This article was co-authored by Liana Georgoulis, PsyD and by wikiHow staff writer, Annabelle Reyes. Dr. Liana Georgoulis is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist based in Los Angeles, California. She is the founder and clinical director of Coast Psychological Services. With over 12 years of experience, her mission is to provide clients with effective, well-studied, and established treatments that bring about significant improvements in her patients' lives. Her practice provides cognitive behavioral therapy and other evidence-based therapies for adolescents, adults, and couples. Additionally, she provides group therapy for social anxiety, social skills, and assertiveness training. Providing a space where clients feel understood and supported is essential to her work. Dr. Georgoulis also provides clinical supervision to post-doctoral fellows and psychological assistants. She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University and a BA in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles.
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Do you consider yourself an extremely empathetic person? Do you feel others’ suffering as intensely as if it was your own? If you answered yes, you might experience hyper-empathy. Empathy is an essential part of human relationships, but when you experience it too intensely, it can make you neglect your own needs to take care of others. If you struggle with hyper-empathy, you aren’t alone, and we've compiled a complete guide below, including its definition, signs, and ways to cope, so keep reading!
Things You Should Know
- If you struggle with hyper-empathy, you feel empathy too intensely and take on others’ emotions as your own.
- Hyper-empathy causes strong physical and emotional reactions to other people’s suffering, and it can make you neglect your own needs to care for others.
- To manage hyper-empathy, learn to set healthy boundaries and prioritize self-care. This will help make sure you don’t neglect your own needs and emotions.
Steps
Types of Empathy
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Cognitive Empathy Cognitive empathy is the ability to identify and understand other people’s emotions. When you experience cognitive empathy, you can understand another person's perspective and why they might feel a certain way.[5]
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Affective Empathy Affective empathy refers to the feelings you experience in response to other people’s emotions. Affective empathy can include mirroring other people’s feelings, or taking on their suffering.[6]
- If you’re struggling with hyper-empathy, you might be experiencing more affective empathy than cognitive empathy.
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Compassionate Empathy While empathy involves taking on another person’s suffering as your own, compassion involves feeling concerned for another person's suffering, which leads to a desire to help.[7] Compassionate empathy combines these two things together. When someone is suffering, you empathically feel their pain, but instead of wallowing in the suffering with them, you feel a desire to help alleviate their suffering.
- This helps you focus on problem-solving and support, rather than your own experience of the other person's pain.
Expert Q&A
Tips
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about relationships, check out our in-depth interview with Liana Georgoulis, PsyD.
References
- ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wander-woman/201704/can-you-have-too-much-empathy
- ↑ https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_avoid_the_empathy_trap
- ↑ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-is-an-empath-signs-you-are-one/
- ↑ https://psychcentral.com/blog/empaths-are-real
- ↑ https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/empathy/definition
- ↑ https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/empathy/definition
- ↑ https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_stay_empathic_without_suffering_so_much#
- ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wander-woman/201704/can-you-have-too-much-empathy
- ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wander-woman/201704/can-you-have-too-much-empathy
- ↑ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/empathy-fatigue-how-stress-and-trauma-can-take-a-toll-on-you/
- ↑ https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_avoid_the_empathy_trap
- ↑ https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_avoid_the_empathy_trap
- ↑ https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_avoid_the_empathy_trap
- ↑ https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_avoid_the_empathy_trap
- ↑ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/empathy-fatigue-how-stress-and-trauma-can-take-a-toll-on-you/
- ↑ https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_avoid_the_empathy_trap
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/mindfulness-exercises/art-20046356
- ↑ https://psychcentral.com/blog/stop-absorbing-other-peoples-emotions
- ↑ https://psychcentral.com/blog/how-empathic-people-can-set-effective-loving-boundaries#1
- ↑ https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/the-power-of-self-compassion
- ↑ https://www.health.harvard.edu/mental-health/4-ways-to-boost-your-self-compassion
- ↑ https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/the-power-of-self-compassion
- ↑ https://psychcentral.com/blog/stop-absorbing-other-peoples-emotions
- ↑ https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/finding-good-therapist