The Highly Sensitive Brain

The Highly Sensitive Brain is the first handbook to cover the science, measurement, and clinical discussion of sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), a trait associated with enhanced responsivity, awareness, depth-of-processing and attunement to the environment and other individuals. Grounded in theoretical models of high sensitivity, this volume discusses the assessment of SPS in children and adults, as well as its health and social outcomes. This edition also synthesizes up-to-date research on the biological mechanisms associated with high sensitivity, such as its neural and genetic basis. It also discusses clinical issues related to SPS and seemingly-related disorders such as misophonia, a hyper-sensitivity to specific sounds. In addition, to practical assessment of SPS embedded throughout this volume is discussion of the biological basis of SPS, exploring why this trait exists and persists in humans and other species. The Highly Sensitive Brain is a useful handbook and may be of special interest to clinicians, physicians, health-care workers, educators, and researchers. Presents a neurobiological perspective of sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) Provides assessment criteria and measurement tools for highly sensitive children and adults Discusses the health and social outcomes of being highly sensitive in children and adults Examines clinical issues related to high sensitivity Offers practical applications and a future vision for integrating high sensitivity in our society

The Highly Sensitive Brain covers the assessment, practice, and science of sensory sensitivity, for both clinicians and applied researchers. Focusing on the major theories of sensory processing sensitivity, it also presents the prevalence in humans and other species, the assessment and diagnosis in children and adults, and addresses overlapping symptoms and disorders. The book first describes the mechanisms underlying sensory processing sensitivity, then goes on to examine the neurobiological and genetic correlates of the trait in humans and in non-human species. The latter chapters overview therapies and interventions that have shown to improve the quality of life for individuals with moderate to high sensory processing sensitivity.

The 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION of the original ground-breaking book on high sensitivity with over 500,000 copies sold. ARE YOU A HIGHLY SENSITIVE PERSON? Do you have a keen imagination and vivid dreams? Is time alone each day as essential to you as food and water? Are you noted for your empathy? Your conscientiousness? Do noise and confusion quickly overwhelm you? If your answers are yes, you may be a highly sensitive person (HSP) and Dr. Elaine Aron’s The Highly Sensitive Person is the life-changing guide you’ll want in your toolbox. Over twenty percent of people have this amazing, innate trait. Maybe you are one of them. A similar percentage is found in over 100 species, because high sensitivity is a survival strategy. It is also a way of life for HSPs. In this 25th anniversary edition of the groundbreaking classic, Dr. Elaine Aron, a research and clinical psychologist as well as an HSP herself, helps you grasp the reality of your wonderful trait, understand your past in the light of it, and make the most of it in your future. Drawing on her many years of study and face-to-face time spent with thousands of HSPs, she explains the changes you will need to make in order to lead a fuller, richer life. Along with a new Author’s Note, the latest scientific research, and a fresh discussion of anti-depressants, this edition of The Highly Sensitive Person is more essential than ever for creating the sense of self-worth and empowerment every HSP deserves and our planet needs. “Elaine Aron has not only validated and scientifically corroborated high sensitivity as a trait—she has given a level of empowerment and understanding to a large group of the planet’s population. I thank Dr. Aron every day for her having brought this awareness to the world.” —Alanis Morissette, artist, activist, teacher

There are real differences in the HSP brain and Julie Bjelland, a psychotherapist who specializes in the highly sensitive has developed innovative tools specifically for HSPs in this 8-week training program. Feel true self-acceptance, improve your self-esteem and learn to access your HSP gifts and super strengths. Build skills to reduce overstimulation and overwhelming feelings. Learn how to get out of your intense emotional reactions and how to respond, instead of react, to emotions. Improve your health, strengthen your immune system and increase your energy levels. Discover new neuroscience and research about the real differences in your HSP brain.

