Empathy bodyssence: temporal dynamics of sensorimotor and physiological responses and the subjective experience in synchrony with the other's suffering.
Alejandro Troncoso, Kevin Blanco, Alvaro A Rivera-Rei, David Martínez-pernía
Frontiers in Psychology 2024 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1362064 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Mixed-method study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 35 |
| Population | Participants who watched videos of extreme sportspersons experiencing physical accidents |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Bodyssence Empathy Empirical 5e approach Enaction First-person view Mixed-method study Neurophenomenology |
| Citations | 14 |
| Key points | Bodyssence consists of three temporal phases—forefeel, fullfeel, and reliefeel—each with distinct patterns of postural sway, heart rate, and emotional experience, demonstrating how bodily responses dynamically attune to others' pain. |
Abstract
Empathy is foundational in our intersubjective interactions, connecting with others across bodily, emotional, and cognitive dimensions. Previous evidence suggests that observing individuals in painful situations elicits whole bodily responses, unveiling the interdependence of the body and empathy. Although the role of the body has been extensively described, the temporal structure of bodily responses and its association with the comprehension of subjective experiences remain unclear. Building upon the enactive approach, our study introduces and examines "bodyssence," a neologism formed from "body" and "essence." Our primary goal is to analyze the temporal dynamics, physiological, and phenomenological elements in synchrony with the experiences of sportspersons suffering physical accidents. Using the empirical 5E approach, a refinement of Varela's neurophenomenological program, we integrated both objective third-person measurements (postural sway, electrodermal response, and heart rate) and first-person descriptions (phenomenological data). Thirty-five participants watched videos of sportspersons experiencing physical accidents during extreme sports practice, as well as neutral videos, while standing on a force platform and wearing electrodermal and heart electrodes. Subsequently, micro-phenomenological interviews were conducted. Bodyssence is composed of three distinct temporal dynamics. Forefeel marks the commencement phase, encapsulating the body's pre-reflective consciousness as participants anticipate impending physical accidents involving extreme sportspersons, manifested through minimal postural movement and high heart rate. Fullfeel, capturing the zenith of empathetic engagement, is defined by profound negative emotions, and significant bodily and kinesthetic sensations, with this stage notably featuring an increase in postural movement alongside a reduction in heart rate. In the Reliefeel phase, participants report a decrease in emotional intensity, feeling a sense of relief, as their postural control starts to reach a state of equilibrium, and heart rate remaining low. Throughout these phases, the level of electrodermal activity consistently remains high. This study through an enactive approach elucidates the temporal attunement of bodily experience to the pain experienced by others. The integration of both first and third-person perspectives through an empirical 5E approach reveals the intricate nature of bodyssence, offering an innovative approach to understanding the dynamic nature of empathy.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualitative thematic analysis of the phenomenology of near-death experiences Cardiac arrest survivors | 2018 | Qualitative study | n = 34 |
| Phenomenology and Sequelae of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Use Psychiatrists who had taken MDMA | 1992 | Qualitative study | n = 20 |
| A phenomenology of meditation-induced light experiences: traditional buddhist and neurobiological perspectives American Buddhist practitioners | 2014 | Qualitative study | |
| Evoking the ineffable: The phenomenology of extreme sports. Extreme sports participants across three continents, including BASE jumping, big wave... | 2017 | Qualitative study | n = 15 |
| Phenomenology and content of the inhaled N, N-dimethyltryptamine (N, N-DMT) experience. Naturalistic inhaled N,N-DMT experiences posted to the r/DMT Reddit community | 2022 | Qualitative analysis | n = 3,778 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Bridging consciousness and AI: ChatGPT-assisted phenomenological analysis. Frontiers in Psychology 2025
- La neurofenomenología en la segunda década del siglo XXI: una revisión sistemática Revista Académica Internacional de Educación Física April 6, 2026
- Enhancing compassion meditation through virtual reality and sensory priming: A focus on individual factors International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology December 17, 2025
- When the body resonates with the pain of the other: Empathy Bodyssence in Parkinson's disease. Neuroscience of Consciousness 2026
Cites 7
- 4E Cognition The Oxford Handbook of 4E Cognition October 9, 2018
- Moving beyond the lab: investigating empathy through the Empirical 5E approach. Frontiers in Psychology 2023
- "I am feeling tension in my whole body": An experimental phenomenological study of empathy for pain. Frontiers in Psychology 2022
- Continuous Organismic Sentience as the Integration of Core Affect and Vitality Journal of Consciousness Studies March 31, 2023
- Neurophenomenology revisited: second-person methods for the study of human consciousness. Frontiers in Psychology 2015
and 2 more in the library