I think it’s important for me to first define what I mean by ‘highly sensitive’ as my research focuses on this in the broader sense. There are some variations within high sensitivity; HSP, SPS, and SPD, plus Asperger’s. First, lets sort out the acronyms:
HSP: Highly Sensitive Person. First coined by Dr. Elaine Aron in 1996 and in 1997 Dr. Aron and her husband, Dr. Arthur Aron, identified Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) as the defining trait of HSP. There has been research before the Aron’s research but Dr. Elaine Aron helped to bring this trait into the spotlight with a series of books on the topic as well as a self-test on her website:
https://hsperson.com/test/
You can find a plethora of information on Dr. Aron’s website and I urge you to peruse her site to gain a good understanding of what HSP is and what it isn’t.
SPD: Sensory Processing Disorder (also known as Sensory Integration Dysfunction - SID), is defined where multisensory information is not adequately processed in order to provide an appropriate response to the environment - that is, the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into responses - but those with SPD, tend to perceive or respond to this information differently and sometimes the information gets mixed up. It should be noted that SPD is currently not listed within the DSM-V.
Asperger’s syndrome: most are more familiar with Asperger’s syndrome or ‘Asperger’s’, which is part of the autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There is plenty of information on Asperger syndrome on the web so I recommend going to a reliable site like the NIMH, the NHS or any of the autism support sites to find out more. I am including Asperger syndrome in my research because high sensitivity is an inherent part of Asperger’s.
IMPORTANT REMINDER: This blog contains personal information and my own experiences. I am sharing this information in the name of research and to start a dialog about being an HSP in a world that doesn’t always seem supportive. I encourage comments and dialog but I will block and report any attempts at bullying, nastiness, foul language or anything that is not respectful. ~ Thank you, m