Yes, that is the rub, when you're so wounded by victimization, it's hard to see beyond your own fingers and toes. I have used Jnana yoga to great effect to get a "bird's eye view" of my suffering, that is, Jnana yoga is a systematic process of renouncement of ego identification, and it helps greatly with breaking the cycles of our own thoughts and mental illusions dragging us down.

Empathy, on the other hand can be developed through Karma yoga, which is the yoga of selfless service to others without expectation of reward. Swami Vivekananda said that all four paths of orthodox yoga will bring a practitioner to spiritual freedom, but he placed special emphasis on Karma yoga for the benefits of selfless empathy that one develops, which is very much needed in this world! He saw that truth over a century ago, amazing!