How to melt your shame by being with it
Even if you’ve learned to be painfully hard on yourself, you can melt your shame with awareness and presence. If you’ve ever told yourself you were “too sensitive,” you know how painful that is. To reject a trait you were born with is to reject your very being....
Understanding Your HSP Trait, Part 2: Overarousal
Overarousal is the central challenge for HSPs. The causes are both external and internal, and managing both is essential for your well-being. In the first article of this four-part series, I explored deep processing— the first of four characteristics shared by highly...
My mind is like a chainsaw
If you are highly sensitive, you need to learn to manage your mind. Your mental health and happiness depend upon it. I have a chainsaw for a brain. It’s truly a mixed bag. Chainsaws are indispensable when you need to cut through a lot of material and do it fast. We...
HSPs may be too nice to bite. But we can hiss.
Can you be too nice? Yes. In an effort to be nice, HSPs can stop being honest with ourselves and others. This creates trouble in our relationships. In a recent session, I shared with my spiritual director a challenging situation I was struggling to deal with. In...
3 things every HSP should know about subtle trauma
If you are highly sensitive, you’ll benefit from an understanding of subtle trauma. Once you recognize the signs, you can seek support if you need it. I found myself thinking about trauma responses last week after my partner caught a possum in our Havahart trap. The...
Rest and downtime are essential to emotional healing. Here’s why.
The better you understand the process of emotional healing, the more effectively you can support yourself in moving through old pain. Wouldn’t it be lovely if emotional healing were rational and linear? Then we could uncover an old painful belief, analyze it, discard...
Why deep listening is spiritual catnip for HSPs
Sensitive people are gifted at deep listening, and we naturally offer this gift to others. But we also need to make sure we receive lots of deep listening ourselves. I haven’t met a cat who could resist catnip. And I haven’t met a highly sensitive person who could...
The Beatles needed a producer. We need Loving Adult Presence.
We need to cultivate Loving Adult Presence. Otherwise our parts will try to run the show, and that never goes well. I grew up with The Beatles. My whole family would go into the living room after dinner and dance to Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and I...
HSP environmental susceptibility: what it is and how to use it to your advantage
Your mind, and your ability to manage it, is the key to managing your HSP environmental susceptibility and making it a positive force in your life. My friend Kaitlyn in Vancouver took this stunning photo and generously allowed me to share it with you. Looking at it, I...
New study: the powerful benefits of a Focusing attitude
If you are highly sensitive, you can benefit profoundly from maintaining a Focusing attitude throughout the day. In honor of this new year, I’d like to share with you some good news from the Focusing world. As a long-time Focuser, I’m well-aware of the many ways...