The Highly Sensitive Person and Childhood Trauma
Patrick Teahan・30 minutes read
The genogram exercise helps clients explore family dysfunction and trauma, especially for those drawn to trauma work due to not fitting into their family system. Highly sensitive persons (HSPs) benefit from trauma work by understanding their unique traits, which should be reframed positively without glorifying or categorizing them as superior or inferior.
Insights
- The genogram exercise is a valuable tool in therapy for exploring family dysfunction and trauma, helping clients identify triggers and areas where they feel stuck.
- Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs) make up a significant portion of the population, with specific traits like depth of emotional processing, empathy, and difficulty with change. Growing up in abusive or chaotic family systems can intensify HSP traits, impacting the development of HSP children and potentially leading to issues like depression and anxiety. Recovery from childhood trauma for HSPs involves reclaiming identity, setting boundaries, and reframing sensitivity as a positive trait rather than a weakness.
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Recent questions
What is the genogram exercise used for?
The genogram exercise is used to explore family dysfunction and trauma, helping clients understand their triggers and stuck places. It highlights differences in family systems.
What percentage of the population are HSPs?
HSPs make up 15-20% of the population and have specific traits like empathy, difficulty with change, and needing downtime.
How can HSPs cope with childhood trauma?
HSPs can cope with childhood trauma by reclaiming identity, exploring HSP traits, and setting boundaries to turn down the volume of overwhelming characteristics.
What are common experiences for HSP children in abusive families?
Common experiences for HSP children in abusive families include parentification, triangulation, oppression, manipulation, and emotional abuse, which can amplify HSP traits.
How can HSPs master their traits for recovery?
HSPs can master their traits for recovery by engaging in trauma work, setting boundaries, practicing self-care, being present in intimacy, and not letting overwhelming feelings rule them.
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Summary
00:00
Understanding HSP Traits in Trauma Therapy
- The genogram exercise is used to explore family dysfunction and trauma, helping clients understand their triggers and stuck places.
- Clients drawn to trauma work often do not fit into their family system, with the genogram highlighting these differences.
- A vast majority of clients seeking trauma work are the only family members engaging in therapy across three generations.
- Only a small percentage of clients have family members also working on themselves through therapy or self-growth.
- Highly sensitive persons (HSPs) have a depth of processing emotions, which aids in trauma work.
- Dr. Elaine Aaron's acronym for HSP traits includes depth of processing, being overly stimulated, emotional responsiveness, and noticing subtleties.
- HSPs make up 15-20% of the population and have specific traits like empathy, difficulty with change, and needing downtime.
- HSPs may feel like aliens in emotionally shut down or chaotic families, noticing others' lack of emotional depth.
- HSP traits should not be misconstrued as solely introverted or anxious, with 30% of HSPs being extroverted.
- Growing up in an abusive family system can amplify HSP traits, affecting the development of HSP children.
14:34
Healing HSP Children: Coping, Recovery, Mastery
- Parentification, triangulation, oppression, manipulation, and emotional abuse are common experiences for HSP children.
- Siblings can cope differently in the same family system, with HSPs feeling deeply and noticing emotional gaps more intensely.
- HSP children in chaotic, anti-love family systems may hold all emotional intensity, sadness, and shame, feeling different and alienated.
- HSPs with difficult childhoods are more susceptible to depression and anxiety, but those with good childhoods can be resilient and have leadership potential.
- Recovery from childhood trauma involves reclaiming identity, exploring HSP traits, and turning down the volume of HSP characteristics through therapy and boundaries.
- Reframing sensitivity as a positive trait, embracing emotions, and valuing sensitivity over toxic family values can aid in recovery.
- Mastery over HSP traits involves trauma work, setting boundaries, practicing self-care, being present in intimacy, and not being ruled by overwhelming feelings.
- HSPs should see their traits as different, not superior, and avoid egoic identification with being an empath or special in the healing culture.
- Over-identification with traits like being an empath can be a result of trauma-based hyper vigilance and codependency, rather than genuine traits.
- It's crucial to avoid using HSP traits for marketing or egoic purposes, focusing on genuine healing and growth instead.
29:25
Embracing sensitivity without judgment or comparison
- Embracing highly sensitive traits without glorifying them as superior or inferior, reframing the identity away from trauma association.
- Acknowledging that non-highly sensitive individuals process emotions differently, highlighting the need to avoid categorizing traits as better or worse, and recognizing the potential for abuse within highly sensitive individuals and families.
