And learn how to calm our nervous system and inner child.
Life Can Be Jarring On The Nervous System
The reality of life is that it is always shifting and changing,
but sometimes those shifts and changes are so huge or so unpredictable,
that it can be really almost shocking or jarring on the nervous system.
Conscious Actions To Calm The Nervous System
There are so many tools and techniques to help soothe and calm the nervous system,
some are most suitable than others for certain people.
We have so many acupressure, breathing techniques, soma, meditation and relaxation techniques, quantum mind techniques, healing techniques and so much more.
As well as more tapping technique which I do not always believe they are the most suitable for some with sensory or sensitive issues, for so many reasons.
When there is so many other more gentle and soothing techniques available.
Choosing The Right Approach To Calm The Nervous System
I have personally found as a highly sensitive empath who has suffered sensory processing challenges and neurological complications.
That not all therapeutic approaches being used out there today said to regulate the nervous system.
Were suitable or safe, some were actually contraindicatory, triggering or traumatising to my nervous system.
For a variety of reasons which included brain smudging, motor cortex issues and structural alignment issues.
A lot of people who have sensory processing issues ,are highly sensitive or are neurodivergent can struggle with certain senses or tasks that require certain types of left and right movement or processing.
Some people with structural, spinal or cervical issues struggle with certain breathing techniques.
So it is important to choose a therapist, approach or technique that is most aligned with your specific needs. And has enough experience and training to understand your needs.
Calming The Nervous System With A Holistic Approach
And it is one of the reasons in my Stress Coach Training school that I teach my students a very multi-faceted and holistic approach to helping clients in the most safest and effective ways.
One of the big problems is that many practitioners don’t even understand the basics of anatomy,
the nervous system and the neural system. And even more worrying is there naivety around trauma and the human psyche.
So they sometimes can push certain modalities or approaches on clients where the techniques doesn’t feel most natural or right for that client.
Everyone is different and now more than ever therapist have access to hundreds probably even thousands of different types of tools and techniques to help calm the sympathetic nervous system.
Calming The Inner Child
One of the ways that we can all start supporting our nervous system more consciously and safely, is by doing simple things to soothe our inner child.
Using Self Compassion To Calm The Nervous System And Inner Child
Become more compassionate, kind towards our inner child. That little person inside that struggles with certain triggers and trauma, that didn’t learn how to deal with certain life difficulties in the most healthy and empowered way.
We are all a work in progress, no one has got it perfect,
we all have our own unique and difficult life challenges.
Being hard or unkind to ourselves will just cause further unhealthy responses.
One of the problems at the moment is many people,
are actually constantly questioning their reality and their own truth.
Because of the amount of gaslighting we have all been exposed to from media,
politics, big corporations, world globalisation leaders and even celebrities.
On so many levels it has really traumatised or retraumatised the nervous system,
That is why taking time out from life’s challenges and doing what your heart and soul LOVE’s to do.
Is such a powerful part of healing and reteaching our mind, body and spirit how to be.
The Power Of Animals, Children and Nature To Calm The Nervous System
Spending time in the purity and simplicity of nature, with animals, children or child like activities, can be so nourishing for the heart, soul and nervous system.
Natures Medicine To Soothe And Calm The Nervous System
Also using natural aids to help soothe our nervous system, can make such a big difference in the process of healing.
But so is making a deeper connection with your inner child, meeting the magical essence of the different archetypal traits of your inner child.
Which I know so many people could really benefit from at this moment.
If this is you, and you want to start nurturing and healing your inner child more my
Inner Child Healing Course
is one of my older self study programs that helps you connect, nurture, heal and empower your inner child.
“I have found the sessions deeply moving and uplifting and I have found from them a steady change in myself…” Sarah
“I felt more grounded, inspired and joyful as a result of completing this course. Thanks to Eileen I now have a healthy and happy relationship with my inner child.” Janine
How to stop giving your power away especially when you are highly empathic or highly sensitive? Why do empaths struggle to maintain personal power and sovereignty?
