Understanding Highly Sensitive People (HSPs): How Expert Therapy and Hypnotherapy Can Help Adults and Children Thrive using Counselling, Psychotherapy, Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy and Nutrition

Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) Therapy | Limerick, Cork & Online Therapy

Are you often overwhelmed by your environment or deeply affected by others’ emotions? You might be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). With over 20 years of clinical experience, I provide specialist therapeutic support for adults and children in Limerick, Newcastle West, Cork, Youghal, and across Ireland through my online services.

As a highly experienced clinical medical hypnotherapist, psychotherapist, counsellor, and registered nutritionist using functional medicine, over the past 20+ years, I have supported thousands of clients to manage emotional, behavioural, and psychological challenges—especially those arising from sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), also known as being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP).

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What is a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)?

A Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) is someone whose central nervous system is more finely tuned than average. They are acutely aware of subtle environmental stimuli—light, sound, temperature, touch, and the emotions of others. This trait, known scientifically as sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), is present in roughly 20% of the population.

HSPs are not mentally ill. In fact, sensitivity is a normal personality trait, not a disorder. But because the modern world is often noisy, fast-paced, and overstimulating, HSPs—both children and adults—can experience significant stress, anxiety, or emotional overwhelm.

If you’re searching for a therapist in Limerick, counselling in Cork, or hypnotherapy for children, teenagers and adults online, it’s essential to work with a professional who understands the unique needs of sensitive individuals. I provide mental health services in Limerick, Newcastle West, Adare, Abbeyfeale, Charleville Cork City, Midleton Youghal, and ONLINE to support those navigating life as an HSP.

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Signs You May Be a Highly Sensitive Person

Do these characteristics sound familiar?

• Overwhelm in bright, noisy, or crowded environments

• Strong emotional reactions to art, music, or nature

• Deep empathy and emotional attunement to others

• A strong need for alone time

• Sensitivity to pain, caffeine, or medications

• Feeling drained by social interactions

• High creativity and intuition

If you’re nodding along, you or your child may have a highly sensitive nervous system. I specialise in therapy for HSPs, offering tailored counselling for adults, hypnotherapy for children, and online sessions designed around your sensory comfort.

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Why High Sensitivity Exists: The Science Behind It

Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) has been extensively studied since the 1990s, when psychologist Dr Elaine Aron developed the Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS) to help identify this trait.

Evolutionary Perspective

SPS has been found in over 100 species, from primates to birds. Evolutionarily, sensitivity has survival advantages. Highly sensitive individuals or animals are often more aware of dangers, more attuned to subtle environmental changes, and more empathetic—traits that help in social bonding and community survival.

Genetics and Neurobiology

Studies suggest that HSPs may metabolise dopamine differently, leading to deeper emotional processing and increased sensitivity to reward and punishment (Acevedo et al., 2014). This means HSPs may be more reactive to their environment, both positively and negatively.

Environment and Early Childhood

Early life experiences—particularly in chaotic or emotionally unpredictable environments—can heighten sensitivity. As a psychologist specialising in childhood trauma and adult resilience, I use both hypnotherapy and psychotherapy to help clients safely explore and heal these early influences.

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Common Challenges HSPs Face

Because HSPs process stimuli more deeply, the modern world can often feel overwhelming. Common issues include:

• Anxiety and emotional burnout

• Social exhaustion and difficulty in large groups

• High levels of empathy, sometimes leading to people-pleasing

• Conflict avoidance

• Perfectionism

• Difficulty making decisions

• Feeling misunderstood

As a qualified and compassionate therapist for HSPs in Cork, Limerick, and online, I offer a safe and supportive environment to help you or your child manage these challenges and transform sensitivity into strength.

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The Benefits of Being a Highly Sensitive Person

While HSPs face unique challenges, they also experience incredible strengths:

• Creativity and intuition: HSPs often excel in the arts, music, writing, or spiritual practices.

• Empathy and deep connection: They are caring, compassionate, and loyal.

• Strong sense of morality: HSPs are guided by core values and a strong ethical compass.

• Attention to detail: They notice things others miss and can be excellent problem-solvers.

Therapy and hypnotherapy can help HSPs manage their nervous system and enhance their natural gifts, especially when delivered by a therapist for adults and children with sensory sensitivity.

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How Hypnotherapy Helps HSPs

As a clinical medical hypnotherapist, I use hypnotherapy to help clients regulate their nervous system and reduce overwhelm. Hypnosis induces a state of focused relaxation, enabling the brain to enter a calm, receptive state where new insights and behavioural changes are more accessible.

