Have you been described by others as being “too sensitive”? Have you been accused of over reacting to circumstances in which others seem to easily get over it? Do you tend to ruminate over conversations and social situations where you keep replaying the scene in your mind and how you messed up? Do you feel hurt easily by what others say and do? Do you feel self conscious to the point of great anxiety when asked to perform in front of others? Do you feel like an empath from the Star Trek: Next Generation TV series where other people’s moods have the ability to cause you pain or even incapacitation? Do you feel weary from being in constant fight or flight mode? Are you especially vulnerable to stimuli from your environment such as loud sounds, bright lights, strong odors, or other potential sources of over-stimulation?
If you answered yes to a lot of these questions you may be what is known as a Highly Sensitive Person or HSP. It sounds just like another acronym for yet another conjured up mental disorder of the month. Yet in my personal opinion, this label for temperament warrants some merit. Back in 1996 Dr. Elaine Aron wrote about the traits of a personality type she deemed as the “highly sensitive person.” Instead of portraying this type of individual as having some sort of disorder, Doctor Aron simply describes the highly sensitive person as possibly having a different neurological make-up than some. It is estimated that up to 20% of the population are HSP’s.
Some describe highly sensitive people as those who have a sensitive but finely tuned neurological system. This type of wiring can be considered a gift because you may be very empathic, creative and intuitive but there may be a price to pay in also having to battle symptoms of anxiety and depression. If you are an HSP you may be in a constant state of overstimulation from both external and internal stimuli. HSPs are said to be deeply affected by physical and emotional pain.
Knowing myself for all these years, I can honestly say that I fit right in with this description. I feel that having this type of temperament has been both a blessing and a curse. I feel that on one hand I am a deeply caring and compassionate individual with a lot of drive and passion. I can feel the lofty highs of joy and exuberance. But I can also feel the extreme lows of despair and sorrow. There are days when I feel like an exposed nerve, unprotected and raw. The world seems especially difficult to navigate as I am always attempting to feel safe but also pursue my goals. There are times when I physically and emotional shut down as an innate protection strategy from becoming overwhelmed.
I think a lot of factors influence whether or not you are a highly sensitive person. I believe that early childhood traumas can contribute to having the mental wiring where you are in constant fight or flight mode. People who have faced numerous life stressors are probably going to be a little or a lot more sensitive than others. Some of us may have both a biological and genetic predisposition to approach the world more warily than other people. Not all HSP’s are introverts but a good many can be described as shy and socially anxious. It is my opinion that people who are highly sensitive may also have what is called a sensory processing disorder. A sensory processing disorder would explain why some HSP’s have difficulty regulating sensory information and find some stimuli aversive or painful such as loud sounds or bright lights.