Why do empaths find themself so enmeshed in other people’s needs, other people’s pain, and emotional needs? We constantly feed them instead of ourselves, we become the victim.
Stop Giving Your Power Away To Your Loved One’s
It is so easy to hand over our power to your loved ones, your partner, your family, your friends, and even colleagues without realising it. We do this by allowing others to control, manipulate, or push us into choices that are not ours and even worse not in our best interest. These situations will often exhaust us, deplete us, diminish, and even devalue our sense of self, self-worth, and self-esteem.
So many of us give our power away to our fears, distorted beliefs our addictions. We constantly disempower, dis-honour, and disrespect ourselves daily.
Why? Because we have a very distorted perception of ourselves and the world around us. So we end up creating life-long unhealthy patterns that sabotage our health and happiness on a daily basis. Ironically one of the biggest forms of dis-empowerment is the way we give control over our health to other people.
Are You Giving Your Power Away To Your Doctor Or Therapist?
We often assume that those who help support us with our health and well-being, even our spirituality have our best interests at heart. But every time you hand over decisions of your body, mind, emotions, and or spirit to another person without checking in if this feels right for you, you may well be opening yourself up to an element of disempowerment.
Look at the culture in the West of how much we expect our Dr to heal, fix, or treat health conditions or symptoms caused by unhealthy lifestyle choices. Another example of giving your power away and not taking responsibility for our own well-being. We live in a world wherein many ways we are conditioned to give our power and decision-making away to someone else, which is not only disempowering but potentially damaging on so many levels.
Are You Giving Your Power Away To Psychics, Mediums, Or Horoscope Predictions?
Or too much power over to a Coach, Healer, or Spiritual Teacher?
Stop, take time to get centered, and be aware of where you are handling your power or leaking energy.
As healers, we are here to help, sometimes guide or teach you. But you should never give your power away or over to us. We are here to help empower you, we are here to help hold a space of healing, even challenge, question, and yes sometimes trigger you. In fact in some ways, we are not here to be liked even though we are here to do right by you.
But sadly there can be a misuse of power and harmful practice in coaching, healing, and spiritual teaching. Harmful practice in the holistic therapy industry nearly cost me my eye and another cost me serious liver toxicity. I was young, naive, vulnerable, and trusted the wrong therapists.
“Stop giving your life away to other people.”― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free
Know You Are Enough
Unfortunately today we live in a society where are at our core we feel we are not enough. This feeling of lack of not enough triggers a deep need in many people to have more, be more to such an extent they will do almost anything to get more.
This lack will even try to destroy or disempower others in their struggle to appear more special, more spiritual, more awakened, and more successful.
Look at the generation we are living in, one where you can buy anything at the press of a button. One of the most concerning is the ability to get a certificate or diploma in something in over a few days to a few weeks in something that would previously take a year or two.
Every day individuals are naively giving their power and lots of hard-earned cash away to anyone or anyone who promises them something faster, easier; instant transformation, instant success.
So it is important than ever to become more mindful of your daily interactions.
It is so important to start listening to your inner guidance your intuition, and your spiritual connection.
Is That Situation Or Person Enabling You Or Disabling You?
We are all human and we are all evolving but it is important to recognise when we are not being supported or empowered and when we are being disempowered or controlled.
I have been a highly sensitive empath for as long as I can remember. I only began to take a lot of my power back after a spiritual experience in intensive care where I was fighting for my life. And a few years later where I saw a visual energetic imprint of all these people’s opinions about the cause of my rare medical challenges. In many ways, it was so enlightening as I could see over 45 years’ worth of different medical professionals’ opinions, different healers, therapists, even family members, and friends’ opinions. Many different people’s beliefs that I had taken into my energetic field.
Like so many people, so many empaths I didn’t realise how much of my power I was giving away. How much unconsciously I was allowing other people’s views and energy into my unconscious and energetic field. As an unruly empath and chronic people pleaser I gave my power away daily.