First, she taught you the value of your highly sensitive nature in her bestselling classic The Highly Sensitive Person. Now, Dr. Elaine Aron is back to teach you how to utilize your sensitivity to tackle a new challenge: Parenthood. Parenting is the most valuable and rewarding job in the world, and also one of the most challenging. This is especially true for highly sensitive people. Highly sensitive parents are unusually attuned to their children. They think deeply about every issue affecting their kids and have strong emotions, both positive and negative, in response. For highly sensitive people, parenting offers unique stresses—but the good news is that sensitivity can also be a parent’s most valuable asset, leading to increased personal joy and a closer, happier relationship with their child. Dr. Elaine Aron, world-renowned author of the classic The Highly Sensitive Person and other bestselling books on the trait of high sensitivity, has written an indispensable guide for these parents. Drawing on extensive research and her own experience, she helps highly sensitive parents identify and address the implications of their heightened sensitivity, offering: • A self-examination test to help parents identify their level of sensitivity • Tools to cope with overstimulation • Advice on dealing with the negative feelings that can surround parenting • Ways to manage the increased social stimulation and interaction that comes with having a child • Techniques to deal with shyness around other parents • Insight into the five big problems that face highly sensitive parents in relationships—and how to work through them Highly sensitive people have the potential to be not just good parents, but great ones. Practical yet warm and positive, this groundbreaking guide will show parents how to build confidence, awareness, and essential coping skills so that they—and their child—can thrive on every stage of the parenting journey. “This book is filled with validating, healing and empowering information about how to navigate one of the most important roles of our lives while being highly sensitive. It changed my life in the most healing and empowering ways.” —Alanis Morissette, artist, activist, teacher

An essential resource for anyone who has ever been called "too sensitive"--gain a deeper understanding of the what, why, and how of your natural intuitive abilities Do you struggle with small talk and prefer deep conversation? Are you extremely sensitive to other people's moods and feel exhausted after being in crowd? Do people describe you as highly perceptive? If you've answered 'yes' to any of the above questions, you may be a Highly Intuitive Person--someone who is sensitive to the energies of others and experiences the world through the deeper senses. Also known as Intuitive-Sensitives and similar to Highly Sensitive People, Highly Intuitive People are said to make up 15-20% of the population. They are often described as being calm, caring, and extremely wise and 'knowing'. Based on Heidi Sawyer's years of experience as an intuitive mentor, Highly Intuitive People provides a roadmap for anyone who wants to understand their natural intuitive abilities--how they got them, what they're for, and how best to use them. Become one of the thousands of people who have benefited from Sawyer's revolutionary techniques and become a happier, more empowered Intuitive-Sensitive.

Dr. Elaine Aron’s newest book, Psychotherapy and the Highly Sensitive Person, redefines the term “highly sensitive” for the professional researcher and practitioner. She dispels common misconceptions about the relationship between sensitivity and other personality traits, such as introversion and shyness, and further defines the trait for the benefit of both the clinician and patient. Readers will learn to assess for the trait, distinguish it from clinical diagnoses such as panic disorder or avoidant personality disorder, understand how sensitivity may change the presentation of a problem such as depression or shyness, and generally inform, validate, and improve the quality of life for these clients. She pays particular attention to self-esteem issues and helping patients separate effects of their innate temperament from problems due to their personal learning histories. Dr. Aron keeps both patient and practitioner in mind as she suggests ways to adapt treatment for highly sensitive persons and how to deal with the typical issues that arise. Three appendices provide the HSP Scale, a summary of the extensive research on this innate trait, and its relation to DSM diagnoses. Through this helpful guide, therapists will see a marked improvement in their ability to assist highly sensitive clients.

