Hey Selene, this really resonated. Thank you for articulating something I’ve never quite had the language for until now.
Last night, I had an experience that completely wrecked me, mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Out of nowhere, this deep, unexplainable discomfort washed over me. It wasn’t pain in the traditional sense, but it was like my entire body had turned against itself. I couldn’t get comfortable no matter what I did. There was this tension that started in my head and neck and felt like it was pulling my spine inward, exactly how you described that contracting sensation through the entire back. I have pretty strong back and core but last night and even today I feel I can’t sit up straight without expending much effort and energy, plus dealing with a lot of discomfort. I kept shifting around, standing up, lying down, pacing. My breath was fast and shallow. And whenever I consciously tried to slow it down, I’d feel this massive emotional wave rise up, where I’d start to cry randomly, but had no idea why or what I was grieving.
It was unlike anything I’ve felt before. I don’t consider myself overly sensitive, but definitely more tuned-in than the average guy. I’m aware of my nervous system, I ground regularly, I journal, I spend time in prayer. I also try to keep a balance between doing and resting. But I’ve noticed that sometimes I can intellectualize emotions instead of just feeling them. And like you mentioned in your piece, I often take on the role of helper or therapist. People open up to me. I’ve even had training in that space. But I think I blur emotional boundaries sometimes—feeling other people’s pain more than my own, or trying to fix instead of feel.
Reading this reminded me I’m not crazy, or alone. Just human. And maybe in the middle of a recalibration I didn’t know I needed.
Thank you again for this. It met me exactly where I was.
Hey Brandon, nice to meet you. I honestly cannot believe I received such a comment on my post. This is exactly the reason why I am sharing my experience with the world - to feel the resonance, inspire, help, provide understanding, spark connection and hope. And you just shared it with me. I am so happy and so thankful!
I must say that it is rare to meet a man who is so much aware of his inner life and the mind–body connection. I can imagine that your experience was not a nice one, but I believe it will bring you important knowledge about yourself. For me, it’s not that I never feel this kind of pain again but it happens less often, and when it does, I now know what it means: I carry too much (physically, emotionally, mentally).
How are you feeling today? Has your condition evolved in any way?
By the way, I think it’s great that it automatically connected you with the emotional wave. At least you clearly see how the physical and emotional are connected in you.
And this could easily be my tagline: “I can intellectualize emotions instead of just feeling them.” ;)
Selene, this was a helpful read for me as a fellow HSP! I'm curious what kind of therapy you've explored. Is your therapist a fellow HSP? I'd love to look into this further.
Hi Camille, thank you for your comment. I am happy to hear my words are helpful for you as an HSP. 🌸
I attended a psychosomatic clinic, and my therapist was trained in Gestalt therapy. There was nothing specific about high sensitivity, but it helped me anyway.
I am actually working on a robust piece of work where I will be sharing all kinds of physical and mental therapies I went through and how those actually worked for me as an HSP. Would you be interested in reading about it?
Hey Selene, this really resonated. Thank you for articulating something I’ve never quite had the language for until now.
Last night, I had an experience that completely wrecked me, mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Out of nowhere, this deep, unexplainable discomfort washed over me. It wasn’t pain in the traditional sense, but it was like my entire body had turned against itself. I couldn’t get comfortable no matter what I did. There was this tension that started in my head and neck and felt like it was pulling my spine inward, exactly how you described that contracting sensation through the entire back. I have pretty strong back and core but last night and even today I feel I can’t sit up straight without expending much effort and energy, plus dealing with a lot of discomfort. I kept shifting around, standing up, lying down, pacing. My breath was fast and shallow. And whenever I consciously tried to slow it down, I’d feel this massive emotional wave rise up, where I’d start to cry randomly, but had no idea why or what I was grieving.
It was unlike anything I’ve felt before. I don’t consider myself overly sensitive, but definitely more tuned-in than the average guy. I’m aware of my nervous system, I ground regularly, I journal, I spend time in prayer. I also try to keep a balance between doing and resting. But I’ve noticed that sometimes I can intellectualize emotions instead of just feeling them. And like you mentioned in your piece, I often take on the role of helper or therapist. People open up to me. I’ve even had training in that space. But I think I blur emotional boundaries sometimes—feeling other people’s pain more than my own, or trying to fix instead of feel.
Reading this reminded me I’m not crazy, or alone. Just human. And maybe in the middle of a recalibration I didn’t know I needed.
Thank you again for this. It met me exactly where I was.
Hey Brandon, nice to meet you. I honestly cannot believe I received such a comment on my post. This is exactly the reason why I am sharing my experience with the world - to feel the resonance, inspire, help, provide understanding, spark connection and hope. And you just shared it with me. I am so happy and so thankful!
I must say that it is rare to meet a man who is so much aware of his inner life and the mind–body connection. I can imagine that your experience was not a nice one, but I believe it will bring you important knowledge about yourself. For me, it’s not that I never feel this kind of pain again but it happens less often, and when it does, I now know what it means: I carry too much (physically, emotionally, mentally).
How are you feeling today? Has your condition evolved in any way?
By the way, I think it’s great that it automatically connected you with the emotional wave. At least you clearly see how the physical and emotional are connected in you.
And this could easily be my tagline: “I can intellectualize emotions instead of just feeling them.” ;)
It’s powerful to witness and reflect together.
Selene, this was a helpful read for me as a fellow HSP! I'm curious what kind of therapy you've explored. Is your therapist a fellow HSP? I'd love to look into this further.
Hi Camille, thank you for your comment. I am happy to hear my words are helpful for you as an HSP. 🌸
I attended a psychosomatic clinic, and my therapist was trained in Gestalt therapy. There was nothing specific about high sensitivity, but it helped me anyway.
I am actually working on a robust piece of work where I will be sharing all kinds of physical and mental therapies I went through and how those actually worked for me as an HSP. Would you be interested in reading about it?