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dr.

blume's article of the month

understanding the highly sensitive person

by dr.

ginger blume

while growing up, did people oftentimes refer to you as “too sensitive?” as an adult, do you oftentimes experience a heightened sensitivity to strong noises, lights, certain foods, groups of people, other people's emotions, etc.? do you have frequent experiences of depression and/or panic? if so, you may be what dr. elaine aron calls a highly sensitive person (hsp). her research is documented in her book, the highly sensitive person. this article will describe the hsp and perhaps, provide you with a new understanding of how some people experience their world as physically and emotionally, overly stimulating and painful.



a syndrome is composed of a number of symptoms that commonly manifest together in a group. however, each of the symptoms by themselves is not indicative of a syndrome. the unique combination of symptoms is the key factor. lets look at some possible indicators of a person who may experience ultra sensitivity.

such an individual would probably relate to most, but not necessarily all, of these symptoms:
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easily tired

have states of depression

feel panic/anxiety when there is no clear danger

labeled as too "sensitive" or "thin skinned" or "emotional"

overwhelmed by being "out in the world"
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overly attentive to what is going on around them

feel an urge to hide in a quiet, sometimes dark, room to escape over stimulation

often cancel or don't even make plans with others

highly affected by other people's moods

highly allergic to foods and environmental conditions

exceptionally intuitive and artistic

overly sensitive to noise and light

the ultra-sensitive individual picks up on most of the subtleties in their environment, no matter what they are. when the stimuli begin to feel too much, a state of feeling overwhelmed can occur, causing the individual to go into automatic "survival" mode. survival oftentimes involves the primitive fight and flight response. hence, to cope with the situation, it is not uncommon for the hsp to retreat to be alone in a quiet and/or darkened room. this is a place where they can regroup and calm down their over-activated nervous system.



ultra-sensitive people simply experience things more intensely and are more aware of the subtleties in the environment than non-usps. some people are ultra-sensitive in only a few arenas of their lives, like flying in an airplane, being in a noisy mall, or being in a small, cramped space. these types of sensitivities are commonly referred to as phobias. other hsps are ultra-sensitive in most or all areas of their lives. the causes for this appear to be multi-determined, including such things as genetic predisposition, developmental growth, and life experiences.



growing up as a highly sensitive child is not easy. such children are criticized and shamed for the way they cringe in certain situations. kids and adults may have called them too sensitive, emotional, thin-skinned, a complainer, never satisfied, etc. the classic story, the princess and the pea is a perfect description of the hsp (most often related to women). for a highly sensitive male child, they would have been taunted as a "crybaby," “acting just like a girl,” etc. these shame-laden labels can contribute to emotionally tarnishing one's self-esteem.



in reality, the highly sensitive person (hsp) plays an important function in the world. the hsp has a heightened sensitivity to the environment and may use this awareness to spearhead social movements to protect the earth. hsps are highly intuitive and oftentimes know what other people are feeling. their ability to be empathic is exceptional. unless they learn to shut out this awareness at times, however, they can feel as if they have no body boundary between themselves and others. also, given an over sensitivity to stimuli such as light, noise, and temperature, the hsp may feel a massive input of stimuli in crowded places such as a shopping mall resulting in anxiety and a desire to retreat. non-hsps may only be mildly distracted in a similar situation. once overwhelmed, the hsps survival response (fight or flight) is triggered and can result in a panic/anxiety attack. unfortunately, in an attempt to quell these feelings, some hsps turn to drugs/alcohol/food/etc to gate the resulting feelings out of awareness.



why are some people ultra-sensitive? there is no single answer, only speculation. some people come into the world with a neurological system that is pre-wired as highly sensitive. others are traumatized early in development and become hypersensitive as a result of abuse. also, others may have these sensitivities due to a physical abnormality (i.e. mitral valve prolapse) or resulting from various chemical and food allergies. in whatever area(s) of your life you are ultra sensitive, you are vulnerable to feeling overwhelmed unless you learn to put a dimmer switch on your central nervous system and sensory awareness. this can be done through imagery work while in a very relaxed state.


