Sensitivity / Highly Sensitive Individuals

Are you a highly sensitive person?

Being highly sensitive isn’t a flaw—it’s a different operating system. You notice subtleties others miss, feel emotions deeply, and pick up on the energy in a room instantly. But that same sensitivity can sometimes leave you feeling overstimulated, misunderstood, or like you’re “too much” for the world around you. Therapy can help you embrace your sensitivity as a strength while finding ways to protect your energy.

What High Sensitivity Feels Like:

Emotional Deep Dive: You feel emotions—yours and others’—intensely, and they can linger long after the moment has passed.

Sensory Overload: Bright lights, loud noises, strong smells, or too many things happening at once can leave you feeling drained or on edge.

Empathy Burnout: You care deeply, but sometimes you take on other people’s feelings like they’re your own.

Need for Recovery Time: After social events or busy days, you need space to recharge—but might feel guilty for needing it.

Heightened Awareness: You notice the small details others overlook, from someone’s tone shifting to the way tension hangs in a room.

Inner Critic on High Volume: Your strong self-awareness can turn into self-judgment, making it hard to quiet your mind.

Hidden Challenges:

Feeling Misunderstood: Others may label you as “too sensitive” or “overreacting,” not realizing your nervous system just processes more.

Burnout from Overgiving: Your empathy can pull you into overextending yourself emotionally, mentally, or physically.

Decision Fatigue: With so much awareness, choices can feel overwhelming because you see all the possible outcomes.

Isolation: You might retreat to protect yourself, which can create loneliness and disconnection.

Carrying Old Wounds: Sensitivity can make you more impacted by past criticism, rejection, or trauma—memories that still sting years later.

How Therapy Can Help:

Energy Boundaries: Learn how to stay open and compassionate without taking on more than your system can handle.

Sensory Regulation: Develop tools to calm your body and mind when the world feels “too loud.”

Self-Compassion Practices: Quiet the inner critic and build an internal voice that feels supportive instead of punishing.

Reframing Sensitivity: Shift from seeing sensitivity as a weakness to understanding it as a powerful strength.

Processing Old Hurts: Work through past experiences where your sensitivity wasn’t understood or valued, so they don’t keep holding you back.

Life Design for Highly Sensitive People (HSPs): Create routines, environments, and relationships that allow you to thrive—not just survive.

Common Questions & Concerns

Will therapy make me feel overwhelmed by my emotions?

Therapy can actually make your emotions feel more manageable, not more overwhelming. As a highly sensitive person, you already feel things deeply—what changes in therapy is how you relate to those feelings. Instead of getting swept away by them, you’ll learn concrete tools to ground yourself, regulate your nervous system, and make space for emotions without them taking over. Many clients find that, over time, emotions become valuable signals they can work with, rather than waves they fear will knock them down.

What if people close to me don’t understand the changes I’m making?

As you set boundaries and honor your needs, some people may need time to adjust. Therapy can help you navigate these shifts without guilt, and develop the language to express your needs in a way that fosters understanding rather than conflict.It absolutely can. Even small shifts in how you respond, communicate, or set boundaries can create meaningful change. Therapy helps you build those skills with support and intention. It’s not about perfection; it’s about progress.

Can therapy really change how sensitive I am?

Your sensitivity isn’t something to erase—it’s part of your wiring. The goal isn’t to make you “less sensitive” but to help you regulate how much you take in, recover more quickly from overwhelm, and use your sensitivity as a source of intuition and connection instead of constant exhaustion.

What if I discover things about myself I don’t like?

Self-discovery can feel intimidating, but therapy provides a safe, nonjudgmental space to meet all parts of yourself with compassion. Often, the traits you’ve judged harshly have been misunderstood—and reframing them can lead to more acceptance, not more self-criticism.

I’ve always been told I’m ‘too much.’ How can therapy help me feel okay being me?

Hearing “too much” can create shame around your needs and emotions. In therapy, you’ll explore where those messages came from, separate them from your true identity, and learn how to show up as your full self—without apology.