David Sauvage
American activist, performance artist, and filmmaker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Sauvage is an American activist, performance artist, filmmaker, and self-described empath.[2][3]
David Sauvage | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Occupations | filmmaker, performance artist |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Notable work | Healing Heals the Healer Too, The Simplest Meditation in the World,[1] |
| Website | https://www.empath.nyc/ |
Early life and education
Sauvage was born in Los Angeles, California in a Jewish family. His mother worked as a lawyer and his father, Pierre Sauvage, made historical documentaries.[4] Sauvage attended Harvard Westlake School and Columbia University, where he earned a BA, and UCLA, where he graduated with an MBA.[5][6]
Career
While in business school, Sauvage directed Carissa, a documentary about Carissa Phelps who overcame abandonment and prostitution as a child to attend UCLA.[7][5][8] The film received multiple awards and was licensed to Current TV.[6] Sauvage produced Soundcheck, a film about musician Bill Laswell.[6] He worked as a director for commercials, including Bon Appetit. In 2011, he joined the Occupy Wall Street movement, where he sought to communicate some of the protesters' demands and raise additional funds.[5] He co-founded Occupy.com, which served as a news aggregator about the movement's developments.[9]
Life as an empath
In 2015, during a period of depression, Sauvage had a transformative experience with the hallucinogenic drug ayahuasca.[10][4] The episode encouraged him to follow his "authentic self" and taught him that emotion was rooted in the body.[4] Subsequently, he cultivated an ability to feel the emotions that others are experiencing.[4][10] According to Sauvage, the basis for empathy is emotional self awareness, which is not cultivated in current culture.[11]
In 2018, Sauvage presented EMPATH, a one-man show at TheatreLab, where he gave live presentations of his ability to feel others' emotions.[12][13] The performance started by Sauvage explaining how he acquired the ability.[14] Next, when reading an audience member, would begin by releasing any pre-existing emotions before physically responding to the emotions he was sensing.[10] Sauvage says his read of the other person is instantaneous, and 75% of those he interacts with say his reading was meaningful and non-generic.[10]
In 2019, Sauvage launched the Empath shop, a pop-up store in the East Village. Visitors received free counseling, discussion sessions, and learned about empathy.[15]
Sauvage serves as a consultant to businesses and philanthropists who want to align their strategies with their feelings.[4] Sauvage works with individuals and approximately 80% of his clients are female.[4] He teaches fellow empaths through a class called School for Empaths.[2][10][16]
Sauvage has led group meditation sessions to accompany the publication of his companion book, The Simplest Meditation in the World.[1]