7 Signs You've Always Been Sensitive to Energy (And What It Means)

"To be in touch with yourself requires great sensitivity to everything that's going on here and now." ~ Deepak Chopra

Many people exploring psychic abilities start by learning about the 'clairs', clairvoyance, clairaudience, and so on. These are the senses through which spiritual information flows. I'll touch on these, but first, I want to keep it simple and talk about the foundation: energy sensitivity itself.

The subtle realm holds information that only sensitive people can perceive. Think of it this way: energy carries information, or another way to look at it, energy is information that moves. It's as simple, and as profound, as that.

Before I dive into the signs to look out for, I would like to define the difference between psychic and mediumship.

Psychic is of the earth—connecting to a soul that is living. We all have psychic ability, and we can develop this over time.

Mediumship is divine—connection to a soul that has passed over. We are all mediums, but not all mediums can read for other people.

In this blog, I'll be talking about energy sensitivity as the awakening to your spiritual gifts.

So, if you recognize yourself in these signs, you're not imagining things you're experiencing the early stages of spiritual unfoldment.

1) The Need to Observe

You may think that this is a strange thing to start with. Don't all people like to step back from situations at some point in their life?

I tend to agree, although highly sensitive people adopt this behavior more regularly because the energy they are experiencing can feel heavy, fearful, or anxious at times.

Experiencing lots of people together, large crowds, loud and oppressive venues, it translates to sensitivity overload.

In my first post, I mentioned being shy and awkward in my early years, and in truth, this also continued throughout my life. I felt easier on my own, with my own thoughts and reflections. I liked to assess and read what I was feeling about someone or something.

Throughout my life I would feel things that smiling faces did not convey, defensiveness, or more often, dislike. But I knew instantly if people liked me or not. I could walk into a room and feel if something bad had happened there. I could feel an argument, a tragedy, joy, or happiness. If you're feeling the same, you are picking up on energy, current or residual energy, but it's there and it's real.

2) Seeing Beyond the Physical World

Have you ever seen spirits, people, or objects that aren't physically present? A person who is not of this physical world, or perhaps an object from the past appearing before you? If you're seeing these images outside of your physical body, not just in your mind's eye, then you're experiencing clairvoyance.

To clarify: I spoke in my first post about waking and seeing a soldier moving towards me. This is clairvoyance, seeing something that appears real but exists beyond the physical realm.

If you're seeing people or images within your mind's eye, this is also clairvoyance, part of a bigger experience. It's information that takes the form of an image because it holds so much detail. We'll explore this more deeply when we talk about mediumship.

I have many students tell me about what they have seen, and I too experienced this in my younger years, the experience of seeing people when I was in bed at night. Although I didn't know who these people were, I knew they were not of this world.

Also, being inside your imagination and visualizing people, places, or situations also taps into the energy flow and, between you and me, is the very essence of manifestation.

3) Experiencing Vivid or Prophetic Dreams

If you are dreaming and it feels more like a scene of a play you're performing in, vivid, deep, and intense, you are experiencing far more than a normal dream.

Dreaming about people or situations before they happen, or feeling that a dream is a warning, holds deep prophetic meaning of potential future outcomes.

Sometimes these dreams can happen when you are just waking up, in a half-sleep state. These dreams are messages. They often feel heavy and very much like you are an observer in a situation. Have you ever felt like your dream stretches into reality, so you wake up crying or screaming or moving physically in some way?

I remember a dream I had where I was the observer, watching symbolism in motion, with a knowing sense of who it was for and what the outcomes would be. What I saw and predicted came true, even down to the job and salary that was offered. Often we dismiss dreams as meaningless imagination.

4) Hearing Sounds, Voices Externally or Internally

We all have internal conversations (or is that just me!), and the continual chatter and inner critic are the brain's natural narrator in life. But have you ever heard a voice externally that has made you stop, look around to see where it's come from, and found yourself alone?

Better still, have you heard a voice internally, something that has caught your attention? It sounds different to what you are already aware of. Often we can hear our name, or perhaps we hear a sound like a bang or knock, or distant conversations.

