[quote=thewizardguy]
So it's like a kind of super-empathy?
[/quote]

Yeah, kind off. Almost, it's hard to define because the main concept of the idea was that it's based on a way of thinking that is completely alien to humans.
In practice it comes down to him getting general tidbits of information on conscious minds around him and what they perceive. Thus he will always see you as your own self-image, unless there are other people around, then he mixes their image of you with that. And mostly things get lost in translation. That's why in Martin's mind the Therebithia looks like a colossal black whale with a thousand red eyes. Also because I think sleep is overrated.