When you are more earthed, stable, and in your own body and energetic field. You are less likely to be dominated or manipulated by others’ energy or opinions. This is extremely important for empaths and sensitives who struggle with energetic boundaries.
Make meditation an important daily practice. Meditation helps you connect with your inner wisdom and recognise what is right for you.
Stop making assumptions
tStop making assumptions that other people always know better than you, always have your interests at heart. Just because they appear to be more, knowledgeable, wise, or experienced doesn’t automatically mean they do. Learn the art of discernment. In many ways, people give their power away to others regularly because of poor discernment.
Take responsibility for your actions and inactions.
Don’t expect others to fix, heal, sort, or solve your problems. Of course, we all need help, support, other people’s skills and knowledge. But it’s important to take ownership of areas in our lives we need to change. Do not expect others to do this for you.
Do not be scared to ask
Specific questions if you are unsure about a situation. For example, ask a Dr or therapist why they suggest or think this is the best form of therapy. Do not be shy about finding out more about someone’s level of expertise, or testimonials of any claims made.
Be clear in your communication,
about what you need, what you believe, and how you feel.
Don’t let someone rush you into a decision you are unsure about.
It is okay to say I am unsure about this, I need time to think about it.
Set and maintain healthy boundaries as part of your daily routine and your mindset. Especially when you are highly empathic or sensitive, more anxious, stressed, or vulnerable.
Be mindful of unhealthy traits, and unhealthy thinking patterns.
Where in your life are you an over pleaser, over giver, have unfound guilt, the wounded healer…?
Do some inner child work to heal those old distorted beliefs and core wounds that entrap you into the people pleaser, the over giver, the nurturer? Heal and teach the child who never learned about boundaries, who never learned to self-care.
As Marianne Williamson states in A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles” –
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?”
One of the biggest challenges many empaths have is they get burned out and overwhelmed with empathy fatigue. They can feel energetically scattered and feel that everyone wants a piece of them. The problem is there is a lot of myths and different opinions around being an empath. So many people struggle to understand the unique challenges empaths face.
As Dr. Elaine Aaron and Dr. Northrup suggest there are a lot more people who think they are empaths than they are. Just because you have empathic traits but that doesn’t mean you are an empath.
Unhealthy Empath
Especially if you are the unhealthy type of empath who automatically wants to help fix, heal, nurture, care, or support anyone who you think needs it. You will end up with some sort of burnout or dis-ease. Because unconsciously you absorb other people’s pain often while other’s feed off and deplete your energy.
This can be an unhealthy cycle many empaths struggle to break. For a variety of reasons, one is that consciously and unconsciously empaths tend to be strong caretakers, altruists, are motivated by being of service.
Often so in tune with other people’s pain, so used to absorbing all sorts of energy around them. That saying no and having boundaries can feel as if it goes against your soul’s mission and soul essence.
Empaths Need To Learn How To Say NO
As an empath and/or sensitive you have to be able to say no, you need to learn how to have strong boundaries. You have to be energetically aware when others are trying to push their agenda and needs onto you. At a cost to you. You are the only person who knows what you can give to others healthily and what you can’t, something I still work on. And yes for most empaths boundaries is not something that comes easily.
Why Empaths Attract The Needy, The Narcissists, and Energetic Vampires
So many empaths attract the needy, the narcissists, and the energy vampires. If we are not fully in our body or mindful don’t it can be harder to detect when we are being sucked dry energetically by another person until after the event.
So many of us have spent most of our life enmeshed in other people’s drama, energy, and pain that we genuinely don’t recognise our own needs or feelings in the situation.
Energetic Boundaries And Self Awareness For Empaths
So energetic and boundary awareness is something unboundaried empaths need to work on. Anyone who struggles with energetic boundaries can also be more easily swayed by other people’s ideas, and thoughts because of the dis-entanglement of energetic thought patterns.
If you were discouraged from standing up for your own needs as a child or were silenced in some way. Lack of assertiveness and boundaries has to be addressed alongside a deep recognition that your needs are as important as others.
