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HSP in Prison
by John D, a California prisoner
Once settled down with this website and finished my self help book, I well certainly take time to share Jon’s story with you. We met pen writing thanks to the International Pen Friends Club in 2016, when I was recovering from burnout and needed to cope with my PTSD. Today his website is his mom’s project, and it’s still running since 2000-2001, the time Jon went through his trial and put in prison. Our pen palling was a blessing for me, especially, after teaching me what a HSP is about.
There is a children’s story about a mythical creature called a Bunyip. Sorry, I do not remember the author. The Bunyip is from the mud of a billabong. He is struggling to figure out what he is. He keeps asking, “What AM I?” This is the same for me and my fellow HSPs. An HSP is a Highly Sensitive Person as defined by Dr. Elaine Aron, in her book The Highly Sensitive Person. We make up between 15-20% of the population. In the past we were called shy or introverts. We are much more. Who am I? What am I? I am, • easily overwhelmed by strong sensory input • able to see many subtleties around me • bothered by noise, light and chaos • conscientious of others • full of a rich inner life that is complex • affected by others’ moods • moved by art and music • identified by others as shy and withdrawn • instinctive and introspective • a priestly advisor Dr. Aron’s research on this innate trait has been a God’s blessing to understanding “Who am I?” So, who am I really? I am an HSP but what does that mean in my life? Like Jon, I am an inmate. I have been incarcerated since 2003 in either county jail or the state prison system. In California the legislature has declared the purpose of prison is to punish. For the public, they say rehabilitation, but it is mainly up to the inmates to seek out those opportunities. Prison for HSPs is far more complex and rehabilitation is important. My psychologist believed that in order to be rehabilitated I would have to understand who I am and how my decisions led to my incarceration. She suggested Dr. Aron’s book. As I read, my mind was opened, my psyche understood. I am an HSP and that’s both normal and okay! Prison life is constant chaos, noise, moody people and often dangerous. Many people here are aggressive, immature and warriors. Those perceived as weak, shy, sensitive can be bullied. We must learn to cope and live within our HSP trait. I wear foam ear plugs and spend a lot of time on my rack (bed) away from the chaos. I attend church and participate in an emotional healing course. I work in an office to avoid crowds. I will survive. HSPs genuinely appreciate your on-going support and encouragement. Thank you for taking the time to understand who we are. © 2011 Permission to publish granted by John D
Check out Elaine Aron and support her work for HSP awareness.
Do you want to find pen pals who might have a different journey than yours? (right button)
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Elaine Aron and Highly Sensitive Persons events
As subscriber, I am including here the last post from Elaine Aron in her newsletter. She updates on her presence in different cities ( New York and Colorado ). But also event in the Netherlands. In my personal opinion, she is the most valuable psychologist dealing with HSP until now, so if you have a chance to participate, it’s for a good cause: Yours.
Antonella Barberini
PTSD Beautiful Trauma
Web Editor, Dreamer and Author
Dear HSPs,
Whew, we have gotten through the darkest time of the year and are celebrating the coming of the Light, however you do that. I am sending out another blog, “A Gift to Add Sparkle to the Gifts You Already Have.” And of course reminding you of THE JANUARY PREMIERE OF SENSITIVE AND IN LOVE IN NEW YORK CITY (purchase tickets here)! Even if you can’t come to NY for the big party, there are other things here for you.
We really are planning a Big HSP Bash in the Big Apple to celebrate the long-awaited launch of Sensitive and in Love. It is a full length feature film with two love stories and a deeply moving family story too. Amazing. The premiere happens January 29, at a place worthy of it, the prestigious Directors Guild of America Theater, not far from Carnegie Hall.
Yes, it is a week night, but we will say good night before 10 pm. Yes, a premiere, but no fancy Hollywood clothes—just “business casual.” Come be part of HS history and part of a fun Q and A afterwards, with me and my husband Art, also in the film; Will Harper, the director; Diana Sinelnikova, the producer; and best by far, two of the amazing actors in the film, Jose Rosete and Bianca Rogoff.
This is a fundraiser for the Foundation for the Study of Highly Sensitive People (tickets $30 and up). There will be a VIP reception for those who pay extra for a ticket as a donation and additional perks thereafter. The money will be used for research and whatever is required to make the movie available to the public, including subtitles and a documentary by Art and me highlighting the lessons implied by various scenes in the film–explicit advice we could not give in the movie itself.
Maybe a ticket would be the perfect holiday gift for a friend? (Hint: This could be the exactly right film for someone without the trait to better understand you.) Tickets are going, so get yours while they last. Buy tickets here.
