I found myself in a situation where I had to explain the essence of being highly sensitive,  without turning it into a challenge in itself. Being human is a challenge. Being highly sensitive tends to be accompanied by certain challenges, especially in dealing with people who do not understand. You probably know what I mean. Some people seem so shallow, and they behave as if they do not see the underlying causes of things. This often makes a HSP insecure. What the HSP sees, semms to be invisible to others – and thus it  does not exist in their eyes. It takes at great deal of strength to believe in yourself when everyone around you disagrees. Many HSPs have never been taught that their senses are in the right.

Anyway. I found myself explaining this phenomenon as an extra intelligence. We have all heard about IQ, EQ, SQ but I hereby launch the expression HSPQ. You can have one, two or multiple intelligences. All of them involve knowing something that others do not know.  It’s just that with our the sensory system it all  feels so much stronger.

This way of looking at it has helped me a lot. The fact that you see, and therefore know, more – and that others just do not see it, makes it easier to deal with. It is not your fault, it’s not their fault, they just lack this sensitivity. When they burden you with all their well-intentioned, but wrong, admonitions, it’s just because they do not know any better.

Other people tend to act on the basis of a set of rules, whereas many HSPs  are governed by their own gut feeling. Or, spine, or heart or intuition – call it whatever you like. Disobeying your own gut feeling is much more difficult than breaking external rules.  Your gut intelligence is thus much stronger. This is why I find it importannt that we take it seriously, and I find it easier to do so if I call it an intelligence.

The definition of hsp as an additional intelligence might provide strength to see sensitivitiy as a good thing in it’s own right. It can provide an understanding of that lonely feeling, tell us why people don’t understand. But first and foremost it takes away the doubt as to whether there’s  nothing wrong in being hsp. Having a high IQ doesn’t necessarily make you a better person, and nor does being HSP. It is how you use your skills is important. But we need  confidence to use them. So that’s why.