The Neurobiology of Being an Empath

Sweigh Emily Spilkin, PhD.

What’s the Mechanism by Which

Empathicness Occurs?

ò  Mirror Neurons

ò  Type of brain cell

ò  Macaque monkey

Mirror Neurons

ò  Our brains respond to another’s experience as if we ourselves are doing the experiencing

ò  Increase our relationality—implicit attempt to feel connected and increase our sense of belonging

Mirror Neurons

ò  If mirror neuron theory of empathic connection were true, it would mean that empaths are not actually absorbing the feelings of others but picking up on the subtle mirco expressions on the faces (and tone of voice) of those around us, and recreating those feelings within our own neural networks.

ò  Doesn’t account for the fact that many empaths can feel the feelings of others without ever having to see their faces or hear their words

Empathy vs. Compassion

Empathy

ò  Daniel Siegel: “compassion fatigue is a misnomer. The term should really be empathy fatigue.”

ò  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qOaCnC-_Jo&feature=youtu.be

Empathy

ò  Empathy and compassion are not the same.

ò  Empathy in fMRI studies has been shown to be connected to parts of the brain associated with negative emotions and the processing of pain (the anterior insula and anterior midcingulate cortex to be specific).

ò  Empathy hurts

ò  Processing other people’s painful emotions triggers activation in the nervous system of the empath. When empaths feel others pain, they can go into fight, flight, or freeze response, and consciously or unconsciously react to what they are experiencing as if it is a threat.

Empathy

ò  It is also worth noting that the areas of the brain associated with empathy are also recruited for error detection and scanning for conflict, in other words, hypervigilance—one of the empath’s primary tools for trying to stay safe.

Threat Response

ò  When an empath takes on someone else’s suffering, they can shift from their normal loving personality, into a more reptilian protective response.

ò  They see others as a threat. Their hypervigilance increases, they scan the room for danger, get rigid, avoid, etc.

ò  Body responds as if it is under attack

Compassion

Compassion

ò  The areas of the brain that light up when we are feeling compassion, on the other hand, (the insula, ventral striatum and medial orbitiofronotal cortex) are associated with reward, love, and affiliation, and pro-social behavior.

ò  Compassion engages what Stephen Porges calls the “social engagement system,” the part of our nervous systems designed to help us connect, play, and engage in loving ways with other people.

ò  When we feel compassion, we move towards others. When we are overwhelmed by empathic distress, we move away.

Chemistry of Compassion vs. Empathy

ò  While compassion triggers feel good neurotransmitters, such as opioids, oxytocin and dopamine

ò  Excessive empathy and over-identification with the “negative” emotions of others (whether conscious or automatic) triggers stress hormones such as cortisol and likely adrenaline and norepinephrine

ò   

Chemistry of Compassion vs. Empathy

ò  These brain and neuorotransmitter changes are not limited to the moments when we are feeling empathy. Because of brain plasticity, long-term exposure to empathic distress changes the hardware of the brain

ò  Hebb’s Rule: Neurons that fire together, wire together

ò  Along side our gifts of increased intuition, empaths operating unconsciously become more anxious, more hypervigalent, and more likely to “select” for threats.

“Empathy” (Compassion) vs. Sympathy

ò  Brene Brown:

ò  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw

“Empathy” (Compassion) vs. Sympathy

ò  Empathy fuels connection, sympathy drives disconnection

ò  Theresa Wiseman-nursing scholar found 4 qualities of empathy:

ò  1. Perspective taking

ò  2. Staying out of judgment

ò  3. Recognizing emotion in others

ò  4. Communicating that

ò  This is what Tania Singer calls Compassion

Power of Compassion

ò  According to Tania Singer, compassion researcher, training in compassion can counter the effects of empathic distress.

ò  Compassion can act as a buffer for the overtaxed empath’s nervous system, helping them shift from operating the protective system in the face of others suffering to igniting the care system and running a whole slew of pro-social (and pro-happy) chemicals through the empath’s brain. Compassion can restore us.

