HSP Therapy
Does It Ever Feel Like You Experience Life So Deeply It’s Painful?
Are you a highly sensitive person (HSP) who gets quickly overwhelmed when you have a lot to do in a short amount of time? Do you have a deep sense of compassion and a profound love for life that is overshadowed by fear and self-condemnation?
Perhaps you get your feelings hurt easily and prioritize avoiding situations that could be stressful or involve rejection. Or maybe you struggle to communicate effectively and assertively with those who matter the most.
Highly Sensitive People Can Feel So Conflicted
If you have a highly sensitive personality, you’re probably gifted with the ability to think, feel, and empathize deeply. You may have an intense passion for art, great music, delicious flavors, and wonderful aromas—and you’re likely an animal lover. Yet, you can’t seem to fully appreciate these parts of you.
Instead, you’re probably hounded by negative thoughts or easily rattled by aspects of everyday modern life. You may take criticism personally, which can lead to you having trouble in relationships. And you likely feel judged by others—even family—who think you’re just being overly sensitive.
At times, you may find yourself pleading with the universe, “Why does everything affect me so much!?”
Despite how frustrated you feel, being a highly sensitive person shows that you have a huge capacity for empathy and compassion. I want to help you turn that compassion inward so you can discover a new sense of resilience, self-love, and confidence in your life.
HSP Is Both A Common And Alienating Personality Trait
According to Elaine Aron—a pioneer in the research and study of sensitivity—upwards of 20 percent of the population are HSPs. And that number is split 50/50 among men and women. Though individuals with highly sensitive personalities are in good company, at the same time, they can still feel alone given that only one in five people can genuinely empathize with their experiences.
Being a highly sensitive person is considered a personality trait rather than a disorder, so HSP doesn’t involve an official diagnosis. However, HSP’s who’ve had difficult childhoods are more vulnerable to anxiety, depression, and shyness.
Your Past Could Be Contributing To Your Symptoms As An HSP
If you were raised within a family that didn’t know how to deal with your sensitive nature, you probably faced a lot of criticism. As a result, you’re likely still enduring the same condemnation or judgment you experienced in the past—it’s just coming from you now.
Even if one of your parents was an HSP, if they weren’t treated kindly by their parents, they likely didn’t know how to be sympathetic toward you as a child. That means you’re probably so busy judging yourself as an adult that you can’t get out of your head long enough to treat yourself with kindness and compassion.
That’s what I want to help you accomplish. I believe that, with my support, you can learn how to take a step back from your thoughts, center yourself, and learn to love yourself fully.
HSP Therapy Can Help You Feel More Balanced And Secure In Who You Are
Therapy gives sensitive and empathic people the chance to really feel seen, heard, and accepted. As a therapist and highly sensitive person myself, I’ve seen my HSP clients flourish in their ability to identify and appreciate their intrinsic strengths.
I’ve witnessed them share their stories and embrace their vulnerability in a space free of judgment and reproach. And I’ve watched as they’ve learned how to cultivate self-compassion, improve their confidence, and accept themselves fully.
If you’re a highly sensitive or empathic person, HSP counseling can help deepen your self-awareness and foster greater self-compassion in the process. You’ll better understand your sensitivity and what you need to enjoy life to its fullest.
And I’ll equip you with skills that will balance your nervous system and comfort your whole being. At the same time, I’ll teach you how to draw upon your own keen intuition and ability to harmonize with this world.
What Do HSP Therapy Sessions Entail?
To get started, I’ll gather some information about your background and history by having you fill out a questionnaire online before our first meeting. That way, we can jump right into the healing process so you can begin experiencing some immediate relief.
My approach to HSP therapy is similar to treating my clients with anxiety. First, we’ll collaborate on developing effective coping strategies for managing the stressful symptoms of being a highly sensitive person.
From the outset, I’ll validate your experiences so you can begin accepting and caring for yourself, knowing that what you are going through is real. This may naturally lead to exploring, processing, and releasing any pain caused by stressful experiences during your childhood.
Some Of The Tools I Use In My Approach To HSP Counseling
I take a client-centered, mind-body-spirit approach to therapy that involves collaborating with clients to tailor a dynamic and creative healing experience for each individual.
Oftentimes, I draw upon Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), which I’ve found to be a particularly effective approach for working with highly sensitive and empathic persons. DBT teaches clients how to tolerate distress, regulate emotions, and speak effectively and assertively.
As HSPs and empaths are also deep thinkers—and typically very conscientious—I also enjoy using an existential, meaning-making approach to counseling. So, in addition to DBT, I use mindfulness and somatically-oriented strategies.
For instance, Gestalt, Sensorimotor, and Energy Psychology techniques help HSPs cultivate self-acceptance, regulate the nervous system, and communicate in ways that help them retain their dignity.
As a highly sensitive person myself and someone who has done a lot of HSP-related work, I understand what you’re going through, and I know that compassionate treatment can help. I believe that with my guidance, you can end the cycle of fear and self-condemnation and learn how to love yourself unconditionally.
While you may have a history of feeling “broken” or different from friends and family, you can have a more peaceful, contented life. Now, who doesn’t want that?
Perhaps You Are Considering HSP Counseling, But You Still Have Some Questions…
I worry you’ll judge me as much as I feel judged by everyone else—including myself.
As someone who has successfully navigated the waters of judgment and self-condemnation—and learned how to swim—I believe you can do the same. I’ve been told by many of my HSP clients that they experience a deep sense of acceptance, so you don’t have to worry about any judgment here.
My hope is that HSP therapy can help you, too, feel encouraged and supported in navigating your life and achieving your therapeutic goals.
I’m worried about the costs of HSP counseling—I’ll probably need therapy forever.
If you’re an HSP who has endured a lifetime of being invalidated and feeling like an outsider, believing that you will need years of counseling is perfectly natural. But that’s hardly the case.
In my professional experience, therapy often takes less time than anticipated for highly sensitive people who are motivated and really want to make sense of their lives.
Yes, HSP therapy requires an investment of your time, energy, and money—but it’s a temporary one that provides you with the clarity, understanding, and skills needed to support yourself on your own.
While I feel miserable a lot of the time, this pain is what’s familiar and closest to me. I’m worried about making big changes.
A common misperception about therapy is that it always means making major life changes. The truth is, processing stressful or invalidating experiences—and reducing and eliminating your reactions to similar experiences—allows you to make gradual, incremental adjustments.
Together, we can collaborate on defining your treatment goals and map out choices that will enable you to make positive life changes in a manner that is calm, empowering, and under your control.
Your Journey Of Healing Is Only One Step Away
If you would like to improve your confidence and learn how to use your highly sensitive personality to enrich your life, my approach to HSP therapy can help. Please call, text, or email me to set up your free consultation to see how counseling for highly sensitive persons can help you build and maintain the life you want.
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