Most of us who experience codependency tend to also identify or resonate with being an empath, or someone who is highly attuned to the feelings and emotions of those around them. Being an empath or highly sensitive person is truly a gift, however when we grow up under less than optimal environments where our needs for safety and connection weren’t met, it can turn into us using that gift to perceive the needs of those around us so that we can try to control our environment as a way to get those basic needs for safety and love met.