Today's neuroscience shows that we impact each other epigenetically over the course of our entire lives. In other words, science shows that when we come out of our mothers' bellies we are not completely marooned selves. Rather we come into an ocean of interconnected selfhood, which then partly defines who we are. Dr. Dan Siegel has pushed for a definition of self that includes our relationships with others (The Self Is Not Defined by the Boundaries of Our Skin). Who in your life helps make up part of your identity?
[image description: Two smiling hearts each have a label of "me" across their body, as well as another label of "you" on one designated portion of their body. The section labeled "you" is the color of the other heart. The heart on the left looks at the heart on the right who looks out at the viewer. Text reads: "Our souls are metaphysical in love."]