Honoring Tyre Nichols & Why People With Empathy May Never Understand Those Who Lack It

Once again, we are grieving the loss of yet another apparently innocent young Black man who is crying out for mercy and his mother. Even though parts of me think I should force myself to watch the video of the murder, my empath parts can't stomach it and just feel helpless and powerless. I know watching the violence will not answer the question I would want it to answer- “Why? Why would five Black police officers murder one of their own? Why would they not stop when they realized they had gone too far? Where are their hearts? Where is their humanity? Where is the dignity for human life? If they don't care about human life and justice, don't they even care about getting caught? What possessed these men to do something so violent and horrific? Why couldn't they stop themselves or at least call 911 right away once they realized Tyre Nichols was dying?”

As a doctor who committed my life to ease the suffering of those in pain, as someone deeply invested in trauma healing and relief of emotional torment, I can't relate to how hardened someone's heart must be to just keep beating a dying brother human and then delay getting that man help for as long as these five officers delayed.

I've realized only recently that the young, naive, gullible, idealistic parts of me keep trying to understand why ruthless, entitled, narcissistic people who abuse power keep hurting innocent people and don't feel remorse for what they've done. From studying narcissistic abuse and coercive control recovery, I've learned that people who have not had their empathy traumatized out of us tend to assume that everyone else is like us. We make the assumption that if we saw someone suffering, we would rush to their aid, and if they cried out in pain, we would stop whatever we were doing and feel intense regret and remorse. If we lost control for a moment and let our rage get the best of us, all it would take is for someone to cry “Mercy!” or “Mommy help me!” and our hearts would stop whatever abuse we might be perpetrating.

But people strongly blended with power-hungry, narcissistic, and sociopathic parts are wired differently. Rather than feeling empathy when someone weakened and in pain is suffering, they may even feel a hit of sadistic pleasure in hearing someone's pleas for mercy. The more someone cries, the more the bullies get off on the hit of power that inflates them, makes them feel superior, and causes them to justify just beating someone harder.

If I watched the video, I would feel like watching in some way honored the dead, so in some way the death wasn't completely ignored or in vain. By watching it, it would be my way of showing solidarity for Black Lives Matter and for Tyre Nichols and those who loved him. Maybe watching the reality of the police brutality on video would motivate me more to get more politically active, to protest more loudly, to let my righteous anger fuel me to pressure our government to make these injustices stop.

If I watched the video, I might also be trying to find some way to humanize the murderers so as not to feel the helplessness and powerlessness I feel when I realize how many narcissistic and sociopathic people are abusing power and driving our species off the cliff on the backs of the most innocent among us. I would be trying to imagine these cops as little boys who must have been overpowered in childhood in such a devastating way or so oppressed while they were growing up that they became the oppressors and lost touch with being able to treat a fellow human with dignity and respect, as a way to hate the cops less and empathize more.

I would be trying to avoid feeling the utter powerlessness that Tyre Nichols, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown, and all the others like them must have felt and that I feel when I watch them getting senselessly tortured and murdered. Watching the video would be a small way I could show my care and extend my empathy and suffer alongside the man who suffered in the video and later died as the result of the beatings.

But I am choosing not to watch the video, not because I don't care, but because it won't bring him back and it won't answer the “why” questions. Because there is no reason for such an irrational or senseless act of violence.

I've realized that humans wired for empathy simply cannot understand why people with closed hearts and no empathy do what they do, and dysregulating my own nervous system by watching violence I'm powerless to stop doesn't help save Tyre Nichols or his family. But it does help, maybe in some small way, to leverage my own power and privilege by saying his name and honoring his dignity and expressing my empathy for everyone who suffers every time one of our own is treated as if they matter less than those with big sticks and enough power to abuse it.

As Paul Farmer says, “The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world.”

