Chances are you know one. It’s even possible you’re one yourself.
In her new book The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You, author Elaine N. Aron (Ph.D.) discusses what it means to be a Highly Sensitive Person (or HSP) in the 21st century, and offers scientific and physiological explanations as to why some people are born highly sensitive, and how the trait reveals itself.
In a culture which values achievement and power, the so called “weak” or “shy” amongst us often lose out. Yet it is rarely understood what makes these people the way they are, nor the special talents they have at their disposal. Elaine Aron attempts to throw light on what causes an estimated 15-20 percent of our population to be classed as Highly Sensitive People.
I have included an extract of the blurb:
· Do you have a keen imagination and vivid dreams?
· Is time alone each day as essential to you as food and water?
· Are you ‘too shy’ or ‘too sensitive’ according to others?
· Do you feel overwhelmed by bright lights and noise?
One in every five people is born with a heightened sensitivity; they are often gifted with great intelligence, intuition and imagination, but there are also drawbacks. Frequently they come across as aloof, shy or moody and suffer from low self-esteem because they find it hard to express themselves in a society dominated by excess and stress. The Highly Sensitive Person offers effective solutions to those feeling overwhelmed. With numerous case studies, exercises and advice, Elaine Aron focuses on the strengths of the trait, teaching HSPs that their sensitivity is not a flaw but an asset. This book also offers great insight into raising a sensitive child.
The book is a must read for anyone who can personally identify with being a HSP, or knows someone who is. It aims to abolish many of the old ideas of people needing to “toughen up” or “being a whimp” and identifies the inherent intelligence and often intuitive qualities these people have. The book is particularly useful as a tool for identifying highly sensitive children, and putting to rest your own demons of being an unacknowledged HSP, particularly in childhood and infancy. It acknowledges the challenges faced by HSPs in the modern world, and offers strategies to overcome them.
I didn’t always like the tone of the book, nor the amount of time the author spent dwelling on just how special these people are, but her theory and research into HSPs has an undeniably important place in the understanding of modern psychology and, hopefully soon, the world at large. If you wish to broaden your understanding of some of your more sensitive bedfellows, I guarantee this will more than help you.
3/5
