Empathy, Sympathy & Compassion

Upcoming programs & events

Heal Thy Practice
Tucson, AZ, June 5-7, 2009 http://www.holisticprimarycare.net/app/healThyPractice.jsp
There is a discount for American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine Diplomats.

The Institute of Noetic Sciences Annual Meeting –
Tucson, AZ, June 17-21, 2009 http://ionsconference.org/2009/

Colorado Integrative Medicine; Focus on Mind Body Medicine –
Estes Park, CO, July 17-19, 2009
http://www.altermedresearch.org/Conferences.html

And my five-day, late summer program, at the Omega Institute in beautiful upstate New York, Aug.30-Sept 4, 2009
http://eomega.org/omega/workshops/f11dfa7fe5ec0598dd34183dd6c19f4e/
This is a great opportunity to dive in and enjoy yourself. All are welcome. This is not just for those of us in health care.

Cool free stuff
My audio teaching CD is now available to listen to on my web site:
http://www.findingbalanceproductions.com/finding-balance-cd.asp

HeartMath has a free stess-management audio program at:
http://www.heartmath.org/for-you/destress-kit-for-the-changing-times.html

Empathy, Sympathy & Compassion

Empathy— the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another.

Sympathy— harmony of, or agreement in feeling, as between persons or on the part of one person with respect to another. The fact or power of sharing the feelings of another, esp. in sorrow or trouble; fellow feeling, compassion, or commiseration.

Compassion—a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.

Compassion Fatigue— also known as a Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder, is a term that refers to a gradual lessening of compassion over time. It is common among victims of trauma and individuals that work directly with victims of trauma. It was first diagnosed in nurses in the 1950’s. Sufferers can exhibit several symptoms including hopelessness, a decrease in experiences of pleasure, constant stress and anxiety, and a pervasive negative attitude. This can have detrimental effects on individuals, both professionally and personally, including a decrease in productivity, the inability to focus, and the development of new feelings of incompetency and self-doubt.

Have you ever walked out of a patient encounter and realized that you could have been more empathetic or compassionate? In a study, last year, of recorded physician encounters, physicians had empathetic responses to patients’ statements/concerns only 10% of the time (1). In general, physician are caring people who truly try to help, yet this statistic is concerning.

What gets in our way? The number on stated reason is time pressure. We feel like we don’t have the time to emotionally connect to the patient, but is the issue time, or is it emotional reserves (energy)? Maybe we don’t have the energy to connect.

Fatigue, emotional and physical, drains us and makes it difficult to connect with another’s emotions. We hear stories all day that have significant emotional charges to them. How can we navigate this sea of emotions throughout the day and maintain our humanity in the process?

Physicians are more effective healers—and enjoy more professional satisfaction—when they engage in the process of empathy. Empathy also helps the patient to be more revealing and more satisfied with the interaction (2).

There are two levels of interaction, which can enhance your ability to connect with the patient, as follows:

The first level of response is compassionate role playing. In essence, act concerned. In some ways, this is faking it ‘till you make it. While this may seem false, it is better than no connection at all. I encourage you to use this only when your emotional reserves are depleted.
Be empathetic, not sympathetic. Sympathy is complete attachment to the other’s emotional state. If you get ‘sucked in’ to emotions all day, it will drain you. Empathy is the capacity to understand and listen to the patient while appreciating the emotions that they are feeling. This is truly healthy and desirable. In this state the patient feels heard and is more likely to be satisfied with your visit.

Learning a compassionate presence takes time and energy, but it will help you to be more professional, enjoy your day more and enhance the patients’ experience. The best tools for this are mindfulness meditation, loving kindness meditation and prayer. When we become too attached, meaning, we take ownership of the patient’s experience, we fail.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

And lastly, take care of yourself so that you have the energy to serve others well.

For a free compassion fatigue test, go to:
http://www.compassionfatigue.org/pages/CompassionFatigueSelfTest.html

References:

Missed Opportunities for Interval Empathy in Lung Cancer Communication
Diane S. Morse, MD; Elizabeth A. Edwardsen, MD; Howard S. Gordon, MD,
Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(17):1853-1858.
Clinical Empathy as Emotional Labor in the Patient-Physician Relationship; Eric B. Larson, MD, MPH, Xin Yao, PhC, JAMA. 2005;293:1100-1106.

Just for Fun
Some of you may remember John Wesley Harding, the British songwriter who took his name from the Dylan album. He had some minor hits in the early ‘90s, The Devil in Me, and The People’s Drug. After many years, he has put out a great album called Who Was Changed And Who Was Dead. The album is full of wit, wisdom, and playfulness. It also comes with a second CD of live material. More or less a greatest hits. This package is musical bang for the buck. Enjoy!