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Trauma, Empathy, Resonance & Identification- Stephanie Smith

Updated: Jan 12, 2022

Last week's Monday Messaged addressed a trauma-informed approach to getting back together after social distancing. We discussed that this approach involves assuming more people have experienced a significant material loss and or loss of a loved one during the pandemic than not. We created space to acknowledge our personal losses within the collective trauma of the pandemic and we learned about the myriad of different mental health symptoms that trauma produces. Also, we made a pact to smile gently at the world as we get together after social distancing. By taking a trauma-informed approach we created more opportunity for empathy and resonance. What exactly are empathy and resonance neurobiologically? Empathy is both a mental model and a felt experience that is created by different key parts of the brain. The somatosensory cortex, anterior cingulate, amygdala, and hippocampus activate to send information in the form of mirror neurons to your frontal lobes. This activity forms a mental model and causes a similar felt experience of something that is being witnessed, viewed, or heard. Empathy gives way too many notable experiences including compassion and connection. Two less known experiences that empathy creates are resonance and identification. Resonance describes the ability to empathize with others and respond to this felt sense. The common response "mmm, that resonates with me" displays active empathy and the ability to respond appropriately. Identification, differently than resonance, is where that old phrase "over empathizing" comes from. During identification, we assign our meaning of an experience to someone else's experience instead of feeling in a similar manner. Identification is often a trauma response or a kind of trigger response. Regular identification might leave you feeling exhausted or dysregulated whereas resonance results in feeling connected and self-regulated. It is helpful to understand some of the more subtle aspects of connecting in an empathetic manner. The digital world and our human connections offer more opportunities to find ourselves in states of identification, resonance, and empathy than we might be aware of. This knowledge will support more healthy connections, mind states, and felt experiences 😊 This week when you are getting together and connecting with others - please pay attention to the subtleties of your empathetic experience. What skills do you have to stay in a place of resonance and away from identification?



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