In essence, reading self care books specifically written for Highly Sensitive People has taught me so much about myself and human nature in general. And it all began with Elaine Aron’s groundbreaking piece, The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive When The World Overwhelms You. This particular book by cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist Tom Falkenstein provides the first psychological guide specifically for highly sensitive men and their loved ones.

This book is not only good for parents and teachers. Sensitive men who want to heal their childhood wounds will find this useful too, especially if they were bullied in school or have parents who don’t understand their sensitive nature. Elaine Aron has a doctoral degree in clinical psychology and a thriving psychotherapy practice. She is the first therapist to tell HSPs how to identify their trait and make the most of it in everyday situations. An HSP herself, Aron reassures others that they are quite normal. Their trait is not a flaw or a syndrome, nor is it a reason to brag. It is an asset they can learn to use and protect.

🍪 Privacy & Transparency

Sensitivity is valued differently in different cultures. In cultures where it is not valued, HSPs tend to have low self-esteem. They are told “don’t be so sensitive” so that they feel abnormal. Written for highly sensitive introverts, this book depicts the author’s journey from a driven, high-achiever to someone who accepts her sensitive side. If your busy lifestyle is causing anxiety, depression, and stress in your life, this book will resonate with you. Psychologist Elaine N. Aron has produced several books on the subject of highly-sensitive people. This appears to have been her first and is, I suspect, her most commercial. In it, she attempts to introduce the theory that there exists a distinct set of human beings who are genetically wired with a heightened sensitivity to all things sensory. Unlike the introvert, who purportedly thrives in isolation and opts for solitude or smaller groups when given the choice, the highly-sensitive person has trouble withstanding the cacophony of the wider world and is constitutionally compelled to seek sanctuary when confronted with an abundance of stimulation - whether she wishes to or not. The distinction is a subtle one, and made all the more difficult to draw by the author's freshman approach to this sort of presentation. Much of the material has been dumbed down for the layman, couched in wildly-contradictory terms, and richly romanticized. Again, first book. One assumes lessons have been learned. This, for me, was an amazing book. I will be reading it again eventually, just to remind myself of all the important information that Aron researched and now shares with readers. It has taken me roughly 30 years to learn many things about myself which are clearly explained by Aron's research. I feel more confident about expressing my needs, now that I know I'm not the only one, and now that I have been reminded about the strengths which balance out my weaknesses.

Today, we know that it does. Kagan and his associates followed many of the babies into adulthood. Those high-reactive infants, now in their 30s and 40s, have become high-reactive adults. They still have big reactions – they confess to getting nervous in crowds, over-thinking things and worrying about the future. But they also work hard and excel in many ways. Most earned high grades in school, built good careers and made friends just as easily as anyone else did; many were thriving. And many described how they had built confidence and calm in their lives while still preserving their sensitivity. Empath Healing by Marianne Gracie is a complete emotional healing guide for HSPs and Empaths which focuses on “the emotional healing which Empaths require to help them build up the inner strength to go out into the world as their best selves.” When I must compete or be observed while performing a task, I become so nervous or shaky that I do much worse than I would otherwise.It also paints non-HSPs in a bad light, as those prone to aggressive, even violent, behavior, uncaring about environmental issues, the evil corporate CEO, etc. Makes it sound like the author thinks all social liberals are HSPs, who are loving, nurturing, caring and peaceful people and all social conservatives are non-HSPs and evil warmongers out to destroy the environment. I found this to be extremely interesting and insightful. I only just realised now at the time of writing this review that the author was not the narrator. This doesn't matter, but I assumed it was her. Being a HSP and psychotherapist herself, the author has tremendous experience and clinical knowledge into the phenomena behind this mostly unrealised personality type. You are more aware than others of subtleties. This is mainly because your brain processes information and reflects on it more deeply. So even if you wear glasses, for example, you see more than others by noticing more. I have no tolerance for this kind of writing. Especially since this is in a book about highly sensitive people, you'd think she would know better than to pull that.