Compassion is an orientation towards suffering. It is how we meet the suffering of others and our suffering. Recognising suffering Understanding the human experience of suffering as universal Emotionally connecting with the other person’s suffering Being able to tolerate uncomfortable …
Tag: Empathy
Compassion is a Function of the Heart
One way to assist compassionate thinking is to imagine what you would want for yourself if you were in someone else’s shoes. Or to imagine what someone else might have gone through and how it might have left them feeling. …
How To Be Heard When You Feel Criticised
It can be SO difficult to actually listen to your partner when you are in the middle of an argument. All too often, we block ourselves from seeing their point of view because we feel we will be agreeing with …
Open-Mindedness as an Antidote to Polarisation
Being open-minded promotes understanding and is necessary for critical thinking. It helps you to take into account all factors that might be affecting a situation. It is one of the factors that protect against dogmatism and polarisation. Being open-minded can …
Coercive Vaccination Through a Trauma-Informed Lens
This is something nobody seems to be talking about. Can we pause and consider? Imagine for a moment that you grew up in an environment where the boundaries around your body were not respected. You had little or no say …
4 Ways That Fear Blocks Connection
Part of what makes therapy so remarkable is that we are heard in a non-judgemental, curious way. There is no criticism, no loaded questions, none of the baggage that is present in an intimate relationship. The power of …
Why Attachment Matters
IS THIS THE REASON YOU STRUGGLE IN YOUR INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS? As children, we are like sponges. Our brain grows to 80% of its adult size by the time we are two! At times the neurons are growing at a rate …
When we have ‘too much empathy, it is usually a boundary issue, not an empathy issue’. It is the result of a high level of emotional enmeshment.
I hear a lot of people in my clinic feel that they are too empathetic. They can feel the other person’s discomfort or pain and just want it to go away. This is the result of a high level of …
Can Conflict Become A Way For a Couple To Connect?
Conflict provides an opportunity for a deeper connection. Most of us are not taught this. We are taught that conflict is scary and to be avoided. We might have learnt from our family of origin that conflict results in physical …
Ways to Build Trust in Your Relationship
Trust is the foundation of any relationship. It is difficult to be truly vulnerable with someone you don’t trust. Trust isn’t built overnight; it takes time. In a relationship, many small moments added together become the building blocks of trust. …