Are you HSP? How do you know?

Psychology has based its personality studies on the factors assessed in the Big Five trait model and other models derived from it. The Big Five model analyses the composition of five personality dimensions in their broadest sense: openness to experience, responsibility, extraversion, agreeableness, and stability. But… But would it be possible to go further and add another dimension? In this case, we refer to sensitivity.

The term PAS was coined and developed by Elaine Aron in the seventies of the last century where, based on her own experience and after contacting other people who agreed with her, she came to the surprising conclusion that two out of ten people are considerably more sensitive than the other eight.

When we talk about people with High Sensitivity, we refer to those people who have a more developed nervous system than most people, so we would say that they have a more alert, more active, much finer nervous system. Having a finer nervous system means that there is a greater development of the capacity to perceive, receive, feel, analyse, integrate, and respond to the external and internal stimuli that are presented to us. High sensitivity is neither a disorder nor a disease. It is a characteristic of a person’s sensory processing, a trait that is inherited. The latest studies indicate that the right hemisphere is more active, being an area related to emotions, feelings, and creativity. Within it, the frontal area and the amygdala are in a higher state of alertness than average.

The profile of a PAS person

Among the characteristics of these people are that they are good observers, they notice even the most subtle details, they are also more annoyed than others by high levels of stimulation, such as those caused by noise and crowds, show strong emotional responses, and approximately 70% are introverted.

It should be noted that there are many visible and latent qualities in a highly sensitive person. For example, they possess an artistic talent (music, architecture, painting, etc.) linked to the creativity they display.

In their social relationships they can also be productive if they put their mind to it, as highly sensitive people are more aware of the thoughts and emotions of others, so they have more information from the non-verbal language of the other person and become more intuitive, being able to guess what the other person is thinking or feeling at any given moment. PAS tend to be considerate of others, due to their great empathy, as they naturally learn to understand how others feel and develop a considerate manner.  Other qualities of highly sensitive people are their atonement to nature, animals, the beach or plants, so highly sensitive people sooner or later discover that nature influences them that transmits calm and tranquillity.

Pillars of a highly sensitive person’s trait

The main characteristics of the highly sensitive person, present from birth and lasting throughout the individual’s existence, affecting in turn all areas of his or her life, are the following:

• Depth of Processing: refers to the conscious and unconscious tendency to process information more deeply. This reflection leads to a stronger emotional reaction, where they are more affected by everything.
• Overstimulation: tendency to experience states of overstimulation or sensory saturation, in response to the large number of stimuli they process and the presence of a more sensitive neurosensory system than normal (e.g. perceiving more detail in the environment, noise stress, meeting deadlines, etc.).
• Emotional Reactivity: Intense experience of emotionality, both pleasant and unpleasant emotional experiences. This emotional experience is linked to high levels of empathy.
• Sensing the Subtle: high sensitivity to subtleties and changes in the environment, whether physical, behavioural, or emotional of the people around them.

The risks of neglecting High Sensitivity

It should be stressed that high sensitivity is not a disorder to be corrected, but a personality trait to be addressed. However, it is not always easy to diagnose. It may be that a highly sensitive child was previously misdiagnosed with an anxiety-related disorder, ADHD, autism, or even mental retardation. Research on the quality of parenting suggests that if high sensitivity is not adequately addressed, it can increase the likelihood of depression and anxiety in adulthood. In addition, failure to properly address this situation may lead to social isolation, inability to manage emotions and persistent thoughts.

Advice for highly sensitive people 

Some people when they hear the term begin to wonder if they are a highly sensitive person (HSP) and what ways there are to find out. If you feel that you fit the characteristics described above, there are different ways in which you can explore the trait:

• Do a review of your life to see if you also had such a profile in childhood: how you were perceived and defined by the people around you, how you felt in comparison to other children, how you remember living your emotional world during your childhood, adolescence, adulthood, etc.
• Read and inform yourself about this trait and do the tests that you can find on the internet on Elaine Aron’s website: https://hsperson.com/
• Go to Psychotherapy Specialised in PAS, to have a Mental Health professional who can investigate with you and determine if your experience refers to the trait or to other different psychological aspects.

Knowing the trait allows us to incorporate changes in the way we live: how we see ourselves, how we regulate our emotional world, how we relate to our bodies. And for this, letting we be accompanied is a choice that makes all the difference.

Laura Riera López

Psychologist Col. No B-03323