The Wisdom Within | Psychotherapy for the Highly Sensitive Person

Psychotherapy

Over time, I have found that there are certain therapies that those who are highly sensitive respond well to. Of course, everyone is unique!
I keep this in mind as I pull from various modalities, depending on what is most helpful at the time.
Here are the evidence-based psychotherapies I use in my practice.

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy(( CBT )

CBT is a behavioural therapy that works with the thoughts, perceptions, feelings, and behaviours that may keep one stuck in a pattern or negative response.

This type of therapy is especially helpful for highly sensitive individuals as they experience an increased depth of processing of all information. This can sometimes lead to overthinking and the holding of unhelpful thinking styles.

Somatic Psychotherapy

This is another type of therapy that is very helpful for highly sensitive individuals. Oftentimes we will ignore the bodily sensations that our nervous system is trying to communicate to us, as they can be too overwhelming.
Using a Polyvagal approach, this therapy allows one to explore these sensations in a mindful and gentle way, strengthening the awareness and connection between mind and body.

Internal Family Systems (( IFS ) &
Inner Child Work

These modalities are very helpful for highly sensitive people. Often times there are younger parts of ourselves that have been ignored or misunderstood, especially when one is trying to appear as though they are not sensitive to others on the outside.
I use IFS along with inner child work with clients to help reestablish the relationship between younger parts in a gentle and compassionate way.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
(( EMDR )

Sometimes there are events in our life that are difficult to let go of.
Further, those who are highly sensitive are often very misunderstood by family or peers growing up, leading to some traumatic or hurtful experiences.

EMDR assists the brain with its natural healing process, allowing what is blocked or imbalanced to become naturally restored.
Stephanie is certified in EMDR

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy(( DBT )

DBT is especially helpful for mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and improving relationships with others. It involves plenty of coping tools and strategies, helping one to not only accept their current experiences, but also practice positive change moving forward.