The Art of Empathy

framing empathy as a mystical skill made it into something special and unobtainable—and that isn’t something I ever felt comfortable about.

our ability to engage emotively with the world around us and with the nuances and intentions underlying art, music, literature, and symbolism.

tone) that makes us uncomfortable.

You also use your verbal empathic skills when you speak and when you decipher spoken and written language, because you actually cannot make sense of verbal or written communication if you can’t decipher subtext, context, nonverbal cues, and the multiple meanings behind words. Empathic skills make you verbally and nonverbally sensitive to and aware

A huge part of the art of empathy is to learn to behave empathically toward yourself and to honor your empathic nature,

Although there are certainly people who victimize others intentionally, attributing this abusive and predatory tendency merely to a lack of empathy displays an incomplete understanding of empathy, emotions, the nature of conflict, a sociologically grounded approach to crime and social control methods, and the many ways in which empathy development

When empathic people can’t find deep and meaningful interactions, they can sometimes feel out of place in the social world. Unseen. Inappropriate. Unwanted. Too much.

If your experience of empathy is primarily contagion, such that you act as an emotional sponge and become overwhelmed by the emotions of others, you’ll probably be unable to provide much support to them.

these full-bodied, sensual interactions with nonhuman entities can be vital healing activities.