The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You

Product Information

She doesn't talk about how to differentiate innate sensitivity from similar symptoms that can develop from trauma. As a therapist, I am curious about this. But I worried that perhaps there was maybe a little bit too much "feel good about yourself for being a special HSP!" message. Seriously, who does have a high tolerance for doing a job that isn't meaningful? Having a sensitive nervous system is normal, a basically neutral trait.You probably inherited it.It occurs in about 15-20 percent of the population.It means you are aware of subtleties in your surroundings, a great advantage in many situations.It also means you are more easily overwhelmed when you have been out in a highly stimulating environment for too long, bombarded by sights and sounds until you are exhausted in a nervous-system sort of way.Thus, being sensitive has both advantages and disadvantages. Since we’re in the heresies game, let’s try the biggest one. Is HSP real? “It’s unclear whether highly sensitive people warrant their own category – in scientific language, whether the difference is dimensional or taxonomic,” says Kane (whose PhD is in neuroimaging). “There are still few research groups dedicated to this, and a brain study often taken as definitive proof is too limited to generalise its results.” This doesn’t mean HSP isn’t real. All theories look for definitive, areas-of-the-brain-lighting-up proof, one that makes a good picture in the media. But “we can’t really do that with anything to be honest, despite spending billions of pounds on it.” Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking was much better. If I hadn't read Quiet before reading this book, I may have given it 2 or 3 stars instead. There were a few helpful discussions of sensitivity and the differences between sensitive and non-sensitive people, but overall.. just.. ugh.

Aron, a licensed psychiatrist, takes readers on a journey through the mind of a highly sensitive person. If you yourself are highly sensitive, you'll learn more about how your mind and body work. You'll learn how to view yourself as someone who is unique and ultimately needed in the universe. I particularly liked Aron's notes on the idea of a warrior-king type of personality and the idea of a more sensitive advisor type of personality and the benefits to society of both. I appreciated that while Aron encourages neither type of personality to view theirs as superior, each does have its own advantages. For example, as a sensitive person, you might be considered shy, sometimes aloof, or even arrogant, since you tend to keep to yourself and find it hard to make friends. You tend to avoid social engagements with a large number of people and lots of noise and sounds, so people sometimes might think of you as a party pooper. But on the flip side, sensitive people are also the most compassionate, the most intuitive, and the most creative of all personality types. If you find yourself reading this book and realizing you are more than likely a highly sensitive person, you'll begin to look at past events in your life with a new understanding, perhaps even realizing why you reacted to certain things and people the way you did.But first, she gets you to go deep into your past and find those moments that lead you to believe your sensitivity was bad, the moments where not only people but your own body told you that you are too sensitive. Most of us feel overstimulated every once in a while, but for the highly sensitive person, it’s a way of life. In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Elaine Aron, a highly sensitive person herself, shows you how to identify this trait in yourself and make the most of it in everyday situations. While challenging, being an HSP also has its strengths. There are various resources that can help you learn more about your advantages and obstacles; books, in particular, can provide a wealth of knowledge and insight into these experiences. Here are four that may just strike a chord with you:

Aron writes of her own and other HSPs ’stories and how they have used their skills to help others and themselves to grow and live full lives. She writes of all the research that went into this book with many helpful tips on exploring your sensitivity and using it to your advantage. I have no tolerance for this kind of writing. Especially since this is in a book about highly sensitive people, you'd think she would know better than to pull that. Are you looking for great books for highly sensitive people? In this article, guest writer Camille Parker shares 4 powerful must-reads for the highly sensitive person. a b c Aron, E.; Aron, A.; Jagiellowicz, J. (2012). "Sensory processing sensitivity: A review in the light of the evolution of biological responsivity" (PDF). Personality and Social Psychology Review. 16 (3): 262–282. doi: 10.1177/1088868311434213. PMID 22291044. S2CID 2542035. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 13, 2015.I found this to be extremely interesting and insightful. I only just realised now at the time of writing this review that the author was not the narrator. This doesn't matter, but I assumed it was her. Being a HSP and psychotherapist herself, the author has tremendous experience and clinical knowledge into the phenomena behind this mostly unrealised personality type. a b "The Highly Sensitive Person In Love with Elaine Aron". WebMD Live Events Transcript. Archived from the original on March 17, 2018. Transcript published October 2007 or before.