I'm Lena, the founder of Highly Sensitive Nurture ☺️ I'm a certified coach for HSPs (highly sensitive people), certified stress-management trainer and educator (MA). Originally from Germany, I live in beautiful Athens, Greece, with my family - and of course I'm an HSP myself!
Highly Sensitive Nurture is a space where I want you to feel nurtured with inspiration, support and insights around the topic of high sensitivity, with its beautiful and challenging sides alike. It's a space to reflect, to feel, to grow and to enjoy.
It's amazing to be highly sensitive and it comes with so many strengths and gifts - and at the same time it's not always easy to embrace and navigate this sensitivity, the deep emotions, the frequent overstimulation and the mere feeling of "feeling somehow different, being too sensitive and intense, and having to grow a thicker skin". Being sensitive is nothing you have to apologise for or feel strange about though. Once you know how to navigate your sensitivity, how to calm your nervous system and what your self-care needs are, then you can have access to so many strengths, advantages and qualities - with Highly Sensitive Nurture you can learn how to thrive and blossom as a highly sensitive person! 🌺
High sensitivity is a biologically based, innate personality trait that is characterised by heightened sensitivity to environmental, social and emotional stimuli. It is influenced by genetic factors and differences in nervous system processing. Around 20% of the population are highly sensitive, male and female gender alike. People with this trait have a more sensitive, highly attuned and more responsive nervous system. It's important to note that it is not a disorder or a type of diagnosis - it's is a normal, healthy personality trait, and one with often very powerful impact on someone's personality, perceptions, and needs, usually related to mind and body alike.
In a nutshell, being highly sensitive means processing everything more deeply, being empathetic and oftentimes emotional, feeling easily overstimulated and perceiving small nuances and subtleties around us.
You can imagine it like having more refined antennas with a more finely tuned nervous system, that perceives and takes in an above-average amount of input and stimulation. The trait can manifest itself in a variety of ways and come with its own unique strengths and challenges.
High sensitivity comes as a "package deal" - one the one hand it's a real strength that allows us to perceive subtleties and have access to a deeper emotional world, and at the same time being so sensitive can also lead to overstimulation and struggle. Just as an orchid, HSPs need a certain environment adjusted to their sensitivity in order to thrive and blossom well. And you can create such an environment for yourself, through self-awareness, self-care, healthy boundaries and learning relaxation methods.
The core is working on regulating the reactive and sensitive nervous system of a highly sensitive person - it's a foundation that is the basis for everything that follows. It's the foundation for gaining access to all the strengths and advantages that come with the trait. ☺️
The scientific term of high sensitivity is "sensory processing sensitivity" and the first scientific research was conducted by American psychologist Dr Elaine Aron in 1996, and significantly advanced the scientific and therapeutic understanding of sensitivity. The trait has since been researched and studied in various forms, entering the fields of Psychology, Neuroscience and Pedagogy (predominantly in the US, Canada, UK, Central Europe and Scandinavia). It is assumed that the trait is hereditary and that is why it often runs in families. HS was an evolutionarily very significant trait that exists for a reason - it is assumed that the trait survived genetically because of its evolutionary advantage. It was the more perceptive and hypervigilant HSPs who noticed dangers and threats more easily.
Research shows that the brain of highly sensitive people works differently in some aspects compared to people without the trait. fMRI brain imaging studies have shown for example that HSPs have higher activation in brain areas connected to deep processing and empathy, such as the brain insula (brain area for emotional processing) and the cingulate cortex (region involved in attention and empathy), which I find really fascinating. Research also indicates a more active mirror neuron system for HSPs, which is connected with empathetic responses and the ability to read and even feel other people’s emotions. HSPs are attuned to subtle emotional cues and often experience an intensity of emotional absorption.
FAQ section
The best place to start is by taking the self-assessment questionnaire (see the link further up this page). While no questionnaire can provide a definitive answer, it can give you a good indication of whether you have the trait of high sensitivity, and that's all you really need.
High sensitivity is not a medical diagnosis or a disorder, so there is no clinical test or official diagnosis. Instead, it's a temperament trait. Many people recognise themselves through the questionnaire and by identifying with the four core characteristics of high sensitivity described above: deeper processing, a tendency towards overstimulation, strong emotional responsiveness and empathy, and noticing subtleties.
Research using functional MRI (fMRI) suggests that high sensitivity has a biological basis. However, you don't need brain scans or any other medical tests of course to know whether you're highly sensitive. For most HSPs, learning about the trait and reflecting on their own experiences provides the clarity they need! ☺️
Yes. Research within neuroscience using functional MRI (fMRI) suggests that highly sensitive people show different patterns of brain activity when processing sensory, emotional, and social information. These findings support the idea that high sensitivity has a biological basis, although every highly sensitive person is of course unique.
At the same time, you certainly don't need brain scans or any other medical tests to identify with the trait. For most HSPs, learning about high sensitivity and taking the self-assessment questionnaire provides enough clarity, as they recognise themselves in the core characteristics of the trait.
While highly sensitive people share the same underlying temperament trait, no two HSPs are exactly alike. It's also important to remember that high sensitivity is just one aspect of a person's personality and does not define who they are. Every HSP is unique, with their own personality, strengths, experiences, and preferences.
The four core characteristics of high sensitivity – deeper processing, a tendency towards overstimulation, strong emotional responsiveness and empathy, and noticing subtleties – are all part of the trait. However, they show up differently from person to person and to varying degrees. For one HSP, noticing subtleties may be especially prominent, while for another, emotional responsiveness or sensory overstimulation may be more noticeable.
Research also suggests that high sensitivity is shaped by both nature and nurture. While genetics play an important role, life experiences and the environment also influence how the trait develops and is expressed. Current evidence indicates that both contribute substantially, rather than one being solely responsible.
Highly sensitive children definitely benefit from a more attuned and understanding parenting style. This can include for example validating their sensitivity and not making them feel bad for being sensitive, recognising their sensory needs, supporting emotional regulation, and helping them feel safe while building resilience step by step. 💟
Every child is unique of course, so there’s no one-size-fits-all way of parenting a highly sensitive child. If you’d like support in understanding your child’s sensitivity and finding ways that work for your family, I also offer coaching for parents of highly sensitive children.
HSP coaching is about helping highly sensitive people better understand their sensitivity and learn practical ways and tools to navigate everyday life with greater balance, confidence, and resilience. My coaching combines practical, personalised support with evidence-based approaches, including for example strategies for emotion regulation, stress management, and working with perfectionist patterns. Rather than trying to "fix" your sensitivity, we focus on understanding it, working with it, and using it as a strength. And there are many strengths being an HSP. ☺️
My coaching is open to both sensitive and highly sensitive people. Many of the topics we explore together are similar, whether you identify as highly sensitive or simply recognise yourself as a sensitive person. What's most important is not the "label", but whether the topics and approach resonate with your experiences and goals. 😊
Learn 5 effective grounding methods especially suited to HSPs to help calm an overstimulated nervous system.