What does help is fighting for justice for Tyre Nichols and fighting for police reform. Let us hold each other in our collective grief and pressure our politicians to change laws so police brutality and all abuses of power against the innocent and vulnerable are stopped and that the perpetrators of senseless violence and abuses of power are held accountable.

Let us remember that #BlackLivesMatter (and that we shouldn't have to lose more innocent BIPOC in order to keep that on the tip of our consciousness.)

And let us #SayTheName out loud, and let our hearts break together.

Aaron Bailey

Abner Louima

Abram Smith

Adrian Medearis

Ahmaud Arbery

Aiyana Stanley-Jones

Akai Gurley

Albert Joseph Davis

Albert Woodfox

Alberta Spruill

Alexia Christian

Alonzo Smith

Alteria Woods

Alton Sterling

Amadou Diallo

Amanda Milan

Amber Monroe

Anarcha (last name unknown)

Andrew Wright

Anthony Anderson

Anthony Ashford

Anthony Hill

Anthony Lamar Smith

Antron McCray

Antronie Scott

Antwon Rose Jr.

Arminta Cobb

Arthur McDuffie

Ashanti Carmon

Ashton O’Hara

Asshams Pharoah Manley

Atatiana Jefferson

Benjamin Chavis

Bennie Lee Tignor

Betsey (last name unknown)

Bettie Jones

Billy Ray Davis

Bobby Hutton

Botham Jean

Brendon Glenn

Brian Keith Day

Breonna Taylor

Brooklyn Lindsey

Calin Roquemore

Cariol Horne

Carter Howard

Chanelle Pickett

Charleena Lyles

Charles Bruce

Charles Greenlee

Charles Kinsey

Charles Lang

Charles Weems

Charlie Pollard

Christian Cooper

Christian Taylor

Christopher S. Brown

Christopher Davis

Christopher McCorvey

Christopher Whitfield

Claire Legato

Clarence Norris

Claude Neal

Claude Reese

Clementa Pinckney

Clifford Glover

Connie Tindall

Corey Jones

Cornelius Fredericks

Cynthia Hurd

Dana Martin

Daniel Simmons

Danny Ray Thomas

Danroy “DJ” Henry Jr.

Dante Parker

Danye Jones

Darius Robinson

Darrius Stewart

David Joseph

David McAtee

Deborah Danner

Decynthia Clements

DeeNiquia Dodds

Dejuan Hall Delrawn Small

Demarcus Semer

Demetrius Bryan Hollins

DePayne Middleton-Doctor

Derrick Scott

Diamond Bradley

Dominic Hutchinson

Dominique Fells

Dominique Clayton

Donald Ivy

Dontre Hamilton

Dravon Ames

Dreasjon Reed

Duane Wight

Dyzhawn Perkins

Edmund Perry

Eleanor Bumpurs

Elijah McClain

Elisha Walker

Emmett Till

Eric Garner

Eric Courtney Harris

Eric Reason

Ernest Green

Ernest Hendon

Ernest Thomas

Ethel Lee Lance

Eugene Williams

Ezell Ford

Fannie Lou Hamer

Felix Kumi

Floyd Dent

Frank Smart

Frankie Perkins

Fred Hampton

Fred Simmons

Freddie Blue

Freddie Gray

Freddie Lee Tyson

Frederick Moss

Frederick Taft

George Floyd

George Key

George Mann

George Stinney Jr.

Gregory Riley

George Robinson

Harvey E. Clark Jr.

Hayes Turner

Haywood Patterson

Henrietta Lacks

Herman Wallace

Herman Shaw

Iesha Harper

India Kager

Isadore Banks

Jacob Blake

Jacqueline Craig

Jaisha Akins

Jamal Williams

Jamar Clark

Jamel Floyd

James Cobb, Sr.

James “Bun” McKoy

James Byrd Jr.

James Cameron

James Chaney

James Mincey Jr.

