Clairsentient: Definition, Signs, and Advice to Develop Your Psychic Powers

• Clairsentience means “clear feeling.” Clairsentient people can feel the emotions of other people, places, and objects.
• Clairsentient people are different from empaths. Clairsentients can psychically sense why a person is upset, in addition to feeling their pain.
• Signs you might be clairsentient include the ability to tell when people are upset, feeling overwhelmed in crowds, and receiving psychic messages in your dreams.

What is clairsentience?

Clairsentience is the ability to feel other people’s emotions and intuitively know their causes. “Clair” means “clear” in French, and “sentience” is the ability to feel things. Put together, clairsentience means “clear feeling.” If you are clairsentient, you have the ability to tune into the emotions of other people, and you can even pick up on the energies of animals, places, and objects. There are 3 other common “clairs” corresponding to psychic abilities: Clairvoyance (seeing images), clairaudience (hearing messages), and claircognizance (psychically knowing information).

Is clairsentience different from empathy?

Clairsentience and empathy are similar, but they aren’t exactly the same. An empath can feel the emotions of other people, but a clairsentient person takes this one step further. If you're clairsentient, you'll feel the emotions of another person, but you'll also psychically sense what is causing those emotions, even if they haven't revealed this information. You'll also intuitively know exactly what to say or how to help. Additionally, clairsentient people can sense the emotional energies of objects and physical locations, which empaths can’t do. Clairsentient people are usually empaths, but empaths aren’t always clairsentient.

Signs You're Clairsentient

You can tell when someone’s upset. If you’re clairsentient, you naturally sense the emotions of others. You’re able to tell when someone’s feeling sad, hurt, or stressed, even when they haven’t said anything about it. Because clairsentience is a psychic ability, you'll also have an intuitive sense of what happened to make this person upset. If you can tell when someone’s had a bad day as soon as they walk into the room, and you have the uncanny ability to sense what caused it, you might be clairsentient.

You can feel the energy of a gathering when you walk in. Have you ever walked into a party and immediately sensed that something was off? If you’re clairsentient, you’re able to feel the emotions of others as if they were your own. This ability can be especially overwhelming in a room full of people because you’ll be picking up on everyone’s emotions at once. You’ll feel the negative emotions of all the partygoers, like tension or stress, even if they aren’t obvious. Luckily, you’ll also be able to sense positive emotions. If you walk into a great party with joyous or celebratory energy, you’ll immediately pick up on that, too.

You can trust your gut about people. Clairsentients have a strong sense of intuition, and they can accurately size up a person’s character right away. If you feel like you can trust your instincts about people, and if your predictions about them usually end up coming true, there’s a good chance you’re clairsentient. Because you sense the feelings of others, you can easily spot dishonesty. When someone tries to manipulate you, you actually feel what they’re feeling, which alerts you to their negative intentions. You also spot genuinely good people easily. You able to feel their positivity and kindness, which makes you a great judge of character.

You can sense when someone has an injury or health problem. In addition to feeling the emotions of others, clairsentients can also feel their physical sensations. For example, when you’re hanging out with a friend, you might get a strange feeling in your back. Then, a few minutes later they might tell you that they recently pulled their back while lifting something. If you’ve sensed someone’s physical injury before they’ve mentioned it, you could be clairsentient.

You can feel the energies of places and objects. Beyond sensing people's emotions, clairsentients also sense feelings from rooms, buildings, and objects. If you pick up a vintage necklace, you might be able to sense the emotions of it's previous owner. Or, if you walk into a room in an old building, you might feel its history. If this resonates, you might be clairsentient.

You get chills, goosebumps, or the jitters for no reason. Unexplained physical sensations are also linked to clairsentience. Because you feel the emotions of the people around you, you might feel the physical symptoms associated with those emotions. For example, if someone in the room is stressed out, you could feel jittery or sweaty for no apparent reason. Or, if someone is afraid or in awe of something, you might have unexplained goosebumps or chills.

