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01-06-2007

Empathy, Emotion, and Ekstasis in the Patient–Physician Relationship

Author: Neil Francis Pembroke

Published in: Journal of Religion and Health | Issue 2/2007

Abstract

The place of clinical empathy in humanizing the medical encounter is discussed. Clinical empathy is viewed as having both cognitive and affective elements. It is argued that genuine empathy involves recognizing what the suffering of the patient feels like. This reaching out to the patient is connected with the Christian theological concept of ekstasis. Ekstasis has as its goal the establishment of communion. It is further argued that ekstasis and communion are the fundamental moments in clinical empathy.

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Title: Empathy, Emotion, and Ekstasis in the Patient–Physician Relationship
Author: Neil Francis Pembroke
Publication date: 01-06-2007
Publisher: Kluwer Academic Publishers-Plenum Publishers
Published in: Journal of Religion and Health / Issue 2/2007
Print ISSN: 0022-4197
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6571
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-006-9071-4

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