Faced with someone's raw suffering, compassion from a step away seems to work better than empathy, which can leave you disabled by their despair.

I suppose I do this by practising compassion rather than empathy – being moved by someone’s suffering and wanting to help, rather than putting myself in their position and feeling their pain. Standing a step away and seeking to assist someone in need, rather than being disabled by their despair, seems to be the way to manage these things.