Introduction to being a Highly Sensitive Person
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The document discusses highly sensitive people (HSPs), who make up 15-20% of the population. It describes HSPs as "Priestly Advisors" who are quiet observers, trust others' opinions, and resolve differences through empathy. In contrast, it describes most others as "Warrior Kings" who make quick assumptions and prioritize power and success. The document outlines physiological and personality traits of HSPs, difficulties they may face, and how to thrive by embracing their sensitivity. It invites readers to discover their gifts and find creative passion.
Introduction to being a Highly Sensitive Person
- 1. Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) Introduction
- 2. Your Host Colleen O’Rourke, MBA, CPCC HSP Life and Leadership Coach Laughter Yoga Instructor Founder of Plum Turtle Coaching “I am committed to helping Highly Sensitive People find their path and strengths, thus helping to restore the balance, harmony, and peace that the world needs.”
- 3. Isn’t “Highly Sensitive” a bad thing?
- 4. Isn’t “Highly Sensitive” a bad thing? “Priestly Advisors” (HSPs) “Warrior Kings” 15-20% of population 80-85% of population Build alignments Subjugate with authority Quiet observations Quick assumptions Other opinions are unimportant or even Trust and elicit other opinions threatening Innovators, bored by status quo Distrust change Motivated by meaning & purpose Motivated by power & success Hold to high ideals Support existing power structure Resolve differences through empathy, Resolve differences through conflict listening, & creative brainstorming Need to create Need credit & recognition
- 5. Isn’t “Highly Sensitive” a bad thing? “Priestly Advisors” (HSPs) “Warrior Kings” 15-20% of population 80-85% of population Build alignments Subjugate with authority Quiet observations Quick assumptions Other opinions are unimportant or even Trust and elicit other opinions threatening Innovators, bored by status quo Distrust change Motivated by meaning & purpose Motivated by power & success Hold to high ideals Support existing power structure Resolve differences through empathy, Resolve differences through conflict listening, & creative brainstorming Need to create Need credit & recognition
- 6. Isn’t “Highly Sensitive” a bad thing? “Priestly Advisors” (HSPs) “Warrior Kings” 15-20% of population 80-85% of population Build alignments Subjugate with authority Quiet observations Quick assumptions Other opinions are unimportant or even Trust and elicit other opinions threatening Innovators, bored by status quo Distrust change Motivated by meaning & purpose Motivated by power & success Hold to high ideals Support existing power structure Resolve differences through empathy, Resolve differences through conflict listening, & creative brainstorming Need to create Need credit & recognition
- 7. Isn’t “Highly Sensitive” a bad thing? “Priestly Advisors” (HSPs) “Warrior Kings” 15-20% of population 80-85% of population Build alignments Subjugate with authority Quiet observations Quick assumptions Other opinions are unimportant or even Trust and elicit other opinions threatening Innovators, bored by status quo Distrust change Motivated by meaning & purpose Motivated by power & success Hold to high ideals Support existing power structure Resolve differences through empathy, Resolve differences through conflict listening, & creative brainstorming Need to create Need credit & recognition
- 8. Isn’t “Highly Sensitive” a bad thing? “Priestly Advisors” (HSPs) “Warrior Kings” 15-20% of population 80-85% of population Build alignments Subjugate with authority Quiet observations Quick assumptions Other opinions are unimportant or even Trust and elicit other opinions threatening Innovators, bored by status quo Distrust change Motivated by meaning & purpose Motivated by power & success Hold to high ideals Support existing power structure Resolve differences through empathy, Resolve differences through conflict listening, & creative brainstorming Need to create Need credit & recognition
- 9. Isn’t “Highly Sensitive” a bad thing? “Priestly Advisors” (HSPs) “Warrior Kings” 15-20% of population 80-85% of population Build alignments Subjugate with authority Quiet observations Quick assumptions Other opinions are unimportant or even Trust and elicit other opinions threatening Innovators, bored by status quo Distrust change Motivated by meaning & purpose Motivated by power & success Hold to high ideals Support existing power structure Resolve differences through empathy, Resolve differences through conflict listening, & creative brainstorming Need to create Need credit & recognition
- 10. Isn’t “Highly Sensitive” a bad thing? “Priestly Advisors” (HSPs) “Warrior Kings” 15-20% of population 80-85% of population Build alignments Subjugate with authority Quiet observations Quick assumptions Other opinions are unimportant or even Trust and elicit other opinions threatening Innovators, bored by status quo Distrust change Motivated by meaning & purpose Motivated by power & success Hold to high ideals Support existing power structure Resolve differences through empathy, Resolve differences through conflict listening, & creative brainstorming Need to create Need credit & recognition
- 11. Isn’t “Highly Sensitive” a bad thing? “Priestly Advisors” (HSPs) “Warrior Kings” 15-20% of population 80-85% of population Build alignments Subjugate with authority Quiet observations Quick assumptions Other opinions are unimportant or even Trust and elicit other opinions threatening Innovators, bored by status quo Distrust change Motivated by meaning & purpose Motivated by power & success Hold to high ideals Support existing power structure Resolve differences through empathy, Resolve differences through conflict listening, & creative brainstorming Need to create Need credit & recognition
- 12. Isn’t “Highly Sensitive” a bad thing? “Priestly Advisors” (HSPs) “Warrior Kings” 15-20% of population 80-85% of population Build alignments Subjugate with authority Quiet observations Quick assumptions Other opinions are unimportant or even Trust and elicit other opinions threatening Innovators, bored by status quo Distrust change Motivated by meaning & purpose Motivated by power & success Hold to high ideals Support existing power structure Resolve differences through empathy, Resolve differences through conflict listening, & creative brainstorming Need to create Need credit & recognition
- 13. The Physiology of High Sensitivity
- 14. The Physiology of High Sensitivity
