When we are fully feeling our pain, we are fully in the "feelings" of it, and not in the defenses of our egoic mind chatter. We simply "feel" the feelings of the heart so we can release the negative energy that has been created within our energy field. If we have a high level of "mind chatter" we are in resistance ~ which contracts our energy field, and creates blocks to the wisdom of the soul. In order to heal, we need to get to the "heart of the matter" by silencing the mind and tuning into the feelings/intuition/inner guidance from our soul. The feelings from our soul/heart will tell us what kind of action needs to be taken......if we will listen. Oftentimes, pain is the catalyst to our transformation. If we don't listen to the wisdom of the soul, we will re-expereince the pain over and over again until we learn the lesson our soul is trying to teach us.
The natural instinct is to dive in and heal everyone, this often take priority over healing of yourself. You cannot heal others from a point of pain, once you have crossed the bridge in your personal healing then you have the energies and authenticity to empower others over their own bridge.
Empaths tend to tune into the energies of pain and suffering, raise your vibration and transform others from the higher vibration not one on a lower or equal frequency.
Allow others more self responsibility.