Discover Holistic Empathy Development (HED)

We are all interconnected, united through our diversity, and need empathy to survive and thrive.

Together, we are empathy.

What is HED?

Holistic Empathy Development (HED) is an activity-based framework for developing empathy for all beings in all aspects of life through the 7 Steps to Empathy. Incorporating neuroscience, neurobiology, trauma-informed yoga psychology, trauma healing, emotional intelligence, intercultural communication, and creativity, HED uses best practices to develop empathy and address the root causes of empathy imbalances.

HED Focus Areas

Self Empathy

Human Empathy

Animal Empathy

Earth Empathy

Spiritual Empathy

The Neuroscience of Empathy

Cognitive Empathy

Recognizing suffering.

Emotional Empathy

Feeling suffering through the heart and a connection with mirror neurons in the brain.

Compassionate Empathy

Taking effective action to alleviate suffering

The Neurobiology of Empathy

When we experience empathy with others, we use mirror neurons in the brain to feel pain in the same part of the brain. It is an energetic connection and exchange of energy that incorporates non-verbal communication. Cognitive and emotional empathy motivate us to take effective action to alleviate the pain of others through compassionate empathy. When we experience compassion, we feel joy, elation, euphoria, bliss and unity. The brain releases happiness hormones such as dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin, the bonding hormone. We benefit from helping others because we need each other to survive and thrive. We are rewarded on a physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual level when we practice altruism and kindness. This positive internal experience makes us want to continue practicing empathy--because we need it for our survival.

Empathy incorporates a connection to the heart, where the heart softens, opens and expands. Experiencing empathy requires us to be connected to the heart and brain and to be in a state of regulation in order to help others. Self empathy is the first step towards building empathy for others because we cannot help others alleviate their suffering if we do not practice it with ourselves first. The neurobiology of empathy shows us that the heart, brain and lungs are the primary organs involved in empathy, so HED focuses on improving the health of these organs.

From a neurobiological perspective, we are compassionate, loving, kind beings at our core, and we need connection to ourselves and each other to feel balanced and healthy because we are all interconnected. Unconditional lovingkindness, compassion, emotional intelligence, nervous system regulation, vagus/vagal nerve healing, and intercultural communication are essential skills in HED.

HED incorporates skills to remove blockages to empathy such as trauma and intergenerational trauma. Trauma is the feeling of too much unwanted aloneness and a disconnection from the self for the sake of survival. Intergenerational trauma is unprocessed emotions passed down through the DNA for 3-4 generations. It’s not our fault that we inherited intergenerational trauma, but it is our responsibility to heal. Building self empathy is the key to healing trauma and intergenerational trauma and removing blockages to empathy. When we build self empathy, we cultivate inner peace and are able to support ourselves and others. Self empathy is the antidote to toxic shame (related to intergenerational trauma) which is highly correlated with racism, narcissism, aggression, violence, suicide, eating disorders, addiction and perfectionism.

Benefits of HED

Self Care & Healing

Remove suffering from your life
Improve heart, brain and lung health
Heal trauma and intergenerational trauma and symptoms such as burnout, stress, anxiety and depression with self empathy
Heal emotions such as grief, sadness, guilt, embarrassment, and toxic shame
Alleviate symptoms of toxic shame such as racism, narcissism, aggression, violence, suicide, eating disorders, addiction and perfectionism
Build resilience and bring peace to your life with emotional and nervous system regulation skills
Build self awareness, acceptance, confidence, forgiveness, healing and love
Reduce fear and learn how to step outside your comfort zone without harm

World Peace

Learn best practices in diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, justice, accessiblity (DEIBJA)
Develop respect for all perceptions, beliefs, and ways of being
Build intercultural empathy, communication
Increase social and emotional intelligence
Create peace in the world through non-violence and social-emotional-environmental health and justice

Healthy Lifestyles

Improve sleeping and eating habits
Develop healthy lifestyle practices and routines
Build mindfulness skills and self awareness
Balance energy
Connect with nature

Healthy Relationships & Interpersonal Skills

Develop deeper interpersonal relationships, collaboration, leadership and conflict resolution skills through emotional and social intelligence
Heal through relationships
Build authentic connections

Increase Productivity and Concentration

Increase cognitive function
Improve memory
Increase energy
Remove blockages from accessing your full potential

Boost Creativity

Practice creative self expression and heal through the arts
Release perfectionism and creative blockages

Empathy Superpowers & Superheroes

Empathy superpowers are skills that develop empathy and help us become Empathy Superheroes to repair the world. We can gain empathy superpowers and ancestral wisdom through Holistic Empathy Development (HED) and intergenerational trauma healing. Incorporating self empathy development skills in everyday life makes you an Empathy Superhero and helps spread peace in the world.

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