The Highly Sensitive Person

Groundbreaking in the mid-90s, this down-to-earth study of emotional sensitivity provided education about my empathetic gifts and strong emotions in general. Before reading this book and others, I, like many empaths, had viewed it as something of a curse. Instead, I understand now that empathy is biological, social, and directly linked to the evolution of species. This no-frills book helped me gain this wisdom for life!

This book isn’t written specifically for empaths, which is something I actually appreciate. Besides, it was written before “empath” became a mainstream term. This book is actually where we get the term HSP: Highly… show more.

The Highly Sensitive Person is another book I wish had existed when I was growing up. It helped me understand that I’m someone who takes in, on both a sensory and emotional level, more than most people do—an HSP.

Often misdiagnosed as anxiety, being “highly sensitive” is a mixed blessing. We HSPs can’t screen much out, so we’re bothered by sounds, smells, and internal sensations that most people don’t even notice. But, because we have more data to work with, often we can make connections that non-HSPs cannot. HSPs are often highly creative.

The book includes a simple test to… show more.

I first read this book in my 20s and it changed my entire life. Up until that point, I had always felt different than my peers. I never understood why I was more affected by everything, held onto criticism for days (or weeks), and experienced more stress. Discovering there was a term for deep thinkers and feelers like me was enlightening and empowering. Dr. Aron is the foremost researcher on high sensitivity and I appreciated that this book is both evidence-based and practical. It’s a seminal must-read.