The same week in NYC I will do a workshop for HSPs, 10am to 3pm at the 92nd Street Y: Understanding the Highly Sensitive Person. So if you can stay in town, you can make it a double bill. I am not often on the East coast. I have not spoken in NYC in many years, so I hope you can come and we can meet.
More Events:
Sounds True has released an eight-hour audio course I did for them, The Highly Sensitive Person’s Complete Learning Program. There is definitely new material in it, so I hope many of you find it useful. Learn more and purchase here.
Do not let any of this distract you from the HS Men’s weekend March 13-15, in a spectacular setting in in Northern California!!! Please, please men—show up. And don’t wait to sign up. I want to be able to announce the growing numbers so everyone can see the momentum growing. The more of you, the more it will help each of you. Learn more and register here.
For those of you near the Netherlands, you can attend Empowerment and Self Care for the Highly Sensitive Person, with Annet de Zwart and Tom Falkenstein. (Tom is the author of The Highly Sensitive Man).
The 37th HSP Gathering Retreat with Jacquelyn Strickland (I’ll be a guest speaker), will be held in mid-September in Colorado. Jacquelyn will also do a weekend retreat for HSPs with Barbara Allen in Fort Collins, Colorado. Details coming soon.
May the holidays bring you blessings, and just the right amount of stimulation.
Elaine
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Are you an Empath?
Bonjour les Divers,
Here you get one step further your Self Discovery ; have heard of Empathy? Did you know it is a Super Power? Well, half part of my life I have been struggling this psychic gift, today I am kind of accepting, and let me guide from it. What you need is basically creating a shield ( can be both psychic and physical ) in order to master it and not being destroyed by it. Because I am lazy, I will put you here two of my best speakers I found on my web searching until now. You can subscribe their channels, or just taking what you need at this right moment. And that’s ok.
Blessings.
oh well, they speak alot, if you are sleepless will be perfect….
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Sensitive and in Love – the Film
Dear Elaine,
Thank you for your newsletter’s upcoming event news and première of your first movie based on your best seller which helped me accepting my Sensitiveness as a gift (and not a plague). In grateful devotion to Elaine Aron’s I support this movie release and I wish I could join you in New York on 29th January. In case we miss this opportunity (I might be stuck in Paris drinking expensive capuccino), I wish you Good Luck, well, “Merde!”. We so much needed this. ps. I, My self, have been struggling with all my relationships for same reason and found exactly in the position of your character asking to psychologist: “shall I stay or shall I go?” with a sense of guilt like it was all my fault.
PTSD Beautiful Trauma
Web editor, dreamer and author
Join us on January 29, 2020 at the prestigious Directors Guild of America (DGA)Theater in the heart of New York City as we roll out the red carpet for the world premiere of Sensitive and in Love, a benefit for the Foundation for the Study of Highly Sensitive Persons.
Sensitive and in Love follows in the footsteps of the original documentary Sensitive-The Untold Story featuring Alanis Morissette (2015).
Over 1.4 billion people on this planet are highly sensitive and they are changing the way we view the world. Sensitive and in Love captures another side of a highly sensitive person and is a film not to be missed!
What is high sensitivity? In not only our species, but over a hundred others, a minority of individuals come with an inborn survival strategy of greater sensitivity to what is going on around them. The foundation of the trait, found in 20%, is DOES: Depth of processing, being easily overstimulated, emotional responsiveness, including intense empathy, and sensitivity to the subtleties. Often misunderstood, highly sensitive people can be called “too sensitive”, “too shy”, “too high maintenance”. Without the understanding of this innate trait, many couples and families struggle in the dark with this feature of their lives. Sensitive and in Love will help bring some light to this darkness.
Your tickets are tax deductible (US only). All proceeds will go to the Foundation for the Study of Highly Sensitive Persons (501c3) to continue education and research on the trait of high sensitivity.
Doors open at 6PM EST, followed by a VIP RECEPTION (included in Sensitive Community, Sensitive Supporter, Friend/Member/Patron of the Foundation and Executive Producer ticket levels)
SHOWTIME is at 7PM EST followed by the Q&A with bestselling author -psychologist Dr. Elaine Aron (THE HIGHLY SENSITIVE PERSON); one of the world’s leading scientists of love and relationships, author of 36 QUESTIONS – Dr. Arthur Aron; Sensitive and in Love’s Emmy award-winning director Will Harper; producer Diana Sinelnikova; and members of the cast – Jose Rosete and Bianca Rogoff.
Our team feels passionate about this film. Mainly because the first film, Sensitive—The Untold Story, which was a groundbreaking documentary on the subject of high sensitivity, provided insight into the central features of the trait and research on it. Sensitive and In Love, a feature film, focuses on what perhaps matters most: how high sensitivity affects your relationships with loved ones.