James Powell

Janet Wilson

Janine Africa

Javier Ambler

Jazzaline Ware

Jemel Roberson

Jerame Reid

Jerry Dwight Brown

Jerry Jacobs

John Crawford III

Johnnie Jermaine Rush

Jonathan Ferrell

Jonathan Sanders

Jordan Davis

Jordan Edwards

Joseph Mann

Joyce Curnell

Julian Edward Roosevelt Lewis

Junior Prosper

Justus Howell

Kaia Rolle

Kalief Browder

Kathryn Johnston

Kayla Moore

Keith Childress Jr.

Keith Harrison McLeod

Keith Scott

Kendrec McDade

Kendrick Johnson

Kenne McFadden

Kevin Hicks

Kevin Matthews

Kevin Richardson

Kisha Michael

Kiwi Herring

Korey Wise

Korryn Gaines

La’Vante Biggs

Lamontez Jones

Laquan McDonald

LaTanya Haggerty

Latasha Harlins

Lateisha Green

LaVena Johnson

Lennon Lacy

Leroy Wright

Lionel Morris

Lucy (last name unknown)

Malaika Brooks

Malcolm Harsch

Malissa Williams

Manuel Ellis

Marco Loud

Mario Woods

Mark Clark

Marshall H. Dunbar

Marvin “Chili” Patrick

Mary Truxillo

Mary Turner and her unborn child

Matilda Heslip

Matthew Ajibade

Maurice Gordon

MeShon Cooper

Michael Brown

Michael George Smith, Jr.

Michael Lee Marshall

Michael Lorenzo Dean

Michael Noel

Michael Sabbie

Michael Stewart

Michelle Cusseaux

Michelle Shirley

Michelle Washington

Miguel Espinal

Miriam Carey

Monika Diamond

Muhlaysia Booker

Mya Hall

Myra Thompson

Nania Cain Jr.

Natasha McKenna

Nathaniel Harris Pickett

Nia Wilson

Nina Pop

Nizah Morris

Oluwatoyin Salau

Oscar Grant

Otis “Titi” Gulley

Otis Byrd

Ozie Powell

Pamela Turner

Paterson Brown

Paul O’Neal

Pearlie Golden

Peter Gaines

Philando Castile

Phillip White

Prince C. Jones, Jr.

Quintonio LeGrier

Raheim Brown

Ralkina Jones

Ramarley Graham

Ramona Africa

Randolph Evans

Randy Nelson

Raymond Santana

Rayshard Brooks

Recy Taylor

Reginald Epps

Rekia Boyd

Renisha McBride

Riah Milton

Richard Collins III

Richard Perkins

Rita Hester

Robert Fuller

Robert King

Robert Russ

Rodney King

Ronell Foster

Rumain Brisbon

Safiya Satchell

Saheed Vassell

Salecia Johnson

Salvado Ellswood

Sam Doner

Samuel DuBose

Samuel Shepherd

Sandra Bland

Sean Bell

Secoriea Turner

Sharonda Coleman-Singleton

Sheffield Collins

Shereese Francis

Steven Taylor

Stephon Clark

Sterling Higgins

Susie Jackson

Sylville Smith

Taemon Blair

Tamir Rice

Tanisha Anderson

Tarika Wilson

Terence Crutcher

Terrance Franklin

Terrill Thomas

Thomas Shipp

Timothy Coggins

Tionda Bradley

Tony McDade

Tony Terrell Robinson Jr.

Torrey Robinson

Trayvon Martin

Troy Robinson

Tyre King

Tyree Crawford

Tyrone West

Tyshawn Lee

Tywanza Sanders

Victor Manuel Larosa

Walter Irvin

Walter McMillian

Walter Scott

Wayne Moore

Wendell Celestine

Willa Bruce

William “Joe” Wright, Jr.

William Chapman II

Willie Earl Vereen

Willie Jones Jr.

