Highly Sensitive People
Does this sound like you?
- You become easily overwhelmed by environmental stimulation, like loud noises, bright lights, strong smells, and other kinds of sensory input.
- People accuse you of being too sensitive.
- You have perfectionist tendencies.
- You’re a people-pleaser.
- You are highly self-critical.
If so, you might be what Elaine Aron describes as a “Highly Sensitive Person”, or HSP. HSPs are known to have increased sensitivity to physical, emotional, and social stimuli, a phenomenon called “Sensory Processing Sensitivity”, or SPS.
You can learn more about HSPs and take a free test here.
Being an HSP comes with benefits as well as challenges. You might experience the joys of music and food and art more deeply; but the same may be said of sadness, hurt, and physical and emotional pain.
Over time, these feelings can become overwhelming. Worse, these problems can be exacerbated by existing traumas, family of origin issues, and repeated misunderstanding and dismissals by those close to us.
This can lead to damaged self-confidence, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.
How Highly Sensitive Person Treatment Can Help
Having a regular time and space to speak in confidentiality with a therapist who really gets you can be tremendously helpful. Engaging in in-depth therapeutic work can:
- Build resilience and inner strength, allowing you to navigate life’s obstacles with more grace.
- Increase self-awareness and self-confidence.
- Help alleviate anxiety and depression.
- Result in personal insights and new ways of understanding your sensitivities that lead to healthier boundaries in relationships.
- Help resolve personal traumas.
- Improve romantic, platonic, and professional relationships.
Ready to Get Started with an HSP Therapist?
The first step toward change is to book a free consultation to discuss how we might work together to address these issues. Let’s get started.
Tom Adams, LCMHC, offers online therapy to highly sensitive people (HSPs) who live in Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina.