HSPs

About a year ago, I came across a book by clinical psychologist Elaine Aron, Ph.D., "The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You", 1996.  Aron writes HSPs (highly sensitive persons) are found in approximately 15-20% of any population (including animals). HSPs have more finely tuned central nervous systems which makes them more susceptible to environmental stimuli.

The stimuli can be noise, fragrance, certain foods, beauty, pain, etc.  HSPs process this sensory stimuli more deeply than the other 80% of people.

Being HS is normal, it's a personality trait, not anything to be treated. However, being one makes the person more easily overstimulated, stressed-out, overwhelmed, especially in social situations. Aron, an HSP herself, writes of ways to deal with the overstimulation and stress. Her book helps an HSP better understand oneself. The HS trait has been mislabeled as shyness, introversion, inhibitedness, fearfulness.

There's a self-test one can do on Aron's site http://www.hsperson.com  to see if you're an HSP. Another recommended site, for HSPs, is http://www.lifeworkshelp.com 

Aron also wrote the book, "The Highly Sensitive Child", dealing with accounts of the childhoods of some HSPs (many were difficult).

It's a relief and an eye-opener for those who are,  to find out that they are HSPs and that there's nothing wrong with them. And that there are others with similar experiences.