"how can you learn to regulate your overly sensitive nature?" usually, a naturopath physician can be very helpful in understanding hsp and provide recommendations that are holistic in approach. homeopathy and acupuncture are also supportive approaches. learning to attend to your past and current emotional states is also crucial, not only from the point of healing old wounds but to learn the skills that will allow you to embrace your gift. ultra-sensitivity is not something to get rid of but to learn how to regulate and use more wisely.

[nAKMzyBN]

gift? hardly. lol

about 90% of that article applies to me. i don't have any allergies or fear of flying on a plane though. actually the lift off process in a plane is quite fun. :d

sometimes it's great to have the ability to sense what is going on in the world around me, but other times it's completely overwhelming and it's just much easier to be alone or only be around a few people at a time.

hsp may feel a massive input of stimuli in crowded places such as a shopping mall resulting in anxiety and a desire to retreat. for sure! any crowded place really.

if other hsp are like me, then they plan their schedules and run errands at a time when they know public places will not be crowded. it makes shopping so much easier. moving to a small town or living out in the country helps a great deal, which is what i have done.

the hardest part though has to be the anxiety or fight/flee reflex. it overwhelms in a heartbeat and logic seems nonexistent.

[AnthonyKing]

wow! thanks for that article. that is me to the t..... kinda scary really

[nizcreare]

yes, i actually read this book and i liked it for the most part. it does make sense. it is one of those things that seems so simple and obvious that you wonder why no one thought of it long before.

i think i would fit the bill as a hsp and although it is challenging to be one in this world i absolutely do think it is a gift. i think that a sensitive person can teach himself/herself ways to navigate this world without stress but a dense person can not teach himself/herself to be sensitive. i think being sensitive also makes you a quick study so that we get and understand things very quickly and easily and maybe on a deeper level as well.

i am older now but it was hard to be sensitive when i was a young kid. everybody seemed so much tougher than me and i wanted to be tough as well. i did eventually teach myself a good deal of toughness but in the process i lost a bit of my sensitivity. now that i am older i realize that my sensitivity was a great strength and not a weakness and i regret "hardening" myself up. maybe i calcified my pineal gland a bit and now i want to "unharden" myself and get my sensitivity back.

oh well, you live and you learn.

my humble gratitude,
foo

[Illisezek]

wow... thanks so much for sharing this with us emily. it was strange to read this because so much of it resonates with me, not all, but much. some of these tendancies/symptoms seem almost paranoid so i don't particularly relate to them (such as fear of flying, allergies, overly sensitive to noise and light, although now that i think about it, maybe i've just tempered these traits in myself as i've matured as a human...). i relate to being labeled "too sensitive", i do avoid crowds like the plague, i often cancel plans just because... i can be a hermit at times so i often force myself to get out and be social, i am overly in tuned to others emotions, empathetic, intuitive...

amazing. it's interesting because just today i was carrying the world on my shoulders. i couldn't shake the negative energy i felt most of the day and to be honest this is a very rare occurance. it all started with an email from the humane society asking for support in helping to stop the sexual abuse of animals in florida. what? i know this has been going on since the beginning of time but this plea for help and support literally made me sick. people disappoint me so often and my soul just longs for a world filled with peace and love and harmony. no more darkness and abuse of any kind to any living creature. then, i was driving to the airport and saw a beautiful dog on the side of the highway eating trash... he was just mere feet away from getting struck by a car and i was too afraid that if i pulled over to help him he would run into the traffic so i kept on going and prayed (and cried) that he would be kept safe. sometimes i get bogged down with these sad situations and i feel so tired... i realize how much raw energy it takes to stay bouyant and positive and loving in this crazy world. i'm looking forward to our future of peace.
i have to say that i also had some very loving and kind encounters with people today so it wasn't all bad. but the sad stuff can surely break your heart. thank goodness for this forum because all of you help me to rise above the darkness and for that i am very grateful.

i hope the moderators will allow me to post this link... it's a beautiful "love story" between a man and a rescued american bald eagle. this gives me hope and inspiration. it will warm your heart

story of freedom and jeff:
http://www.sarveywildlife.org/story.aspx?id=7

pictures of freedom and jeff:
http://www.sarveywildlife.org/galler...galleryid=1280

love to you all,
kelly