I heard someone refer to themselves as an Empath years ago, but it wasn't in relation to CPTSD. I think I know what you mean, though. Could it be related to the symptom of hypervigilance? I'm asking because since I came here I learned about Pete Walker and his CPTSD website.

http://www.pete-walker.com/fAQsComplexPTSD.html

I cannot say for certain what it is, nor will I say it is 100% accurate. But I feel vibes from people, and what I feel is accurate often enough to be very useful.
I can assess whether they are threats, and what sort of threats they are. It might be body language. It might be something much more arcane.

...I don't like that empath label though.

...you feel stuff that mostly turns out to be accurate about people? It's useful information?
You don't have to analyze or question yourself, just pay attention to the vibes you feel and trust that sense.
If someone sends chills up your back, you do not owe them the benefit of a doubt...you can irrationally decide, based on gut feeling alone, to get the heck away. You might be wrong, but that stranger will get the heck over it and so will you.

I believe I am an empath, but hyper-vigilance is a different phenom and will utterly overwhelm my more subtle empathic senses. The "...years of listening and "feeling" for my abusers to come get me" created a rip-roaring case of deeply conditioned hyper-vigilance. The anxiety of waiting for the next round of abuse kept me constantly on edge through my entire formative years and it remains a tough reflex to curb, decades later.

Sorting the empathy from the hyper-vigilance remains an on-going challenge. I believe my biggest clue is that hyper-vigilance is about self-preservation. The attached emotions are mine. Empathy is about the other person. I am picking up on THEIR emotions.

That's my theory and I'm sticking to it for at least 20 minutes...

That's a loose term for me. I think we tend to be emotionally hypervigilant, and I think we process on a subconscious level what most people can afford to ignore b/c their safety/survival didn't depend on it at an early age (in many cases, anyway).

I dislike the "empathy" label. That to me indicates feeling what others feel, rather than simply picking up on it via my survival mechanism.

Just my thoughts. And yes, I'm very sensitive to what can be called "vibes" or "auras" of others. Crowds overwhelm me, but I think that's because I simply can't "track" everyone on my "radar", and it make sme feel unsafe.

Now that you mention it, Leo, along with the positive aspects, the empath phenomenon might have negative consequences if we feel the feelings of others to the point that it's hard to maintain boundaries for ourselves. I hadn't thought of that. Boundary problems were obviously paramount in my domestically violence family of origin and the abuse that gave me CPTSD. I might have preferred not to have to develop a sixth sense to protect myself if in exchange I could have had civilized respect for simple boundaries.

Thank you all for the replies. I am an empath. It's hereditary as far as I have been able to find out. And as far as I know it is not connected to CPTSD / PTSD. I think for me the hypervigilance that comes with PTSD helped develop the sixth sense. I can tell/feel slight mood changes in people. And sometimes tell who is coming before they get there and the vibes (Leo) from other people. "Sorting the empathy from the hyper-vigilance" ( Arfie) I use them both to determine the level of danger. It seems like we have a level of psychic!? Thanks Everyone!