One in five people are hypersensitive. Clinical psychologist Johanna Rozenblum explains how to overcome the difficulties associated with this condition.
- Highly sensitive people are more receptive to things they perceive through the five senses, are very empathetic, and feel emotions stronger and longer than average.
- This condition affects one in five people, even if there is a lack of data on the subject.
- Clinical psychologist Johanna Rozenblum takes stock of this notion which has gained momentum in recent years.
Why doctor: What is a hypersensitive person?
Johanna Rozenblum: This first point is fundamental, because hypersensitivity is not a psychological disorder or a psychiatric pathology. It’s simply a singularity, a different way of understanding the world.
Highly sensitive people are more receptive to things they perceive through the five senses, are very empathetic, and feel emotions stronger and longer than average.
Are all hypersensitive people the same?
No, hypersensitivity is different in each person it affects. For example, some are very sensitive to noise and light, while others will be more affected by agitation.
How do you know if you are hypersensitive?
Generally, people who ask the question already have their answer.
There are currently no specific tests to know if a person is hypersensitive or not; it is psychologists specializing in this problem who identify this state.
Are we born hypersensitive or do we become hypersensitive?
I think that we are born with an increased sensitivity which will subsequently develop through education and events that we have experienced. Personality can also more or less favor this particularity.
Do we know how many people are affected by this characteristic?
We’re talking about one in five people, but I think it’s more. Thus, in a class of thirty students, there can easily be 6 hypersensitive children. It is not at all a marginal state.
What types of difficulties can hypersensitivity cause on a daily basis?
Highly sensitive people often have difficulty regulating their emotions and bring home everything they felt during the day, leading to extreme fatigue.
The second major difficulty that my patients tell me about is the presence of ruminations. These are often individuals who continually question themselves: “Did I say the right thing, did I act correctly so as not to hurt the person I was talking to? Etc…”
And in the long term?
When it is not controlled, hypersensitivity can lead to withdrawal, because people who live with this state tend to refuse outings, jobs, trips, etc., to protect themselves.
Highly sensitive people can also often lose confidence over time.
Can hypersensitivity cause diseases?
Yes, it can cause anxiety and depression in some.
How to protect yourself from these problems?
You must first become aware of your hypersensitivity, define its contours and put in place strategies to regulate emotions. For example, if a hypersensitive person has a big professional presentation in front of 50 people at 2 p.m., it may be beneficial for them to have lunch alone for an hour, listening to music or meditating for example. In the same vein, instead of experiencing a family weekend planned over 72 hours, the hypersensitive person may benefit from staying only two days there.
We must also make life choices that are meaningful and psychologically protective. This concerns all spheres (professional, friendly, family, environmental): is this management suitable for me? Am I really meant to live in the city? Etc…
Are there areas where highly sensitive people can thrive?
Yes, hypersensitive people often flourish in artistic environments. They can also excel in all professions that require listening, personality management and empathy, such as management or early childhood for example.
How can hypersensitivity be an asset?
Once they have worked on themselves and their emotions have become a kind of internal weather, hypersensitive people know themselves much better than the average and can thus make life choices which considerably increase their well-being. .
Does hypersensitivity necessarily require psychological monitoring?
No not necessarily. Some hypersensitive people don’t need this because they have welcomed it since they were little, and have therefore made the right decisions to feel good in their lives.
When should you consult?
You should go see a psychologist when you feel suffering and need additional insight.
This is not an easy approach, because many hypersensitive people grew up with parents who had a negative view of the intensity of their emotions.
Why did you write the book?Hypersensitivity: how to turn it into an asset?“, recently published by Alpen?
Because I see a lot of people in my office who come in absolutely distraught about the way they perceive things. And because they are then extremely relieved when I explain to them that they are hypersensitive and that it is a chance.
So I designed this book as a fun manual intended to play down all that.
Are there things to improve for hypersensitive people in France?
Psychologists, recruiters, parents and pediatricians should be more trained in this condition.
We should also change the negative view that some have on hypersensitivity.
We talk a lot more about hypersensitivity than before, especially on social networks. For what ?
It’s a state that has always existed, but I think that social networks create new hypersensitive people, because people today are constantly exposed to a very anxiety-provoking world. Before, if you wanted to tune out the news, you just had to turn off the television or radio.
