Empathy

Empathy is the ability to feel and understand other people's feelings, emotions, and desires. A user of this ability can feel exactly what another person is feeling, and for the same reasons, without direct contact with them.

Description
The most basic level of empathy involves feeling what other people are feeling, either automatically or by focusing on them. Often times, users can immediately interpret the reason or truth behind the emotions, thereby gaining some insight into what others are thinking, physically feeling (touch, pain, medical effect, etc) or their desires.

Other times, they have to probe deeper into the emotions and then use their intuition to uncover what caused them, of course this does not always work and, users have to find other means of uncovering the root cause.

Stronger forms of Empathy can be used to channel emotions from any being that can produce them (for example; magical and non-magical beings, animals and spirits). Users can use it verify a person's existence by sensing their emotions, be alerted to nearby disasters by picking up on the volume of the victims' emotions and pain, and can even become able to use the power as a lie detector. Empathy can also be used to shoulder the emotions of broken spirits, such as Will o' the Wisps, allowing them to cross over. Due to clones not having real emotions, the original can be identified through the use of empathy.

Empathy at this level also involves channeling emotions across great distances. It's rare, but another aspect of empathy is being able to experience verbal feedback when channeling heightened emotions across great distances, thus allowing the user to psychically hear the being(s) they are channeling speak.

The power may initially be hard to switch off and as such, can cause inexperienced users to act on the emotions as if they were their own or become overwhelmed, but meditation and practice will solve this problem.

The power is a inborn natural trait for some beings, such as Empaths, future-empaths (aka mortals who can feel what other people feel) and Cupids. Cupids, however, cannot feel the whole spectrum of emotions, as they are messengers of love, not prue Empaths. Their empathy is limited to feelings of love and emotions that are tied to love, such as heartbreak, hate, etc. Whether, Cupids ever struggled to control their power is not known.

Different Planes/Realities
Empathy is one of the very few powers that is capable of stretching through different planes of existence and alternate realities. Phoebe first revealed this while in one of Gith's emotion/desire fueled realities and used her power to tap into Piper's emotions, sensing her sister's fear even though she was in a different reality. Once this connection was made, Phoebe and Paige were able to use their combined desires in order to shift themselves through Gith's realities and transport themselves to Piper.

Phoebe later showed this aspect of her power again when Piper and Leo were trapped in the Ghostly Plane. Phoebe was able to sense Piper's presence and even feel her pain when she was injured. Since Piper is the common denominator in both these examples, it is possible that Phoebe's power was amplified in both cases by the strength of her sisterly love.

Insanity and Demons
The power of Empathy can drive a being insane if they are not destined to have it, however, demons can never gain this power naturally, due to the fact that they cannot handle human emotions. It would destroy them or drive them insane, as it drove the demon Vinceres almost insane, but shortly after it was taken away, he returned to normal.

Prue accidentally took this power from Vinceres through the use of a spell. Although she was fine with it at first, eventually, as its range expanded, she was unable to control it developing to the point where she was constantly taking in the emotions of the entire city of San Francisco. However, with Father Thomas help she was able to handle the power. The power left her immediately after she destroyed Vinceres with it as she was never meant to have it.

Whitelighters and Charges
The connection Whitelighters share with their charges has a limited aspect of empathy; they are connected to their charges on a physical level, and will automatically feel what their charges feel, but only when a charge is hurt and is in pain. In special circumstances, a whitelighter may feel the pain of a another whitelighter's charge. Natalie and Leo have both done this; they felt the pain of witch who wasn't their charge because the Elders had recalled all whitelighters from earth and their were the only two earthbound whitelighters.

When triggered, this connection may cause a whitelighter to double over in pain, as they are feeling the some pain as the charge in question. Since this connection cannot be switched off, in extreme cases of agony, the whitelighter may be compelled to rush to the charge's aid, regardless of the danger that awaits them. However, a whitelighter with a strong will can endure the pain and not be ruled by it. This aspect of their connection should not be confused with the power of Empathy.

Branches of Empathy
Empathy can be used to manipulate emotions and various elements connected to emotions. However, only a few beings are known to be capable of using any of these aspects. It should be noted that, whilst so far no user has ever demonstrated empathy in its totality, certain users can control more than one branch.

A branch of Empathy that is centered around manipulating other people's emotions. A practitioner of superior psychic abilities, such as Phoebe Halliwell, can channel other people's emotions — whether it be their enemy's, their enemy's victims or a mixture of both — and project, reflect or amplify those same emotions through the hands in the form of two tiny electricity bolts.
 * -|Manipulation=

A branch of Empathy which is concerned with augmenting the user's powers. Augmentation can also happen automatically if the user cannot control their empathy power. As all magical powers are connected with emotions, the more emotions they channel in, the more powerful they become. But if the user cannot control their power of empathy, their enhanced powers can be destructive and dangerous to oneself and others. Prue Halliwell became the only known example of this when she temporarily became an Empath and enhanced her telekinetic and astral projection powers.
 * -|Augmentation=

Arguably the two most powerful extensions of Empathy. Due to the fact that all magical powers are tied to the user's emotions, both work by feeling the same emotion that others feel. The only example of this is Phoebe Halliwell, because Phoebe can feel the emotions of others, her empathy allows her to counteract and replicate the powers of other beings.
 * -|Channeling and Replicating=

A branch of Empathy which protects the user from magical injury; however, this branch only works in combination with Power Channeling and Replication: for example, channeling the power of another makes one resistant to said power, when it is used against them. In Phoebe Halliwell's case, her body's resilience is extended to an even greater degree, allowing her to withstand the powers she replicates from others, when they are used against her.
 * -|Power Resistance=

The possessor can transfer their power into another being through a touch. Depending on the receiver: for example; a demon, this power can act as a curse, forcing the demon to feel the pain he or she inflicts.
 * -|Power Granting=

The only known Empath to have ever done this was Father Thomas. In 1996, when he was attacked by the demon Vinceres, he placed his hands on the demon's chest and transferred his empathy powers to him. Father Thomas knew the power would make the demon insane and unable to set one foot outside and thus not being able to kill.

A branch of Empathy that is centered around guiding mortals (for example, someone who practices this aspect can ease human suffering by using their intimate knowledge of what the other person is feeling or has gone through, and then offering them advice and comfort) and healing emotional wounds, akin to Whitelighters healing physical wounds.
 * -|Healing=

Phoebe, as an advice columnist, uses her gift to help the people who write to her. She answers their letters through her column, giving them helpful advice. During an encounter will a Will o' the Wisp, Phoebe showcased a form of empathic healing, when she took the pain of the wisp and allow it to cross over.

Aside from counseling, Father Thomas also healed the emotional anguish of his parishioners with his hands.

List of Users
Original
 * Empaths
 * Father Thomas
 * Phoebe Halliwell
 * P.J. Halliwell
 * Cupids
 * Will o' the Wisp

Temporarily
 * Vinceres
 * Prue Halliwell
 * Mitzy Stillman
 * Whitelighters