For highly sensitive people (HSPs), the intensity of the world often feels magnified. Their heightened sensitivity makes them highly empathetic and deeply attuned to others' emotions. This allows them to form meaningful, compassionate connections. However, it can also lead to overwhelm. Everyday stimuli—like sounds, touch, smells, textures, and colors—can be particularly dysregulating for HSPs.
This is why understanding where we fall on the sensitivity spectrum is crucial. By recognizing how we process sensory input, we can learn to regulate our experiences and harness our gifts, rather than suppressing them for the sake of coping.
In today’s episode, hosts Elisabeth and Jennifer discuss the subjectivity of sensory experiences—how they're shaped, how they influence our overall health, and why two people can experience the same environment very differently. They also introduce NSI tools, which help manage overwhelm when sensory input becomes too intense. Finally, Elisabeth and Jennifer explore the behaviors that arise from sensory mismatches, and how high sensitivity influences these responses.
While high sensitivity may feel both like a gift and a curse, at Trauma Rewired, we believe it can be transformed into a powerful asset. With NSI tools, anyone can expand their capacity for life and share their unique gifts with the world—free from shame or discomfort.
Tune in to learn more about how you can harness your sensitivity and live more fully.
Topics discussed in this episode:
How our sensory experience impacts our overall health
What is sensory processing disorder?
Different ways we try and regulate sensory inputs
What is a highly sensitive person?
Is it possible to change your sensitivity level?
How sensory information is processed in the brain
Why it’s important to train the interoceptive system for accuracy and awareness
Sensitivity is an evolutionarily selective trait and an adaptation to trauma
What are behavioral activation and inhibition systems?
Our subjective sensory experiences
How to work with our nervous systems to harness our sensitivity
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