Willie Roberson

Willie Tillman

Williemae Mack

Winfred Rembert

Yusef Salaam

Yvette Smith

Yvonne Smallwood

Zella Ziona

(and anyone I inadvertently left out)

The post Honoring Tyre Nichols & Why People With Empathy May Never Understand Those Who Lack It first appeared on Lissa Rankin.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are holistic medicines' advantages over conventional medicine?

Holistic medicines have been used for thousands of years by many cultures and religions worldwide. They were based on ancient wisdom and experience.

These medications are safe, affordable, effective, natural, as well as cost-effective. The side effects are minimal compared to those of pharmaceutical drugs.

They can also improve your health and wellbeing.

They can prevent disease and promote your overall well-being.

They might even cure cancer, diabetes or heart disease.

There are hundreds upon hundreds of traditional medicines around the world, each offering unique benefits.

The World Health Organization estimates that 80% of the population relies on traditional methods to treat illness or injury.

According to some reports, about half a million people depend on traditional herbal remedies for their primary healthcare.

The market for complementary therapies worldwide is estimated to be $22.2 million by 2020.

People are increasingly turning to alternative medical practices to avoid harmful side effects associated with conventional treatments.

Many people turn to complementary therapies when they do not respond to other treatment options. They might also consider them before considering surgery or medication.

There are several reasons why people choose complementary therapies:

To improve your quality of life
To reduce stress levels
For relaxation
To ease pain
To enhance immunity
Supportive services for dealing with serious diseases
To boost energy
To control weight
To maintain good nutrition
To improve sleep patterns
To deal with chronic diseases

What is the difference between holistic medicine and traditional medicine?

Traditional medicine tends to treat symptoms while holistic medicine treats the entire person. Holistic medicine treats the whole person rather than just treating one aspect.

Traditional medicine treats individual organs or systems (such as the brain), whereas holistic medicine considers all aspects of the body from the inside out. It examines how lifestyle choices impact overall health and wellness.

What are the five domains of integrative medical care?

Mind-body, nutrition and social determinants are the five domains of integrative medical. Lifestyle, prevention, and lifestyle are all included. These five areas are concerned with all aspects, including the physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

Integrative medicine aims to provide a comprehensive approach to addressing overall health, wellness, and disease treatment. It includes both conventional medical treatment and complementary therapies such acupuncture.

What are the health benefits of complementary and alternate medicine?

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) refers to medical practices that are used by patients who do not feel they are receiving adequate care from allopathic medicine. These include herbal medicines, mind-body therapies such as acupuncture, massage therapy, homeopathy, chiropractic care, traditional Chinese medicine, biofeedback, hypnosis, and spiritual healing. Many CAM practitioners use treatment methods that aren't part of conventional medicine's standard system of diagnosis and treatment. Many CAM therapies incorporate elements from conventional medicine. Some forms, such as acupuncture with needles, involve heat and moxibustion.

Some CAM therapies can help with anxiety, stress management, pain relief, relaxation, sleep disorders, insomnia, and stress management. They may also improve your general sense of well-being and reduce fatigue. Some CAM therapies address specific conditions like fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and diabetes. Other CAM therapies might be more enjoyable.

There is no definitive definition of CAM. However, most definitions include at a minimum one of the following:

A holistic perspective which considers both body and mind, as well the environment.
The belief that the mind and body interact and influence each other
It is believed that illness is caused by an imbalance between the environment and the person.
It is important to treat the whole person, not just the symptoms.
Combination between Eastern philosophy and Western science
Treatment methods that integrate mind, body, and spirit
Use natural products over synthetic chemicals
The healing touch
Mindfulness
Meditation
Acupuncture
Yoga
Herbal remedies
Homeopathy
Chiropractic care
Massage therapy
Hypnotherapy
Spiritual healing
Biofeedback
Nutritional counseling
Energy healing

Certain CAM therapies can have risks. Misuse of CAM therapies can lead to serious injury or even death. Some may have side effects that should be weighed against the potential benefits. Talk to your doctor if you are thinking about using any CAM before deciding whether to go ahead.

What are alternatives to medicine?