From one of the world's foremost researchers and pioneers of pediatric health--a book that offers hope and a pathway to success for parents, teachers, psychologists, pyschiatrists, and child development experts coping with "difficult" children. A book that fully explores the author's revolutionary discovery about childhood development, parenting, and the key to helping all children find happiness and success. In The Orchid and the Dandelion, Dr. W. Thomas Boyce writes of the "dandelion" child (hardy, resilient, healthy), able to survive and flourish under most circumstances, and the "orchid" child (sensitive, susceptible, fragile), who, given the right support, can thrive as much as, if not more than, other children. For the past four decades Boyce has been working with troubled children. The Orchid and the Dandelion offers help to those who have lost their confidence in the promise of a child gone seriously adrift--into drug abuse, delinquency, depression, or destructive friendships, the dark territory of psychological trouble, school failure, or criminality. Boyce's breakthrough research reveals how genetic makeup and environment shape behavior. Rather than seeing this "risk" gene as a liability, through his daring research, Boyce has recast the way we think of human frailty and shows that while variant genes can create problems (susceptibility to depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and antisocial, sociopathic, or violent behaviors), they can also, in the right setting and with the right nurturing, produce children who not only do better than before but far exceed their peers. He describes what it is to be an "orchid" child, to live a life far more intense, painful, vivid, and variable than that of a dandelion. For orchid children, the world is often a frightening and overwhelming place. He makes clear that orchids are not failed dandelions and shows people how to embrace the unique gifts, abilities, and strengths of orchid children and how to create and environment at home and work that will allow them to flourish. Boyce writes, as well, of dandelions: how vital they are to what George Eliot describes as "the growing good of the world," even in the midst of their own struggles and life challenges. He writes of his own family, particularly of his sister, the inspiration for his work, an orchid child overcome by the family's tragedies and sadnesses to which the author, as a dandelion child, was impervious. And we come to understand that beneath the servicable categories of "orchid" and "dandelion" lies the truer reality of a continuum, a spectrum of sensitivities to the world, along which we all have a place.

A psychotherapist and workshop leader presents a comprehensive collection of pre-tested exercises developed to enhance the lives of highly sensitive people and help them embrace their unique trait.

Why do highly sensitive people perceive and process information so differently, and react more intensely? Why do they often experience stress and social rejection? Ever since the American psychologist Elaine Aron introduced the term 'high sensitivity' in the late 1990s, much has been said about the subject. In this book, Esther Bergsma presents the latest scientific insights into the functioning of the 'highly sensitive brain', which has proven to function differently in many areas when compared to the non-highly sensitive brain. Based on these scientific insights, she developed a model that offers tools to professionals in healthcare, education and to therapists and coaches who want to learn more about high sensitivity. Her goal: that everyone - and especially the highly sensitive person - has a better understanding and appreciation for this quality. High sensitivity offers unprecedented talents that only become apparent when we no longer ask the fish to climb, but recognize its qualities as a swimmer. Drs. Esther Bergsma is an expert on High Sensitivity, researcher in the field of social science and the inspiring force behind Hoogsensitief.NL. She coaches and trains professionals in understanding and guiding HSPs better. A fascinating handbook about the functioning of the highly sensitive brain. - Prof. Dr. Judith Homberg, Professor of Translational Neuroscience I believe this book will change a lot of lives! - Julie Bjelland, LMFT, Founder of Sensitive Empowerment Using data, illustrations, diagrams, and real-life examples, Esther clearly explains how the highly sensitive brain differs and the talents that result from those differences. - April Snow, psychotherapist, HSP specialist, author Esther lays out all the research and then offers fresh insights on how the sensitive brain works. - Maria Hill, founder of Sensitive Evolution Bron: Flaptekst, uitgeversinformatie.

Many Highly Sensitive People find our chaotic, modern world very challenging. You might often feel misunderstood, have high-stress levels and are overwhelmed a lot. You Are Not Alone. Fortunately, there is a way to feel better and in this book, we explore strategies that will empower you to reach your goals, live your best life, and help you access your gifts and strengths. Author Julie Bjelland is a psychotherapist, global HSP consultant, and leader in the field of high sensitivity and has helped thousands of highly sensitive people around the world. As an HSP herself, Julie understands what it is like to live with high sensitivity and strong emotions. Julie teaches an online course for HSPs and is the author of several books. Want to download and read the ebook version instantly? Visit www.empoweredhsp.com.

