“I was in a situation where I loved and trusted this person more than I trusted myself.” Anna Kendrick "Was I raised so that I was always trying to win their love?" Judith Orloff "HSPs tend to be over-givers and toxic people tend to be over-takers.” Julie Bjelland "That dysfunction can give us the message that I am not okay." Donna Jackson Nakazawa…

As various researchers and therapists note, being a highly sensitive person or another form of neurodivergent, with different "neurological wiring," we can experience many positive qualities, such a greater appreciation of beauty and art, a heightened awareness of subtleties, emotional depth, stronger empathy, and more. All of which can enhance cre…

Therapists provide insights and strategies Psychologist Melanie Joy notes "this is an incredibly dysregulating time for everyone, especially those of us who are highly sensitive." Therapist Emma McAdam: "If emotions are getting in the way of you living your life, you can learn how to slow down, think clearly..." Dr Cathleen King: "A dysregulated ne…

Psychologist Melanie Joy notes this is an incredibly dysregulating time for everyone, especially those of us who are highly sensitive. This is an excerpt from her conversation with Andrea Weber for the Sensitive Empowerment Community. Dr Joy comments: "We're especially affected by violence, chaos, and unpredictability. And right now, it's just an i…

Fairy Tales & Jungian Shadow Work "Many of us are gifted with the ability to hold the darkness of others but we don't always know how to uncover it within ourselves." This Creative Mind Audio is an excerpt from the free Shift Network video interview with Melissa Kim Corter: The Alchemy of Fairy Tales & Jungian Shadow Work. Jungian depth psychologis…

"Then I created a roadmap to guide me out of the dense fog of my illness and fear. I learned how to self-regulate my nervous system." Dr Cathleen King, DPT, is a "doctor of physical therapy who teaches neuroscience principles, and is a mind-body practitioner." This audio is an excerpt from her conversation at the 2025 Trauma Super Conference, title…

Empaths and highly sensitive people "aren't just open to trauma. They're open to everything, and it can feel traumatic when you're young and don't have any guidance." - Dr. Judith Orloff "Our nervous system is picking up more information, receiving information that others don't, feeling things that others don't, which means sometimes having an unco…

Meg Haworth, PhD recalls, "I grew up with a narcissistic parent in a toxic family system, and I also had all kinds of abuse growing up and spent a lot of time in my childhood being very sick." This audio is an excerpt from a longer interview, talking about her adverse childhood experiences that led to her own healing and developing a mind body proc…

Most of us have a wide variety of emotional experiences as a child and teen, and as as adults, of course. These may include relatively minor and temporary hurts, but also abuse, even trauma. And these experiences can endure, especially when not addressed or healed, deeply impacting our lives and access to our creativity. This audio is an AI-generat…

This audio is a "podcast conversation" generated by AI program Notebook, based on text in my article How Working With Our Emotions Helps Us Be More Creative. Excerpts of longer comments in the article: "I am the kind of person that feels so much that if I didn’t have acting (and music), I would burst from all of the emotion inside!” Gloria Reuben P…

How to Thrive in a Chaotic World as a Highly Sensitive Person From a free class by Therapist Julie Bjelland "The modern world is often overwhelming and stressful for those of us with sensitive nervous systems." High Sensitivity therapist Julie Bjelland, LMFT adds, "Many of us have suffered from the challenges of high stress, anxiety, sensory overlo…

Excerpt from the longer Creative Mind Audio episode How we can resist despair and keep creating even in turbulent times - “This is precisely the time when artists go to work." In the full length episode: “This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. …

Being a highly sensitive person, or neurodivergent in other ways, we may have grown up feeling misunderstood, and even like we were flawed. The first section of this audio is an excerpt from a related podcast episode with Julie Bjelland and Willow McIntosh, followed by comments by Dr. Aimie Apigian on how trauma relates to these feelings. Hear the …

"I received six diagnoses and my first one came when I was was 12 and a lot of [my memoir] Pathological is about that." Author Sarah Fay adds, "I think this is is something we're seeing now with young people on TikTok and Instagram - self-diagnosing but also receiving diagnoses. "My experience taught me to associate emotions like anxiety with patho…

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES): "That dysfunction can give us the message that I am not okay." Donna Jackson Nakazawa is an award-winning science journalist and speaker. This audio is from her video interview for the Anxiety Super Conference. She comments about some early experiences: "Because of that household dysfunction, our brains do a co…

Dr. Cheryl Arutt is a trauma-informed Clinical & Forensic Psychologist, Certified EMDR therapist, and specializes in trauma recovery and creative artist issues. “Many people in my practice are actors and performers and people who have a platform.” She finds, “A lot of times people will think that when they achieve a certain level of success, they’l…