You receive psychic messages in your dreams. If you’re clairsentient, dreams can be portals to your enlightened self. You likely receive messages in your dreams that end up being relevant in your waking life. For example, you might dream that someone you know is sad about something. Then, the next time you see them, they might tell you that they're going through a tough time. If this has happened to you before, you might be clairsentient.

You’re super sensitive to movies, music, or books. Do you sob when you watch a sad movie? Or maybe the tears start flowing when you listen to an emotional song, or while you’re reading a moving book. If you get super swept up emotionally in the art you consume, it could be because of your clairsentient ability to feel the emotions of others.

You feel uncomfortable or anxious in crowds. Because clairsentients feel the emotions of others, they can have a very difficult time in busy places. When there are tons of people around, the flood of all of their emotions can be incredibly overwhelming. If you tend to be stressed or uncomfortable in crowded places, your clairsentient abilities could be overwhelming you.

You have a hard time witnessing pain, violence, or harshness. If you’re clairsentient, you can feel others’ pain deeply and intensely. Because of this, witnessing injustice or suffering in the world has a profound effect on you. This goes beyond feeling empathy or compassion. Instead, you feel intense pain and suffering in your own body while you witness the pain of others. If this resonates with you, you’re likely dealing with clairsentience.

How to Develop Clairsentience

Get in tune with your environment through observation. Clairsentients are able to sense the energies of whatever space they’re in. To cultivate this skill, practice observing your surroundings and heightening your awareness of things going on around you. Once observing the obvious things becomes second nature, you might start to pick up on other things, like people’s emotions. Try out mindfulness to practice focusing on the present moment. Mindfulness involves staying aware of your thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surroundings on a moment-by-moment basis.

Try out meditation to get in touch with yourself. This will heighten your awareness, which could awaken your clairsentient abilities. First, find a quiet place to sit or lie down. Focus on what you’re experiencing, feel the flow of your breath, and let any thoughts that come up pass without judgment. Incorporate this practice into your schedule on a regular basis to get in tune with yourself and spark your clairsentience!

Experiment with crystals to spark your psychic abilities. Crystals and gems can help awaken your clairsentience. Amber, rose quartz, and amethyst are especially helpful for enhancing your psychic abilities. Display these crystals throughout your home, or carry them with you in public to make use of their properties!

Explore your 7 chakras to enhance your intuition. In yoga, there are 7 chakras, and each correlates with a specific part of your body. Each also represents a specific ability or type of health. Opening your heart chakra, which bridges the gap between your emotions and your spiritual essence, can help you develop your clairsentient abilities. Practice self-love to open up this important chakra. Start with self-compassion. This involves recognizing when you’re struggling and being kind to yourself in those moments, which can reduce anxious or depressed feelings. Recite positive affirmations, such as “I am loved” or “I am worthy” to show yourself some kindness!

Try out psychometry to practice reading objects. Psychometry, also called object reading, is the process of receiving psychic impressions through touching or holding objects such as rings, photographs, or small trinkets. Psychometry is one of the simplest practices for a psychic to explore, so it’s great for beginners. It’s also a great way to get in tune with inanimate objects and read the emotions they hold, which is a key ability of clairsentients. First wash your hands to clear them of any outside energies. Rub your palms together and slowly pull your hands ¼ of an inch apart. You should feel a warm, thick energy flowing between them. Hold the object you want to read in the palm of your hands. This should be something that's worn or used regularly by someone (a ring, a necklace, car keys, an important photo). Close your eyes and ask these questions: Who owns this object? How does this person feel, how do they act, and what are they thinking? Has the owner of this object passed away, or are they alive? What did the owner experience while they owned the object? You might start to receive information from the object. Stay open and let the emotions, sounds, or images pass through you. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t feel anything at first! Psychometry can take a bit of practice. After some time and repetition, the energy should start flowing!