Last month I wrote an introductory piece about my own emerging self-discovery of my neurodivergent mind. You can read it again here.

I have continued to explore this aspect of myself, and read some more on the topic too. Here is the next chapter of my thoughts and feelings about this inner quality which affects so much of my life.

Recently I’ve been exploring my own neurodivergence.

My brain works in this funny way. It’s quirky, but not quite so much that I would fit into a diagnosis. Or at least none that I have yet come across.

High sensitivity is known in the scientific community by the biological name of Sensory-Processing Sensitivity. This biological difference exists in hundreds of species, including humans, at around 15-20% of the population.

Yes, that's approximately 1 in 5 people who are Highly Sensitive.

How might Chinese Medicine offer insight, understanding and benefit to Highly Sensitive People (HSPs)?

I am a big fan of personality tests, as a way of understanding myself and others.

Many people have come across the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which I have used since career days at University.

The comprehensive test indicates your preferences based on 4 main characteristics. There are a total of 16 possible personality types, each with their strengths, challenges and perceptions of themselves and the world.

The term empath is used to describe a specific group of Highly Sensitive People.

Empaths are highly sensitive people with a gift of being able to feel others' feelings, as if they are their own. This is not simply experiencing empathy for another human being and their suffering; this is an embodied, constant, lived experience.

The word sensitive is often used with negative meaning.

If you identify as a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) then I know you understand this.

The importance of protecting your energy cannot be underestimated if you identify as highly sensitive. 

The term Highly Sensitive People comes from the research by Elaine Aron, and is estimated that 20% of the population, regardless of country or culture, are biologically hard-wired to be more sensitive to their environment.

HSPs will notice things that other people do not, are likely to feel more deeply, and to think and process thoughts and emotions in greater depth. This could be in relation to their environment, the people around them, their workplaces, children, and so on.

And with so much information, always-on technology and busy lives, it is more important than ever that HSPs protect their energy.