Inner Child Healing And Therapy
Inner Child work can help address our core woundings; trauma, beliefs and conditioning formed in childhood that can be a contributing factor of unhealthy and unruly empaths.
As a highly sensitive caring empath for as long as I can remember. I attracted many people and situations in my personal and business life that didn’t serve me. Why? Because I am a natural over giver, someone who for most of my life has been an energetic sponge.
When Everyone Wants A Piece Of You At Work
On one hand, it can extremely positive when you have skills and gifts people feel they want or need. But only when your gifts are being equally valued. When you are receiving the right exchange and energy efficiently in a healthy and balanced way.
But so many empaths in businesses not only undervalue their worth but are so motivated by service to others. Their business can easily become more of a charity rather than a business. Often letting their empathic nature get in the way of vital business decisions. Empaths in business often attract too many freebie seekers, and those strong in their shadow eternal child or victim archetypes.
When You Attract Mostly The Freebie Seekers
For years I attracted as a highly empathic nurturer and caregiver I attracted so many of the wrong clients and the wrong audience. Despite always giving many freebies in my business. I would receive so many emails and Facebook messages from those looking for favors, discounts, or freebies.
As someone who lived on their own, self-employed with a lot of disabilities and health challenges that impacted my daily life and work great. I had to learn to set healthier boundaries and stop giving into clients and students that were often not being completely honest with themself or me.
Most importantly I need to remind myself daily that I need to be served in life to serve others.
When everyone wants a piece of you for free, in-fact expects a piece of you for free, that is something that has to be addressed.
The Problem With People Pleasing Empath
If you have been a people pleaser most of your life, as an empath it can be harder to say NO than the person asking will ever realise. As you are so energetically aware of that person’s emotional pain and vulnerabilities.
Now I run quite a few free Facebook groups for many years but I closed many of them down because of some of the crazy expectations and sense of entitlement.
So many personal messages from people who assumed I should give my time, energy, wisdom, and even courses for free. Despite already offering a plethora of resources; free blogs, podcasts, videos, self-study, and live training. Even more surprising was the amount of manipulation from a group of empaths and highly sensitive people.
Empaths Tips – What You Can Do To Take Your Power Back
Develop Self Awareness
when we develop more awareness of the self and our energy we can become more detached from the drama and projections of others. We are less likely to be triggered by our empathic vulnerabilities. One of the easiest ways to do that is to learn effective meditation techniques. Check out my 5 Minute Meditation a powerful meditation tool.
Know Your Needs Are Your Priority
it is vital you work on recognising you are just as important as those around you. You need to be able to take care of your needs before you help anyone else. Lemon oil can help us get more clarity and focus.
Step Back Energetically
consciously step away from their energy and get grounded. If you have to imagine you are removing that person from your energy field or unhooking them, do so. Most people have no awareness they are hooking in on or taking from someone energetically. They are just like everyone else on the planet unconsciously trying to get a need filled. Learn to protect your energy with the right energy clearing and energy protection tools.
Take Time Out
take plenty of time to unplug from everything, especially others’ energy fields. So you energetically get back into your own body. Even moving yourself to another room or outside, space from the situation for a few minutes can help.
Don’t Overthink It
don’t allow the ruminating mind to take over. Oh, I should be helping them…it’s a shame…
Disentangle From Others’ Victimhood And Manipulation
Don’t allow someone else’s victimhood or manipulation to hook you into their mess. This is simply a subtle form of control, that people use to get what they want out of a situation.
allow your inner guidance to make the right decisions again don’t let others sway your decisions. As a very highly sensitive empath and intuitive who has worked with energy for over 30 years. I often have a deep sense of knowing or feeling others’ energetic motives which others are unaware of. When I allow others views to cloud my guidance it usually doesn’t serve me.
Heal the childhood experiences that have made you believe you have to fix, nurture, care, support, and heal others. Heal the inner child that struggles or doesn’t know how to set energetic boundaries.
What is an Empath? Common Archetypal Traits Of Empaths
Why Every HSP Highly Sensitive Person Should Learn How To Meditate Daily.