Power of Compassion

ò  This compassion can be self-directed or other directed, as likely it lights up the same neural networks. The key is we must move from fear to love. Fear makes us protective, brittle, hypervigalent, closed, love opens us.

ò  Empathic distress= burnout

ò  Compassion = positive states

Power of Compassion

ò  Joan Halifax

ò  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQijrruP9c4

Power of Compassion

ò  Compassion is comprised of the capacity to see clearly into the nature of suffering, to stand strong and recognize that I am not separate from this suffering. Compassion means that we aspire to transform suffering + without attachment to outcome.

ò  Attachment to outcome limits our ability to be with “the whole catastrophe” 

ò  Pity, moral outrage, fear are enemies of compassion. We become paralyzed and so can’t act. 

ò  Those that experience compassion in the presence of suffering, feel more, but they also return to baseline a lot sooner. Compassion cultivates resilience and enlivens us. 

ò  Compassion enhances neural integration—brain connections.

ò  Enhances our immune system and mobilizes our immunity. 

Power of Compassion

ò  Steven Porges

ò  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYXa_BX2cE8

Power of Compassion

ò  Compassion is a manifestation of our biological need to engage and to bond with others. Compassion is a component of our biological quest for “safety” in proximity of another.

ò  Compassion is mammalian and dependant upon the shift from reptiles to mammals.

ò  Many of the methodologies that help cultivate calmness and compassion—meditation, listening, breath, etc. create change regulation of the nervous system. 

ò  Compassion depends upon turning off our defenses. How we feel determines if we become friends, lovers, or enemies. Our physiology colors our perception of the world.

Power of Compassion ò  Kelly McGonigal

ò  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkZy2sd2jnc&list=PL00C3CCB687AE58D7

ò  https://www.soundstrue.com/store/the-science-of-compassion-1.html

Power of Compassion

ò  Compassion is a state that contains opposites. Paradox. We feel sadness and gratitude at the same time. Grounded and energized or anxious.

ò  Rewire our brains for compassion: Paul Gilbert study—one week of self-nurturing reflection changes the brain for 6-months. fear that we won’t be motivated if we are compassionate towards self

ò  Reluctance to be self-compassionate because afraid that we won’t be motivated. Opposite is true.

ò  Or, afraid that we’ll drown in suffering. Compassion creates less suffering.

Power of Compassion

ò  Rick Hanson

ò  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tstDc8yTLjQ

Power of Compassion

ò  The wolf of hate and the wolf of love co-evolved together. We needed both for our survival. But today, when we have 7 billion humans stuck together on planet earth—othering and dehumanizing is one of the greatest challenges we face.

ò  So what can we do? Feed the wolf of love.

ò  Experience-dependant neuroplasticity—Hebb’s law. How do we wire love? Grow resources inside ourselves.

Antidote to Empathic Distress

ò  The antidote for empathic distress

ò  Nervous system regulation

ò  Self-compassion and distress tolerance (attending to discomfort, working with triggers, inhabiting practices, trauma healing toolkit, etc.)

ò  Clearing and self-love

ò  Compassion and presence with and for Self and others

Compassion Training

ò  Compassion = empathy + care + wanting to help

ò  The antidote to empathic distress

ò  Empathicness—associated with negative internal states in self and burnout. Feeling someone’s feelings without an attitude of wanting to help = burn out.

ò  Train someone in compassion—activate a different set of circuits associated with positive emotions

Compassion Training Resources

ò  Kristen Neff: https://centerformsc.org/lomsc/ Mindful self-compassion 8-week workshop 

ò  Paul Gilbert: https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/compassion-focused-therapy-training-exercises-worksheets/#exercises

ò  https://www.actwithcompassion.com/events

Presence

ò  In addition to compassion, we want to train in presence. Presence, according to Daniel Siegel’s definition includes attuned awareness, kindness, and compassion.

ò  Presence has been shown in research to increase an enzyme called “telomeres,” which has been shown to maintain and repair the caps of your chromosomes. Telomeres slows aging and can prevent certain forms of autoimmunity and cancer.