In this article I attempt to approach haptotherapy – and haptonomy in general – from the perspective of empathy. At first sight, here seems to be striking relationships between haptotherapy and empathy. From an empathy perspective, haptotherapy is like empathy-with-the-hands, whereas empathy could be called haptotherapy-with-your-feelers. Both have a supportive, affirmative effect. Both are beneficial but also risky. For both it is important to stay in touch with your own feelings while being in contact with the other person, the client. In haptotherapy practice, the two often go together.

Being myself a non-haptotherapist, I will focus on empathyin in this article. I will present the outline of a theory that gives insight into both the supportive effects of empathy as well as it’s dangerous aspects. I will provide the reader with sufficient points of contact to be able to make the connection to haptotherapy.