Why HSPs need a different approach to mental health
How do you know if you are HSP
HSP stands for highly sensitive person. You might be an HSP if you feel things very deeply, are deeply impacted by injustice, and easily sense others’ energy and emotions. You are deeply aware of subtle shifts around you and often notice things others miss. This heightened sensitivity can be a powerful skill—you can sense what others are unaware of and read between the lines in social dynamics. At the same time, it can feel alienating to be so tuned in when others seem to operate more on the surface. Your deep empathy can make it hard to distinguish your own experiences from those of others, sometimes leading to confusion. You may also find yourself easily overwhelmed in environments with lots of sensory input or in crowded spaces, as your nervous system is highly attuned to what's happening around you.
Your sensitivity also comes with many gifts. You are likely very attuned to group dynamics and can quickly sense what needs to shift to create more connection and ease for others. You can build deep, meaningful relationships and often struggle with superficial interactions or small talk. People are naturally drawn to your presence, and you may find that even strangers open up to you and share their most personal experiences. You are a natural healer—your ability to feel deeply and empathize authentically is a powerful offering to the world.
Why cognitive and talk-based therapies don’t work for HSPs
As a highly sensitive person myself, I struggled to find a mental health professional who truly understood my experience or the way I move through the world. Many conventional approaches—especially those rooted in Western ideologies—focus primarily on shifting thoughts and beliefs. While that can be helpful for some, it often bypasses the body’s wisdom. As HSPs, we feel deeply and often receive information through our felt sense—an intuitive body-based knowing that operates separately from our cognitive minds. Trying to "think" our way out of these experiences can be frustrating and ineffective. When therapy encourages us to override what we feel, it can lead to self-gaslighting, disconnection from our inner wisdom, and a loss of trust in our greatest gifts: sensitivity and intuition.
Our nervous systems are also more sensitive and finely tuned to our environments, so it’s essential that we work with, not against, that sensitivity. Without an understanding of nervous system states or practices that support regulation, we miss a vital part of the healing process. Our physiological state deeply influences our thoughts, emotions, and beliefs—so if we’re constantly dysregulated, it becomes nearly impossible to shift our inner experience in a sustainable way. Traditional talk therapy or cognitive-based approaches may even leave us feeling worse—bringing awareness to pain, memories, or emotions without offering tools to actually shift or soothe those experiences. We may come away feeling like something is wrong with us simply because we can’t "think" our way into balance.
These approaches often fail to consider the unique needs of HSPs. We require more solitude, more time to process emotions, and a different pace than others. Because we tend to absorb others’ emotions, it can take longer to untangle what we’re feeling—and what we’re holding on behalf of someone else. This means we need spaciousness to come back to ourselves and differentiate our own experiences. More active or fast-paced treatments can feel confusing or overwhelming, as they don’t allow the depth and time we need to truly access and integrate our personal truth.
What HSPs need to find mental wellness
The best place for highly sensitive people (HSPs) to begin their mental wellness journey is by working with someone who truly understands their experiences and unique needs. This creates a foundation of connection and care, rather than requiring the HSP to explain an often hard-to-describe inner world to someone who may not "get it." Feeling seen and understood helps release the guilt and shame that many HSPs carry for the ways we move through life. Being in the presence of other highly sensitive people can be incredibly healing—it allows us to take off the mask we often wear in less understanding environments and simply be ourselves.
One of the most important steps for HSPs is learning tools, skills, and strategies to support nervous system regulation—from the body up. Developing a deeper awareness of the felt sense and learning to track nervous system states empowers us to identify what we need in any given moment to return to balance. Understanding how our environment and relationships affect our nervous system is also crucial. With that clarity, we can make more intentional choices about where we direct our time and energy in ways that honor our internal equilibrium.
As HSPs, we care deeply about others and often feel driven to relieve suffering when we can. This is one of our greatest gifts—and also one of our greatest challenges. Many of us give and give, while unintentionally neglecting our own needs. Part of the work for highly sensitive people is learning how to create space for our needs in relationships. Because we’re so tuned in to the emotions and energy of others, we may find ourselves overtaken by their emotional states—especially in moments of heightened intensity. This can sometimes look like codependency, but at its root, it’s often an attempt to soothe someone else in order to regulate ourselves. Learning to build the capacity to sit with discomfort, rather than trying to fix, shut down, or escape, is key to our healing.
It’s also essential to consider the collective lens when supporting HSPs. We are deeply affected by injustice, suffering, and the pain of the world around us. To overlook these collective influences is to miss a vital part of our reality. We often want to make a positive difference and need safe spaces to process the emotional impact of what we see and feel. Many of us are highly attuned to broader dynamics that others may not notice, which can create a sense of isolation—like we’re screaming in a glass box. Having someone who can hold space for these insights and validate our perceptions is crucial in helping us feel grounded and affirmed in our sensitivity.
The unique advantages of being an HSP
While highly sensitive people may need a different approach to healing, our capacity to process and transform our experiences is exceptional when we receive the support we need. When our natural abilities to sense and feel are acknowledged and honored, healing unfolds organically—without the need to force or fix ourselves. By embracing our sensitivity as a strength rather than a problem, we create space to release stuck emotions and energy in the way we’re already naturally wired to do—through our deep feelings and vivid inner world. When we are invited to bring our whole selves into the healing process, especially in the context of collective care, we no longer feel torn between tending to ourselves and caring for others. Instead, we begin to understand that our healing is not separate from the healing of the world. In learning how to care for ourselves deeply, we become more empowered to make a meaningful and sustainable impact on the world around us.
