TC 268: Highly Sensitive People (HSPs)

In this episode of the Transformation Cafe podcast, host Robin Masiewicz and Cafe regular Gloria discuss the topic of highly sensitive people, empaths, and "sensitives". Are these terms interchangeable? Are you highly sensitive to stimulation? Do you feel other's emotions and/or subtle shifts in energy when you walk in to a room? Are you highly intuitive? The term "sensitive" means different things to different people. In the article Mistaken Identities: On Being a Highly Sensitive Person, author Peter Messerschmidt considers how the terms "highly sensitive", "empath", and "Sensitive" are somewhat ambiguous, sometimes leading to misunderstandings and hurt feelings. He concludes that although they have some elements in common, they are really quite distinct concepts.   The term "Highly Sensitive Person" is relatively new, but more and more research is being done to support this classification every day. Below is a brief discussion on some of the characteristics of an HSP. For more detailed information we recommend that you peruse one of the recommended books below. We've also included a brief video of the key concepts by Elaine Aron, a prominent researcher in this field. Highly Sensitive People (HSPs) One of the leading researchers in the area of highly sensitive people is Elaine Aron, Ph.D., author of the book The Highly Sensitive Person. According to Aron's research, about 20% of people can be classified as "highly sensitive", which means their brain and nervous system react differently to stimulation. Below are some characteristics common to most HSPs. Characteristics of HSPs Highly bothered by sound, noise, bright lights, chaos Likes quiet Makes decisions carefully Gets upset if a “wrong" decision is made Prefers to do one thing at a time and may get frazzled if they have to multitask Worries about how others will react Is prone to anxiety Hypersensitive On the average, most HSPs Are better at spotting errors and avoid making errors Highly conscientious Able to concentrate deeply (but do best without distractions) Especially good at tasks requiring vigilance, accuracy, speed, and the detection of minor differences Able to process material to deeper levels of what psychologists call "semantic memory" Often thinking about their own thinking The Highly Sensitive Person: An Interview with Elaine Aron In developing her theory, Dr. Aron created a by now widely used 27-item assessment questionnaire, which consisted of a highly accurate list of attributes common to highly sensitive persons. A number of items on this “HSP Inventory” list dealt fairly specifically with the aspects of the trait related to a heightened awareness of environment and people, their moods, needs, actions and motivations—attributes central to the definition of “Empath:” Empathy: n. 1. The ability to sense and/or understand emotion(s) from another person, animal, inanimate objects incorporating stimulation to any and or all of the senses (including the 6th Sense) without verbally being told and/or without obvious visual clues. 2. The ability to be sensitive and receptive to outside emotional stimuli. – adj. empathic or empathetic., v. to empathize Empath: n. 1. A person who has the ability to experience empathy towards another person, and/or animate/inanimate objects, in part or from all of the above definition. 2. A person who is sensitive to the emotions in others. Resources: Books