Alternative medicine is a treatment that does not fit the criteria of mainstream medicine. These include traditional Chinese medicine, homeopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture, herbal medicines, nutritional therapy, and energy healing techniques such as reiki.

Alternative medicine may also refer not to scientific evidence but that have been successfully used in clinical practice. Examples include meditation, hypnosis, yoga, aromatherapy, reflexology, flower essences, and many others.

What is another name for alternative medicine?

Alternative medicine can be described as any method of healing that is different from traditional medical practice. There are many types of alternative medicine. However, they all share the same premise: health care should be grounded in natural substances and practices, not chemical medicines.

Alternative medicine includes acupuncture, homeopathy, herbalism, naturopathy, osteopathic manipulation, traditional Chinese medicine, reflexology, shamanic healing, spiritual healing, prayer, energy healing, aromatherapy, meditation, yoga, chiropractic, massage therapy, Reiki, and various types of psychotherapy.

Many alternative practitioners claim that their therapies result in better health outcomes, including improved quality of life, fewer side effects, reduced costs, and greater patient satisfaction. These claims can't be supported scientifically, as mainstream medical authorities have mostly ignored the evidence-based advantages of alternative medicine.

Can a holistic doctor prescribe medication?

Holistic medicine is based upon the belief that all diseases can be caused by a combination factors. This includes diet, lifestyle, environment stress, stress, emotions, genetics and other health-related issues.

These factors are important to consider when prescribing medications. This is part of a balanced approach to treating patients.

To understand how each factor affects a patient, a physician must understand modern science and traditional methods such as herbs and homeopathy.

Many doctors are now certified in complementary and alternate medicine (C&A). This allows them to offer a complete range of services for their patients.

Statistics

In 83% of the cases, the readers agreed. (en.wikipedia.org)
An assessment of conventional treatments found that 41.3% concluded positive or possibly positive effects, 20% concluded no effect, 8.1% concluded net harmful effects, and 21.3% concluded insufficient evidence. (en.wikipedia.org)
In the 17% in which they disagreed, a third reader agreed with one of the initial readers to set a rating. (en.wikipedia.org)
A 15-year systematic review published in 2022 on the global acceptance and use of CAM among medical specialists found the overall acceptance of CAM at 52% and the overall use at 45%. (en.wikipedia.org)
The use of alternative medicine in the US has increased, with a 50 percent increase in expenditures and a 25 percent increase in the use of alternative therapies between 1990 and 1997 in America. (en.wikipedia.org)

External Links

How To

What are the four types of complementary and alternate medicine?

The four major categories of CAM are natural products, energy healing, manipulation therapies, mind-body medicine and natural products. Mind-body medicine can include yoga, meditation and Tai Chi. Natural products include herbs and vitamins, minerals as well as dietary supplements. Manipulative treatments include physical manipulations, including acupuncture, chiropractic, and osteopathic treatment. Techniques such as prayer or visualization can be used to bring about energy healing.

CAM refers to a variety of health practices that are not in line with Western medical models. The scientific evidence supporting these practices is varied, as are the types of drugs they use and what conditions they treat. Some CAM practitioners can also do diagnostic testing (e.g., blood test) and prescribe medication. Others do neither.

In addition to these four primary categories, there are many subcategories within each category. In mind-body medicine there are relaxation techniques. Natural products include nutritional supplement, botanical medicines and homeopathic remedies. Manual, movement, traction and electrotherapies are all forms of manipulative therapy. They include cupping, stretching and myofascial release. Trigger point therapy, orthotics, neurostimulation, trigger point therapy, manuals, trigger points, trigger point therapy, orthopedics. Spiritual healing includes faith healing and prayer.

Many CAM treatments can be used to treat symptoms and not the cause. Some chronic conditions may benefit from CAM. If used correctly, CAM may be a complement to conventional treatments.

There are many reasons that people use CAM.

