The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You

This chapter, revised in 2020, deals with how high sensitivity affects responses to medical care, with specific focus on pain, overstimulation, and particular medications.

HSPs may be more sensitive to bodily signs and symptoms, to pain, to medications, to medical environments and procedures, and to the fact that most medical professionals are not HSPs. On the positive side, HSPs’ sensitivity makes them conscious of problems before they grow and “wonderfully aware of what helps” (190). HSPs can educate healthcare professionals in a subtle way about appreciating their trait better. Aron provides tips for doing this in the section “Educating Your Health Care Professionals.” Then she deals with the various types of sensitivity mentioned above in more detail.

Sensitivity to medications is part of being an HSP. HSPs should take medications cautiously, waiting to see how they react and choosing medical professionals that will work with this issue in a respectful way. For sensitivity to pain, HSPs can try distraction and hypnosis. As to overstimulation, HSPs should try not to confuse overstimulation with fear; they can take a list of questions to their appointment, bring a friend to listen together with them, take steps to calm and soothe themselves, and express all their needs to their medical professional.