Why meditation helps the HSP. Why daily meditation can help the Highly Sensitive Person or even Empath become more mentally and emotionally resilient in their life and business.
Daily Challenges Of The HSP Highly Sensitive Person
I believe everyone should learn how to meditate but if you are an empath or HSP I believe meditation is a must. Why? Because if you are an HSP you are more sensitive to the energy and stress of modern-day living.
The HSP has a highly sensitive sensory system, basically a more finely tuned nervous system than most people. This gives the HSP a lot more awareness and receptivity to the world around them. But this also makes HSP’s less resilient in some ways more easily overstimulated.
Reasons Why The HSP Highly Sensitive People Should Meditate
The highly sensitive person is often more easily wounded. The HSP Empath is often more scattered in their energy. In many ways, they are often not fully in their energetic body. That is why many highly sensitive empaths are often ungrounded and uncentred.
Why so many highly sensitive’s and empaths struggle mentally, physically, and or emotionally in their day-to-day life.
Highly Sensitive Empaths are like energy sponges. So they need to need to learn how to become more centered, grounded, and energetically aware. Meditation naturally helps increase awareness and presence. The right meditation techniques can also help us become more grounded and centered.
Why Every HSP Should Meditate Daily
Daily Meditation is so good for your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing
Regular meditative practice is known to lower anxiety and stress levels.
It helps you access a deep space of stillness and peace, so meditation often increases clarity and confidence
Meditation allows you to heal mentally, physically, and emotionally.
My Own Meditation Journey As A HSP And Empath
I began meditating over 30 years ago, I tried, tested, and studied various styles and teachings of meditation. As someone with very rare medical challenges that mainstream medicine couldn’t treat, I had to find skills that would make me more physically, mentally, and emotionally resilient.
Oh, how I thank god that I found meditation. This was a skill that helped me become so mentally resilient. Meditation helped me deal with so many tremendous and long-term challenges with strength and peace.
Teaching Meditation
One of my earliest teachings of meditation was to a class of rather troublesome young men. I knew teaching most traditional meditation techniques would be challenging. So I went searching for a style of meditation that might accommodate their particular needs.
I found a Qi Gong technique that I adapted in which became My 5 Minute Meditation. This became the most popular meditation tool I ever taught. Loved by not just teenagers, but stressed-out executives, carers, healers, highly sensitive people, and empaths.
Finding The Right Type Of Meditation To Start With
When you find the right type of meditation tool for you, you will build your meditation practice up much stronger.
If you have a very busy, demanding lifestyle my 5 Minute Meditation is a great starter tool. But I would still encourage you to practice a more traditional style of meditation into your routine. This will help you transcend into living more of your life from a place of meditation.
The problem today is there is a lot of myths and misunderstanding around meditation. Many people give up too quickly on their meditation practice because of a misunderstanding of what meditating actually is.
Beginners Meditation Technique For The Anxious HSP
If you are an HSP who struggles with chronic anxiety and stress I would encourage you to try out a very short style of meditation like my less than 5 Minute Meditation which is great for beginners. This particular technique is really useful for chronic anxiety and even trauma sufferers, so it’s much more gentle than other forms of meditation.
The Right Type Of Meditation Teacher If You Are Highly Sensitive
My advice would be to choose a meditation teacher wisely, find out more about them, years of experience, training, and styles of meditation they teach. If you’re an Empath or HSP you may want to book a one-to-one session with a meditation teacher before attending a class or start with some simple meditation at home.
Also, check-in that the meditation teacher actually teaches you how to meditate they are not just practicing or guiding you through guided meditations more like guided visualisations, this is often something very different.
Anxiety can be a huge problem for HSP’S. Meditation can help us detach from negative thoughts, ruminating and our wounding.When we meditate we connect with the self, an aspect of us that never changes. This helps nurture a healthy anchor, a stronger connection with where magic and stillness transcends everything else.
