The Empathy Trap: Lessons from Contemplative Medicine | Jud Brewer | New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care

For the suffering of others — this is the practice of a

embodied empathy, a combination of cognitive empathy and compassion that keeps you anchored in your body.

The first step is to call the feeling by its true name, such as anger, sadness, suspicion, desire, etc. With mindful breathing, you can relax your body and mind so that you aren’t compelled to react to that feeling or to that person through your thoughts, words, and bodily actions. In this process, you may be able to identify the source of that fee

Ironically, those among us who are highly sensitive and empathetic are the most likely to be burnt out by over-giving.