"Sensitive people are more prone to stress because we are picking up so much more information from the internal and external environment." Dr. Natasha Fallahi, a mind-body health expert, functional medicine practitioner, known as “The Sensitive Doctor,” says trauma arises from overwhelm in situations when we can’t fully process and integrate our ex…

Transpersonal Coach and Trainer Jules De Vitto, MAEd, MSc, comments "Although there may be some similarities between the sensory processing challenges experienced by highly sensitive individuals [HSPs] and those with autism, there are some key differences between the two conditions. She finds, "despite the overlap, ASD and HSP can be distinguished …

“I always felt awkward and shy.” Steven Spielberg “I wouldn’t say I have much of an outgoing personality." Idris Elba “I’m very sensitive in real life.” Jessica Chastain Listen to comments by artists, psychologists and others about high sensitivity, as well as introversion and shyness. These are separate experiences that share some qualities, and c…

"It is hard to change that feeling flawed piece...it's so seeped into your bones." Julie Bjelland “Trauma results in this belief that we are different, that we’re not enough, that there’s something about us that pushes people away or that we’re too much for other people." Trauma healing specialist Aimie Apigian, MD continues: “And so if they were t…

"What is the definition of the Shadow? Why is it so important to understand your Shadow’s contents?" This audio is from a free series by Sounds True, from video 1: The Sacred Path of the Shadow with Caroline Myss.

Melissa Schwartz interviews Julie Bjelland, LMFT. Learn more about the program in article The Empaths, Sensitives and Intuitives Summit.

This audio is from the much longer video conversation in a Summit - learn more in article The Empaths, Sensitives and Intuitives Summit.

See more in article The Empaths, Sensitives and Intuitives Summit.

“Anxiety or high stress is actually pretty common for highly sensitive people. Much of it has to do with an overloaded sensitive nervous system.” Learn more in article How Highly Sensitive People can deal with anxiety – a free Masterclass.

"Sensory overload is when our senses take in more information than our brain can keep up with processing." Sensitivity therapist and author Julie Bjelland adds that as highly sensitive people, "We take in more data than the majority." Hear full podcast, see videos, and read about what causes overload and suggestions for managing it, in How to Live …

This Conference hosted by Julie Skolnick is an online event with recordings of presentations by 16+ experts on being a gifted and twice exceptional adult. Learn more in article "How To Thrive More as a Gifted Adult - the Let’s Talk 2e Adult Conference" https://highability.org/7639/

“Highly Sensitive People have particular brain differences that make us more susceptible to high stress, overwhelm and even anxiety." Sensitivity expert and author Julie Bjelland, LMFT adds, “Thankfully there is a way to train your HSP brain so you can live your fullest life.” See more in article How Can Brain Training Help Highly Sensitive People …

“If it doesn’t scare the crap out of you, then you’re not doing the right thing.” Sandra Bullock. / “I was a very anxious kid in many ways. I had a lot of fears." Hugh Jackman “Anxiety or high stress is actually pretty common for highly sensitive people. Much of it has to do with an overloaded sensitive nervous system.” Psychotherapist Julie Bjella…

Clinical psychologist Cheryl Arutt specializes in creative artist issues and trauma recovery. This is an excerpt from our longer interview on topics including high sensitivity, regulating disruptive feelings, destructiveness vs creativity, pain and creativity, being unconventional vs rebellion against the self, the fight-or-flight response, and oth…

Marisa Peer talks about what kinds of experiences and thinking impact our self esteem. our sense of being worthy and lovable. She talks about some people including Diana (a nurse), Marilyn Monroe and others. See videos and more in article Self Esteem and Self Confidence and Creative People thecreativemind.net/1941/…

Sensitivity expert Julie Bjelland on why we are more vulnerable to anxiety as highly sensitive people: "Imagine there is a motor inside you. Most people whose motor is too fast experience feelings of anxiety." See much more in article (with link to her free Masterclass on anxiety) - "How to Relieve Stress and Anxiety When You’re a Highly Sensitive …

"Emotions are not built into your brain at birth. They are just built...you have more control over them than you might imagine." Professor of psychology Lisa Feldman Barrett. See more in my article "Are emotions hardwired and just triggered? No - our brains build them" thecreativemind.net/7321/

"When the emotional brain is activated, the cognitive brain kind of goes to sleep." Julie Bjelland, LMFT explains more in article "How Can Brain Training Help Highly Sensitive People Thrive?" http://highlysensitive.org/12159/