Dr Tony Bates: It is easy to lose touch with our hearts

Clinical psychologist Dr Tony Bates explores what it means to live a full life where we are equally open to good and challenging experiences

Dr Tony Bates. Photograph Moya Nolan

‘Heart’ is a word we understand intuitively. Putting my heart into whatever I am doing suggests that I believe it is important and deserves my careful, committed attention. A person with a heart is open and compassionate. To respond with heart to someone in crisis is to listen to them without judgment and be willing to sit with them until we find a way forward.

We naturally point to our chest area when we use the word heart. It represents a gentler, kinder aspect of us that is open and receptive to life.