What Is a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)?

Are you wondering, what is a highly sensitive person? Did you just discover you might be an HSP? Or, maybe you have known for a while, but now you are ready to learn more about being highly sensitive.

I remember when I first found out that I'm a highly sensitive person. I was going through a tough time in my life. I was so stressed out, anxious, exhausted, sick, and burned out. I couldn't stand the light. My eyes were on fire! Noises felt like drills on my brain. The headaches lasted weeks. I had no energy. I could barely stand people... or myself.

My emotions were all over the place. I was frustrated, highly irritable, and desperate for answers. Doctors didn't find anything wrong, other than stress, and I needed to find solutions. So, I started researching what could be going on with me, and that's how I found that I’m a highly sensitive person.

I had never heard the term "highly sensitive person" or HSP, but when I started learning about it, it felt like someone had explained to me my entire life. It was an eye-opening, revealing, validating, life-changing moment for me that started a profound journey of personal transformation and a meaningful path to help other sensitive people like You to have a better quality of life.

For highly sensitive people like us, it is a truly defining moment in our lives when we discover the reasons behind our struggles because we finally find validation of our experience, together with answers and tools to create a life that works best for us.

This moment also marks the beginning of our journey to uncover and embrace who we really are. We start understanding ourselves. Our experience starts making sense. We discover the numerous strengths and gifts that come with our sensitivity. We start learning how differently we experience the world, and how vital it is for our well-being to love ourselves and meet our needs.

Are you ready to discover who you really are? I'm so excited for you because throughout this journey you're not only going to find answers and solutions to your challenges, but also you will find your amazing strength, light, beauty, and power. You will transform your life!

The Trait of High Sensitivity (Sensory Processing Sensitivity)

During the 1990s, psychologist Elaine Aron was one of the pioneers in the research of the high sensitivity trait which is found in approximately 20% of the population. She named people with this unique and innate trait the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP); however, in the scientific world, it is known as sensory processing sensitivity (SPS). This is NOT a disorder and it is not to be confused with sensory processing disorder (SPD) - a condition in which the brain has difficulty receiving, responding, and processing sensory information.

Sensory processing sensitivity is a personality trait characterized by an increased sensitivity of the nervous system to sensory stimuli and a deeper cognitive processing of information.

In fact, this trait has been part of a survival strategy of our population. Back in the old days, members of the tribe who possessed greater sensitivity and responsiveness to the environment were specially equipped to find food, shelter, mates, and avoid dangers.

Humans are only one of over a hundred species in which this trait is found. Apparently, it is also present in some species of fish, fruit flies, deers, monkeys, birds, dogs... among others. This heightened sensitivity and awareness to the environment gives the individual the ability of pausing to check, observe, process, and reflect before act, which creates a survival advantage that in many cases means the thriving and evolution of the specie.

In humans, research has found that out of the 20% of population with the trait of high sensitivity, about 70% are considered introverted and 30% extroverted, and it is equally founded across genders.

So... What is a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)?

A highly sensitive person possesses the trait of high sensitivity. Elaine Aron presented a simple and comprehensive way to describe the trait using the acronym "DOES".

D = Depth of processing

O = Overstimulation

E = Emotional reactivity & Empathy

S = Sensing the subtle

“DOES” basically summarizes that highly sensitive people have increased sensory sensitivity, depth of processing, higher emotional responsiveness, ability of sensing the subtle, and therefore, they are prone to overstimulation.

The HSP is a highly sensitive, highly aware, highly perceptive person. We are extremely empathic, kind, compassionate, giving people who always want to help others.

We are highly intuitive, creative, insightful, intelligent. We are very in tune with others and the environment. We can read people and anticipate their needs. Our brain processes information to a level of depth that is unique to us. We can see many angles, many possibilities. We can connect the dots.

Highly sensitive people can experience the whole spectrum of emotions. We are deep feelers. We are intense, passionate, driven, fully alive people, who can intensely experience "the good" and "the bad".

We are very sensitive to energy, and we can sense the subtle. We easily can feel what other people feel and that can affect us deeply. Our senses are highly in tune with everything in the environment. We can see, feel, smell, hear, touch, know, imagine, sense everything at a higher level. We do really experience the world in high definition.

However, all this extra sensory input that we are receiving all the time consciously and unconsciously, together with all the information we are deep processing, and the intense emotions we are feeling, contribute to our tendency to become overstimulated and overwhelmed.

When our amazing brain gets overloaded, our nervous system gets overstimulated, and our emotions get all over the place, our sensitive body becomes depleted. Our sensitivity increases and our senses start struggling with all kinds of sensory input such as bright lights, loud sounds, strong smells, crowded places... We become irritable, exhausted, and highly emotionally reactive.

Unfortunately, highly sensitive people don’t always know and meet the needs of our sensitive body, which is one of the reasons we end up dealing with many physical and emotional challenges.

HSPs are unique, fascinating, and beautiful souls who are gifted with an extraordinary and powerful sensitivity, but in order to enjoy the benefits of it, we first need to learn how to take care of this power.

There is much more to learn about what is a highly sensitive person. Here, through our journey together, we will keep exploring in depth what it means to be highly sensitive, how it touches every area of your life, and what you need as a sensitive person to thrive in a not always sensitive world.

Remember, you are extremely strong because you are sensitive, and you already have inside everything you need to be your best. I’ll be here pointing out your gifts, reminding you of your power, helping you uncover your truth, giving you tools, and supporting you all the way to your healing and empowerment. It’s time for your light to shine powerful sensitive soul!

With Love & Light,

Angela

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What Is a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)?

The Trait of High Sensitivity (Sensory Processing Sensitivity)

So... What is a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)?

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