In my earlier years, I used to always hear a bang before I would see the visual representations of the spirit world. I would feel it as well as hear it, like a shift in energy before the visions would come.

What about music? Do you wake up with songs in your head, not the usual mix you listen to on a daily basis, but songs that seem completely out of context to what you are doing now? Music from the past, generational music. There is far more depth to unfold in this area.

5) Heightened Emotions and Sensitivity

Do you think of yourself as an empath, someone who feels others' emotions and feels compelled to carry or fix them? Do you have heightened sensitivity to the extreme?

Empathy, or empathic knowing, can be one of the first signs of not only emotional intelligence but openness and sensitivity to energy.

The bottom line is that you know what is happening around you on a much deeper level than the masses. You not only understand the feelings of others, but you can also pick up those feelings and identify them as your own, an area to work on, especially if you feel overwhelmed.

'I can read your mind' is a very close analogy of the empath's experience. Often, the feelings, anxieties, and fears of others can be hard to differentiate from the person you are connected with and your own emotional landscape.

I see you, I know you, I feel you, even before you've experienced it for yourself. For an empath, this can be an energy-depleting experience.

Far from a weakness, empathic sensitivity is a superpower.

When we experience another's emotions, it can be hard to distinguish what is ours and what is theirs. We can carry another's burden without even realizing that we are doing it.

Have you ever felt as though you could finish another person's sentence even before they have said it? Know the views and opinions of others before they voice them? Or understand the anxieties of someone, allowing you to understand behaviors through hidden emotions and fears?

It's a real thing. And when I realized that a lot of my own fears and anxieties did not in fact belong to me, I was able to establish a spiritual practice that honored my own energy, instead of letting it be a resource for others, causing my energy to deplete easily.

6) You Just Know Things

You don't know how you know, you just do. The gut-wrenching knot in your stomach when something feels off. The butterflies that signify something is good and positive. It's your intuition speaking to you loud and clear.

But this is a different language, it's not something you can put into words. It's all about feeling.

Have you ever felt that you know you've got the job, or you're drawn to people or places that lead you to new opportunities?

A thought that comes to mind about a person. Knowing who is calling you before you answer. This is the language of your soul, in its most raw and purest form.

Have you ever berated yourself for not taking your own advice or listening to your gut instinct? You're not alone, we all do it. It's just the external noise and approvals, the need to apply logic, that takes us away from what is real and true.

Trust me, your instincts are 100% correct. There is a quote that says, 'I saw who you were the first time and I'm not unseeing it.'

Your intuition always knows, we just have to have the courage to listen.

7) People and Animals Gravitate Towards You

Of course they do. Your energy is open and expansive. Your energy becomes a beacon for the needy and broken, people who are in need of validation and relief, and people who have experienced trauma and need to feel safe and secure. Your energy is like a weighted blanket that comforts and steadies the ship.

Have you noticed how people will gravitate towards you? How people overshare and want to tell you details about themselves when you have only just met? Your energy is a safe space, a haven, even without trying.

I could even say that people either love you or hate you, but the ultimate goal will be to be as close to you as possible.

Animals just love you. Your calm aura draws animals close. You feel connected and calm around them as well.

If you feel that you can communicate with animals through touch or mind communication, that is also a strong and powerful sign you are in the process of unfolding.

These seven signs already exist within you. They are not random, they're showing you something.

By now you're beginning to understand that I'm not a fan of instant gratification or quick results. These signs are exactly that, signs of untapped potential. With nurture and care, they will take you on a journey of self-awareness and elevation. And it is a beautiful place to be.

If you recognize yourself here, I invite you to join my Spiritual Circle Membership, where you can develop and discover your potential in a space that holds you securely, guided by traditional Spiritualist principles.

Foundation Circle is a monthly membership for spiritual development and opens January 12th, 2026.

Please go to Join The Natural Unfoldment Circle - Dawn Smith Psychic Medium