The Empowered Empath: A Simple Guide on Setting Boundaries, Controlling Your Emotions, and Making Life Easier by Judy Dyer

The Empowered Empath: A Simple Guide on Setting Boundaries, Controlling Your Emotions, and Making Life Easier Reviews

• 
  Amelia

  Basic
  
  This reads likes high schooler wrote an opinion piece. There’s some useful info, but nothing new. There doesn’t see to be much real research. There are so many assumptions, generalizations & false definitive statements. Some stuff is even dangerous at worst & silly at best, like you don’t tell an introvert to push themselves to be an extrovert. It’s literally stated that introverts are happier with less & then proceeds with advice on how to become an extrovert. Also a lot of the characteristics of being an empath are mental illness or even chronic illness symptoms. That’s dangerous. A person with say social anxiety or lupus can read this & think they’re just empaths & not receive the medical help they need. That’s irresponsible.
• 
  Syvehlla

  3.5 Decent read
  
  I rate this book a 3.5. (And yes, it pains me to put 3 stars.) Yes it did have relevant information, but it was basic, better yet, simple. I feel I was not the target audience as I already know a bit about empaths, because I am one. This is probably more of a quick introduction on empaths for those unfamiliar with the term or our kind. I would recommend for people who desire basic knowledge and understanding. However, I don't feel any more or less empowered after finishing The Empowered Empath.
• 
  Emily Heimerman

  I didn’t like it. There was a lot of filler discussion, "self-help" lingo (which I hate lol), and most of it was just trivial... BUT there were a couple of things I took away, which is why it gets two stars.
  
  I will mention that the part about empathic “fixing” and why emotionally needy people are drawn to empaths was insightful. I was intrigued by the discussion of why non-empaths find the suggestion of a logical solution as “being critical” or “an attack” on them. It’s the empath’s logical solution to help their loved ones while also saving their own emotional energy in the process. Not everyone understands that, and that’s something the empath needs to deal with.
  
  Best advice from this book:
  1. Setting boundaries is a healthy form of conflict. Have those conversations. If people don’t like what you have to say or if they don’t respect your boundaries, it’s ok to let it (and them) go.
  2. Taking breaks from people = healthy and ok
  3. Perfection is impossible
  4. Don’t waste your breath convincing people to see things your way.
  5. Know yourself, watch out for people and set your expectations low
  
  The rest isn’t great, to be honest. I was disappointed.
• 
  Vanessa Udy

  Most of the advice is more high level than I would have liked, although there was some useful advice about meditation and acceptance. Some of the advice, like the use of healing crystals, is a little woo woo. I was very concerned by a statement in the book that implied that drugs are not desirable. Some health/mental health conditions require treatment with drugs. Drugs are not cure-alls, but they can be a part of an overall strategy coupled with therapy, lifestyle changes, etc. to help a person lead a safe, healthy and good life. Some conditions can be dangerous if left untreated. And some drugs are dangerous to stop cold turkey. To say that drugs are not needed or desirable stigmatizes drugs for folks who do need them and can lead to dangerous results.
• 
  Jaclyn

  Yeah, no, not for me. DNF page 56.
  
  This book is set up as kinda like a Survival Guide for empaths to navigate the world. I picked it up when I was trying to figure out how to set better emotional boundaries for myself. The book does have a chapter on that, but mostly, the author's approach just was not working for me.
  
  There's so much generalizations about what empaths experience, and stated so confidently like the advice applies to all empaths. (I'm admittedly no expert, but some of the assertions in the book made me wonder if I'm not actually an empath like I thought. That's still a possibility, but I figure it's also more likely that empathy is like a spectrum, and this book seems targeted to a particular set of empath experiences.)
  
  I wasn't keen on the author's approach of just saying "empaths experience XYZ, and ABC is the solution" without giving any research or even personal or anecdotal examples to back up her claims. Perhaps this approach would work for some readers, and likely, if the stuff she says applies to you, then you may nod with recognition rather than want to dig deeper. But it's not a writing style that works for me. I want to learn about the spectrum of experiences, and see what options have worked for others rather than have just a prescriptive listing of what I should do.
  
  The author also seems leery of psychotherapy and medical interventions, and fair, we all make our choices, and I'm sure the naturopathic approach works for some folks. But the writing leaves no room for nuance. Rather than presenting options and letting the reader make their choice, the author just says empathy is pathologized and empaths given medicines that don't work. Which isn't always the case.
  
