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Poll Do You Believe You Are A Very Sensitive Person?

Do You Believe You Are A Sensitive person


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curiouser

MyPTSD Pro
Do people tell you all the time that you are "way too sensitive"?

Highly sensitive people usually exhibit all or most of the following below.

Highly sensitive people are born this way, and they will be this way throughout life. They were sensitive as children. Some were loners as children and still are as adults. Many really sensitive people become near-hermits to protect their sensitive natures.

Emotionally sensitive people feel emotions often and deeply. The things that would not bother the average person will bother them very deeply. They will appear to others as a very insecure, passive person but it's really just that their sensitivity goes so deep that they need extra support to feel secure about everything.

They are very much aware of the emotions of others and are highly perceptive of other's needs, feelings, pains, and emotions. They are very much affected by emotions they witness or sense in others. They feel deeply for others' suffering in life. They can usually tell if someone is lying. They can absorb pains, feelings, and emotions from other people.

They are easily hurt or upset. Any unkind words or insults or even joking remarks will affect them very deeply. This is seen by others as being extremely sensitive, insecure, or thin-skinned.

They strive to avoid conflicts and dread arguments because the negativity affects them so much.

They are not able to shake off their feelings easily. Once they are saddened or hurt by something, they cannot just snap out of it. Thoughts can go on and on in their minds, replaying continuously. They wonder could they have said this or that and made a difference in the situation.

They are deeply affected by nature, art, music, and anything that goes deeply into the spirit or soul as far as aesthetics. They tend to be very creative and imaginative people.

Empathic sensitivity causes the nervous systems of sensitives to become stimulus overloaded. They cannot stand to be in large crowds of people, hear loud noises, or be in chaotic or hectic environments. They need peace and harmony and a quiet lifestyle and environment that is supportive.

Common worries, struggles, and questions of people with sensitive temperaments are:
  • What is wrong with me?
  • Told I am too energetic, too smart, too talkative, too emotional
  • I am not good enough
  • I can’t express who I am
  • Let me out , I’m trapped
  • I am all alone, no one understands
  • I have to tough it out and soldier on
  • I have to save the world before I can tend to myself
  • I have to make the world a better, safer place, so that I can be here
  • Only death will bring me peace
  • Overwhelmed
  • Dissociation
  • Compulsive helping, boundary issues
  • Low self worth
  • Perfectionism
  • Fear, anger, shame, grief
  • Chronic emotional/physical pain, illness
Highly sensitive people are prone to developing chronic illnesses, recurring depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsion disorders, personality disorders, or other psychological disorders all through out their lives.
 
Is there a way to add my yes or no poll? I had it all set up, and hit the back button to change something and somehow it ended up posting it with out my poll attached. Sorry, I'm new at poll posting. Thanks.
 
I guess I fit a lot of the description. Even though at first I said 'no' because I've withstood a lot of tough stuff and am able to write off insensitive remarks etc.......well, no, I'm lying to myself.

I should have said 'yes'......definately 'yes.'
 
I think the word would be empathetic, really. I'm sure somewhere on the planet would be a study on the types of people more prone to develop PTSD, but I'm guessing this general 'type' would be at the top of the list. No doubt noone is immune since brain function has such commonality. Maybe a good poll would be how many sufferers were perhaps this type of person pre-trauma, since it seems that most PTSD sufferers would be sensitive by definition.
 
I am sure that my sensitivity is from childhood abuse. I just assumed that everything was my fault and so i cried and took every cruel word or insult personally, cried all the time, was bullied for that, and was the target of violence at school, so more crying. What self esteem can an abused child have?
 
"Deeply affected by", "creative and imaginative", "perceptive"... I can identify with those. I'm not overly emotionally expressive, though, and I'm not easily hurt these days, but maybe those are side effects of the circumstances I grew up in. I was taught that empathy and emotion are signs of weakness. (I've been getting that my entire life, and I'm female.)

Out of curiosity, I poked around in Trellis.

// tangent, just keep moving if you're not interested in academic jargon //

Source: Woodward, Lucinda E., Murrell, Stanley A. and Bettler, Robert F. (2005.) Empathy and Interpersonal Style. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma 11(4):1-28.

In general, research shows that empathetic persons are psychologically healthy, not self-absorbed or anxious (Johnson, Cheek, & Smither, 1983). However, research suggests that conflict may arise when a highly empathetic person assumes the perspective of a person experiencing acute stress or anxiety.
Which is interesting, because the study goes on to relate psychological trauma to "attachment coping style". People who are less willing or able to speak about the trauma openly are more likely to develop long-lasting symptoms. The second study suggests a link between disposition and development of PTSD. High risk personality traits: avoidant coping methods, introversion, neuroticism, external locus of control, and emotion-focused problem-solving strategies. It's not the same as the "Highly Sensitive Person" construct, but it suggests a connection between certain personality traits and vulnerability.

