Trauma Rewired

Empathy and Narcissism

29 snips
Dec 2, 2024
Matt Bush, founder of Next Level Neuro and an expert in applied neurology, joins the hosts to explore the surprising links between empathy and narcissism. They discuss how both empaths and narcissists struggle with emotional regulation, but respond differently to others’ feelings. Matt highlights the impact of brain chemistry and interoceptive deficits on empathy. The conversation also delves into how narcissism can develop as a survival mechanism and the importance of boundaries for emotional health.
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INSIGHT

Empath As A Physiological State

  • Being an empath means your body physiologically mirrors others' emotions via the insular cortex.
  • That heightened mirroring can overwhelm boundaries and self-sense when interoception is dysregulated.
INSIGHT

Anterior Insula Links Empathy And Narcissism

  • The anterior insula links self, social cues, and interoception so deficits there affect empathy and narcissism.
  • Brain injury, infection, or developmental conditioning can disrupt this insular function.
INSIGHT

Reward Circuitry Drives Narcissistic Patterns

  • Narcissistic behaviors become reinforced by dopamine when self-aggrandizing actions are learned as rewarding.
  • That rewires decision-making toward self-centered, reward-seeking choices in social contexts.
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