Highly sensitive people think deeply, empathize instinctively, and behave in an ethical way that benefits everyone. Today, with the negative effects of "toxic masculinity" and aggressive behavior in evidence all around us, we need highly sensitive people--especially men--more than ever. Yet for men in particular, being highly sensitive brings distinct challenges, such as gender stereotypes that portray them as too emotional or not "manly" enough. Cognitive behavioral psychotherapist Tom Falkenstein offers the first psychological guide that specifically addresses highly sensitive men and those who care about them, and explores the unique advantages and obstacles they face. Drawing from his training with pioneer in the field Dr. Elaine Aron, and his own groundbreaking work, Falkenstein incorporates the most up-to-date research on high sensitivity--what it is and isn't--how it relates to male identity, and provides one-of-a-kind advice and practical tools, including: · Self-assessment tests to measure high sensitivity · Strategies to cope with overstimulation and intense emotions · Exercises that enhance relaxation, mindfulness, and acceptance · Advice on self-care and self-compassion · Techniques to deal with situations that highly sensitive people often find difficult · Interviews with men who have learned to live well with high sensitivity · Insights into the key role that highly sensitive men have to play in today's world Including an illuminating conversation with Dr. Aron, The Highly Sensitive Man is an invaluable book that will help redefine masculinity and reveal how high sensitivity can enrich men's lives, their communities, and the lives of those who love them.

Elaine Aron follows up her bestsellers on the highly sensitive person with a groundbreaking new book on the undervalued self. She explains that self-esteem results from having a healthy balance of love and power in our lives. Readers will learn to incorporate love into situations that seem to require power and deal with power struggles that mask themselves as issues of love. From the bedroom to the boardroom, her strategies will enable us to escape feelings of shame, defeat, and depression; dissolve relationship hostility; and become our best selves. With Aron's clear, empathetic writing and extraordinary scientific and human insight, The Undervalued Self is a simple and effective guide to developing healthy, fulfilling relationships, and finding true self-worth.

This Positives Journal, a companion workbook to "Brain Training for the Highly Sensitive Person, Techniques to Reduce Anxiety and Overwhelming Emotions," should be used each week with the brain-training techniques laid out in the book. This workbook is a place for you to record all of your successes, your strengths, and your gifts. It is designed to help you recognize and celebrate the positives in your life and learn to identify and implement activities that improve your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. (This journal workbook also works well for the online course for highly sensitive people). www.juliebjelland.com "Julie Bjelland's new book Brain Training for the Highly Sensitive Person is a valuable support in opening to the challenges and potentials that come with high-level sensitivity." - Tara Brach, PhD, author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge

Uses simple language, illustrations, humor and examples to describe the biochemical effects from thoughts and the precise molecular pathways through which this occurs.

From the creator of the popular website Ask a Manager and New York’s work-advice columnist comes a witty, practical guide to 200 difficult professional conversations—featuring all-new advice! There’s a reason Alison Green has been called “the Dear Abby of the work world.” Ten years as a workplace-advice columnist have taught her that people avoid awkward conversations in the office because they simply don’t know what to say. Thankfully, Green does—and in this incredibly helpful book, she tackles the tough discussions you may need to have during your career. You’ll learn what to say when • coworkers push their work on you—then take credit for it • you accidentally trash-talk someone in an email then hit “reply all” • you’re being micromanaged—or not being managed at all • you catch a colleague in a lie • your boss seems unhappy with your work • your cubemate’s loud speakerphone is making you homicidal • you got drunk at the holiday party Praise for Ask a Manager “A must-read for anyone who works . . . [Alison Green’s] advice boils down to the idea that you should be professional (even when others are not) and that communicating in a straightforward manner with candor and kindness will get you far, no matter where you work.”—Booklist (starred review) “The author’s friendly, warm, no-nonsense writing is a pleasure to read, and her advice can be widely applied to relationships in all areas of readers’ lives. Ideal for anyone new to the job market or new to management, or anyone hoping to improve their work experience.”—Library Journal (starred review) “I am a huge fan of Alison Green’s Ask a Manager column. This book is even better. It teaches us how to deal with many of the most vexing big and little problems in our workplaces—and to do so with grace, confidence, and a sense of humor.”—Robert Sutton, Stanford professor and author of The No Asshole Rule and The Asshole Survival Guide “Ask a Manager is the ultimate playbook for navigating the traditional workforce in a diplomatic but firm way.”—Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together

