How can I distinguish trauma from high sensitivity? Part 1 of 3
A theory currently circulating on the internet states that high sensitivity is always due to trauma. This makes some of my seminar participants very insecure. They search for a trauma where there may not even be one. In over 300 seminars on high sensitivity, the basic participant structure repeated itself time and again.
Don't feel like reading? Here you can watch the post as a video.
Three starting positions of my clients
Highly sensitive people with good self-regulation:
Some of the participants are HSPs (highly sensitive persons) who are simply interested in learning more about themselves (also a typical characteristic of highly sensitive people). In addition, they would like to optimize some things in their lives. They are generally satisfied with their lives and their existence.
HSPs with improvable self-regulation:
The second part has difficulties with some challenges that high sensitivity presents, but generally lead a satisfying, happy life. They live in stable relationships and do not have more conflicts than other people. With appropriate knowledge and "tools," they can easily master the challenges caused by high sensitivity.
HSP with trauma or traumatized non-HSP
The third part suffers very heavily from high sensitivity. In these people, traumatization is very likely. In this group, you can find HSPs and normal-sensitives. Some have mistakenly interpreted the effects of their trauma as the effects of their high sensitivity. Some have also misleadingly received this interpretation from others. Those affected suffer from conflicts in their professional and/or private lives. They lead relationships that are not good for them or have difficulties entering into relationships. Panic attacks, depressions, compulsions, permanent anxiety states, or dissociative states do not arise from high sensitivity. The origin is experiences that we have made in our lives. Below you will get a list of how you can distinguish "pure" high sensitivity, a trauma, and a traumatization with high sensitivity.
There are two types of high sensitivity
- One is genetically determined and innate. Elaine Aron created the concept of high sensitivity in the nineties. This cannot be shed, just like eye color. It is characterized by very intensive sensory processing and a high degree of empathy. As a rule, HSPs have a great social, ethical, and ecological awareness.
- The second arises from traumatization. The increased sensory perception and the tendency to overstimulation decrease when the trauma has been processed.
The Stress Tolerance Window - what is it?
The model of the window of tolerance explains the connections: Every person has an emotional comfort zone. How large this comfort zone is depends to a large extent on our ability for self-regulation. That is, on how well we can deal with over- or under-stimulation. If we fail to regulate ourselves during over-stimulation, our hormone production runs at full speed. Our body then reacts with flight or fight impulses.
A typical situation for an HSP
Example: It is winter. I go into a department store dressed warmly. I quickly become unbearably warm. I'm already carrying a lot of bags. E Simply taking off the thick clothes is not possible as a result. I'm starting to sweat, it's starting to itch everywhere, and my clothes feel like they weigh a ton. Since I absolutely want to get something in this store, all I can do right now is endure the situation. So, subjectively, I don't have the ability to regulate my discomfort.
When hormones get going
It takes less than 5 minutes and my adrenaline production is kicked off. Since I have denied myself flight, I enter the fight impulse. Better not to get in my way then. At this moment my comfort zone is exceeded and I race into hyperarousal. If I then return to more pleasant realms, it takes about 5 minutes and I have acclimated. In my experience, a traumatized person takes significantly longer to calm down.
What did nature intend with high sensitivity?
Highly sensitive people genetically have a narrower stress tolerance window, allowing them to react more quickly to stimuli.
This serves to preserve the species and is also found in all higher mammals. In them, as in humans, about 20 percent are highly sensitive. At the same time, HSP are equipped with characteristics that simplify self-regulation. Traumatized people also have a narrower stress tolerance window and easily become over- or under-aroused. At the same time, there are big differences between "pure" HSP and traumatized people. Of course, a highly sensitive person can also be traumatized. In many cases, this is the case. More on this later.
HSP and/or trauma - differentiation makes sense
It is immensely important for coaches or therapists to be able to distinguish high sensitivity from trauma. The (exclusively) highly sensitive person and the traumatized person each require a different therapeutic approach.
Ignorance can do a lot of damage here. I have been dealing with high sensitivity since 2002. I completed my first trauma training in 2007. Since then, I have dealt very intensively with trauma and high sensitivity. The following differences result from my observations and experiences:
What factors can you use to distinguish trauma from high sensitivity?
In the second part of this post, you will find a clear table that makes the distinction easier. You will find characteristics there that speak more for high sensitivity and signs that suggest a trauma in the background.
In the third part, you will learn that the course of our birth or the way we were raised can also have traumatic effects.
You can find answers to the most frequently asked questions on this topic compactly in my FAQ on High Sensitivity and Trauma .
Here we continue with Part 2 of the series: Distinguishing Between Trauma and High Sensitivity .
