What exactly does it mean to be highly sensitive and how does it manifest itself in everyday life: Being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) means being a person who possesses the trait of High Sensitivity (scientifically called Sensory Processing Sensitivity)? This implies for the person to have a higher level of sensitivity to the stimuli they receive from the external environment (external world) and internal environment (body, mind) by having a more developed neurosensitive system that allows them to capture a greater amount of subtle information, which is why It is much more perceptive, sensitive and reactive to everything it receives through its senses and as a consequence it can also become stressed more easily and quickly.
High sensitivity is neither a pathology nor a disorder, but rather it is a temperamental personality trait that between 15 and 20% of the world’s population has, it does not distinguish between genders and it is a trait with which one is born and will develop. live together throughout life, which is why it is important that the person who owns it knows it, knows themselves and can take care of themselves to achieve greater well-being and better development for their life.
What are some common challenges that highly sensitive people face and how can they overcome them?
According to Dr. Elaine Aron, a pioneering North American psychologist in scientifically investigating (in the mid-90s) the trait (differentiating it from shyness and introversion), she defined a highly sensitive personality construct composed of 4 characteristics that must be presented together and from birth: a deep processing of the stimuli and sensory information received, a high emotionality and empathy, a great sensitive capacity to perceive subtleties and nuances of the environment, and a tendency to overstimulate, saturate and overactivate the nervous system.
Since it is a “normal” personality trait, and not a disorder or pathology, it does not have to be “diagnosed” by any mental health professional, but it can be identified by the person who has it, by self-identification. Know yourself and investigate yourself regarding your way of perceiving, feeling and acting in life. In the case of children, this will be possible through the observation and analysis that the closest adults can carry out based on certain behaviors that the child may manifest.
Something that can happen in everyday life would be that the person or child: worries or analyzes too much some circumstance that others consider in a more superficial way; reacts emotionally (for better or worse) more intensely and empathizes a lot with the suffering of others; perceives and reacts to sounds, smells, textures, environmental details, or facial expressions that others do not pick up; and they become stressed or overwhelmed very quickly when faced with some situation or change they experience, which is why they can be classified as exaggerated, picky or complicated.
This trait is present in more than 100 animal species and has a very special purpose, which is to contribute to the survival of the species, which is why since the beginning of humanity there have been many highly sensitive people who have stood out in art, science , spirituality, writing and political and social leadership, etc., but many of them have also suffered the not so positive consequences of it.
In particular to me I was motivated by my own process and personal and professional search since, as Highly Sensitive Person Today I know that I was born to be happy and also to collaborate with my help in a greater purpose for humanity, however, more than twenty years ago I did not know it and I had to live a deep existential crisis that forced me to review and take charge of everything that I perceived and felt internally and had not been able to express or develop due to multiple family, social and cultural conditioning.
Furthermore, I can assure you that a crisis, which generates suffering or discomfort, is always a starting point and the opportunity that life offers us to return to the path towards ourselves and evolve into greater consciousness, fullness and authenticity. And being able to be a witness and part that helps and accompanies in that “Rebirth to the Being that we came to be and self-develop more fully to give ourselves to the world” is a beautiful and exciting privilege.”
Counselor, PAS specialist.
Source: Ambito
