The Highly Sensitive Person

I'm not going to give this a rating. I used this as more of a resource than a book that I read straight through. I read portions of it, but I skimmed many other portions. I think, though, that if you want to learn about this personality trait, this is a very thorough introduction to it. However, you can probably find more succinct and just as helpful articles on Google. Just my opinion.

This has been on my shelf for a while, I've known I'm an HSP for at least as long. I expected to like this book, start using it as a resource for clients, and maybe get some useful personal tips as well. Instead I found myself eager to be done.

I'm almost amused how much I disliked the book considering how much I agree with things she said, but “thorough” felt like “TMI”. Books are totally open to be taken at one's own pace, but it felt almost ironic that she packed so much in as stimulation/information overload into what starts out as an introduction to a concept. And by the end, things felt almost tangential (How Hitler persuaded people? what? We should all be priests among the world? Is suggesting asking your doctor to read the book in order to help you, realistic?)

She makes a point to differentiate shyness, which she says has a negative connotation, with HSP, of which she says she tries to highlight the useful qualities. Somehow I left more confused about the differentiation than I started, and I felt the overall theme through the book actually DID create a link of HSP as a diagnosis and something that likely needs hand-holding and ‘treating' with therapy and possibly drugs.

I absolutely believe the concept of HSP is useful, however I felt there were too many things conflated here; HSP, shyness, introversion, attachment styles, codependence. The relationship coaching suggestions for relationship she offered? Useful- FOR ANY couple, not just relationships involving HSPs. I guess this can be validating for some, but I think I would prefer stopping at “yes there's often a link between HSP and attachment styles, you might want to look more into that.”