The Genius of EMPATHY demonstrates ways to tap into the gift of one’s sensitivities without being drained. Readers will learn how to soothe their nervous system and stop absorbing other people’s emotions. It’s a practical, action-driven guide for highly sensitive people and for those who want to develop empathy as a healing skill.

The book is divided into three sections. It begins with the magic of empathy to find greater self-love and healing—including from trauma. Subsequent chapters teach readers how to apply empathy to their relationships, communities and the world. Exploring each chapter’s practices, readers will learn the art of empathic listening, how to stop overthinking, and the importance of setting healthy boundaries and showing loving detachment to prevent overwhelm and compassion fatigue.

Throughout the book Orloff uses insights from neuroscience, psychology and energy medicine to teach readers how to use and amplify their empathy without feeling overwhelmed. The book also offers tips on how to prevent empathy burnout, techniques to enhance self-empathy and healthy giving, how to use empathic communication and leadership skills at work and home, how to show empathy for others—even when you’re not in agreement, and how to protect oneself from those with “empathy-deficient disorder” such as narcissists, sociopaths and bullies.

Each chapter has compelling anecdotes of how Orloff’s patients enhanced their lives with this book’s techniques. “Cultivating empathy is a kind of peaceful warrior training,” says 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.”

Judith Orloff, MD is a New York Times bestselling author with the upcoming book The Genius of Empathy: Practical Skills to Heal Yourself, Your Relationships and the World (with foreword by the Dalai Lama). She has also written The Empath’s Survival Guide and Thriving as an Empath, which offers daily self-care tools for sensitive people. She integrates the pearls of conventional medicine with cutting edge knowledge of intuition, empathy, energy medicine, and spirituality. Dr. Orloff specializes in treating empaths and highly sensitive people in her private practice and online internationally. Her work has been featured on The Today Show, CNN, Oprah Magazine, the New York Times and USA Today. Dr. Orloff has spoken at Google-LA, TEDx U.S. and TEDx Asia.

The Genius of EMPATHY was reviewed by Ronald Alexander, Ph.D., author of Core Creativity.