Powerfully You
...reclaiming your power as a Highly Sensitive Person in an insensitive world

by Susan Griffin

I don’t know a lot about being a highly sensitive person (HSP). I first heard the term only a couple of years ago, and have since become familiar with some of the work of Elaine Aron, Ph.D. As a Personal Coach, I have worked with several clients who have identified themselves as being highly sensitive. That work has been highly rewarding in terms of my own growth and has instilled in me much curiosity and interest in what it means to be an HSP in the world in which we live. For myself, having taken Dr. Aron’s “Are You Highly Sensitive?” self-test, I certainly score high enough to be considered highly sensitive. I believe that it is how I choose to use that information that makes a difference in my life. And so I would like to share some of my thoughts about being HSP, and some of what I have learned on my journey toward my authentic self.

As human beings, we all come into this world in the same way. In growing from conception to adulthood, there are certain very predictable experiences that are common to being human. These are things that we all experience in some form; regardless of gender, race, religion, education, we are first and foremost human.

The first of these experiences is gestation; a very predictable and precise process that is common to all human beings. Next comes our experience of birth, and we know from hypnosis that people can recall memories of their birth experience. Then comes our experience of “mom and dad”; our first experience of what we will come to know as power and authority, and where very early in life we acquire the beliefs, values and attitudes of our family system. We then have experiences of siblings (or the absence thereof), extended family, babysitters or daycare, church/religion (or the absence thereof), our social or religious community, and school. (This process of the Androgynous Baby™, and its impact on us, is presented by Louise LeBrun in her book Fully Alive From 9 to 5!)

Through these early experiences, we develop patterns of behaviour and habituated responses to our environment and the people around us. Through this process we take on the beliefs, values and attitudes of the authority figures in our early life experiences. Many of us never revisit these core beliefs, that were probably in place before we were five years old, and question whether they are truly our own. We have forgotten that we have a choice about the beliefs, values and attitudes we embrace, that we have a choice about how we respond to and engage our world. We have become externally referenced, always looking outside ourselves for our answers, for our personal power.

What is also common to all human beings is that we arrive here with a set of organs, structures and systems, including a brain and central nervous system, in a container called the human body. We all have the same sensory abilities and are capable of processing the full range of human experiences.

We know from quantum science that as human beings each of us is a quantum biological processor, designed to process information. Our central nervous system is capable of processing more than 3 trillion cellular interactions per minute. Our central nervous system never sleeps; even as we sleep it continues to process information; and given that we are bombarded with about 2 billion bits of information per minute from our environments, that’s what I would call a highly sensitive nervous system!

I get very curious about the notion of HSPs often being over stimulated or over aroused, as this implies the need to withdraw from too much incoming information. Given the processing power that we have, what’s that really about, what’s really going on? What’s getting in the way of all that processing power?

I think that perhaps the paradox about being an HSP is that in fact all human beings are HSPs, and that so many of us have forgotten, blocked or are no longer aware of our exquisite sensitivities.

Given that we all arrive here the same way, fully authentic, connected to Self, all with the same sensory abilities, what is it that changes, what gets in the way, what separates us from Self and our innate abilities to function as whole, authentic, quantum biological humans?

If, as HSPs, we feel separate, different, misjudged, how can we find ways to move through our world with ease and comfort, secure in our sensitive nature and fully connected to our authentic self?

I believe that we do indeed create our own reality, that by our very thoughts we create our world from moment to moment. It is my perception of my world that determines how I move through my life, how I engage with others, and that colours my perception of who I am capable of becoming. Will I choose to be victim to my HSP nature, or will I choose to fully engage all of the gifts of my HSP nature to create my world? Given a highly sensitive nature, how will I choose to shape my world?

Is being HSP a set of character traits, a pattern of learned responses to my environments? Or is it an identity that I have taken on to define who I am? If I identify myself with the label of HSP, if I choose to let HSP define me, how might that be limiting the way I engage life, how might that be limiting my perception of who I am capable of becoming? Given a highly sensitive nature, how will I choose to reclaim my power as a self-referenced quantum biological human?

Susan Griffin is the founder of Griffin At Work, an Ottawa-based consultancy specializing in Personal Coaching and short programs, workshops and experiences in the areas of personal growth, healing & wellbeing and spiritual evolution. A skilled, creative and resourceful facilitator with a casually professional, compassionate and fun loving style, Susan creates environments of trust and safety that invite her clients to engage their own evolution. Susan is a certified WEL-Systems Catalyst, Quantum TLC™ Facilitator, CODE Model Coach™, and a Reiki Master-Teacher. Susan is also an Associate of the WEL-Systems Institute. Please contact Susan at 613-592-5237 or Susan@GriffinAtWork.com

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