20 Books For Empaths in 2022 [Also For Introverts and Sensitive People]

Empathy is the ability to percept and understand the feelings of other people. If you are highly tuned to the energy of the universe and you can sense the emotions, thoughts and feelings of other people – you might be an empath.

Often used as a spiritual term, it is getting recognized by mental health experts as a scientific trait for those who can perceive high emotional intelligence and are keenly intuitive. It is the unique ability to mentally put yourself in others’ shoes – to understand their pain points, their emotional needs and sometimes it transcends reactions to physical stimuli as well.

If you relate to the above-mentioned characteristics, you might be an empath. To understand more about this special ability and how to cope with the world if you identify as an empath – here is a selection of books that can help you. The books list also match the likings of introverts and sensitive people – so you’re on a treat too.

20 Best Books For Empaths in 2022

If you identify as an empath, introvert or sensitive, the books mentioned below could help you get in touch with your real self. In addition to that, it can help you understand this ability and face the world when it feels overwhelming in the shoes of someone prone to sensing the pain of other people. The following list of books are highly enjoyed by empaths around the world and are rated according to their popularity.

1. The Empath’s Survival Guide

If you have recently discovered your empath abilities, then this book will be a good start to understand the building blocks of empathy and also gradually take a deep dive in it.

The Author herself is an empath and a physician, and she is one of the most popular voices on this topic out there. With a doctor’s perspective, she has formulated a practical approach for people who are exposed to the energy, pain and emotions of others without an in-built defense mechanism.

The book also helps empaths and highly sensitive people embrace their gift of compassion, intuition and creativity while touching upon sensitive topics like addiction and overeating.

2. Empath: A Total Guide for Growing your Gift and Discovering your Sense of Self

This book is directed for those individuals who constantly feel the weight of the world on their shoulders. The author tries to normalize and bring out the positives in the power of empathy – by saying that it is a great blessing and a power to be born an empath.

Judith Dyer approaches empathy in a nurturing and caring way – and helps you to open doors to more possibilities with the enhanced emotional potential as an empath. 

One of the most interesting things she introduces in the book is the Hawaiian mantra of Ho’oponopono – a sacred practice of forgiveness and reconciliation.

In addition to normalization and embracing your gifts fully, she also helps you understand your potential, coping with hypersensitivity, utilizing spirituality for self-improvement and protecting yourself from draining your energy while warding off negativity.

3. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

One of the most important aspects of being an empath is being sensitive. And being sensitive means that you are prone to shyness and seriousness in matters important to you – which makes you an introvert.

Susan Cain’s bestseller views empaths through the lens of their introversion, and examines how important they are in the social fabric of 21^st century.

She argues that while most introverts are gifted with the power of empathy – the society still does misunderstand and undervalue them.

She empowers and facilitates introverts in her book to come out of their shell and take control of their abilities, while passionately arguing their case through solid research and true anecdotes.

4. Awakened Empath

This book is dedicated to those who are deemed too sensitive for this society – people who easily feel the ecstatic joy and chronic depression of others within themselves. Because of this overwhelming ability, they often fail to set healthy boundaries and welcome toxic people into their lives.

If you identify as a lost and confused soul because of your empathetic nature, this book will help you identify and banish the negative energies surrounding you and help you find inner peace.

It provides a well-organized approach to help you achieve mental, physical, emotional and spiritual balance while helping you accept both the positive and dark sides of empathy. In addition to this, it gives you four different perspectives of understanding an empath – from mystical to psychological.

5. Dodging Energy Vampires

Because of the “inner light” carried by empaths and highly sensitive persons, they are a favorite prey of energy “vampires” who feed off of their deep, compassionate energy.

In this book, the author has used research, true events and stories from the global community to identify these vampires. If you are an empath, she has provided strategies to figure out how to overcome their tactics and take control of your own energy.

After dedicating a lifetime to women’s health and wellness, the author has noticed that in many cases inexplicable health issues are related to an energy vampire in a patient’s life. In her book, she has detailed the dynamics of an empath-vampire relationship, and healing from the dysfunctional shadow an energy vampire can cast in your life.

6. Whose Stuff Is This?

This is for those who identify as an empath, and constantly feel that they are angry, sick or depressed most of the time.

The book hypothesizes that this happens mostly because people around them – family, friends or co-workers – constantly absorb the energy leading them to feel lifeless.

With more than two dozen proven methods to cleanse the negativity, this book features the true story of how the author protected herself spiritually from getting her own energy siphoned.

7. The Highly Sensitive Person

If you are one of those who stutter or shake while in observation even though you are perfectly capable; or find yourself quickly overwhelmed by crowds and loud noises at a party, this book could be for you.

It focuses on the core problems of a highly sensitive person – they mostly suffer from low self-esteem. Being keenly imaginative and creative, they are often labelled neurotic, which can lead them to recede from the outer world.

This book guides you to live a happy and fulfilling life as an empath – and encourages you to reframe past events. It is highly recommended to parents raising a highly sensitive kid.

8. Trust Your Vibes

Touted as the book which is an eye-opener to the psychic way of perception, it has inspired a lot of empaths to understand the psychic side of their ability.

Spiritual teacher and psychic Sonia Choquette helps people understand the sixth sense associated with their empathetic powers – and activate their own channel of intuition.

This book guides empaths on how to use this power to bring confidence, courage and peace of mind, while bringing an inner sense of security in your abilities.

9. Esoteric Empathy

Compared to psychics who interpret mental impressions, empaths absorb and receive emotional impressions. While it can be a profound experience if the empath is in control of their abilities, it can also create a painful and draining experience if left uncontrolled and exposed to the insensitive world.

