Originally published in Comfort Zone Newsletter: February 2013 In 1996, I attended my first scientific conference on temperament as a budding researcher in that field. I remember listening to a speaker describing a large minority of infants who have “negative temperaments” at birth and grow up to be shy, anxous, depressed, neurotic, and so forth. […]

On August 30, I had an unusual dream. Here it is, minus a few details. I’m in a popular park or plaza. A well-known man, John Welwood (I did not know much about him, but looking him up, he seems pretty neat and probably a highly sensitive man), is organizing a spontaneous event by walking […]

Originally published in Comfort Zone Newsletter: November 2012 Someone recently asked me what to do about crying when she doesn’t want to, especially when her feelings are hurt during a confrontation. I thought it was a perfect subject for Comfort Zone. Crying easily can be a problem in many situations: in doctor’s offices, when under […]

Originally published in Comfort Zone Newsletter: November 2012 I want to praise the value of solitude, particularly for HSPs. We need our downtime and we usually take it alone, but solitude is a special form of being alone. Silence and loneliness deserve comment as well. These four are key to who we are. Downtime HSPs […]

Originally published in Comfort Zone Newsletter: August 2012 Here’s another film with an HSP as the main character. The Last Wave is a strange movie, for sure. Not quite a surfing flick. Peter Weir, the director, is Australian, and the movie is about a Sydney lawyer who is asked to defend some urban aborigines accused of […]

Originally published in Comfort Zone Newsletter: August 2012 In the last newsletter I wrote over 4,000 words on enlightenment, perhaps more than you ever wanted to read. But I think most of us, and I mean HSPs in particular, hope very much that humans can evolve beyond the species’ present scary form, and perhaps enlightenment is […]

Originally published in Comfort Zone Newsletter: August 2012 As I read the contributions from sensitive parents for the next book, I am struck by what good parents they make, IF they have enough support from others. But others often do not see why they need more support than the next parent. I plan to write […]

Originally published in Comfort Zone Newsletter: August 2012 In these times of financial crunch, many of us are living on less or anticipating we will when we retire. But I wonder how many HSPs in this predicament are actually troubled by it? Certainly contemplating it happening gives us stress, but research shows that to be […]

Originally published in Comfort Zone Newsletter: May 2012. 1. H. R. Ellis II, HSP, has written a mystery novel, Law School, with an HSP as the protoganist. Here is what he writes about it for Comfort Zone (read this even if you never read the novel!): A highly sensitive person (HSP) makes the perfect hero. Skeptical? Keep […]

A Follow-up on Dealing with Pain Originally published in Comfort Zone Newsletter: May 2012 I wrote on pain in the last newsletter, and in response, a reader sent me some information I liked very much, based on very recent research on pain management. One is a book, Explain Pain, by Dr. David S. Butler and […]