  This book may resonate with others, but it just wasn't for me. 1.5 stars rounded down because I think dismissing therapy in such a wholesale fashion just adds to the stigma for folks who do choose to seek mental health care.
• 
  M Mami G

  Interesting read
  
  This book is an eye opener! Those who people please should read this book. It has very helpful information on empathy and their abilities.
• 
  Lisa Cromwell

  Awakening
  
  I have struggled my entire life with a lot of the issues listed in this book. I used to think the word ‘empath’ was just that, a word. Kind of like ‘sympathy’. But it goes so much deeper than that. Thank you for this book. It is the first time I have read about being an empath and it opened my eyes! I have so many notes and cannot wait to get started on being more centered with boundaries. I also cannot wait to teach myself how to be more self aware...which I first read that I was not self aware in a birthday book for my actual day of birth. So now it has been confirmed twice to me and I am more aware now what it means.
• 
  Erica Char

  I wasn’t expecting to hate this. I was expecting to find some solid tips and tricks beyond what is kind of basic knowledge.
  
  The very troubling chapter 3 headline of ‘the doctor can’t help you’ was too much. Yes, the author does say if you suffer from a handful of what she accepts as problems, then go to a dr.
  
  My favourite part? When the author explained she didn’t have the space to explain something. The book is 100 pages and includes pictures on some pages.
  
  Definitely not worth spending a cent on.
• 
  Jamie Casey

  I’ve read Empath, A complete guide to developing your gift and finding your sense of self and then looked up this book and bought it. I think it’s a great reference book for an empath. I liked some of her tips as well as things to do and things to steer clear of. I’ll be putting this in my regular rotation of books just to keep reminding myself of how to declutter I guess I could call it.
  
  Not a real long book. Great for reference. Highly recommend. Especially if you are an empath, aren’t sure you are, and if you think your child is one.
  
• 
  Andrea

  I got a lot of good information from this book. I'm an empath--who knew?--not me. That is, not until recently. I pick up information with my hands, when I work as a massage therapist. What many of you guys feel is not what I feel--I know my emotions are my own. But, I need to ground, have solitude, leave discordant situations, etc. and I have long had boundary issues with the narcissists that populate my life. This book may be a basic book, but I found it a time when I most need the information.
• 
  Lindsey

  Very informative. I did a quick read through and plan to go back and write down the suggestions that will work best for me (i.e., yoga, grounding, aromatherapy, etc). I definitely plan to implement and practice the recommendations in this book to relieve some of the weight and exhaustion I've been carrying lately, especially since my mom passed. If you're for sure an empath, I would definitely suggest this book as a starter's guide and quick reference guide to managing and self-care.
• 
  Josephine Brown

  Great for my first empath read
  
  I enjoyed reading this because it made me realize everything I didn’t realize about myself. I thought I was going crazy by being able to fully feel the thoughts of others and this book reassured me that I’m not in it alone. I thoroughly enjoyed the breakdowns of how to possibly fix each issue and giving relatable real life examples.
• 
  Monica Cannady

  Love this book!!
  
  This book helped me understand myself more as an empath. A lot of information about how to protect yourself and your energy, what to consume, jobs that are suitable for empaths and so much more. I will be purchasing more books and most definitely reading this one again! Thanks Judy! I loved this book so much!
• 
  Melissa

  I enjoyed this book and found some chapters more useful than others. I think it can be useful to use during supervision with some of the interns that come to our practice & with others in the psychology field.
• 
  Taylor Green

  Simple, easy read. A great guide to how energies play a huge role in our lives. This is not only a great guide for people who identify as “sensitive spirits” but all people who may have an empath In their lives. It will help you identify if you may be one.
• 
  Jessica Rister

  Awesome Book
  
  This book was a great guide to how to be an empowered empath. My child and I are both empaths. The tips provided in this book will help us live a beautiful fulfilling life.
• 
  Renee

  Great tool for empaths
  
  This book provides step-by-step instructions on recognising your gift and power, as well as how to protect yourself from energy vampires. It’s ok to say no and to eliminate toxic people and places from your life.
  
  It’s a bit short, but very helpful.
• 
  Keith

  Great read. To the point without lots of long-winded reasonings. Provides lots of valuable strategies you can implement right now to improve life as an empath. Too bad I didn't read this about 30 years ago.