Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs)

Recently for fun, I took one of those personal quizzes in O The Oprah Magazine, November 2012 on page 112.  It was about "Feeling Good" about yourself.  I soon discovered something very special about where I stood on the sensitivity scale. The quiz was adapted from The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine N. Aron (1996).  Further inquiry online produced a website by the author that opened more doors into familiar territory of personal discovery.  Here you can find the complete Self Test and see how sensitive you are too:  http://www.hsperson.com/index.html 

Then I bought the book, of course.  Much of it is over the top by getting into the subject way more than my interest can hold or care to expand.  But it does explain many things about me.  It explains why my father called me "a free spirit" and my mother would question why I was so sensitive when I was growing up.  I always would say to anyone who cared to know that it must be my Bohemian blood that makes me an unconventional non-conformist.  Yet I have always been highly organized and systematic in an out-of-the-box, high-energy sort of way that attracts attention from those few that can get close enough to appreciate my uniqueness.  I have also always found peace and comfort in the natural world and prefer it to social activity.  Ideally, I would consider it a perfect world to share appreciation and experiences with other people in a natural environment; especially outdoors.

"So I stand among you as one who offers a small message of hope, that first, there are always people who dare to seek on the margin of society, who are not dependent on social acceptance, not depending on social routine, and prefer a kind of free-floating existence under a state of risk. And among these people, if they are faithful to their own calling, to their own vocation, and to their own message from God, communication on the deepest level is possible. And the deepest level of communication is not communication, but communion. It is beyond words, and it is beyond speech, and it is beyond concept. Not that we discover a new unity. We discover an older unity... we already are one. But we imagine that we are not. And what we have to recover is our original unity. What we have to be is what we are."  ~Thomas Merton, a Catholic monk from a contemplative order.

HSPs are already on the margin a bit, Merton lays out another direction for us to move, one that is always available to us in various ways. It's a path where less is more and the more is well worth seeking.  It is simplicity.  It is calm.  It is home.

Here are some basic discoveries about HSPs:

Your trait is normal. It is found in 15 to 20% of the population--too many to be a disorder, but not enough to be well understood by the majority of those around you.

It is innate. In fact, biologists have found it to be in most or all animals, from fruit flies and fish to dogs, cats, horses, and primates. This trait reflects a certain type of survival strategy, being observant before acting. The brains of highly sensitive persons (HSPs) actually work a little differently than others.

You are more aware than others of subtleties. This is mainly because your brain processes information and reflects on it more deeply. So even if you wear glasses, for example, you see more than others by noticing more.

You are also more easily overwhelmed. If you notice everything, you are naturally going to be overstimulated when things are too intense, complex, chaotic, or novel for a long time.

This trait is not a new discovery, but it has been misunderstood. Because HSPs prefer to look before entering new situations, they are often called "shy." But shyness is learned, not innate. In fact, 30% of HSPs are extroverts, although the trait is often mislabeled as introversion. It has also been called inhibitedness, fearfulness, or neuroticism. Some HSPs behave in these ways, but it is not innate to do so and not the basic trait.

Sensitivity is valued differently in different cultures. In cultures where it is not valued, HSPs tend to have low self-esteem. They are told "don't be so sensitive" so that they feel abnormal.

So now informed, I see my intuitiveness as one of my strongest assets.  When I started this blog a year and a half ago, somehow I knew how much on track I was with my true self.  I feel more validated after reading about HSPs.  I have been a confident person for most of my adult life but now I smile more knowing I'm not so alone and will seek out and understand others with similar sensitivities. 

I look forward to reading a recently purchased book,  A Unified Theory of Happiness  - An East Meets West Approach to Fully Loving Your Life by Andrea F. Polard PsyD.  I hope I will find peace and understanding by learning more about how other societies appreciate the traits of Highly Sensitive Persons.