STORY:
What do you do when you feel you are born with an unbearable flaw, and you don’t know yet that you share it with 1.4 billion people. Rob and Jessica grew up feeling just that. Inspired by the international bestseller, The Highly Sensitive Person and global media sensation 36 Questions that lead to love, SENSITIVE AND IN LOVE tells their story. Besides their sensitivity, the brother and sister share a traumatic childhood. Jessica is an accomplished writer in San Francisco, but every one of her romantic relationships have crashed and burned. Rob, a successful music producer in Manila, has a seemingly happy marriage, but it is headed for a cliff. Robbie insists Jessica comes to the Philippines for a much-needed break. While there, a single mistake opens Jessica to the world and a terrifying moment for Robbie opens him to a real family connection.
We want to thank all of you who donated towards Sensitive And In Love and made this important film possible.
A Special Thank You to Our Friends, Patrons, Angels and Executive Producers
We thank you for your support of Sensitive and in Love.
With Gratitude,
Our Sensitive Team
Learn more about Sensitive and In Love!
Questions? Email info@sensitivethemovie.com
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Sensitive and in love. The movie by Elaine Aron.
STORY:
What do you do when you feel you are born with an unbearable flaw, and you don’t know yet that you share it with 1.4 billion people. Rob and Jessica grew up feeling just that. Inspired by the international bestseller, The Highly Sensitive Person and global media sensation 36 Questions that lead to love, SENSITIVE AND IN LOVE tells their story. Besides their sensitivity, the brother and sister share a traumatic childhood. Jessica is an accomplished writer in San Francisco, but every one of her romantic relationships have crashed and burned. Rob, a successful music producer in Manila, has a seemingly happy marriage, but it is headed for a cliff. Robbie insists Jessica comes to the Philippines for a much-needed break. While there, a single mistake opens Jessica to the world and a terrifying moment for Robbie opens him to a real family connection.
In Elaine Arons’words…
While many HSPs had good-enough childhoods—no serious trauma, abuse, neglect, bullying, or the like—most of you had parents and teachers who had no idea about high sensitivity. They may have tried to ignore it or even to eliminate it from you. (This also happens to the main characters in the film—we loaded it on!) This failure to be understood makes it easy to grow up feeling there is something wrong with you. When you live that feeling, even if you hide it, it is easy for others to think something is a little off or odd about you. Even in an otherwise good relationship, it might be easy for a partner to accept that sense of you also.
Read more about Elaine’s full article here.
Dr. Aron earned her M.A. from York University in Toronto in clinical psychology and her Ph.D. at Pacifica Graduate Institute in clinical depth psychology as well as interning at the C. G. Jung Institute in San Francisco. Besides beginning the study of the innate temperament trait of high sensitivity in 1991, she, along with her husband Dr. Arthur Aron, are two of the leading scientists studying the psychology of love and close relationships. They are also pioneers in studying both sensitivity and love using functional magnetic resonance imaging. She maintains a small psychotherapy practice in Mill Valley, CA.
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Are you a HEYOKA? The most powerful Type of Empath.
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10 signs you are an Empath. Darienne, your spiritual rockstar.
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HSP retreat for therapists in California. You can register here.
First time, I’ve heard of HSP, it was thank’s to my inmate penpal who was and still is struggling with depression, and following a psychoterapy during his journey in Chino, CA.
By the way, today he’s getting pretty better, since he got a job, as inmate, in the “local” library.
Since then, not only I’m aware of being HSP, but of course I am supporting Elaine Aron’s activity, by subscribing to her mailing list, on the HSPerson.com and here you get her message for the first retreat for HSP therapists, which I find a great opportunity to spread out her validation of HSP around the world. If you live in California, and you know any therapists who might be interested in this retreat, please, forward or reblog. I appreciate it.
***
Dear HSPs,
This is for the therapists among you — a quick message about a retreat for you because of the April 1st “Early Bird” price. I will send an email for all, with a blog, in a few weeks.
Warmly,
Elaine
HIGHLY SENSITIVE THERAPIST RETREAT
An educational and restorative experience, organized by Beth Dawson and April Snow, to learn more about yourself as a Sensitive Person, discover ways to thrive in your work and connect with other Highly Sensitive Therapists (HSTs).
Speakers include Dr. Elaine Aron and other HSTs discussing topics such as self-compassion, perfectionism, and using our Superpowers to build our businesses. Created specifically with the needs of HSTs in mind, the retreat includes single-occupancy rooms, all meals, access to nature, yoga classes, CEs and more.
Early-Bird Registration is open through 4/1!
For more information and to register visit: http://www.hstretreat.com/http://www.hstretreat.com/#hst
About Elaine Aron, …