Source: Chung, MC., Dennis, I., Easthope, Y., Werret, J. and Farmer, S. (2005.) A Multiple-Indicator Multiple-Cause Model for Posttraumatic Stress Reactions: Personality, Coping, and Maladjustment. Psychosomatic Medicine 67:251-259.

Focusing on people exposed to war, limited studies have shown that prisoners of war (POWs) with high sensation-seeking traits tend to use active coping strategies that are associated with better adjustment to PTSD from captivity. On the other hand, POWs with low sensation-seeking traits tend to cope by detachment and denial, which are associated with poorer adjustment (10). Veterans with the dysfunctional passive–aggressive personality style or avoidant style tend to use more confrontive coping and escape–avoidance, which are associated with greater PTSD severity (9).

Also, civilians who have been exposed to missile attack and who have a secure attachment style tend to seek social support more than those with an ambivalent attachment style. The latter use more emotion-focused coping and report more distress.
Emotion-focused coping apparently refers to a tendency to either overfocus on the emotional distress, or to deny, devaluate, or repress emotions following the trauma. Make of that what you will. I couldn't tell you exactly where to draw the lines between the traits listed in the studies and the traits mentioned in the original post, but at the least, we can say that personality factors can predict later development of PTSD.

I doubt that any of this covers C-PTSD.

Maybe the empaths and the lone wolves are equally at risk, but if the trauma starts early in life and leads to the development of those personality traits, what caused what?
 
Yes, exactly, 2Quilt. It's one of the reasons I was easily convinced against C(as in having it, which was a suggestion on the part of a T at one point) when I joined this forum. I was one of the 'senstive' children by trait not from abuse, like you. Since I'd grown up being perfectly well nurtured, self esteem wasn't an issue, or at least not more so than would be the norm for any little girl with all her antenae out there waving around looking for signals, as it were.

Sigh. RJ, you pulled up an awful lot of research I've actually been looking for. I thought perhaps Dr. Herman would have it.I loathe, detest and abhor getting stuck inside my own head with this thing. That whole 'me' thing my generation went through, where everyone sat around contemplating their own navels and 'the meaning of life' while doing absolutely nothing leaves me disinclined to talk about 'me'. The outside world is much more fascinating.It's clear, however, that something is stuck and this is no proper way to live. Without getting into it, there's a huge amount of trauma-specific stress going on at the moment. I feel the end of all this resultant avoidance and containment will be actual agoraphobia and some other things equally destructive. What I'm doing isn't working so I have to get into my head at least long enough to make something work.I've just been spending some time here and there trying to track down what exactly needs to be solved so I can go find someone who can then help get it solved.If I had false teeth, I'd have dropped them reading that post since it contained pretty much exactly what was needed to get moving. Thank you!

By the way, somewhere in the old threads Anthony did a lovely job with the C-PTSD/Childhood trauma explanation. He translates things nicely.
 
Most of the list above is me. Especially 'Told I am too energetic, too smart, too talkative, too emotional'. These words were used as hammers against me by my FOO. Still are. I was too everything excepted needed, loved and valued. My youngest daughter is a lot like me and the last time I saw my mother she asked me what was wrong with her. OMG! Nothing! She's a beautiful human being who is what she is. After overhearing a conversation between me and my daughter about physics (yeah...we're geeks! LOL) my mother tells me I shouldn't encourage this (God forbid a girl be smart) and she's just like me and then sighs and looks away. Nice. Really nice. Nothing changes.

I'm senstive and it's part of who I am. My husband and daughters love me for me and don't ask for change. How refreshing.

Lisa
 
Anni - That sounds tough. Hope you find the right person and the right solution. It sounds like you have insight and the willpower to take action, so no pointless navel-gazing there. I wish you the best of luck.

Marlene - WTH, are we supposed to act passive and superficially cheerful, like "normal" folks? :wall:

-RJ,
also "too" everything
 
Marlene,

At least you know there's no dam such thing as 'too' anything positive, and anyone who tries to tell you there is is just attempting to control you in some way. My daughter is a math geek and boy do I wish I was one, too, and could share that with her! You're so lucky, but of course already know that!

Isn't it wonderful to have someone who likes you exactly the way you are? It took me awhile to figure out the whole power/control thing on the part of those who did not.

Anni
 
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