Therapy for Sensitive People
Online Therapy in California for BIPOC & LGBTQIA+ Adults
It’s time to embrace your sensitivity.
Perhaps you learned to mask sensitivity around family or in school or work to avoid negative consequences or social rejection. Perhaps you learned to accept feeling eternally on the outside knowing most people do not seem to process as deeply, do not seem to sense the subtleties of every environment as you.
For as long as you can remember, you have felt different from others.
You remember times from school when you were either afraid of being teased or were bullied for being sensitive or crying easily.
You remember hiding your need to process deeply, to feel deeply with friendships and romantic relationships as you grew.
You can look back and quickly remember the many times you were shamed by others, or yourself, for having this trait.
Have you been criticized throughout your life for being “too sensitive” or “so intense”?
Are you someone who has big emotions, is deeply empathetic or easily overwhelmed?
You feel the time for judging your sensitivity is over. It’s time to challenge the criticism and shame that judge this valuable trait as undesirable, as something to minimize. Now is the time for your trait of sensitivity to be seen, to be embraced, and to be used as a wise resource for healthier connections to yourself and others.
You are called to explore what sensitivity means to you. You are called to begin loving this part of you and listening to it as wise intuition. You know you need a sensitive therapist who knows intimately the path to love being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). You have come to the right place.
Many sensitive people struggle with integrating the strengths of their sensitivity after a lifetime of minimizing or criticizing this trait. The healing from shame to self-love can be especially powerful for Highly Sensitive People (HSP) due to the depth of processing and empathy that typically come easily for those with this trait.
It is possible to not only accept having a high amount of sensitivity, but to use the traits of a highly sensitive person for your benefit.
Imagine a future where your ability to process deeply creates loving connections to others and the world around you.
Imagine a future where feeling overstimulated is simply an invitation for self-care, an invitation met with curiosity and compassion, instead of judgment and shame.
Imagine a future where your ample empathy and heighted awareness to the world around you is seen as a wise interpretation, as researchers have found a highly sensitive person’s brain is well equipped to gather information for.
We will start with understanding how sensitivity presents in you using established research about the four characteristics of Highly Sensitive Peoples (HSPs): Depth of Processing, Overstimulation, Empathy, and Sensing the Subtle. Together, we will then begin to see the value of your sensitivity, how sensitivity could enrich and benefit your life and, finally, we will embrace this trait as a beloved wisdom to be celebrated and protected.
Some of the common struggles of Highly Sensitive People (HSP) are:
Social Anxiety
Therapy can help identify the barriers to comfortable social interactions and provide a space to practice social and communication skills in a safe, calm environment. HSP’s especially benefit from a calm, supportive setting that meets sensory needs and allows them to process deeply.
Boundaries
Therapy can help you to understand what psychological boundaries are, when it is necessary to set boundaries, and how to maintain boundaries. HSP’s typically have high-level of empathy; this can make setting and maintaining boundaries more difficult than others with less sensitivity.
Intimacy in Relationships
Therapy can help address the need many have for deep connection, intimacy, and healthy attachment. HSP’s may struggle with small talk and surface connections; through therapy, it is possible to use the depth of processing and empathy of this trait to increase intimacy in relationships with others and yourself.
Overwhelm and/or Under-stimulation
Therapy can help you identify when a need for less or more stimulation occurs and how to meet these in safe, personal ways. HSPs can frequently struggle with too much sensation but some HSPs can instead have a high need for stimulation.
Sensitivity is not a condition to be treated. Therapy can help use sensitivity as a strength by:
Identifying the stories behind your sensitivity and how these became guilt and shame
Reducing shame about shyness, introvert tendencies, or having overwhelming emotions
Trusting your sensitivity as precious wisdom, a tool of intuition
Improving your relationships through boundaries, clear communication, and compassion
Developing grounding and coping skills to manage overwhelming emotions and empathy fatigue
FAQs: Highly Sensitive People
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Current research has found four main characteristics of Highly Sensitive People: Depth of Processing, Overstimulation, Empathy, and Sensing the Subtle.
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Research has found that virtual therapy can be as effective as in-person therapy. Effectiveness of therapy is more impacted by having a trusting therapeutic rapport with a therapist, attending sessions consistently, and feeling safe emotionally and physically in your meeting space; consider if meeting in-person or virtually might help or hinder these factors.
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Elaine Aron has self tests you can take if you suspect you have a high level of the trait of sensitivity. The Comfort Zone might also be helpful as well as reading The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive When The World Overwhelms You by Elaine Aron.