Dealing with depression? Anxiety? Stress? Relationship issues? Judy Dyer generously provides many options and exercises for conquering every aspect of your life from a perspective of a highly sensitive person. Here, you will discover how to embrace every aspect of yourself to become grounded, effective, and empowered.

Are you often told to stop taking things to heart or to toughen up? Do you have a lot of empathy for others? Overanalyze things and get 'stuck in your own head'? Or become easily overwhelmed and frequently need to withdraw? If the answer is YES, you are probably a Highly Sensitive Person and this Handbook will be your survival guide! One in five people are born with the trait of high sensitivity. Yet, there is a general lack of awareness of the trait in our society, which leaves many people struggling physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually with being highly sensitive in a non-sensitive world. More often than not, HSPs are yearning for acceptance of their trait, not just from other people but also for themselves. When they realize their sensitivity is ‘normal’ and it’s acknowledged in a positive way, a deep sense of relief arises and they can begin to flourish – feeling empowered to bring their unique abilities of empathy, compassion, creativity, healing and much more into the world. Presented in four sections that lead the reader on a journey of true holistic self-understanding, the book starts with a section exploring the main qualities and challenges of the trait, and how it can be a real gift in life; not a flaw. The second section then delves into impacts of living as an HSP, such as the many masks that they tend to wear (people-pleasing and so on), the relationships they attract, and how they can start on the journey to feeling more valued. The third section provides a wide range of practical strategies to manage the trait more effectively, from more self-love, coping with over-arousal, tapping for emotional freedom, energy protection, dealing with loss and bereavement, and tuning into the healing power of animals. And the final section touches on the more spiritual aspect of life that many HSPs are searching for, whether knowingly or not – from past-life themes to the unseen world, such as angels – in their quest to fully accept themselves, and to live the authentic, fulfilling lives they deserve.

"This book gives highly sensitive persons (HSPs) strategies to build confidence, combat stress, and find work that is emotionally, financially, and creatively rewarding. Based on cutting-edge medical and scientific research, this fresh perspective on how readers can secure satisfying careers." -- WEBSITE.

Do you fall in love hard, but fear intimacy? Are you sick of being told that you are “too sensitive”? Do you struggle to respect a less-sensitive partner? Or have you given up on love, afraid of being too sensitive or shy to endure its wounds? Statistics show that 50 percent of what determines divorce is genetic temperament. And, if you are one of the 20 percent of people who are born highly sensitive, the risk of an unhappy relationship is especially high. Your finely tuned nervous system, which picks up on subtleties and reflects deeply, would be a romantic asset if both you and your partner understood you better. But without that understanding, your sensitivity is likely to be making your close relationships painful and complicated. Based on Elaine N. Aron’s groundbreaking research on temperament and intimacy, The Highly Sensitive Person in Love offers practical help for highly sensitive people seeking happier, healthier romantic relationships. From low-stress fighting to sensitive sexuality, the book offers a wealth of practical advice on making the most of all personality combinations. Complete with illuminating self-tests and the results of the first survey ever done on sex and temperament, The Highly Sensitive Person in Love will help you discover a better way of living and loving.