- 15. What High Sensitivity is Not A psychological disorder (a pattern of behavioral or psychological symptoms that impact multiple life areas and/or create distress) Shyness (a learned behavior, a feeling of discomfort in social situations) Neurosis (a disorder with no apparent underlying cause) Introversion (people re-energized by being alone)
- 16. Physical Traits Refined sensory details - Touch, Hearing, Sight, Smell, Taste - Extra-sensory perception Being especially aware of body signs and symptoms - Acute reactions to pain, illness, cycles, intuition - Vivid dreams More affected by medications and their side effects More affected by stimulants (coffee) and depressants (alcohol) Deeper arousal caused by intense environments - Crowds, hospitals, concerts, shopping, wilderness Affected by air, water, and food quality Lagging immune systems
- 17. Heart-Mind Traits Compassion Idealistic Empathy Creativity Innovative Collaborative Thoughtfulness Loyalty Wise Gentle strength Attention to detail Awareness of subtleties Peaceful Insightful Focus Sense of calm Conscientious Reverence for nature / beauty Contemplation Diplomacy Deeply spiritual Intuition Harmony Purpose-oriented Sense of justice A few people thought to be HSP: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Albert Einstein, Carl Jung, Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeous Mozart, John Lennon, Leonardo Da Vinci, Georgia O'Keefe, Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Denver, Deepak Chopra, Joseph Campbell, The Dalai Lama, Joni Mitchell, Jane Goodall, Katherine Hepburn, Eleanor Roosevelt
- 18. Difficulties Faced by HSPs Focus more on others needs than your own Cultural bias against sensitivity Setting boundaries Definition of "sensitive" from Dealing with conflict MacMillanDictionary.com Easily distracted (noise, interests) 1. reacting quickly or strongly to something Perfectionism a. likely to become angry or upset Being in the spotlight / being watched Easily hurt feelings 2. needing to be protected a. needing to be kept secret Feeling misunderstood or out of place b. needing to be dealt with carefully Being "Out of Sync" / different timing 3. showing that you care about someone or - Either ahead of others (intuition), something and do not want to cause or behind others (observing/processing) offense - Reaching "over-stimulation" before others Search for meaning Needing time with little or no stimulation Needing additional sleep
- 19. Sensory Overload Too much novel or extreme information + too quickly = overload Simply put, overload is a physiological reaction to stress or threat: Flight or Fight. When in overload, HSPs may demonstrate anxiety, depression, anger, or they may simply "check out" of the situation. Goal: Relieve the stress - Remove or reduce the stimulation - Let go of your built-in need to process the information - Learn to filter out stimuli - Take care of your body as much as your soul Goal: Find the right balance of stimulation for you - Know your limits and limit your no’s
- 20. Well Said... Pearl S. Buck, (1892-1973), recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in 1932 and of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1938, said the following about sensitive people: "The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: - A human creature born abnorma"y, inhumanly sensitive. - To him... a touch is a blow, - a sound is a noise, - a misfortune is a tragedy, - a joy is an ecstasy, - a #iend is a lover, - a lover is a god, - and failure is death. Add to this crue"y delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create - - - so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, his very breath is cut off #om him. He must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency he is not rea"y alive unless he is creating."
- 21. How to Move Forward We are NOT failed Warrior Kings. We are creative, boundary-pushing, meaning-seeking, intelligent voices in the world. To Thrive in the World: 1. Accept and LOVE yourself as someone who is sensitive. 2. Learn about sensitivity and what it really means, not what you’ve been told. 3. Find your gifts of sensitivity, the things that make you incredibly unique and vital. Explore and lean into these gifts. 4.Discover the hidden “warrior king” messages that you may be living under. (You are weak or less capable, you must win, you must “succeed”, etc.) Be honest about your belief in these messages and start to question them. 5. Find your creative passion. This will unleash your unique voice in your life!
- 22. An Invitation... I invite you to find your voice, to find your gifts, and to share them. I would be honored if I can help you in this quest. 1 free hour of coaching • Discover how coaching can help you move into the life of your dreams • Discover if together we are a good fit to achieve your goals • Find the right level of coaching support for you Schedule your free session right now online at: http://plumturtle.youcanbook.me/ Coaching: a partnership where the coach and client engage in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires the client to maximize their personal and professional potential.
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- #13: People with High Sensitivity process internal and external stimuli much more thoroughly due to a biological difference in their nervous system. They have higher than average sensitivity to:\n\n• The 5 standard senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell)\n• Medications, caffeine, alcohol, etc.\n• Emotions, both their own as well those of others\n• Subtle changes in the environment\n• Extra-sensory information\n\nThis doesn’t mean HSPs have more acute senses, but that their brain refines the data into much more detail than other brains. \n(HSPs don’t see better, they just register more of what they see.)\n\nThis is a natural trait in about 15-20% of the animal population.\n\n
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- #15: Highly Sensitive People's systems are very porous, meaning that external stimuli seems to be more directly absorbed into their bodies. (It has been said that it is as if HSP "have no skin" to protect them from these outside stimuli.) Non-HSP generally are less porous and have natural defenses which defuse external stimuli thereby not directly impacting and overloading their nervous systems\n
- #16: While not all HSPs are gifted, all gifted people are HSP. (Jim and Amy Hallowes)\n\nAs I say in my talks on the trait of high sensitivity “HSP doesn’t always equal nice.” Darker HSPs include: Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, Adolf Hitler and Osama Bin Laden …\n
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