How to Gain Empathy Back?
For context, my girlfriend and I used to have a very toxic relationship (on both sides). After frequent and intense fights I lost all empathy for her. I thought my issue would be gone once we got to a healthier stage in our relationship, and we have. However, I still lack empathy for her. How do I even begin to explain that hearing her talk about her feelings annoys me and that I don’t care? I’ve been using cognitive empathy because I care about her as a person and do want to see her succeed and leave behind her insecurities. So maybe not all my empathy for her is gone? And to make it clear, I am a naturally empathetic person and have had no problems with empathy before. I experience empathy for pretty much anyone else but her. Should I just continue to use cognitive empathy?