EMDR for Highly Sensitive People
You feel all the BIG emotions and you struggle to create the life that you want for yourself. Many of the Highly Sensitive People I work with share that they often feel overwhelmed and misunderstood. Their experiences throughout childhood led them to feel “different", “too sensitive”, or “weak” and these became messages that they took in and held onto as they grew up. With time, these beliefs can begin to feel more like facts than thoughts and can impact not only how you feel about yourself, but also how you show up in the world.
Are You a Highly Sensitive Person?
According to Dr. Elaine Aaron, Highly Sensitive People (HSPs) experience acute mental, physical, and/or emotional responses to stimuli in their world. According to her research, around 15-20% of the population have the gene that contributes to their unique sensitivity, which includes: depth of processing, overstimulation, emotional reactivity, and sensitivity to subtleties.
D.O.E.S This Sound Like You?
D - DEPTH OF PROCESSING
HSPs process new information more deeply. You are wired to pause and reflect before engaging and this may lead you to take more time as you explore all the options. Research suggests that the Highly Sensitive brain has a more active insula - the part of the brain that helps increase self-awareness and enhance perception.
O - OVERSTIMULATION
As Highly Sensitive People are more attuned to subtle changes and stimuli, you will be more impacted by busy, loud, or stressful environments. It’s no wonder then, that you may feel overwhelmed when met with external distractions. You may even find that this balance of attempting to attune to what’s important (e.g., work, a conversation, a good book you’re reading) while filtering out distractions leaves you feeling overstimulated, exhausted, and very much in need of time to decompress.
E - EMOTIONAL RESPONSIVENESS/EMPATHY
Brain scans suggest that HSPs have more active mirror neurons than non HSPs. Mirror neurons are responsible for emotional awareness and empathy. As a result, HSPs experience both more positive as well as negative emotions.
S - SENSITIVE TO SUBTLETIES/SENSORY STIMULI
Highly Sensitive People are attuned to subtle changes in their environment that others might miss. You may notice that you can detect non-verbal cues in social situations. You may also find that you feel sensitive to rough textures, bright lights, or strong smells.
Learning about Your Sensitivity Profile
No HSP is the same and you may not yet know about your unique sensitivity profile. Let’s take a look!
👁️ Sight:
Which environments lead you to feel the most relaxed and at ease? Many HSPs are impacted not only by the type of lights, but also by the placement of those lights. You may find that the harsh overhead fluorescent lights in your workplace may be distracting, impact your vision, or contribute to a sense of overwhelm or low mood. Maybe you’ve noticed that soft, dimmable lights feel calming and can help soothe your nervous system when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
How are you impacted by what you see? Try to get curious about how your HSP profile is impacted by what you take in with your eyes. You might notice that nature, shades of green, sunsets, and soft filtered light fill you with a sense of awe. What about bright flashing lights at a concert?
👂Sound:
How do you feel around loud or unexpected sounds? Can you think of a time you were overwhelmed by the sounds around you? Many HSPs feel flooded by loud auditory input, like at a music concert, when a friend or family turns up the volume, or when you’re surrounded by noise at a conference or theme park.
You may also find that your emotional world is deeply impacted by music and you may feel a strong connection to music and/or certain sounds. You may even find that you’re moved to tears and filled with wonder.
What types of sounds do you like? What soothes your nervous system?
🫶 Touch:
Notice how your sense of ease and calm changes when you have access to more comforting tactile resources. Many of the HSPs I work with have learned that they feel their best when they have access to tactile comforts. This could include (but certainly isn’t limited to) soft materials, weighted blankets, a blanket fresh out of the dryer, a cozy pair of socks. On the other hand, you may notice that you experience a tactile sensory overload when you are exposed to scratchy or uncomfortable sensations or materials.
What’s your go to tactile comfort?
👃 Smell:
Many Highly Sensitive People share that they struggle with sensitivity to smells. It’s especially important to note that these smells don’t have to be “bad” smells. You may just find that certain smells are harder to tolerate or that you even notice smells that others don’t.
How are you impacted by smells?
If you’d like to learn more about how your HSP senses impact you, an HSP therapist can help.
