My Empathy Process
Empathy varies among individuals. My own process of empathy might be slightly different from that of many others. Yet, by understanding one's internal process of empathy, it could provide insights for better communication and relationships. Here's a breakdown of how I experience empathy.
Interest & Attention: My empathy starts when something particular grabs my attention. This initial stage is simply an act of being intrigued or paying attention.
Emotional Recognition: Upon showing interest in the subject, I begin to recognize my own feelings and thoughts associated with it. At this level, the cognition remains relatively superficial.
Potential Emotional Contagion: I might feel that the subject's emotions or thoughts are already resonating with me. It becomes a challenge to discern if it's their emotion influencing me or if it's purely my own.
Exploring the Root of Emotion: Here, I delve deeper to explore the cause or backdrop of that emotion. This is when I might experience what's termed as "countertransference," where another person's emotions are perceived as my own. Introspection takes place as I seek to identify my own vulnerabilities or misconceptions. Sometimes, hints are drawn from physical sensations or dreams.
Resolution & Acceptance: Journeying through stages reminiscent of Kübler-Ross's Five stages of grief, I come to recognize my limitations, my boundaries, and the various realities of who I am. When I find the answer to the enigma or issue, the sensation feels like everything "falls into place." Questions and perplexities that were present before dissipate, resolving the initial feelings of unease or discontent. Through this process, I come to accept and, in a prayerful manner, conclude unfulfilled desires.
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Resonance of Empathy: Finally, I feel as if the other person might be feeling the same or that what I felt has somehow communicated to them. A peculiar sensation arises, akin to a prayer reaching far distances. There's a possibility of emotional contagion happening again, this time from me as the transmitter.
I describe emotions as a system of encoding and decoding, akin to data processing in the digital world.
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While this process is unique to me, there might be shared experiences and sensations among us. At its core, empathy is about deepening connections between individuals. By cherishing and understanding it, we can establish richer human relationships.
