It's Challenging to have Groups for HSPs

I am learning that it is quite difficult to organize groups and support systems for HSPs.

Even with online forums, many seem to want to really be part of something, but once they have signed up there is no participation. I started several groups on Yahoo after going to several HSP Gatherings, but it inevitably turns out that unless I am there all the time asking questions and starting conversations, nobody says anything.

And even when direct and relevant questions are asked, people seem hesitant to speak up and let their opinions be heard. For example, in a group with over 70 people, there are usually only 2-3 who participate.

I'm not entirely sure what to do about that. I wish I had an answer, but I really don't. But I am still going to go forward with the groups, and maybe when the memberships reach a certain level, there will be more activity.

So I'm an HSP - But Does it Really Matter?

I have spent more than eight years studying this HSP thing, now. I'd like to think that I have learned quite a lot... but even if I have, I find myself wondering whether that's actually good for anything.

I've been to HSP Gatherings, and I have been to HSP Meetups, and I have participated in all manners of online groups for HSPs. While in the company of others "like me," I have felt a little less estranged from the world. That's definitely nice, but the fact remains that we live in a world that is not filled with HSPs, and we have to navigate that world as it comes to us.

I know why I get overstimulated by certain things, I understand why crowds tend to bother me, and I understand why I don't care for an assortment of things - from noise to loud excitement - that most people seem to quite enjoy.

These are good things to know, I suppose. But the fact remains that I can't "afford" to sit back and dwell on them, because the greater world pretty much doesn't care.

I still have to make a living, and pay my bills, and take the garbage to the garage.

So I am an HSP, but does that really matter?

Inching Closer to Moving... Scary Times When You're an HSP!

I have often talked about moving.

At least it feels like I have often talked about moving.

I've often talked about moving from Texas to the Pacific Northwest, for a whole number of different reasons. This being the middle of the summer, the reason that most comes to mind in this moment is the fact that it's hotter than hell!

I never did well in heat. When I was a little kid and we would travel a lot, my parents always wanted to go to tropical places. I would sit in the shade with a hat on my head and a wet towel around my shoulders, desperately trying to stay cool.

The prospect of moving is exciting, while at the same time also being daunting.

Knowing what I now know about being an HSP and getting overwhelmed by the things of life, part of the challenge is to inspire myself to believe that the joy associated with reaching the final goal of being somewhere in the Puget Sound area exceeds the potential horror of a year of packing, going through all this stuff, garage sales, having people come in the house when it's for sale, and various other things that I just strongly dislike in life.

Mostly, it's all the stuff that worries me. There's just so much stuff. Most of it isn't even mine, but unless I deal with it, it won't get done. And then the move will never happen...

I guess all I can do is move forward. I'm looking forward to it, and at the same time not at all.

Am I really any wiser about being an HSP?

Seems like I have been learning about "being an HSP" for a long time. Seems like I have learned a thing or two, but sometimes I wonder if I am really any wiser.

One one hand, it is definitely nice to know that there is a biological "cause" for feeling the way I do. On the other, "so what?" Life remains somewhat of a struggle...

I have now gone to several HSP Gatherings, and it felt good to be with "my people;" with my "tribe." But I have also noticed that we are always talking about "the same old issues" and "the same old problems." In a way, it's empowering, but in a different way it is not all that empowering... some part of me can't help but ponder the way we keep insisting that being highly sensitive is "not an illness," but we sit at these Gatherings and talk about our "problems" like they are some kind of "weaknesses" we have to deal with.

What's really the truth, here?

Pay me no mind. I am just feeling a bit disgruntled because we are moving into yet another Texas summer and I get depressed at the thought of dealing with the relentless heat of this place. I am largely a "physical sensor," and I am definitely sensitive to heat... it's funny, I was even sensitive to heat and humidity as a kid. My parents were all about taking vacations to tropical venues, and I would just sit and pant and sweat under a tree, hoping I could find some measure of peace...

But I am digressing. And still pondering whether I am any wiser.

Creating an Austin HSP MeetUp Group!

When Elaine Aron was here in Austin, we talked a little bit about support groups for HSPs.

