Posts in therapy for hsp
So You Crave Intimacy, But You’re Terrified to Actually Open Up…

Below are common fears that people often face when considering entering into relationships. The first six were named by Elaine Hatfield, a renowned American social psychologist often referred to as the pioneer of the scientific study of love. Dr. Elaine Aron added the last two fears listed below as fears more commonly experienced by Highly Sensitive People (HSPs). Read more about HSPs here and here.

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Your first Saturn return

If your Saturn is in Aries* (or you are approximately 27-28 years old right now), congratulations! You have just begun one of the most transformative periods of your life: your first Saturn return.

If things are feeling emotionally heavy or overwhelming, you are in the right place. These next few years – through April 2028 – will challenge you to meet yourself more honestly than ever before. It won’t be easy, pretty, or clean – but you will get through it, and it will be worth it. How deeply can you trust the process of your unfurling? How might you learn to create safety for yourself today?

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Slowing Down to Come Home

The first step to coming home to yourself is to slow down. When you slow down, you tell your body that you are safe. This process can also be referred to as downregulation. To downregulate is to intentionally transition from your sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) to your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). We need both systems to live a healthy life, but modern lifestyles often have us in "fight or flight" mode when it is not actually necessary, helpful, or adaptive. When we bring our parasympathetic system online, healing, creativity, and intuition can flow with ease, and we open access to our most authentic Self.

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Coming Home: We Lose Ourselves to Find Ourselves, Over and Over Again

You've heard it before: Just be yourself. Listen to your heart.

But it's not that easy. To truly be yourself requires a deep unearthing – a stripping away – of all the layers of identity that have been accumulated over the years from external voices. Parents. Culture. School. Peers. Social media. Society at large. The 21st century is over saturated with shoulds and should nots, can and can nots. Slowly, over time, and before we know it, we find ourselves wearing layers and layers of energetic jackets that are not ours. Though imperceivable to the eye, these layers weigh us down.

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Teens: They’re Not Kids Anymore! Navigating the Issue of Control

Adolescence is a time of individuation. As kids grow into teenagers, so grows their desire for independence and control over their lives. If you’re a parent of a teen or pre-teen, you may notice increasing conflict with your child. They might seem more defiant, more likely to talk back, and more likely to push you away. Often, this conflict lies in the tension between your child’s desire for control and your own.

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IFS & Teenage Torment: Building Identity, Confidence, and Self Esteem

Adolescence is a ripe period of self-exploration and growth. As a teenager, you are rapidly developing – physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially – exploring and learning about who you are, what you care about, what you like and don’t like, and how you relate to the world. This can be dense, confusing, and challenging – and it can also be exciting, explorative, and playful with the right support.

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Feeling Misunderstood as a Multicultural Adolescent

Being a teenager is hard enough. Add a layer of mixed cultural identity, and the challenges can quickly compound. I've been there. Your parents just don't seem to understand you. You feel like they choose to see the worst in you and fail to recognize that your experience is uniquely different from theirs. Maybe you're often grounded, or reprimanded for things that you feel are normal. The values of your home don't mirror the values you experience at school. It feels like you are living a double life, expected to chameleon your personality depending on where you are, and nobody at school or home seems to fully understand. You know you don't deserve to be punished for just being you. You feel trapped, alone, and angry.

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Navigating Loss & Change in Your 20's

Loss doesn't have to look significant to feel significant. Whether going through a breakup, moving to a new city, navigating friendships, or confronting a career transition, it is natural to feel overwhelmed by emotions when moving through change. It's that ache in your chest. The wave of sadness seemingly comes out of nowhere and brings you to tears. It makes sense. Things that once defined your identity are no longer there, leaving a void you're unsure how to fill.

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