I’d like to suggest a somewhat different description. The key is the difference between empathy and compassion. Empathy means understanding another person’s perception of their experience, whereas compassion is taking on that perception. From its Latin origin, compassion literally means “to suffer with”, which is why it can become so draining. With empathy, there is some degree of detachment, boundaries if you will, whereas with compassion you’re all in and experiencing the suffering of others. It’s like jumping in another person’s sinking boat to help them bail out the water. The thing is, it’s not unusual for the other person to jump ship, leaving you holding a bucket as the boat goes down. That’s compassion fatigue. It’s common in all healthcare professions, including mine, veterinary medicine.