A highly sensitive person (HSP) is someone who has a rich inner life. A beautiful song or work of art might make them tear up. Often highly valued by others in their lives for their empathy, creativity and intuition, they’re deep thinkers, pausing before taking action to consider all the angles. About 70 percent of HSPs are introverted.

They may struggle with saying no, feeling they’re letting others down if they don’t meet all their needs. Change can be challenging for highly sensitive people. They often experience physical symptoms as a response to stress, and may be acutely aware of strong smells, bright lights and loud noises.  It often feels unsafe to share deep emotions with others because rejection feels so scary. They may have been in partnerships that were abusive or that felt like they were never truly “seen”. 

Being highly sensitive is an innate trait shared by 15-20% of the population. It’s a sensory processing sensitivity where all sensory input is processed at a deeper level than many people experience. In a culture where being hair-trigger decisive and bold is valued, those with this trait can feel like something is wrong with them, and they’ve often been told they’re “too much”: too emotional, too sensitive, too uptight, too shy, too intense, too introspective. The truth is that highly sensitive folks have many brilliant strengths, but are often going by a playbook that wasn’t written for them.

Empaths share many traits with highly sensitive people, but also have some additional qualities. Empaths share a deep appreciation of nature and beauty with HSPs, Like HSPs, they need extra time to unwind after a busy day and tend to have finely tuned senses. 

Empaths experience the emotions and sometimes physical sensations of others on a deeply energetic level, and can find it difficult to distinguish between their own emotions or pain and someone else’s. 

While highly sensitive people are often very observant of others’ emotions, empaths can feel like they are absorbing other people’s emotions. Empaths might notice that their emotions significantly change for no discernible reason depending on who is around them or what’s happening at the moment. 

This is a gift as it allows them to deeply connect with others, but it can also be disorienting if empaths are unaware of this quality or ways to turn it down when needed. Many empaths are likely also HSPs, though they can be introverted or extroverted.

Wondering if you may be highly sensitive? The best way to get more clarity is to take the online test developed by sensitivity reseachers.

I partner with highly sensitive people and empaths to go from overwhelmed, disconnected and misunderstood to grounded, confident and deeply connected to themselves and others. 

In our work together, we’ll identify HSP &/or empath traits and assess if you’re meeting the primary needs of most sensitive people. We’ll discuss strategies to manage overwhelming situations such as traveling, social time, work and crowds. We might practice how to advocate for yourself in work and family situations. We’ll explore the messages you’ve received from others about your sensitivity and how it’s affected you today.