Introduction

Have you been told repeatedly that you are too sensitive, that you should stop taking things to heart or you need to toughen up? Do you have high levels of empathy for others? Are you a deep thinker who processes feelings for longer than other people seem to? Do you feel different to other people, or have a feeling of not belonging, especially in your biological family? Do you become easily overwhelmed by environmental and sensory stimuli and need to withdraw on a regular basis? If the answers to these questions are a resounding ‘yes’, you are probably a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)

Anyone who is a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) processes emotions more deeply than someone without the trait, and often for longer. We are reflective and deep thinkers. But we can also be more reactive on an emotional level to events in our life or to the positive and negative emotions of others, and sometimes this can be perceived as over-reaction by non-HSPs.

Highly sensitive individuals are those born with a tendency to notice more in their environment and deeply reflect on everything before acting, as compared to those who notice less and act quickly and impulsively.

Mainly, their brains process information more thoroughly. This processing is not just in the brain, however, since highly sensitive people, children or adults, have faster reflexes (a reaction usually from the spinal cord); are more affected by pain, medications, and stimulants; and have more reactive immune systems and more allergies. In a sense, their entire body is designed to detect and understand more precisely whatever comes in.

This in turn leads, for example, to high levels of conscientiousness and creativity. On the negative side, this elaborate processing creates a greater potential for being overstimulated and troubled by stressful life events.