What does it truly mean to bring compassion into healthcare — and can empathy be taught?

In this profound and moving conversation, Joanne Avison is joined by Emeritus Professor Carol M. Davis, author of What Is Empathy and Can Empathy Be Taught? Together, they explore the essential role of compassion in physical therapy, embodied movement, and fascia-informed healing.

From Margaret Mead’s famous story of the healed femur to Carol’s own journey in redefining patient care, this episode dives deep into the energy of empathy, transcendence in therapeutic presence, and the spiritual architecture of healing. Whether you're a movement teacher, manual therapist, or healthcare provider, this conversation will shift how you see your role — and your clients. 

Topics include:
--> The difference between sympathy and empathy
--> Why presence is more powerful than performance
--> Narrative medicine and embodied interaction
--> Fascia as a spiritual and structural interface
--> The energy behind healing and forgiveness 

For those seeking to teach, practice, or receive care with more heart, more presence, and more humanity — this one’s for you!

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Mentioned in this episode:

• Carol’s book: Davis’s Patient Practitioner Interaction – The Art of Healthcare (7th edition, Routledge)
• Carol's paper: What is Empathy and Can Empathy Be Taught?
• Fascia Research Congress
• Tensegrity in healthcare and movement
•  Edith Stein, Martin Buber & Viktor Frankl
• Narrative medicine & embodied listening 

#empathy #compassion #fascia #healing #narrativemedicine #embodiedmovement #physicaltherapy #tensegrity #patientcare #healthcarehumanity

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Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman