Empathy as ontological orientation: Embodiment, therapeutic presence and mirror‐touch synaesthesia
Nikolaos Souvlakis
British Journal of Psychotherapy September 24, 2026 DOI: 10.1111/bjp.70052 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that empathy is an ontological, embodied way of being-with rather than a teachable skill, and that skill-based empathy training in psychotherapy is therefore misdirected. Proposes that therapist education instead adopt formation practices cultivating reflexivity, affect tolerance, and ethical presence. |
Abstract
Abstract Empathy is widely regarded as a foundational element of effective psychotherapy and is routinely framed as a core clinical skill within training and accreditation frameworks. Despite this consensus, persistent conceptual and experiential tensions remain regarding whether empathy can genuinely be taught or whether it reflects a deeper, dispositional mode of being that precedes formal instruction. This paper argues that empathy cannot be meaningfully taught as a technique because it is not fundamentally a skill but an ontological orientation towards others grounded in embodied, pre‐reflective and relational processes. Drawing on humanistic psychotherapy, phenomenology, psychoanalytic theory and contemporary neuroscience, empathy is conceptualised as a way of being‐with rather than a procedural competency. Particular attention is given to mirror‐touch synaesthesia (MTS), a neurophenomenological condition in which observing touch to another evokes tactile sensation in the observer's own body. MTS is examined as an intensified manifestation of empathic embodiment that illuminates the involuntary and perceptual foundations of empathic resonance. The paper critiques skill‐based pedagogies of empathy and proposes a shift in therapist education towards formation practices that cultivate reflexivity, affect tolerance and ethical presence. Implications for psychotherapy training, clinical practice and professional ethics are discussed.