Unlocking the Power of Sensitivity: How IFS Therapy Can Help Highly Sensitive People Thrive

As a highly sensitive person, you may feel like you're always struggling to keep up with the world around you. It's not uncommon to hear phrases like "you're too sensitive" or to feel overwhelmed by the demands of society. While being highly sensitive is not a disorder or a problem to be fixed, it can create unique challenges in navigating the world we live in.

One of the reasons highly sensitive people may struggle is that society is designed for people who are not highly sensitive. Highly sensitive individuals may struggle to adapt from the commotion and chaos of urban environments to the fast-paced and demanding nature of contemporary lifestyles. This can lead to feelings of alienation, loneliness, and even trauma.

The Relationship Between High Sensitivity and Trauma

The truth is, being highly sensitive can increase the risk of experiencing traumatic events. Because highly sensitive people feel deeply, experiences that might not feel traumatic to someone else can feel overwhelming to them.

As children, highly sensitive people may have felt unsupported or isolated, leading to feelings of abandonment or neglect. They may have been bullied or made fun of for their sensitivity, or told to "toughen up" and hide their emotions.

This is where Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy comes in. IFS is a type of therapy that helps people work with the different parts of themselves. In IFS therapy, we recognise that we all have different parts within us, and each of these parts has a role to play in our lives. Some parts may be more dominant or active than others, but all of them are important.

For highly sensitive people, IFS therapy can be especially helpful because it helps us work with those parts of us that carry trauma or negative beliefs about ourselves.

Some of the wounds that our parts carry are from experiences we have gone through, while some wounds are actually beliefs that our parts have taken on from our peers, family or society about being “different”, “too emotional” or “difficult”.

By identifying and working with these parts, we can begin to heal the wounds they carry.

Healing Trauma and Embracing Sensitivity

The goal of IFS therapy is not to get rid of the traits that make us highly sensitive. Instead, it's about healing the trauma we may have experienced as a result of being highly sensitive.

By healing those parts of ourselves that have been through trauma, we can begin to access the strengths that come with being highly sensitive.

For example, highly sensitive people may be particularly creative or artistic. They may have a strong connection to animals or a deep appreciation for nature. Once we have worked through the traumas that have been holding us back, we can begin to utilise these strengths more fully. We can design a lifestyle and environment that suits us and our unique needs as highly sensitive people.

The transformative power of acknowledging our own needs

It's common for highly sensitive individuals to feel like they have to constantly adjust themselves to fit in with the world and other people, often at the expense of their own well-being.

As a highly sensitive therapist, working with other highly sensitive people is a powerful experience for me. My own parts get excited when my clients begin to fully recognise and validate the needs of their parts. This is a crucial first step in building a life that allows us to thrive as highly sensitive people.

Acknowledging that our needs are valid is a transformative moment that can help sensitive people to reclaim their power and autonomy.

This is where IFS therapy can be particularly effective, as it helps to identify and work with parts that may have pushed down or denied our own needs for years or decades.

By working with our parts, we can heal the traumas that may have been holding us back and access the strengths that come with being highly sensitive. We can design a lifestyle and environment that suits us and our unique needs, and learn to embrace our sensitivity as a resource.