Highly Sensitive Person, a groundbreaking book by Elaine Aron is summarized below. Or you can go to her website and take a self-test to see if you identify with this very normal trait. (www.hsperson.com)
Energy Healing and EFT/TAT are very effective and supportive with Highly Sensitive Persons. As an "HSP" myself, I can personally confirm how energy healing and self-healing can be of great benefit to Highly Sensitive Person.
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Summary of Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aron:
• 15-20% of human population are born with nervous systems genetically designed to be more sensitive to subtleties
* more prone to deep reflection on inner experience
* more easily overwhelmed by outer events
• It is a normal inherited difference or trait affecting how the nervous system functions and every aspect of life
• Defining High Sensitivity: Two Facts to Remember…
* Everyone, HSP or not, feels best when neither too bored nor too aroused in their nervous systems and body
* People differ considerably in how much their nervous system is aroused in the same situation under the same stimulation
The good news….HSP’s notice things that go unobserved by others, we reflect more on everything and sort things into finer distinctions. We tend to be more intuitive, visionary, conscientious and wise people
The not-so-good news…what is moderately arousing to most people is highly arousing to HSPs. When overstimulation occurs too often systems can shut down (transmarginal inhibition)
• Stimulation can be from outside and/or inside; it is anything that wakes up the nervous system.
• It is important not to confuse arousal with fear.
*"Fear creates arousal of the nervous system but so do: joy, curiosity or anger, the newness of a situation, noise…florescent lights… or the many things our eyes are seeing."
Advantages of the Trait of High Sensitivity:
most HSP’s are…
• Better at spotting errors and avoiding making errors
• Highly conscientious
• Able to concentrate deeply
• Especially good at tasks requiring vigilance, accuracy, speed and detection of minor differences
• Able to process material to deeper levels
• Often thinking about our own thinking
• Able to learn without being aware we have learned
• Deeply affected by other people’s moods and emotions
• Specialists in fine motor movements
• Good at 'holding still'
• ‘morning people’ (many exceptions, of course)
• more right-brained (process things creatively)
• more sensitive to things in the air
Challenges of High Trait Sensitivity
• Living in a western culture in which non-high sensitivity is the norm and most valued
• Work settings and job definitions made for non-HSP’s
• Relationships with non-HSP’s and HSP’s
• Recognizing, valuing and appreciating our HSP Trait without pathologizing it.
From Ted Zeff’s The Highly Sensitive Person’s Survival Guide
p. 9 “Thank Goodness for Sensitive People”
“By understanding, accepting and appreciating your sensitive nervous system and by learning practical methods to deal with your sensitivity, you will gradually be able to identify and release any internalized false beliefs that there is something inherently wrong with you. HSPs are a large minority in this society that values and thrives on overstimulation, competition and aggression. However, in order for a society to function at an optimal level there has to be a balance between the non-HSP soldiers and chief executive officers and the mostly HSP counselors and artists.
As a matter of fact if there were more HSPs, we would probably live in a healthier world, with less war, environmental devastation and terrorism. It is the HSP whose sensitivity helps create restrictions on smoking, pollution and noise. However, it’s important to note that there are very compassionate and kind non-HSPs and rude and insensitive HSPs. As a matter-of-fact, my non-HSP dad was one of the most considerate and caring people that I’ve ever known.”
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Self-Care is Paramount
• Sufficient rest: “9 hours in bed/night plus a rest/nap in the afternoon”
• Taking care of needs for food, lighting, room temperature or clothing comfort, time in nature, bring nature
indoors, support your spiritual life
• Balance enough time ‘in’ and ‘out’
• Strategies for overarousal of nervous system
• Boundaries and ‘body work’ to support health
• Reframing societal views of ‘too sensitive’ for ourselves