How do I know if I’m highly sensitive? What does it mean to be highly sensitive?
October 16, 2023
Elaine Aron (one of the leaders in high sensitivity research and education) has a quick tool that can act as a guide around understanding if you might be highly sensitive. You can find it online here:
That being said, I knew I was highly sensitive before even pulling up this tool. I knew because when I heard about the traits that define someone as being highly sensitivity, I could feel my whole system exhale. I remember the moment of going “Oh wow, this is me. This is the name I’ve been searching for”.
So what does it mean to be highly sensitive?
An answer for your intellectual or researcher parts.
When we’re talking about high sensitivity, we’re talking about four major traits as found in the research.
D- Depth of Processing
O- Over Arousal
E- Empathy/Emotion Responsiveness
S- Sensory Sensitivity/Sensing the Subtle
Great! Except, what does that actually mean?
Depth of Processing: This is another way to say noticing and experiencing deeply. Almost as if our systems don’t filter quite the same way as other systems. That can apply to everything from emotions to how our body feels to things happening in our environment. Without filtering the same amount, it’s like our system is given a huge pile of data to sort through when we’re just going about our daily life.
Over Arousal: Not surprisingly, it can be a lot to have to manage the sheer amount of data that highly sensitive systems take on. And they get worn out- stressed, anxious, overstimulated and desperately in need of space and quiet.
Empathy/Emotion Responsiveness: Our brains as highly sensitive people have bigger responses to noticing how people are feeling (both the good and the bad) and urge to support others.
Sensory Sensitivity/Sensing the Subtle: This is a specific way the noticing and experiencing deeply shows up for highly sensitive people- having a strong sense of sensory information (so things like touch, sound, sight, taste, smell). This is often linked with being able to pick up on other subtle things happening in a situation, such as someone’s intention, a deeper meaning or if someone is uncomfortable.
Want to read more? Learn more about DOES from Elaine Aron.
So what does it mean to be highly sensitive?
An answer for your creative or poetic parts.
Depth of Processing: High sensitivity is turning the volume of experiencing life up to 100. It’s feeling it all- the beauty, the pain, the injustice, the joy, the weird scratchy fabric of your new sweater, the pollen in the air, the consequences of your decisions.
Over Arousal: High sensitivity is the dance between work and retreat. When holding the world becomes too much and your system says it is time for you to be held instead. Held by soft music and flickering candles. Or warm blankets. Or green forest.
Empathy/Emotion Responsiveness: High sensitivity means holding the burden and gift of feeling what others feel, and then having to take on the puzzle of figuring out what is yours and what is theirs. It is learning to get used to the taste of “no” on your tongue when “yes” has been the only flavour you’ve ordered before.
Sensory Sensitivity/Sensing the Subtle: High sensitivity is a specific attention to the sensory and the subtle. It is experiencing with all your senses what others may not even notice.