Can Increase Self-Awareness
Good self-awareness is so important for HSP’s. Highly sensitive people can get so easily overwhelmed by the world and people around them, they can struggle with relationships because of their own shadow traits and inner child wounding. Meditation when applied correctly, can help improve our self-awareness, develop our spiritual maturity and spiritual growth.
How Can You Reduce Stress As A Highly Sensitive Person
The Highly Sensitive Person
is so much more sensitive to external and internal stimuli they need to be more pro-active to reduce stress levels. Anxiety and stress are high in our western busy and over-stimulated way of life. But that doesn’t mean just because you are a highly sensitive person or highly empathic that you need to suffer from chronic anxiety or chronic stress.
Chronic Stress As A Highly Sensitive Person
Chronic stress is triggered by our fears, it is our reaction to the world around us, the way we psychologically and physiologically respond to situations, people, and the things around us. The biggest cause of stress today is our mental thoughts; our conditioning, what we attach and give power to.
But external stimuli such as environmental noise, information overload can certainly play their part so can environmental and internal toxins. But the way we view the world, situations, very much represents how we show up in the world.
If you are an HSP, a highly sensitive person who views the world as a highly harsh, uncaring, and dangerous place. You will show up in the world as a very fearful, highly anxious, sensitive soul. Who struggles to survive never mind find their way in the world.
The highly sensitive person or highly empathic person has tremendous gifts to share with the world. They have tremendous compassion and huge insight into those around them. Especially highly sensitive empaths because they are highly intuitive and highly sensitive to the psyche, the energy and emotions of the people, places and situations around them.
But this can make the sensitive person more vulnerable to other’s anxiety and stress, to mass consciousness, and to many other things that most people can comprehend.
Some famous people who have been regarded as HSP a highly sensitive person include Albert Einstein, Carl Jung, Diana- The Princess Of Wales, Judy Garland, Mother Theresa.
6 Simple Ways You Can Deal With Stress As A Highly Sensitive Person
Assertiveness- learn how to say NO, one of the biggest challenges many HSP’s and particular empaths have a challenge with. Is the ability to say NO. Empaths feel others’ pain and fears so deeply they often struggle to identify their own needs. So struggle to set healthy boundaries.
Be Yourself – trying to fit in, comparing yourself to other’s, judging yourself on other’s ideas of what you should and shouldn’t be like. Is a huge source of distress. You are more than enough, even in within your vulnerability, your physical, emotional, and even mental sensitivity, you are enough. You are unique, special, wonderful and here to be you.
Get Soul Connected – Develop a strong soul connection, build a deeper spiritual connection within yourself, your heart and soul. Become more soul-aligned in our spiritual path, to follow our own soul’s guidance and own truth.
Grounded – become more grounded physically, mentally, and emotionally get out of your head, and get connected to your body and the earth around and underneath you. I find the essential oil blend On Guard a great aid. When you are more grounded your energetic field is much stronger so you have healthier boundaries to other people’s negativity and emotions.
Be In The Moment– learn how to be more present, more in the moment, take each step, each day as it comes, let go of yesterday’s and tomorrow’s, see below as meditation and mindfulness can help. You tend to be more grounded and find it easier to naturally assert your own needs when you live in the moment.
Meditate – meditation is a powerful way to connect with the self, that space where stillness and calm resides, where wisdom, true insight and guidance evolves from. Meditation helps quieten the mind and helps develop a powerful connection with our inner wisdom.
Unplug- a highly sensitive person or highly empathic person usually needs to unplug and switch off more frequently than other’s do. HSP’s tend to have sensory processing issues which affects the autonomic nervous system. So the slightest over stimulation can trigger the “fight or flight” stress response. Leaving the HSP highly wired, anxious, stressed, and exhausted.
Cushioning – is a stress management strategy that helps cushion you from the impact of a stressor or stressors. It involves using any practical, therapeutic, or strategical strategy that will help you reduce stress and become more resilient to the stressors of everyday life. It can involve taking action, managing or reducing the stressor in question but also includes an aspect of balance into your life. It involves having a more healthier approach to your everyday life, so you are generally more stress-resilient.
