2025-03-04 - Defining

Agenda

Edwin

• ( ) To Do: Create the Wholistic Empathy Model Outline - grounded in the Empathy Circle

  • • Map other definitions onto Wholistic Empathy Model Outline

    • Map Blocks to Empathy onto Wholistic Empathy Model Outline

    • Address Criticisms of Empathy

• ( )   Tuesday R&D meeting: How to be effective with our time?

  • • What is the final product?

      • • 1. ( )  Developing and documenting the Wholistic Empathy Model - Edwin

        • 2. ( )  Developing Wholistic Empathy Mode Presentation - PowerPoint  - Edwin

        • 3. ( ) Creating a Definition of Empathy Workshop - Edwin

• ( ) What is Jodie's view of the Wholistic Empathy Model?

  • • Basic Empathy

    • Self Empathy

    • Imaginative Empathy

    • Wholistic Empathy 

( ) Review Jodie's Side Show

• What is Jodie's Definition and map it onto  the Wholistic Empathy Model?

• Map the different definitions in Jodie's  presentation onto  the Wholistic Empathy Model?

  • How do the definitions point to or focus on different aspects of the Wholistic Empathy Model. 

• They may also point to aspects that are outside of the Model.. We can still see how they relate to the model

Jodie's Interest in Maintaining an Identity, a Sense of Self and Not Getting Emotionally Lost?
Jodie has an interest in how to maintain a sense of self in an empathic relationship.  She sees herself as an empath and was involve in trying to support a group of people that were in conflict over the murder of someone. In the process she lost her sense of self, her identity and seemed to get lost or burned out. Her research goal now seems to be to understand this process of maintaining a sense of self and not getting lost while still being empathic.

How does taking part in the Empathy Circle help maintain a sense of self and not become emotionally lost?

AI Report: Participating in an Empathy Circle can help maintain a sense of self and prevent emotional overwhelm in several ways:

1. Active Listening: Empathy Circles encourage active listening, which allows participants to feel heard and understood. This validation helps individuals maintain their identity and feelings while connecting with others.
   
   

2. Awareness of Our Feelings. A sense of self comes from being aware of ones bodily feelings. Getting overwhelmed or lost in other peoples feelings can make one lose a sense of self.  Also, being involved in or around intense conflict can create very intense feelings which are easy to get lot in.
   
   

3. Structured Sharing: The structured format of Empathy Circles provides clear guidelines for sharing and listening. This structure allows participants to express their thoughts and emotions without fear of judgment, helping them stay grounded in their own experiences.
   
   

4. Reflection: Participants often reflect on their own feelings and thoughts in response to what others share. This reflection reinforces their sense of self, as they actively engage with their emotions rather than becoming absorbed in others' feelings.
   
   

5. Boundaries: Empathy Circles emphasize the importance of personal boundaries. Participants learn to respect their own emotional limits and those of others, which helps prevent emotional enmeshment.
   
   

6. Community Support: Being part of a supportive group fosters a sense of belonging. This community aspect can bolster individual identity, reminding participants that they are not alone in their experiences.
   
   

7. Mindfulness: Engaging in the practice fosters mindfulness, encouraging individuals to stay present in the moment. This awareness can help participants recognize and honor their own feelings amidst the dynamics of the group.

By combining these elements, Empathy Circles create a safe space for emotional expression while allowing individuals to maintain their distinct identities.

AI Report: Participating in an Empathy Circle can indeed help maintain a sense of self and prevent emotional overwhelm. Here are some ways it achieves this:

1. Boundaries: In an Empathy Circle, each person has a designated time to speak and be heard, while others listen actively without interrupting or offering advice. This structure helps maintain healthy boundaries, ensuring that each individual's emotional experience is respected and contained.
   
   

2. Active listening: When others listen empathetically, it allows the speaker to process their emotions and gain clarity about their thoughts and feelings. This process helps the speaker maintain a sense of self by acknowledging and validating their emotional experience.
   
   

3. Non-judgmental space: The Empathy Circle fosters a safe, non-judgmental environment where individuals can express themselves without fear of criticism or evaluation. This freedom from judgment helps participants stay connected to their own feelings and needs, rather than becoming lost in others' opinions or emotions.
   
   

4. Emotional regulation: By witnessing others' emotional expressions and receiving empathy, participants can develop their own emotional regulation skills. This helps them better manage their emotions, reducing the likelihood of becoming overwhelmed or lost in others' feelings.
   
   

5. Self-reflection: The Empathy Circle encourages participants to tune into their own emotions, needs, and desires. This self-reflection helps maintain a sense of self by increasing self-awareness and understanding of one's own emotional landscape.
   
