Resoundings of the flesh: Caring for others by way of "second person" perspectivity.
International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being January 1, 2012 Scott D Churchill
When we encounter another person, we bring our whole body, not just our intellect, and can resonate empathically with their experiences through both verbal and nonverbal expressions. Drawing on phenomenology (Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, and Levinas), the author argues that we access another's first-person experience indirectly, through a bodily felt resonance that arises when we are addressed by them. Merleau-Ponty's concept of bearing witness illuminates a second-person perspective, where we participate in the other's positing to grasp the meaning of their expression. For caring professionals, intuitive talent involves moving beyond what the other says to a deeper, bodily felt attunement to what is revealed in their presence.