Overcoming Chronic Stress As A Highly Sensitive Person
No matter how long you have suffered chronic anxiety or chronic stress as a highly sensitive person or an empath. You don’t just have to live with it, your life as an HSP doesn’t have to be stressful.
I was a highly anxious, stressed out teenager, who suffered chronic unworthiness, who tried to relentlessly to deny and resist my empathic traits and highly sensitive traits.
I started to suffer extreme health challenges including burn-out from the age of 19. And spent a large part of my twenties extremely ill, exhausted, and isolated. Out of this experience, I became a meditation teacher, healer, coach, and stress management expert.
I have helped many people including many highly sensitive people and highly sensitive children move from a chronic anxious or stress state of being to a more calm confident way of being.
No matter how challenging life may feel at the moment believe me your life as a highly sensitive person can be far richer, peaceful, lighter, and free than you can imagine with the right tools, the right healing and support.
You can learn turn to your sensitivity into your super power gifts, your super powers I share more in my Lightworkers Portal and my 👇 Free 6 Day Stress Resilience Course For Lightworkers 👇
Noise Sensitivity –The Challenges of Living With Hyperacusis
When most people talk about noise sensitivity they often think of simply an annoyance to specific noises. But noise sensitivity can be an extremely painful and a huge disabling challenge for many sufferers. I know as I began suffering from a severe form of hyperacusis over the last three years, which has made me mostly housebound.
Slight Noise Sensitivity
As someone who is highly empathic and sensitive, I have slight noise sensitivity as long as I can remember. I always had challenges sleeping with even the slightest noise around me. But this started to become a much bigger problem when it developed into a painful and debilitating severe form of hyperacusis. Specific frequencies began to trigger extreme pain in my right ear, major balance issue and a complex movement disorder including non-epileptic seizures that leaves me with no control over my body.
Chronic Lyme Disease And Chronic Sound Sensitivity
My noise sensitivity issues appear to be caused by at least 30 years of bacterial/viral implications. But the cause is not clear with a complex medical history; M.E./CFS, suspected untreated chronic lyme at 14 years of age, head and face trauma, a rare cranial condition and survivor of sepsis. Although according to Anthony Williams book the Medical Medium Many of these neurotoxicity symptoms are simply the fourth stage of very a rare form of Epstein Barr Virus. But I am unsure if I will ever know for sure.
However the reality is noise sensitivity seems to be triggered by a variety of causes, diseases, accidents, trauma and stressors. Sound intolerance also appears to be a common problem in those who are highly sensitive or have sensory processing disorders. Many clinicians used to assume noise sensitivity has a purely psychological basis. But more research and evidence is demonstrating many of the physiological causes behind various types of noise sensitivity.
Noise sensitivity challenges are very common for those with sensory processing challenges on the Autism/Asperger Spectrum. Which can seriously impact their quality of daily living, education and their careers.
Noise sensitivity is something that is certainly misunderstood and misdiagnosed by many medical practitioners. Especially as there is so many different classifications and causes of sound sensitivity.
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Hyperacusis – is usually linked with amplified sensitivity or auditory increase in the central auditory system which is the hearing pathways of the brain. A “collapsed tolerance to normal environmental sound” The Hyperacusis Network. It is suggested that unexpected exposure to deafening noise can sometimes trigger hyperacusis. But there are some medical conditions associated with hyperacusis which include Bell’s palsy, Lyme disease, migraine, post head injury syndrome and William’s syndrome. Also many people with hyperacusis have tinnitus and many with tinnitus have hyperacusis.
There are two forms of hyperacusis; cochlear hyperacusis and vestibular hyperacusis
Cochlear Hyperacusis; annoyance, distress, ear pain and to very quiet or high-pitched sounds.
Vestibular Hyperacusis; balance, postural control and vertigo problems, nausea, fatigue. Known sometimes as Audiogenic Seizure Disorder and Tullio’s syndrome
Hypersensitive Hearing – where someone is born with a hyper sensitivity to frequencies above 70 decibels normally viewed as problematic frequencies. This is common in the autism spectrum.
