hypersensitivity is a recent concept dating from the 1990s. It is an American researcher and psychologist, Elaine Aron, who began research and published a first book on the subject in 1996.
The term “hypersensitive” comes from the English translation “highly sensitive” but we also speak of “high sensitivity” or of “high sensitivity“.
Hypersensitivity is not a disease
It is not a disease, nor an anomaly or a psychic disorder. In fact, hypersensitivity plays out at different levels:
- Sensations (hyperesthesia): you can’t stand light, noises, smells, perfumes, contacts (clothing labels).
- Emotions : Emotions are more intense or more varied. In general we are accustomed to 4/5 types of emotions, in the hypersensitive the palette of emotions is wider.
- Of thought : you are “hyperthinker”, you ruminate, you ask yourself a lot of questions.
- Hunches : you feel the atmospheres of a group, a person, a place.
These are the main manifestations of hypersensitivity.
Saverio Tomasella, psychoanalyst and doctor of psychology, estimates that around 25% of the French population is very sensitive therefore “hypersensitive” and thatin total 50% of the general population is “sensitive”, i.e. 35 million people in France. The other half would then be less sensitive or even insensitive.
Generally, women are said to be more sensitive, when in fact it would have just as many sensitive men. The latter having a greater tendency to hide or even camouflage their sensitivity.
For Saverio Tomasella, it is still necessary to distinguish the “ultra-sensitive” endowed withempathy and the others, the “hypersensitive.”
Where does hypersensitivity come from?
According to a 2011 study, the thalamus would be less active in hypersensitive people. This organ “filters” sensory information in the brain. It is true that hypersensitive people often say they are “without filters”. Other avenues have also been explored in functional brain imaging, this time showing a more active pain center in people with high sensitivity.
Is hypersensitivity innate or does it appear in adulthood?
“Both are possible,” explains Saverio Tomasella. “Some researchers, including the American psychologist Elaine Aron, a pioneer in the study of high sensitivity, and her husband are studying the genetic track, without excluding others. All emphasize the role of education and the paramount importance of the environment and the care provided to the child by those around him.
Highly sensitive parents tend to have hypersensitive children. All traumas, as well as hormonal upheavals (premenstrual syndrome, etc.), cause forms of hyperreactivity and exacerbated sensitivity.
Can we get rid of it?
“If the hypersensitivity stems from a trauma, a therapy such as Somatic Experiencing (somatic experience) can cure it by focusing on its bodily sensations” affirms the psychoanalyst. But if the high sensitivity is innate and if it results from a particular education or from a certain type of environment, more often than not, the person remains highly sensitive all his life. This does not prevent you from discovering how to better live your high sensitivity.
Sources:
- Hypersensitivity for DummiesSaverio Tomasella and Cédric Vitaly
- 3 questions to Saverio TomasellaTop health, March 2021
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