The Genius of Empathy

Embrace empathy as your superpower for transformative personal healing, deeper relationships, and more potent work in the world.
Empathy is no weakness―it holds transformative power to heal ourselves, strengthen our relationships, and amplify our purpose. Dr. Judith Orloff, known for landmark works like The Empath’s Survival Guide, shares an essential new resource for cultivating empathy as a daily healing practice and a form of emotional intelligence. With The Genius of Empathy, Dr. Orloff presents a potent guide not only for highly sensitive people but for anyone with the desire to develop the gifts of empathy that we all possess.
Drawing on insights from neuroscience, psychology, and energy medicine, Dr. Orloff teaches powerful lessons, including:
• Your empathic style—tools for discovering and nurturing your unique sensitivities
• Self-care for empaths—practices to soothe your nervous system to prevent empathy overwhelm
• Setting healthy boundaries to regulate how you process the emotions of others
• How to apply empathy to ourselves to find greater self-love and healing, including from trauma
• Recognizing and protecting yourself from empathy-deficient persons such as narcissists, sociopaths, and bullies
• Using empathic listening and leadership in any situation—at work, in your relationships, and in service to the world
Each chapter is filled with Dr. Orloff’s most valuable insights and tools for living with greater connection, safety, and empowerment as your empathic abilities blossom.
The Genius of Empathy offers practical, action-driven guidance for connecting our minds and hearts to embody our most authentic, fierce, and compassionate selves. “Cultivating empathy is a kind of peaceful warrior training,” says Dr. Orloff. “You will learn to be both strong and loving, neither a pushover nor rigid. Wherever you are in your life, this book can meet you there and lift you higher.”