Black Minds Matter Psychotherapy

Highly Sensitive People

One in five people (and other animals) are highly sensitive to their environment. This simply means that there is more processing going on in the brain in response to the sensory information coming in such as light, sound, touch, taste, smell, and emotions. This is a physiological trait called sensory processing sensitivity (SPS). This is not a disorder. There is nothing wrong with being a highly sensitive person (HSP), quite the opposite. Many HSPs see it as a superpower!

It can be challenging in relationships when people have different levels of sensitivity and may not understand why their partner doesn’t see and feel things the same way that they do. Whether you are highly sensitive, or your partner is highly sensitive, you both may benefit from learning about sensory processing sensitivity and how it affects your communication, love languages, decision making, and even your intimacy.

ABOUT ME

Black Minds Matter Psychotherapy
My name is Dr. Sabrina Rock. I am a psychologist, coach, and trainer and I specialize in helping people to understand how SPS affects their lives. Many therapists are unaware of SPS, so they do not recognize it and may look for another reason to explain why someone is emotionally sensitive. Or they may not understand how the social stigma around being emotionally expressive has affected someone in their relationships.

As a coach, I help people to understand what it means to be highly sensitive and teach them skills that will help them to accept themselves, improve their self-care, and improve their relationships. I also provide workshops and courses to educate people in helping professions, such as therapists, teachers, and social workers, so that they can identify and provide support for HSPs.
As an HSP myself, I know first-hand how overwhelming it can be to feel emotions so deeply and be affected so intensely by things that other people don’t even seem to notice. I can share with you not only what I have learned about myself but also what I have learned through my research with highly sensitive people. I asked HSPs to share their stories about how their lives changed after they learned about their sensitivities and how they adapted. They all shared that what made the biggest difference between struggling with overstimulation and being able to see sensitivity as an asset was learning to identify when the emotions they were feeling were not their own.
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