Highly Sensitive Person
What is a highly sensitive person (HSP)?
In the 1990s Dr. Elaine Aron, Ph.D. coined the term “highly sensitive person” or HSP. The term came from her observation that some people feel things more deeply than most.
A highly sensitive person is someone who is more aware of subtleties, and who processes information more deeply than others, which makes them more susceptible to feeling overwhelmed in their daily lives. In the years since the term was coined, hundreds of studies of adults, infants, and other species have confirmed Dr. Aron’s findings. HSPs are sometimes mistaken for introverts, but that’s not always the case; 30 percent of them are extroverts
While everyone feels sensitive at times, and everyone reacts to stimuli to some degree, being a highly sensitive person means you experience a much greater response — so much so that it can seem overwhelming.
Are you a highly sensitive person?
Can you answer “yes” to five or more of the following statements?
I get rattled when I have a lot to do in a short amount of time.
I make it a high priority to arrange my life to avoid upsetting or overwhelming situations.
I try to avoid conflict as much as possible.
I make a point of avoiding violent movies and TV shows.
Being uncomfortable – such as too cold/hot or hungry/full – puts me in an unpleasant mood and disrupts my concentration.
When others are uncomfortable, I tend to know what needs to be done to make them more comfortable.
I have a rich, complex inner life.
I am sensitive to pain.
Other people’s mood affect me.
Sometimes I need to withdraw into a dark, quiet space just to get a break from stimulation.
I notice and enjoy delicate or subtle scents, tastes, sounds, works of art or music.
I am conscientious and can sometimes anticipate others’ needs.
I am easily overwhelmed by too much sensory input.
When I was a child, my parents or teachers saw me as sensitive or shy.
I feel misunderstood.
If so, you might be a Highly Sensitive Person. Take the self-test developed by Dr. Aron to learn more.
You mean I’m not alone?!
High sensitivity is a real, research-based characteristic. Highly sensitive people are found in equal numbers in both males and females and make up about 20% of the population. Being highly sensitive comes with both advantages and drawbacks.
Highly sensitive people tend to be empathetic, artistically creative, intuitive, and highly aware of the needs of others. But highly sensitive people also deal with overwhelm, exhaustion, and burnout, especially from “absorbing” or sensing all the emotional cues of the people around them.
Highly sensitive people take in more information, more details, and more data and feel more intensified emotions than 80% of the population. By noticing and processing every detail around them, including their own internal thoughts, HSPs are doing far more cognitive work than most other people.
“High sensitivity occurs in about 20 percent of the population, making it a perfectly normal personality trait. Let me repeat that. Being a highly sensitive person is completely normal.”
how can therapy help me?
Many of the struggles of being Highly Sensitive are due to being overstimulated and emotionally exhausted. Therapy can help you understand the traits of being a Highly Sensitive Person and help you to design a life that is compatible with the trait. Understanding the need for better sleep, more downtime and balance between workload, personal responsibilities and self-care is crucial for HSPs.
I specialize in helping highly sensitive persons learn how to make the most of their gifts and better manage over stimulation. I am a highly sensitive person myself. I understand how being highly sensitive can affect every aspect of your life from your career to your personal relationships. I have helped many HSPs learn the coping strategies they need to find peace in a busy and often over stimulating world.