Coaching people who may be Highly Sensitive, Dyslexic or AD(H)D.

Many people may either don’t realise that they have a ‘trait’ underpinning everything they do, or if they’ve been lucky enough to identify / have it diagnosed, may be judgemental of it.
Dyslexia / Sensory Processing Sensitivity  and AD(H)D are examples of such a traits, and it can feel like a real drain as one tries to cope with life in a world where one feels different.

I coach with the possibility of a trait being present, and am Highly Sensitive Person / Dyslexia and AD(H)D aware. No two people are the same and everyone deserve equal care.

On Sensory Processing.
Through extensive research the psychologist Elaine Arron identified a trait that was all about having a finely tuned Nervous System. She found that 15-20% of the population were ‘Highly Sensitive’, while 27% were moderately sensitive above the average.

What’s interesting to note is that many people with Sensory Processing Sensitivity can actually be quite extrovert and ‘Sensation-Seeking’, which means that this group often tends to ‘overdo-it’ and then crash. This can ultimately lead many to long-term exhaustion and burnout or a host of health problems like M.E. for instance.

By coaching with this in mind a more gentle and self-caring approach to life can be hugely transformative, affecting not only the person themselves, but their efficiency at work and their relationships.

If you want to test yourself for sensory processing, you can do an online questionnaire by visiting: the Elaine Aron Website: http://hsperson.com/
This site provides a good overview of many aspects of this subject baring in mind that it’s important to note that everyone’s sensitivity may be different. For one its bright neon lighting, for another its uncomfortable itchy clothing, degree of noise, smells and so on.
Without identifying, acknowledging and embracing this trait, a Highly Sensitive Person
( HSP ) may feel isolated or shameful.
I work and support HSPs to restore their sense of well-being and self-care as one comes to accept that being a highly sensitive person is what’s ‘right with you’, and not the other way round.

On being a more ‘Sensitive Soul’… A ‘Microphone Metaphor’:
Some microphones are great for recording large crowds, sports or motor-racing for example:

……While others are better at recording subtle bird-song, the whisper of leaves in the wind, or exquisite music:

Its o.k. to be different. Honour it!

…No-one judges one type of microphone’s sensitivity over another, so why should we judge ourselves for being more sensitive than others?…