Compassion Isn’t Easy

Compassion fatigue is a problem for many practitioners. In medicine, some of the needs are so great, and the resources are often so finite. Aline Sandouk, John Pienta, Rob Humble, and Kaci McCleary discuss what happens when caring itself becomes a limited resource, the reasons empathy can dwindle, ways to cultivate it, and the role that compassion can play in caring for oneself. We also learn what monks and nuns are teaching us about how compassion manifests positivity and even neural plasticity. Also, in his role as showrunner, Dave talks with the group about whether it's a good time (or even a good idea) to spread the word through things like t-shirts (you can let him know what you think about it), and the crew visits with the strange patients over at Yahoo! Answers, where people are vibrating on command, accidentally pulling out their nerves, and considering cranial anatomy.