For Highly Sensitive People (and Coaches!)
This audio was recorded in March 2015 with a group of coaches. Highlights from the audio include:
To complete a self-test to identify individual levels of sensitivity, to learn if you are an HSP yourself, and to help you identify it in others click here.
Key Characteristics of the Trait of High Sensitivity
- Innate; a temperament found in roughly 20% of over 100 different species – including humans – based on extensive research by a wide range of reputable researchers.
- Fully 30% of highly sensitive people are extroverts
- Equally divided between men and women
- DOES*:
- Depth of processing, e.g. thinking about the meaning of life and what makes humans do what we do
- Prone to Overwhelm (e.g. overly stimulated, then ability to respond rather than react shuts down/impaired)
- Strong Emotional reactions including empathy, which motivates the processing
- Aware of Subtleties.
- When data goes into the HSP brain it gets processed more elaborately, more deeply
- HSPs tend to pause before acting, to be more aware and attentive
- Sensitive people benefit more from social support; are more susceptible to being ignored or neglected; benefit from access to nature to recharge.
- HSPs will experience higher highs and lower lows, for instance if impacted by PTSD
- Also called SPS (sensory processing sensitivity, not the same as sensory processing disorder)
- There’s little cultural difference in how HSPs process data. Could be quite a bit of difference in how they are perceived, accepted, and how that impacts their self-esteem
- Love depth of conversation; perhaps part of the reason they make good coaches and therapists
- May have strong emotions not just in reaction to, but also in anticipation of upcoming events
- Typically don’t like competition
- Value work that is meaningful but not over-stimulating
- Male HSPs may have intense, confused feelings (complexes, or warring parts) about sensitivity, their own and/or their sons’
- May be combined with high sensation seeking
Suggestions for Coaches Working with HSPs
This brief audio includes a few suggestions for coaches working with clients where one party is highly sensitive. If you prefer a video, check this out. In addition, I suggest that you:
- Educate yourself about the trait; a good place to start is www.hsperson.com
- Take, and encourage your clients to take, the self test on Dr. Aron’s website
If you believe or have determined that a client is highly sensitive:
- Understand that your own subtle cues (tone of voice, expressions, speed of speech) can have an impact on your interactions with that client
- Explore with clients the impact of learning to say “no” and having more boundaries
- Design an alliance whereby if their feelings are hurt, clients name it and you talk about strategies for dealing with it, both together and in similar situations with others
- Work with clients to set up structures to track their own reactions, and strategize how to manage those reactions in interactions with non-sensitive people/situations.
- Acknowledge – or normalize – your clients’ experiences, sharing your own or others’ if relevant and appropriate
- Explore with your clients the impact of meditation, walks in nature, journaling, art and creativity, etc., which are all means of letting the floods of overwhelm recede
- Name possible anticipatory emotions when they arise, and strategize ways to manage them.
- Work on perspective, detachment, and managing negative feedback
- Explore whether clients’ ability to sense others’ needs gets collapsed with expectations (their own and others’) that they should have unlimited energy and resilience to address those needs, and work out what’s realistic
Finally,
- While there are some similarities with disorders such as autism, ADHD, bipolar, obsessive compulsive, etc., high sensitivity is not a disorder but a trait, a temperament.
- Remember that one in five people you work with are likely to be HSP, whether clients or colleagues
______________________________________
Suggested Booklist (for US readers, click on title to go direct to Amazon.com to order)
______________________________________
*This document draws heavily on the work of Dr. Elaine Aron, www.hsperson.com. Dr. Aron is completing a documentary about high sensitivity that is due for completion in summer of 2015.
The author of this document, Deborah Huisken, is certified by Dr. Aron to coach highly sensitive people. A developing addition to the field of coaching, we are in the early stages of identifying best practices for coaches.