Reach out today
Oftentimes, Highly Sensitive People seek therapy to address 1) feeling overstimulated, 2) addressing their internal critic, and 3) to process through hard childhood moments of not feeling seen or understood.
Negative Self Talk
What does your self-talk sound like? Is it more like a mean PE teacher or a warm voice of support? Many of the HSPs I’ve worked with struggle with an inner self-critic. This critical companion can often get louder when you’re feeling overwhelmed, when you haven’t been able to have a break or time to yourself, or when your emotions feel like they are too big for your body.
Childhood Narratives
What role did you play in your childhood? Were you the “sensitive one”? The child who cried at events others found fun (e.g., loud birthday parties, fireworks, theme parks)? These early experiences and the ways that important figures responded set the template for how you look and feel about yourself.
You may have received these messages directly, by being called names. You may also have learned that your experience was different by subtle ways others acted around you or in differences between how you were treated in comparison to others (e.g., parents, teachers, coaches).
We all create narratives to understand more about our world. These narratives (or stories) can either build us up or they can tear down our confidence.
See if you can get curious about how you talk to yourself and how you talk to yourself about yourself.
For example, Do you treat yourself with kindness or do you tell yourself that you’re “too much”, “needy”, or “too sensitive”?
Do you check in on your own unmet needs or do you tell yourself to get over it, let it go, don’t make a big deal about it?
The way we talk to ourselves becomes the template for how we show up in the world.
Busy?
Learn more about Online EMDR Therapy for the Highly Sensitive Person!
EMDR for the Highly Sensitive Person
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a comprehensive therapy that helps you to address challenges from your past and learn to react differently when you face them in the present and the future.
For example:
Past: Let’s say you remember your parent calling you sensitive or difficult in front of a friend. This memory creates the narrative that: I’m not good enough, I’m not capable, or I’m defective.
Present: You currently notice that you avoid telling friends about your sensory profile and force yourself to either push through difficult events or that you tend to cancel on important moments to avoid drawing attention to yourself.
Future: Your friend has asked you to be part of their wedding party and you’re already living in the future worried about the overstimulation that might be involved (e.g., busy airport, rehearsal dinner, wedding reception, etc…).
EMDR continues to be one of my most requested therapy approaches and my HSP clients have often found that they benefit as well! EMDR is an effective therapy for addressing any issue that is stored in the memory (like those unkind childhood narratives that lead to negative self-talk👆🏼). These memories can also include accidents, job loss, physical/sexual abuse, loss of a loved one, as well as combat or exposure to natural disasters.
For Highly Sensitive clients, EMDR can help to address anxiety, depression, and overwhelm. If you’re ready to address the negative self talk and the way it keeps you trapped in the past, present, and future, then EMDR for the Highly Sensitive Person might be the right fit for you.
Start Therapy for HSPs in Los Angeles, CA
Do you think you could benefit from therapy for the Highly Sensitive Person? If so then Worth and Wellness is here to help you! In order to chat about starting Therapy for Highly Sensitive People, please follow these steps:
Schedule a free 30-minute consultation.
Make your first appointment with an HSP therapist
See for yourself how beneficial EMDR can be for your mental health
Other Counseling Services I Offer in Newport Beach, CA
At Worth and Wellness Psychology, I offer in-person and online therapy. This includes individual therapy for relationship issues, dating, and anxiety. In addition to therapy for therapists and women of color. Reach out to talk about how I can support you.
About the Author, An HSP, Anxiety & Trauma Therapist in LA and Orange County
Dr. Adrianna Holness, Ph.D., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist at Worth and Wellness Psychology, serving clients online and in-person throughout California. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Health Psychology from Loma Linda University. As a trauma and PTSD psychologist, she specializes in creating space for healing and wholeness as clients take on the brave and beautiful work of addressing life’s hardest moments. She is trained in many evidence-based trauma treatment approaches, including EMDR. She also works with clients in the spaces where trauma intersects with your self-confidence, relationships, dating, anxiety, and identity.
Disclaimer:
This blog provides general information and discussions about health and related subjects. The information and other content provided in this blog, website, or in any linked materials are not intended and should not be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This blog does not constitute the practice of any medical or mental healthcare advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We cannot diagnose, provide second opinions or make specific treatment recommendations through this blog or website.