To improve their overall wellbeing.
To manage a particular condition.
To reduce discomfort or pain
To prevent illness.
To promote wellness.
To address a person's belief system.

People turn to CAM for greater control of their health than conventional medicine. They might believe there are fewer side-effects. Others opt for CAM to avoid prescription medication. Some prefer not taking prescription medications if at all possible. Others still seek out CAM, even though they've had bad experiences in conventional medicine.

Some people who use CAM say they want to be sure about what they are doing before trying something new. Many CAM users are concerned about the safety and effectiveness. Others rely upon word-of-mouth referrals from family and friends.

Although CAM can be viewed negatively by society in general, most users feel positive about it. People who use CAM are healthier and happier than those that don't. This holds true regardless your age, gender or race.

An overwhelming majority of Americans are familiar with some form of complementary or alternative medicine. 95% of adults use CAM at least once in their lives. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health was able to estimate that around 40 million people visited CAM practitioners in 2010 alone.

The NCCIH estimates that 10% of the U.S. population is treated by chiropractors or massage therapists.

2013 was a year that the American Medical Association (AMA) reaffirmed its support of integrative medicine. It stated that doctors should incorporate scientifically validated complementary and alternative medicine into their clinical practice to meet patients' expectations and needs.

The Institute of Medicine published a landmark document in 2007 called “Relaxing Contraints: Improving Access To Complementary and Alternative Healthcare.” This report stated that there is no evidence that any specific CAM intervention is capable of curing, preventing, or treating cancer.

Despite this conclusion, CAM continues to grow in popularity. In 2008, the number of CAM practitioners increased by 8 percent compared to 2007.

A recent study found that almost half of the respondents reported using CAM as part of their primary healthcare regimen.

CAM therapies include natural products as well mind-body practices, manipulative technologies, energy healing methods, exercise, diet supplements and other approaches.

Many CAM therapies are used primarily to relieve pain, but they also have many other benefits like relaxation, improved mood and better sleep.

Acupuncture, for example, can relieve chronic back pain, lower anxiety and depression, improve immune function and promote weight loss.

Many CAM treatments are based on traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, and their roots go back thousands of years.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), for instance, originated over 5,000 years ago. This practice has been in China since antiquity.

TCM, although it gained prominence in the late 1800s, is still an integral part of health care.

TCM treatment is now used by over 70% of American citizens.

Yoga is another popular CAM remedy. Around 5000 B.C., yoga was born in India. It is now widespread.

Yoga is gaining popularity because of its many benefits, including spiritual, mental and physical.

Yoga can be used to reduce stress, improve flexibility, increase strength and help with blood pressure.

Although there is limited scientific research, yoga seems to have positive effects on sleep33 and may be helpful for those suffering from insomnia.

Other CAM therapies, such as meditation, homeopathy, aromatherapy, are also becoming more mainstream.

Herbal medicine is one the most commonly used types of CAM.

Herbal medicines may include herbs and spices, flowers, seeds or fruits, bark, leaves or roots, as well stems.

They are often considered safer alternatives to pharmaceutical drugs and are widely used by consumers.

The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health estimates that about 90 million Americans use some form of complementary/alternative medicine.

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), 45% of adult cancer patients used alternative medicine during their treatment.

According to the National Institutes of Health, 60% of cancer patients use CAM. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that approximately 50% of cancer survivors have used CAM.

According to a recent study, 51% cancer survivors have used at the very least one type of CAM.

However, only 8 percent of those individuals had discussed this with their doctors.

This is a serious problem with healthcare delivery because there is not enough communication between conventional medical practitioners and CAM users.

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If you or another person is suffering from a medical issue and you are concerned, consult your doctor or seek out other medical professional treatment as soon as possible. Do not disregard medical advice from a professional or delay seeking it due to information you seen on the blog or website or in any of the linked materials. If you're experiencing an emergency medical situation, dial 911 or seek emergency medical assistance on the closest phone immediately.