experience. That’s all.
I don’t think I’m special, I don’t want to get any special attention. Just wondering what this is.
 
There are no scientific studies of auras I’m aware of. Occult and New Age beliefs should not be trusted. Pray that God sends you an answer.
 
I think I’m like that too. I don’t my current psychologist endorses that. She favors reason over assumptions. I can always tell when someone is lying to me face to face. I think I can read people’s motivations also
 
This can be called hyper-vigilance, a learned skill which some people acquire without formal training.
 
seeker33 said:
Is there a Christian way to explain being an Empath and feeling energies? I have an ability to sense people’s character and some traumas or life experiences they’ve had. I can sense if they are “safe” or not regardless of their behavior and clothes they wear.
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These are charismatic gifts that are described in I. Cor. 12.
seeker33 said:
I’ve also experienced some weird synchronities and visions (non-Christian) since childhood.
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By what criteria do you establish that they are “non-Christian”?
seeker33 said:
Is there a possibility it comes from God or does Catholic church teach its all from Satan?
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The Church teaches that visions, dreams, the gift of knowledge (supernatural knowing) and the gifts of wisdom are all given by the Holy Spirit to be used in the service of the Church.
seeker33 said:
All I’m asking is wether catholic theology deals with parapsychological phenomena.
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Catholicism deals with spiritual gifts. Some people call these parapsychological phenomena but that is a secular view.

A person who experiences spiritual phenomena without spiritual protection is at risk of demonic influence.
seeker33 said:
I was baptized at the age of 4 despite my parents being agnostic (a long story). I was confirmed into the Catholic church at the age of 25 from my own will. I’m not a fully practising Catholic at the moment.
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It sounds like a perfect time in your life to correct this! 😀
thistle said:
You are a baptised and confirmed Catholic but not fully practising. Why would you think God would give you a gift when you are not in a state of grace?
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Romans 11:29 For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.

All those sealed by the Spirit in Baptism receive His gifts. Some choose leave them unwrapped and never discover what they are. Some do not learn to use them according to His plan, but they are not "revoked’.
 
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