August Oakland Highly Sensitive People Support Group

Hi y'all! Are you craving more local connection? Want a space to share, listen, cry, laugh, and reflect? This is a low key circle to relax, be real, and make authentic connections. You’ll have the choice to share or just listen quietly. You’re welcome to lay down & stretch or stand & shake. Whatever your energy needs.

Information on HSPs:
Highly Sensitive Person, or HSP, is a term coined by psychologist Elaine Aron. According to Aron’s theory, HSPs are a subset of the population who are high in a personality trait known as sensory-processing sensitivity, or SPS. People with high levels of SPS have increased emotional sensitivity, stronger reactivity to both external and internal stimuli—pain, hunger, light, and noise—and a complex inner life.

The concept of high-sensitivity has gained traction in the years since Aron conceived of it, particularly as more and more people began to self-identify as highly sensitive. Overall, about 15 to 20 percent of the population is thought to be highly sensitive.

HSPs are thought to be more disturbed than others by violence, tension, or feelings of being overwhelmed. They may, as a result, make concerted efforts to avoid situations in which such things are likely to occur. On the more positive end of the trait, high sensitivity is thought to be linked to higher levels of creativity, richer personal relationships, and a greater appreciation for beauty.