What determines whether pain breaks us or transforms us? In this episode, David explores one of the most neglected concepts in psychological healing: capacity, the room we have for our own difficult emotions, and for each other's.

Through three lenses, our own inner life, the therapy room, and the heart of the helper, this episode weaves together the window of tolerance, research on emotional suppression and experiential avoidance, the neuroscience distinguishing empathy from compassion, and stories of people learning that the feelings they feared would drown them were actually survivable.

Whether you're a clinician, a leader, a parent, or simply someone carrying something heavy, this episode offers both a framework and a practice: capacity is not a trait you're born with. It is a room you build, one ninety-second sta ...