This book provides many ways to encourage awareness and practice of this gift by meditation, exercises, rituals and metaphysical customs. It also seeks to provide the knowledge of ins and outs of empathetic abilities.

Raven guides the reader through the psychic side of empathy, as well as the practices of using crystals, herbs, tools and plants to help transform energy.

10. The Empath Experience

If you have noticed that the people close to you tend to unload their problem on you, or standing in a public place gives you the creeps – this book is for you.

For individuals who are just awakening to their true empath selves, author Sydney Campos formulates life lessons from her own experience to guide lost souls.

Empaths end up being used as emotional sponges by people closest to them, and this makes them feel overwhelmed. The author provides tips and techniques for an empath to embrace their energy and protect themselves in their daily lives – so that they can shine bright in their glow even when someone close is feeling down.

11. Empathy

In this book, the author states that empathy is one of the pillars of humanity. As a philosopher he looks at the social fabric of human civilization and shares his realization of our connectedness as a whole.

He also says that empathy is imperative to all social sectors, and our leaders need to harness it as well.

He sets on an adventure where he interviews activists, journalists, designers, actors, neuroscientists and others to set the six life-enhancing empathic habits which enhance human connection in extraordinary ways.

12. Emotional Intelligence

From the studies of neuroscience and psychology, the author has inferred that having a high Intelligence Quotient is no guarantee of success. His study sheds light on our two minds – the emotional and rational – and how both of them together form the path we walk on.

Empathy, self-awareness and self-discipline are proven to provide success to an individual with moderate IQ, as compared to an individual with a high IQ.

Goleman’s study shows us how our emotions and empathy form a huge part of our decisions, and how we can nurture this ability to lead fulfilling lives.

13. Empath Empowerment

The first book in the Empath Empowerment series by Rose Rosetree, America’s most popular empath coach – infers that at least one in every twenty people is born an empath.

It identifies the clear dangers of being an empath – being a person who can effectively absorb energy with their highly porous aura, their answers to “Who am I?” can change drastically.

The book is packaged well with illustrations that point to a certain problem which only unskilled empaths have – and has provided the keys and exercises to overcome it.

14. The Empowered Empath

If being an empath has become more of a curse than a blessing, and if you find yourself becoming lethargic and unenthusiastic – this book is for you.

Carrying the world’s pain along with yours can be overwhelming to the best of us, and the author provides a systematic approach to cope with this problem.

It contains many step-by-step methods to help empaths counter the negativity that comes their way, while empowering them to achieve heights in leadership and creativity with their empathic ability.

It can train an unskilled empath to accept their gifts and guide them through turmoil and confusion to become comfortable in their own skin.

15. The Empath’s Workbook

The author has weaved in practical identification strategies for empaths and has offered empowering techniques to help you assert control over yourself.

The book comes with tools and techniques that help an empath to counter real-life challenges in your relationships, explore self-care and enhance the empathic ability.

It helps the readers discern whether they are empaths or highly sensitive peoples – blessed with intuitive abilities a notch higher than empaths. It helps nurture and strengthen your unique empathic gifts along with helping you on the journey of self-discovery.

16. Energy Strands

This book lays down its premise through the native shamanic concept that there are energy strands and cords which connect us to the fabric of the universe. They constantly flow through us, some of them make us feel vibrant and alive, others make us feel drained and in despair.

Denise Linn helps you identify the good strands that connect you to your close ones and lets you live a happy, fulfilled life – and encourages you to strengthen them. She also helps identify the cords that bind you and teaches how to release them.

The book also explores the connection between meditation, visualization, chakras, breath, healing, crystals and more tools with the idea of being an empath.

17. Sensitive is the New Strong

The bestselling author of Dying To be Me comes with this riveting self-help guide for empaths to realize their true gift and utilize it to survive in today’s harsh and fear-based world.

Filled with personal anecdotes, self-affirming mantras and insights from other empaths, this book helps empaths to create their unique space by navigating emotional overburdening and using it as a powerful tool.

Demonstrating the power of sensitivity, this book focuses on how the ability to lead life as an empath is not a liability – rather a superpower in this opportunist world.

18. Help! I’m Sensitive: 50 Tools for the Sensitive to Help You Survive & Thrive

The book identifies and realizes the problems of empaths in everyday situations. If you ever felt that walking away from a sad friend was weighing heavy on your mental energy – this book is for you.

The idea is that empaths are not given any special course or understanding of their ability which helps them deal with the world in their own unique way. This book provides fifty tools to practice being a healthy empath – inside and outside.

This book is organized by problem, with specific tools to deal with that problem and interesting stories which help you understand which tool to use in which situation.

19. Dancers Between Realms-Empath Energy, Beyond Empathy

Empaths are described in this book as receptive beings who are caring and compassionate with an ability to receive and absorb energy beyond our understanding.

They also receive information and awareness, and are associated with healing, understanding and pain. This unique receptibility and permeability comes with its own unique challenges.

Thus, this book heightens self-inquiry as the biggest tool in understanding the empath’s true nature. Edited with multiple point-of-views from many participants of the author’s workshop, this book was one the first ones to understand what it truly meant to be an empath.

20. Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself from Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life

The very nature of empaths enables them to get stressed out or anxious at any slightly tense situation.

If you find yourself losing control over being stuck in a jam or feeling anxious when a supervisor is less than impressed at your work – this book might be for you.

Amalgamating neuroscience, intuitive medicine, subtle energy techniques and psychology, Dr Orloff maps the relationship between our mind, body and environment. Through this book, she takes us on a positive journey which can help you gain advantage over the negativity that surrounds your life as an empath.

Conclusion

Oftentimes being an empath attracts more trauma and trouble in our lives than light, love or compassion. These books are designed to help empaths and sensitive people appreciate the gift and control it to shine bright in a world that desperately needs their assistance.