The Empathic Sense
Much has been spoken of the empathic sense in these pages. The mechanisms that are at work, however, were originally theoretical, based upon an understanding the functions of certain areas of the brain, specifically in the hypocampus. However, evidence has come to light that sheds new understanding upon empathic function, and which areas of the brain are involved.
In an article entitled "Neural Mechanisms of Empathy in Humans: A Relay from Neural Systems for Imitation to Limbic Areas", by UCLA neuroscientists Carr, Iacoboni, Dubeau, Mazziotta and Lenzi, and published in PNAS, 7 April 2003, the brain areas identified were the superior temporal and inferior frontal cortices in connection with the limbic system via the isula.
How empathic cues are received seems mostly related to the five natural senses developing from imitation of emotional responses and setting the pathways for sensitivity to those cues.
empAθos cultural influence upon young members of the empAθos community work to enhance and develop empathic responses by encouraging the individual's brain to make the neural connections that will respond to external emotional cues from other individuals in the environment. Specific empAθos genetic precursors may lay down foundations for such a heightened advanced empathic response, but the potential exists in any human being, as well as it does in empAθos people. Non-empA&theta:os cultures simply seem to exert pressures upon their children that incapacitate the empathic sense rather than seeking to develop it, by emphasizing competitive over cooperative activities and discouraging emotional responses.
empAθos culture encourages empathic development after the first trimestre of pregnancy with active exercise of bonding the mother emotionally to the child, and working to gently induce emotional responses from the fetus while it develops in utero by stimulating certain emotional states in the mother. In the first trimestre, the fetus is considered "as water", and may or may not be terminated as the yoni who carries the child believes appropriate. During this time, the yoni is provided a passive period of comfort, and support, and limiting of stress so the yoni may be free to decide to keep the child or to terminate, and so the pregnancy that will proceed, begins in a calm and comforting environment. Inter-utero empathic training is also carried-out in as calm and stress free an environment as possible.
Postnatally, all children are assisted in creating deep emotional bonds with other members of the community, and are encouraged to "feel" the emotions of others around them through comparisons of how they have felt and through the development of an atmosphere of sharing feelings and desires. (In empAθos culture one is considered "stingy" if one does not share their desires, no matter how "odd" they may seem to be.)
empAθos work to strengthen the neural connection to assist their children to recognize cues on an unconscious level, and thus to feel the same emotions that they recognize in other individuals. The sensitivity is instantaneous, and the empAθos person will feel the emotion of the other limited only by the speed of electrical brain function.
Emotional discipline is developed by understanding and respecting the emotional needs of others through one's own experience of those same emotions, and through realizing that one does not "emot" in a vacuum. Clear and concise conversation about one's feelings and close understanding that the strength of one's emotions may cause them to spread from individual to individual with chaotic effects, help to bring emotional fluidity to the community while protecting its members from unstable or abusive emotional situations and circumstances.
Since empathic sharing is a vital part of our language, our economy, and our cultural unity, understanding the dynamics of this capacity is essential in order to maintain it's vitality in our communities. Understanding the science and the psychology of this empathic capacity provides us with the tools to maintain that vitality.
While an empathic sense may seem to be something of a mystical or psychic sort of telepathy, there is nothing mystical about it, but simply a matter of neurological responses to environmental emotional cues. empAθos people cannot read your mind. We cannot perform some mystical, magical parlor trick with our empathic sensitivity. We can easily be mistaken about our empathic perceptions, just as one can mistake the meaning of a spoken statement. However, overall, our accuracy with our empathic sense is enough for us to rely upon it when interacting with other individuals, and strong enough for us to base our entire social and cultural foundations upon it.
Laurie Carr, Marco Iacoboni, Marie-Charlotte Dubeau, John C. Mazziotta, and Gian Luigi Lenzi
Neural mechanisms of empathy in humans: A relay from neural systems for imitation to limbic areas
PNAS published April 7, 2003, 10.1073
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