   

6. Differentiation: By actively listening to others and acknowledging their experiences, participants develop their ability to differentiate between their own emotions and those of others. This differentiation is essential in preventing emotional contagion and maintaining a sense of self.
   
   

7. Empathic resonance: When we empathize with others, our brains simulate their emotional experiences, which can help us better understand ourselves and our own emotions. This empathic resonance strengthens our sense of self by deepening our understanding of our own emotional needs and desires.
   
   

8. Community support: The Empathy Circle provides a sense of community and connection, which is essential for emotional well-being. Feeling supported and understood by others can help individuals maintain their sense of self and reduce feelings of loneliness or disconnection.

By participating in an Empathy Circle, individuals can cultivate a stronger sense of self, improve their emotional regulation, and develop healthier relationships with others. This, in turn, helps prevent emotional overwhelm and maintains a sense of autonomy and self-awareness.

What did Carl Rogers say about the relationship between empathy and identity? 

AI: Carl Rogers emphasized the importance of empathy in the context of personal identity and self-concept. He believed that empathy is essential for creating a supportive environment where individuals can explore their feelings and experiences. Here are some key points about the relationship between empathy and identity according to Rogers:

1. Self-Understanding: Empathy helps individuals gain deeper insights into their own thoughts and emotions. When someone feels understood, it encourages self-reflection and enhances their self-awareness.
   
   

2. Validation: Rogers argued that experiencing empathy from others validates a person's feelings and experiences. This validation reinforces their sense of self and contributes to a more coherent identity.
   
   

3. Growth and Change: In an empathetic environment, individuals feel safe to express themselves, which facilitates personal growth. This growth can lead to a more authentic and integrated sense of self.
   
   

4. Unconditional Positive Regard: Rogers promoted the idea that empathy, along with unconditional positive regard, allows individuals to explore their identity without fear of judgment. This acceptance fosters a healthier self-concept.

Overall, for Rogers, empathy is a vital component in nurturing an individual's identity and promoting psychological well-being.

Rogers talked about losing himself after listening to a difficult woman and he has to take time off to reconnect with himself. 

AI: Carl Rogers described an incident in his life where he felt overwhelmed after a particularly intense and challenging session with a client. This client was a woman who expressed deep emotional pain and distress. During their conversations, Rogers found himself deeply affected by her struggles, to the point where he felt he was losing touch with his own identity and emotions.

Here are some key aspects of that incident:

1. Emotional Impact: Rogers was profoundly impacted by the client’s emotional state. His empathetic engagement made him acutely aware of her suffering, which caused him to feel emotionally drained and confused about his own feelings.
   
   

2. Need for Reflection: Recognizing that he needed to reconnect with himself, Rogers took time off to reflect and regain his sense of self. He understood the importance of maintaining personal boundaries and emotional health, even as a therapist.
   
   

3. Self-Care: This incident underscored the necessity of self-care for therapists. Rogers realized that to be effective in helping others, he needed to ensure that he was grounded and aware of his own emotions.
   
   

4. Learning Experience: The experience taught Rogers about the importance of emotional boundaries and the need for therapists to be mindful of their own emotional responses when working with clients in distress.

This incident highlights Rogers' commitment to empathy and understanding, while also recognizing the challenges that come with it in therapeutic settings.

How can the Empathy Circle practice support people in not getting lost, not losing their identity or sense of self, etc. How can it strengthen ones identity, make one feel grounded?

• Rogers mentioned empathy helps people with a weak sense of self to create a sense of self. 

"Perhaps another way of putting some of what I have been saying is that a finely tuned understanding by another individual gives the recipient a sense of personhood, of identity. 

Laing (1965) has said that "the sense of identity requires the existence of another by whom one is known" (p. 139).
Buber has also spoken of the need to have our existence confirmed by another. 

Empathy gives that needed confirmation that one does exist as a separate, valued person with an identity. Let us turn to a more specific result of the empathic interaction, in which individuals feel understood. Persons begin revealing material that they have never communicated before, in the process discovering previously unknown elements in themselves. Such an element may be "I never knew before that I was angry at my father," or "I never realized that I am afraid of succeeding." Carl Rogers, Empathic: An Unappreciated Way of Being 

Empathy Circle: So when we are empathized with in the Empathy Circle, we are seen by others and this gives or strengthens a sense of identity.

• Empathy Circle: We are Seen from Multiple Angles - Being seen by multiple people in the empathy circle I find it helps support a sense of self. It is not a sense of self dependent on one person but a broad sense of self, with is richer and deeper. 

• Empathy Circle:  Know I will be seen and heard, - The turn taking gives me ease since I know I will not have to fight to be heard.

Research Project Idea: 

• How does the Empathy Circle create a sense of Identity? How is it a practice to help develop a stronger identity or sense of self.  This is a practice that could be helpful for others to use. 

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