I Feel Your Pain . . .

Physical Empathy is the term for an ability that I possess. I absorb the pain of those emotionally close to me, and sometimes the pain of those who are particularly open spiritually. If you fall into one of these categories, I will know if you have a headache because my head will start to throb.
I also possess Emotional Empathy abilities, but the emotions need to be strong. Like when everyone in my office is stressed out, I will absorb it all and become even more stressed.
This is why I don't like violent movies - I have actually vomited while watching a gory film.
I also prefer to not be in crowds.
I am currently living with my parents. My mother has a bad vertebrate and my father has a slipped rotator cuff.  Guess who gets frequent back and shoulder pain? Admittedly, I do have some of my own back problems - more accurately, hip problems related to my knees. A big problem that I have is separating what pain is mine and what pain belongs to other people. Then, once I sort it out, I don't know how to let go of what isn't mine.
It is helpful to feel another persons aches if I am doing hands-on healing, but I otherwise don't want to feel their stomach cramps. Getting rid of emotional pain that doesn't belong to me is even worse.
It's not something I want to block out. I just want to know what is mine and how to let go of what isn't. I want to be an active Empath, not a passive Empath.

Empathetic Haiku  

Eyes tell a story,

though your heart speaks louder still.

I will always hear.