Highly Sensitive

By Susan Meindl. Whenever we enter a human space we consciously and unconsciously tune into and are influenced by the emotions of others around us both positively and negatively.

We respond instinctively to the emotional tone of those around us and all normal human beings are susceptible to emotional contagion to some degree.

By Jim Hallowes. Some of the diverse group of “famous” individuals that — in my opinion — might appropriately belong on the list of those who exhibit the characteristics of high sensitivity would include the likes of: Albert Einstein, Carl Jung and Charles Darwin, to political leaders: Abraham Lincoln, Harry S. Truman, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Gandhi, Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Eleanor Roosevelt and Princess Diana. Highly sensitive scientists and inventors include: Sir Isaac Newton, Thomas Alva Edison and naturalist Jane Goodall.

Exploring the trait & experience of being a highly sensitive person. Also some related stuff on shyness, introversion.

The Highly Sensitive Child (and Adults, Too): Is Sensitivity the Same as Being Gifted? By Elaine Aron

"Aside from the considerable problem of just defining giftedness or even intelligence (for example, is it global or is any talent a gift or form of intelligence?), I have resisted viewing sensitivity in these highly positive ways for three reasons. First, in my experience, not all gifted people are highly sensitive. I know too many non-HSPs who are highly gifted. In fact, I wonder whether each temperament trait, at its extreme, might yield a type of gift."

> Image from her book: The highly sensitive person: how to thrive when the world overwhelms you, by Elaine N. Aron Ph.D.
http://vsb.li/hScwDD

"Elaine Aron follows up her bestsellers on the highly sensitive person with a groundbreaking new book on the undervalued self. She explains that self-esteem results from having a healthy balance of love and power in our lives."

"My theory on that is all the best actors have a couple of layers of skin peeled away." Laurel Holloman...

Julie Christie“I found films to be turbulent and stressful. They have caused me an enormous amount of anxiety, because I do not have a lot of confidence. You are working, intellectually and mentally, and you are having to be with people and socialize all the time. Actors like it, on the whole, but I was not born with that quality. I am very quiet and would much prefer to talk to a few people rather than a crowd.”

Psychologist Elaine Aron, author of The Highly Sensitive Person, estimates about twenty percent of people are highly sensitive, and seventy percent of those are introverted, which is a trait that can also encourage creativity.

As examples, there are many actors who say they are shy, and director Kathryn Bigelow, who recently won an Academy Award, has said, “I’m kind of very shy by nature.”

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Related: Shyness, Introversion, Sensitivity – What’s the Difference?

http://talentdevelop.com/3316/shyness-introversion-sensitivity-whats-the-difference/

Judy Davis: "I was always terribly shy, so a great thing that acting has done for me has forced me out of myself and made me more generous."...

Being unsociable, bored at parties or uneasy with people aren't qualities that always or necessarily go with being creative, of course - but often they do.

Many talented artists and others have a creative personality type that is highly sensitive, introverted or shy – or all at once.

Not that people are simply “types” – but these summary descriptions can still be helpful. [Photo: Jonathan Rauch is a correspondent for The Atlantic, a guest scholar at the Brookings Institution...]

"Watch this 30 minute video to see exactly what high sensitivity is and why it matters:   Top 10 Reasons Why I Think You Need to Know About the Genetic Trait of High Sensitivity..."   By Ane Axford.

As a group, we HSPs aren't big on "being seen," for any number of reasons... from bad experiences in the past, to simply not liking it when someone "looks at us."

Of course, this can set up a bit of a paradox... because how can we hope to have the trait of being Highly Sensitive become a household concept when we're not willing to (or afraid to) stand up and toot our own horns and talk about our "cause?"

You may belong to the 20% of us who innately prefer to think before acting.By Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D. - "Are you famous for being slow to make decisions? Do you need more down time than your friends do? Are you bothered by noise, crowds, and having too much going on at once? Are you unusually conscientious? Creative? Have a rich inner life? To see if you are "highly sensitive," take this test.

Shyness and introversion may seem to be the same in some ways, at least on the surface.They can overlap, and we may have both traits – but they are not the same thing.

And they are not the same as the trait of high sensitivity.

But being shy can be more intense if we are also highly sensitive, and very aware of other people’s moods and judgments, and our own inner feelings, such as anxiety.

It's time Los Angeles had an awesome group that supports HSPs! If you or someone you know is a Highly Sensitive Person, this is the group for you.

Energy psychiatrist Judith Orloff, MD explains: “An intuitive empath is someone who not only senses energy but also absorbs it from others and the environment. Their body takes on the angst of the world. It can be very draining."