Highly Sensitive Person(s)
For those who feel deeply, think deeply, and need space to breathe.
Some people move through the world feeling everything more intensely. They’re deeply moved by music or beauty, quick to notice subtleties others miss, and easily overwhelmed by loud environments, strong smells, or emotional conflict. These individuals may be Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs), a scientifically recognized personality trait that reflects deeper sensory processing and emotional responsiveness, not a disorder (Aron, Aron, & Jagiellowicz, 2012).
Roughly 15–20% of the population identifies with this trait, which is clinically referred to as Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) (Scott, 2024). If you’ve ever been told you’re “too sensitive” or if you feel emotionally or physically depleted by everyday demands, you might be an HSP. And while that sensitivity can feel like a liability in a fast-moving world, at Resilience Therapy, we believe it is a powerful strength and one that therapy can help you understand, embrace, and protect.
“And while that sensitivity can feel like a liability in a fast-moving world, at Resilience Therapy, we believe it is a powerful strength and one that therapy can help you understand, embrace, and protect.”
What It Means to Be an HSP
HSPs tend to take in information more thoroughly and feel stimuli more intensely, whether it’s bright lights, strong smells, or the emotions of those around them. They may need more downtime after social events, become easily rattled under time pressure, or have strong emotional responses to conflict/criticism. Importantly, this heightened sensitivity also allows HSPs to experience rich creativity, deep empathy, and meaningful insight (Greven et al., 2019; Lionetti et al., 2019).
Being highly sensitive is a very common and healthy trait (Highly Sensitive Refuge, n.d.). While everyone experiences sensitivity sometimes, HSPs experience external and internal stimuli, like bright lights, strong smells, complex thoughts, or emotional cues, with much more intensity. Many need a quiet “refuge” or retreat space to ground themselves when the world becomes overstimulating.
Because SPS is not a disorder but a biologically based personality trait, it is often misunderstood, even by therapists and loved ones. Many HSPs grow up believing something is “wrong” with them/they are “defective”, internalizing labels like “dramatic,” “shy,” or “too emotional.” This misunderstanding can erode self-esteem, especially when paired with invalidating environments (Aron & Aron, 1997; Lionetti et al., 2019). That is when finding encouraging, evidence-based support can become crucial to maximizing one’s potential.
Being sensitive in a loud world takes guts — therapy can help.
When Sensitivity Feels Like Too Much
Being an HSP does not mean something is broken; it just means you’re wired to notice and feel more. But when stress piles up or you’ve been chronically overstimulated without relief, symptoms can start to resemble anxiety, depression, or even ADHD (Acevedo, 2025). It’s not uncommon for HSPs to:
Feel chronically anxious or burned out
Struggle with emotional overwhelm or reactivity
Experience heightened sensitivity to rejection or feedback
Avoid conflict or sensory-rich situations (crowds, travel, bright lights)
Need more alone time than peers, but feel guilty for it
Researchers, including Dr. Elaine Aron, identify four key traits that define a Highly Sensitive Person, using the acronym D.O.E.S. (Highly Sensitive Refuge, n.d.):
“Depth of processing: HSPs reflect deeply, often linking thoughts and experiences in ways others may overlook.”
“Overstimulation: With so much input being processed, even daily life can become overwhelming.”
“Emotional reactivity and empathy: HSPs feel emotions more intensely and absorb others’ feelings, often even unspoken ones.”
“Sensitivity to subtleties: From shifts in tone to background noise, HSPs pick up on the small things that others miss.”
Understanding these pillars helps normalize what might otherwise feel confusing and reminds you that sensitivity is not about weakness. It’s about wiring. This sensitivity can also complicate relationships, leading to people-pleasing, over-functioning, or a fear of being “too much” for others to handle.
Deep feelers deserve deep support.
Differential Diagnosis
(In non-therapy speak: How is SPS different from other diagnoses?)
High sensitivity can sometimes be mistaken for other conditions, especially when stress or overwhelm are involved. But SPS has key differences from ADHD, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and Complex PTSD (C-PTSD). Here’s how to tell them apart and why it matters.
SPS vs. ADHD
Both SPS and ADHD can involve reactivity, distractibility, and overwhelm (Acevedo, 2025). However, their roots and responses are very different.
SPS is a personality trait. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental adaptation defined by inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity.
HSPs often pause and reflect before responding. People with ADHD are more likely to act quickly, especially when overstimulated.
Brain imaging shows more activation in areas related to empathy and reflection in HSPs. ADHD tends to show reduced activity in areas linked to attention and self-regulation.
It’s possible to experience both, or one and not the other. A clinician trained in diagnostics can help clarify how these manifestations present in your life and guide you toward practical support.
SPS vs. BPD
Emotional intensity shows up in both SPS and BPD, but the consistency, context, and coping strategies look very different (PsychCentral Staff, 2017).
SPS is a consistent personality trait that shows up most in emotionally or sensorily intense environments.
BPD is a clinical personality adaptation involving identity instability, chronic fear of abandonment, impulsive behavior, and emotional volatility.
HSPs tend to process emotions internally and may withdraw under stress. People with BPD often express distress outwardly, sometimes in unsafe or disruptive ways, or by acting in self-destructive/self-injurious ways.