Whereas Elaine is all in favor of HSPs connecting with other HSPs and helping each other in an understanding environment — peer counseling — she said that she has never started any groups because it would represent a "conflict of interests."

She also said she couldn't really "endorse" groups, formally. However, she certainly encouraged me to do something for local HSPs.

Some of us who attended her workshop at The Crossings talked about how nice it would be to have a group. Of course, nobody's really all that keen on being the person in charge.

I brought up the idea of using the website MeetUp.com to facilitate things, since it is precisely designed as a sort of networking that allows people to go online to create connections offline. I know at least Jennifer and Serenity are interested in participating.

We'll see what happens. In my experience with HSPs and groups (online), there's a long distance between liking an idea and being part of something.

Recap: Elaine Aron Workshop in Austin

This past weekend, I was part of Elaine Aron's three-day workshop at the Crossings retreat center, here in Austin. It's the first time Elaine has taught in the US in a location not on the east or west coast.

Although it was quite different from the format of the Gathering in California, it was still a wonderful experience. The workshop started on Friday evening with what amounted to mostly an introduction and outline of what we would be covering for the remainder of the weekend. There were 22 people in attendance at the start. It felt a bit strange, because there were only two men, and 20 women-- and the other man left after the first break and never showed back up. Whereas I felt a bit self-conscious at first, I am actually somewhat used to being in metaphysics workshops where most attendees are women.

Elaine's three-day workshops are basically an "interactive" introduction to the basics of being Highly Sensitive, as she covered it in her books. What's nice about the format is that she asks participants what they want to talk about, and then the workshop is structured around those ideas. She also takes plenty of time for breaks, in case people get overstimulated. There's also no pressure to "participate," although the more interesting parts come about as a result of input and stories from the participants.

The workshop consisted of a Friday evening session, two three-hour sessions on Saturday, and a single three-hour session on Sunday. There was lots of free time in between, offering people a chance to get to know each other, and to use the facilities at The Crossings, which were wonderful.

Because I have already been "on the path" of self-discovering as an HSP since 1997, I didn't really expect to learn very much new-- although Elaine did present some of her latest research on rewiring people's neural nets after traumas, as an alternative to conventional therapy. My main reason for going was to meet other HSPs, and especially to meet HSPs in the Austin area.

Of the 20-odd attendees, 11 were from Texas, with 8 from greater Austin. We did get a little time to talk, and I do believe we have the foundations for a local HSP group! I also made a new friend-- one of those wonderful experiences where you just instantly "connect" with someone, and everything feels rather "effortless." Alas, she lives near Fort Worth, some 200 miles away-- thank goodness for email!

All in all, it was a great experience, and I felt like I got to connect with a new set of "tribe members." If you find yourself in an area where Elaine is teaching, I would highly recommend attending one of these workshops-- both to learn, and to connect with other HSPs.

Elaine Aron Workshop, Austin, Texas April 30-May 2

Elaine Aron will be teaching a three-day workshop on being an HSP at Omega at the Crossings in Austin, Texas, on April 30th through May 2nd. This is her "basic" HSP introductory workshop she also teaches on the East Coast, and at Esalen in California.

This is amazing news for me, seeing as how it will be right here in my back yard. I live about six miles from The Crossings. In a very UN-HSP like fashion, I have been promoting this event to anyone who has been willing to give me the time of the day, hoping there will be a decent turnout.

What excites me the most about this is the possibility of meeting other HSPs from the Central Texas area-- I can't imagine everyone will be from out-of-state. Although it is not a "Gathering" as such, I am hoping it will have the same atmosphere of belonging and community I experienced at the California Gathering, this past summer.

Exciting News!

I have periodically complained that Austin-- in spite of generally being the most "progressive" metro area in Texas-- is rather lacking when it comes to "HSP-friendly" ideas and activities.

I have great hopes that this is going to change. Well, at least I have great hopes that it will change for me.

Late last year, a world-class retreat center opened in Austin. Not only did it open in Austin, but it is in the far north, no more than 5-6 miles from where I live. Omega at the Crossings is part of the greater Omega organization, based in Rhinebeck, New York.

From looking at their spring course catalog, I see a lot of the "big names" of the self-growth and metaphysics world will be making stops here.

Things are looking up....