The Highly Sensitive Person

Are you easily overwhelmed?

Do you need alone time to recharge your batteries?

Do other people’s feelings affect you?

Are you moved deeply by music and the arts?

Do you feel more empathetic and intuitive than most people?

Do you become overly passionate about certain things?

After a day traveling, do you need a day of rest?

Do you startle easily?

When you were a child, did people say you were shy?

These are some of the traits of a Highly Sensitive Person.

For Highly Sensitive People (HSP), the world can often seem chaotic and overwhelming and many HSPs feel the need to escape and hide. You probably feel different than others and often wonder why! Subsequently, you are probably seeking tools to help you cope and function in the world.

Being an HSP is not an excuse to hide from the world. I help Highly Sensitive People reduce and manage their overwhelm so that their sensitivity becomes their gift and not their curse!

You Are Not The Only Highly Sensitive Person

Dr. Elaine Aron coined the term “Highly Sensitive Person”. She found that 15-20% of people are highly sensitive. Also, there are as many male sensitive people out there are there are females. Only males may be suppressing their sensitive traits more.

HSP is not a diagnosis. It is a personality trait where certain people have sensitivity with their sensory processing and inner states. The nervous system becomes overloaded with too much external and internal stimuli. Additionally, there have been studies that have found brain differences in Highly Sensitive People! The HSP brain has a sensory processing sensitivity. It processes deeper than a non-HSP brain and it notices more subtleties in the environment.

HSPs & Trauma

Adult HSPs with childhood trauma may have a harder time than HSPs without childhood trauma. People with trauma that are innately sensitive might struggle more with anxiety and depression and being out in the world in general.

The good news is that you can learn to use your sensitivity to your advantage. Many successful people are Highly Sensitive!

Supporting Highly Sensitive People

I relate to Highly Sensitive People because I am one. As a highly sensitive therapist, I am able to use my trait to tap in intuitively to my clients. I understand first-hand what it’s like to live in a state of overwhelm and to learn to manage it. And after a lot of trial and error, I have learned what drains me and what lifts me up. 

It’s a relief when highly sensitive people learn that they fit into the HSP criteria. You’re not neurotic, you’re a highly sensitive person! I work with HSPs to help them cope better with anxiety, overwhelm, and sensory over stimulation. Also, I share tools and lifestyle tips that can help calm the nervous system so life isn’t so overwhelming. Processing trauma can help with general anxiety and stress going into new environments and situations. Modalities I use are mindfulness, EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), and more.

I get it when the lights are too bright, the sounds are too loud, and too many people drain you. HSP therapy is not about learning to retreat from the world. It’s about learning how to thrive as an HSP in the world.

Questions

 

The HSP is sensitive because they have trauma, right?

Not necessarily. HSP is an innate trait. In other words, it’s something you are born with. Yes, trauma might make a person more sensitive and hypervigilant. But Highly Sensitive People are born with the sensitivity. A HSP with trauma usually has more issues with overwhelm and anxiety than an HSP without trauma.

Does a HSP have a sensory processing disorder?

Being highly sensitive is not a disorder. It is a personality trait. Dr. Elaine Aron calls it- sensory processing sensitivity. HSPs might have some similarities to people with autism. But overall, being a HSP is not the same as being autistic.

I think my child might be highly sensitive. Can you help?

I love working with highly sensitive teens! Teens are extremely receptive to suggestions on how to make their lives less overwhelming. See HERE for Teen Therapy.

 

Highly Sensitive Person Therapy Can Help

With your dedication, therapy can help rewire your anxious brain and calm your nervous system. It’s about dissecting your life and finding where to make changes. Maybe you need more sleep than the average person. Maybe you do best in a career where you can work from home. Your thoughts may be working against you and not for you! Together, we will figure out how to dial down your sensory processing sensitivity and use it for your benefit. Overall, I will help you to figure out how to live fully while being a Highly Sensitive Person.

 

I Truly Get It!

For a HSP, finding the right therapist can be overwhelming! There are a lot of great therapists in California to choose from. But when deciding to work with me, you can feel relieved that I really do understand you. I am a Highly Sensitive Therapist and Highly Sensitive Person. Therapy is never a – one size fits all approach. While HSPs have a lot of similarities, we come from all walks of life and circumstances. Therapy is a collaboration and I aim to tailor my techniques to your individuality. To put things simply, lets make the therapy process as easy as possible for you.

 

Reach Out

My office is located in Ventura, California. It is near Ojai, Santa Barbara, Oxnard, Camarillo, and Thousand Oaks. I also offer online therapy if that’s easier for you or if you are not in the immediate area. Call or send me a MESSAGE to set up your complimentary 20 minute consultation.