HSPs may feel deeply, and yet their identity remains stable. In contrast, emotional dysregulation, instability, and identity disturbance (no consistent, core sense of self) are central to BPD.
SPS vs. C-PTSD
Complex trauma can mimic high sensitivity on the surface, but the underlying causes are different, and these experiences can often overlap (Ouimette, 2018).
SPS is innate. It is not caused by trauma and typically shows up early in life through deep empathy and sensitivity to subtle cues.
C-PTSD develops from prolonged trauma, often in relationships. It includes shame, emotional numbness, dissociation, and hypervigilance.
Like others, it is possible to experience both, or one and not the other. A clinician trained in diagnostics can help clarify how these manifestations present in your life, what you’re dealing with, and guide you toward practical support.
Bottom line
You are not alone or broken if you see yourself in more than one of these. Sorting through what is temperament, trait, and trauma can be a powerful first step toward healing. A skilled therapist can help you make sense of your experiences and build a plan that supports who you truly are.
How Therapy Can Help Highly Sensitive People
At Resilience Therapy, we don’t pathologize sensitivity. Instead, we help you unlearn the internalized messages that have taught you to doubt your needs, mute your feelings, or over-accommodate others. Through therapy, you can:
Learn to see your emotional intensity and sensory sensitivity as strengths, not flaws. These traits are part of what makes you empathetic, creative, and deeply in tune with others.
Learn practical strategies to manage overstimulation, thresholds, and emotional reactivity.
Set healthy boundaries and say no without guilt.
Process past invalidation or trauma in a way that honors your nervous system
Discover tools like mindfulness, somatic regulation, and cognitive reframing tailored to the HSP experience.
Rebuild self-trust and deepen self-compassion
We also integrate approaches like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to support emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and values-based decision-making — essential skills for HSPs, who research shows are more strongly impacted by negative early experiences and environmental stress (Booth, Standage, & Fox, 2015).
You’re Not “Too Sensitive.” You’re Deeply Tuned In.
You deserve a therapeutic space that doesn’t ask you to toughen up or quiet down, but one that helps you live more freely and fully in the body and brain you were born with. At Resilience Therapy, we’ll meet you with curiosity, respect, and practical strategies to help you embrace your sensitivity, not as something to fix, but something to understand, protect, and even celebrate.
Whether you’re newly discovering this part of yourself or have spent years managing your sensitivity alone, we’re here to support you in building a life that works with your nervous system and not against it.
Sensitivity is not something to hide; it’s something the world deeply needs. HSPs often bring insight, creativity, and compassion into leadership, relationships, and artistic expression. From counseling to writing to community care, many HSPs serve as emotional translators for the people around them (Highly Sensitive Refuge, n.d.). Your ability to feel deeply isn’t a limitation - it’s a gift that can enrich your life and the lives of others.
Ready to feel less overwhelmed and more grounded in who you are?
Reach out to book a consultation. We’ll help you explore whether you’re an HSP and work together on strategies that feel empowering, and not exhausting.
References
Acevedo, B. (2025, May 9). What is sensory processing sensitivity? Traits, insights, and ADHD links. ADDitude Magazine. https://www.additudemag.com/highly-sensitive-person-sensory-processing-sensitivity-adhd/
Aron, E. N., & Aron, A. (1997). Sensory-processing sensitivity and its relation to introversion and emotionality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73(2), 345–368. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.73.2.345
Aron, E. N., Aron, A., & Jagiellowicz, J. (2012). Sensory processing sensitivity: A review in the light of the evolution of biological responsivity. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 16(3), 262–282. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868311434213
Booth, C., Standage, H., & Fox, E. (2015). Sensory-processing sensitivity moderates the association between childhood experiences and adult life satisfaction. Personality and Individual Differences, 87, 24–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.07.020
Greven, C. U., Lionetti, F., Booth, C., Aron, E. N., Fox, E., Schendan, H. E., ... & Pluess, M. (2019). Sensory processing sensitivity in the context of environmental sensitivity: A critical review and development of research agenda. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 98, 287–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.01.009
Lionetti, F., Aron, E. N., Aron, A., Klein, D. N., & Pluess, M. (2019). Observer‑rated environmental sensitivity moderates children’s response to parenting quality in early childhood. Developmental Psychology, 55(11), 2389–2402. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000795
Ouimette, S. (2018, June 10). The highly sensitive person and complex trauma. Sara Ouimette, LMFT. https://www.saraouimette.com/blog/2018/6/10/the-hsp-and-c-ptsd-the-highly-sensitive-person-and-complex-trauma
PsychCentral Staff. (2017, October 18). Difference between a highly sensitive person and borderline personality disorder. PsychCentral. https://psychcentral.com/pro/exhausted-woman/2017/10/difference-between-a-highly-sensitive-person-and-borderline-personality-disorder
Scott, E. (2024, March 1). Are You a Highly Sensitive Person? Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/highly-sensitive-persons-traits-that-create-more-stress-4126393
Highly Sensitive Refuge. (n.d.). What does it mean to be highly sensitive?https://highlysensitiverefuge.com/what-is-highly-sensitive-person/