While being a Highly Sensitive Person is not caused by trauma, difficult life experiences are amplified by high sensitivity.

I help people who feel things deeply, notice details others miss, and get overwhelmed easily by noise, emotions, or stress.  If you’ve been told that you are too sensitive when you cry, you are not alone. 

I am a highly sensitive person. The first time I was given the book “Highly Sensitive People” by Elaine Aron, I knew the book was about me. I like to use the term hyper-sensitive instead of highly sensitive because of all the trauma associated with the word “Highly”. It connotes a judgement as if there is a standard as to what “regular” people should be at with their sensitivity in their nervous system.

Instead, I want to focus on the reaction of a finely tuned sensitive nervous when it is overstimulated by noise, smells and other stimuli. This reaction is going on hyper alert that something is wrong. If the hyper-sensitive person is not in touch with how to manage their worries around the hyper alert signals, this could lead to excessive worrying and discomfort in the body. After a lifetime of not knowing how to navigate through this discomfort, the person begins to shame themselves for their sensitivity.  The saddest part of it all is that they cry in silence.

You did not become an HSP overnight; you have always been this way. HSP is a trait that is innate. You were born with feeling things deeply and reacting to other people’s moods. It is not as a result of a trauma response. The Differential Susceptibility theory explains that HSPs are more prone to be negatively impacted by criticisms than non-HSPS . But, HSPs benefit better than non-HSPs with encouragement and emotional validation.

If HSPs are not in the right environment growing up with encouragement and kind validating words, they are prone to developing mental illness like anxiety. While being an HSP is not caused by trauma, difficult life experiences are amplified by high sensitivity. Some HSPs may assume that trauma experiences caused them to be sensitive, but this is not true. HSPs feel more deeply to negative experiences due to how their nervous system is wired. This means that HSPs need to learn how to manage their brain so that they can bounce back with ease from negative experiences.

When you work with me, you will learn that your sensitivity is a strength.  Let me help you navigate life in a way that honors your deep feelings while finding balance, confidence, and calm.