Misophonia – is when someone hates a particular sound but it is not collapsed tolerance to sound. Usually there is an atypical limbic and autonomic nervous system response ( fight or flight response) which is related to the auditory system. Examples are repetitive sounds, consonants, sniffing, lip smacking which can often trigger emotional rage.
Phonophobia – is a sub-category of misophonia where one suffers anxiety/fear of events related to their noise sensitivity. Which triggers isolation in the outside world.
Recruitment – is when there is an increased perception of noise sensitivity when someone is suffering from a type of hearing loss where they cannot hear certain pitches but can hear others. Which is perceived as too quiet to dramatically loud.
Tips And Support For Noise Sensitivity Issues
Ear Plugs or Ear Phones: For most types of noise sensitivity challenges recommendations are that ear plugs should not be relied on for day to day living. As there is suggestions that in the long run this may reduce tolerance to every day sounds. But it certainly would depend on the type and degree of noise sensitivity. I personally do not use ear plugs in my home doing most tasks. But because my noise sensitivity triggers severe balance challenges and a violent movement disorder. I choose to use ear phones outside otherwise I have very limited control over my bodily movements.
Noise Cancellation Ear Phones: Some people find noise cancellation useful, I find for long car drives they can cancel out and reduce some noise and can help reduce general over stimulation.
Pink Noise Devices: For some types of noise sensitivity pink noise devices are used as a form of sound therapy.
Meditation– helps you access that inner calm, peace inside despite what is happening around you. It helps you become more mentally, emotionally and physically resilient. Meditation has helped keep me so mentally strong over the last 25 years. It has helped me find my own equivalent to a power nap, when I can’t sleep due to noise issues.
Craniosacral Therapy – can be helpful where there has been noise sensitivity after trauma to the head and neck. Also bowen and osteopathy is useful for again alignment issues due to trauma.
Healthier Thinking – it is important with any condition or life challenge that a person has the ability to look at their life challenges and focus on what they can do, rather than what we feel disabled by.
Stress Management – generally reducing and manging your anxiety and stress can seriously help reduce any hyper sensitivity to external stimuli. And can be a great cushion at helping you remain as emotionally, mentally and physically strong against noise stressors.
CBD Oil: Cannabis derived oil and paste is used by many who’s noise sensitivity appears to be related to their medical conditions. It is widely uses by lymes and now more popular in ME/CFS sufferers.Many people with noise sensitivity issues including those with sensory processing issues seem to be benefiting from CBD or marijuana in some component.
On Guard Blend: Another product that I have found helpful in my building my sound tolerance is the essential oil blend by doTERRA . These are highly vibrational essential oils which appear to strengthen our energetic boundaries, boost the immune system and protect our body against viruses and microbes.
Manging Your Noise Sensitivity Issues
These are just some of the ways you can help manage your noise sensitivity issues. If like me travelling in a car is a huge problem because you can actually feel a lot of vibrations through the nerves of your body. I find sitting and placing my feet on memory foam cushions and a duvet helps to cushion me from the impact. Some cars are more better than others in relation to the seat and height design
I am fortunate enough to start seeing slowly but surely a reduction in the severity of my symptoms. Having lived with chronic health challenges that have disabled me in various ways for many years. I choose to focus daily on my abilities, strengths and gifts. I am very fortunate to be able to do my work online. Although it can have its challenges.
But when we focus on the things we can change and accept those we can’t. We come from a much stronger, calm and happier place. Noise sensitivity can be extremely challenging, it needs more research/awareness especially on the actual conditions that cause it. But meanwhile the healthiest thing you can do is look after your own health and wellbeing, especially your anxiety and stress levels. As anxiety and stress will certainly make you more hyper-sensitive .
If you are looking for help and support in managing your sensitivity challenges. I share lots of tips and resources in my free facebookcommunity Soul Care For Sensitives
