High emotional sensitivity: a quality that needs to be addressed since childhood

(Madrid. Lucila Rodríguez)

In 1991, psychologist Elaine Aron, Ph.D., first coined the term high emotional sensitivity to describe an innate trait of brain and vegetative nervous system functioning that enhances the analytical, empathetic, creative and emotional capacity of those who possess it.

It is estimated that between 20% and 30% of the general population has this important quality (not considered a disease) which, if not handled correctly from childhood, can be detrimental to personal and professional development, although the features that characterize it are not fully known by society or even by the people who have it, which makes it difficult to address.

For this reason, the Dr. Marta SanzDirector of the Psychiatry Unit of the Neurology Service of the Ruber Internacional Hospital in Madrid, has recently published the book ‘Vulnerability and strength. in which it is shown, through the experience acquired in self-regulation learning groups, that high sensitivity can make a person vulnerable to illness, but that if properly regulated and worked on, it is an extremely valuable quality that helps to live with health and moments of fulfillment.

A different brain

For this reason, the doctor stresses the importance of these people understanding how their nervous system works and having the tools to adjust it when it becomes overactive. Their brains function differently from those of the rest of the population, as they have more activated areas related to visual processing, attention, information integration and memory.

In addition, they tend to pay attention to all the details, which makes them need more time to perform a task, and they have a higher activity of the insula, the brain structure related to the science of the internal and external world that connects emotions expressed in the body with feelings and self-awareness.

“People with high sensitivity and a well-constructed childhood have a higher activation of areas related to emotional regulation, which supports the importance of working on this trait from childhood and training children to acquire the appropriate tools of emotional regulation,” explains Dr. Sanz.

But, beyond neurological traits, people with high emotional sensitivity are characterized by having great intuition and systemic thinking; perceiving every detail of what is happening; having great empathy and emotional receptivity; and even easily grasping non-verbal details, mood and credibility of the people with whom they interact.

“The key is not in having the five senses highly developed, but in how the brain manages the stimuli that are emotionally significant. This aspect is sometimes very useful, but if it is overloaded, the person may feel tired, irritable, mentally overactive, psychomotor restlessness and a need to isolate him/herself,” explains the director of the Psychiatry Unit of the Neurology Department of the Ruber Internacional Hospital in Madrid.

All these characteristics and the way to address them are found in the book he has published and in which, in addition, he shares the experience of people who have participated in the learning groups implemented in the unit since 2020. “It is a professional proposal that consists of a psychoeducational part that is supported by scientific evidence to date and, the most important part, in an experiential work through tools that facilitate better management of their emotions, self-esteem and interpersonal relationships,” comments Dr. Sanz.