What is a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)?

The Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) is a personality or brain trait coined by Psychologist and researcher, Elain Aron who is an HSP herself.  The HSP trait is neither negative nor positive.  Being HSP has some gifts and it has some considerations for living in a world that is typically not designed for people with this trait.  About 15-20 percent of people are HSPs and this trait has even been found in over 100 species of animals.  HSPs are sometimes confused with being introverted as HSPs often need time alone to recharge and reset, however about 30% of HSPs are extroverts and in most cases are also high sensation seeking (HSS).  These HSP types like unique experiences.  Some HSPs get just as anxious from being understimulated as they do from being overstimulated and finding the happy medium can be challenging.

The HSP brain type has been studied via Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). In this case, this means taking 3D pictures of the brain while the HSP people and non HSP people are given a task to focus on. They discovered that people with the trait tend to have brains that pick up on more information and therefore have more information to process through. This led them to understanding why HSPs need more time to process information, they are actually processing more!  fMRI studies have also been done where HSPs and non-HSPs are shown emotional images and researchers found that HSPs had increased brain activity compared to non-HSPs when processing the emotions of others . 

Common HSP Traits:

• Sometimes you feel like there is just too much stimulus like loud noises, particular textures, bright lights, strong smells.
  
  
• You might get overwhelmed by long to-do lists or time crunches
  
  
• You need significant downtime to recover after very busy experiences like conferences, parties, family gatherings, work events, etc.
  
  
• You sometimes might need to with draw to a quiet place or into nature with less sensory input in order to reset
  
  
• You organize your life around not being too overwhelmed or not being in upsetting or intense situations.
  
  
• You are very contemplative and think about life in a complex way (existential thinking)
  
  
• Your parents or teachers may have categorized you as sensitive or shy, because it took you time to warm up to new situations before you were comfortable
  
  
• You feel deeply (about art, music, theater, relationships, nature, the world, other people, your own life) 
  
  
• You likely feel misunderstood or have felt misunderstood in your life
  
  
• You pick up on subtle details and notice things that most people don’t
  
  
• You tend to lean towards spirituality or philosophical thinking.
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• You have a deep inner world of thought and/or wonder and a natural curiosity. 

Being HSP is normal and innate and is not often understood by the majority.  There are many HSPs out there that don’t even know about the trait.  Depending on whether the culture you grew up in valued sensitivity, you might feel valued and cherished or you might have low self esteem as a result of being judged about “being sensitive,” so you might not feel like it’s ok to be who you are.  

The Highly Sensitive Person is not a formal diagnosis.  It’s a trait that is a spectrum that some identify with and others do not.  Knowing that you have particular HSP traits can help you better navigate the world knowing that it’s normal and you have specific needs and considerations in order to navigate life.
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Would you like to learn more about being an HSP? Contact Empathic Heart Counselling here to book a complementary 15min consultation where you can ask questions and see if one of our counsellors would be a good fit for you! ​