Benefits of hypnotherapy for HSPs include:

• Calming the overactive mind

• Reducing anxiety and overwhelm

• Enhancing emotional resilience

• Releasing limiting beliefs or past trauma

• Building confidence and self-trust

My online hypnotherapy sessions are particularly beneficial for HSPs, who often prefer the safety and comfort of their own space. I also offer hypnotherapy for children, using gentle language and creative imagery to help them thrive.

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Nutritional Support for Highly Sensitive Individuals

As a registered nutritionist using functional medicine, I take a holistic approach to mental health and sensitivity. Nutritional imbalances—particularly involving magnesium, B-vitamins, and essential fatty acids—can increase emotional reactivity.

I offer nutrition consultations in Limerick, Cork, and online, integrating functional testing and personalised plans to support your mental wellbeing and emotional balance.

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How Psychotherapy and Counselling Help HSPs Thrive

My approach to psychotherapy for HSPs is deeply integrative. I combine:

• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to reduce anxiety and perfectionism

• Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) to build self-worth

• Inner child work and trauma healing to address early life patterns

• Mind-body techniques including breathwork, mindfulness, and somatic awareness

Whether you’re seeking a counsellor in Limerick, psychologist in Newcastle West, or therapy for your child in Cork, you will receive compassionate, expert care tailored to your needs.

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Services Offered

I provide professional and confidential therapy services for:

• Adults and children who are Highly Sensitive People

• Anxiety, trauma, and emotional dysregulation

• Depression and perfectionism

• ADHD, sensory overwhelm, and emotional burnout

• Sleep issues, chronic stress, and low self-esteem

• Nutritional support for brain and emotional health

I offer sessions in Limerick, Newcastle West, Cork, Youghal, and via secure online video therapy—so you can access hypnotherapy and counselling from anywhere in Ireland or abroad.

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Why Choose Me?

• Over 20 years of professional clinical experience

• Fully accredited and insured in hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, nutrition, and counselling

• Specialist in working with children and adults who are neurodivergent, highly sensitive, or emotionally overwhelmed

• Deeply compassionate, confidential, and results-focused

• Highly flexible appointment times, including evenings and weekends

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Ready to Feel Calm, Confident, and In Control?

If you’re an HSP—or you think your child might be—it’s time to invest in your wellbeing. You deserve a therapist who truly understands you.

Whether you’re searching for:

• A therapist in Limerick, Cork and ONLINE

• Hypnosis for children in Cork, Limerick and ONLINE

• Online therapy for anxiety and sensitivity for Adults Teenagers and Children

• A counsellor in Newcastle West Limerick, Adare, Abbeyfeale, Youghal, Midleton Cork

• Registered Nutritionist Limerick Cork and ONLINE Nutritionist Services Adults Teenagers and Children including Neurodivergent
• Clinical Medical Hypnotherapist Limerick Cork and ONLINE Hypnosis Services for Adults Teenagers and Children
• Advanced RTT Ireland Rapid Transformational Therapist since 2018  RTT ONLINE, RTT Limerick, RTT Cork

• Mental health services in Youghal, Cork and Newcastle West Limerick

• Or simply a safe, professional space to talk

… I’m here to help.

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Book Your Appointment

Contact me today to schedule a free initial consultation. Let’s discuss how my integrative approach—blending hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, counselling, and nutrition—can help you or your child live a calmer, more joyful, and balanced life.

📞 Call or WhatsApp
📧 Email
🌍 Online therapy available across Ireland and worldwide

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References

1. Aron, E. N., & Aron, A. (1997). Sensory-processing sensitivity and its relation to introversion and emotionality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73(2), 345–368.

2. Aron, A., & Aron, E. N. (2000). The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You. Broadway Books.

3. Wolf, M., & Weissing, F. J. (2012). Animal personalities: Consequences for ecology and evolution. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 27(8), 452–461.

4. Acevedo, B. P., et al. (2014). The highly sensitive brain: An fMRI study of sensory processing sensitivity and response to others’ emotions. Brain and Behavior, 4(4), 580–594.

5. Aron, E. N., Aron, A., & Jagiellowicz, J. (2012). Sensory Processing Sensitivity: A Review in the Light of the Evolution of Biological Responsivity. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 16(3), 262–282.

6. Pluess, M., & Belsky, J. (2010). Differential susceptibility to parenting and quality child care. Developmental Psychology, 46(2), 379–390.

7. Liss, M., et al. (2005). Sensory processing sensitivity and its relation to parental bonding, anxiety, and depression. Personality and Individual Differences, 39(8), 1429–1439.

8. Bijlenga, D., et al. (2017). The role of sensory processing sensitivity in the relationship between ADHD and emotional problems. Journal of Attention Disorders, 21(5), 412–422.