Creative Mind Audio: Recent Episodes
Douglas Eby
Interviews, audio versions of articles, excerpts from podcasts from psychologists, artists and others on thriving as an artist, creativity research, high sensitivity, emotional health and more. From the Creative Mind series of sites by Douglas Eby.
"It makes us feel very alone, isolated, different, less than."
Jeffrey Rutstein continues, "That's one of the things that also makes anxiety so hard to bear. So many of us not only struggle with anxiety, but we blame ourselves for being anxious:
'I know better, I shouldn't be anxious here.
'Oh, I teach my patients how to relax, I shouldn't be anxious.
'I'm a meditator. I shouldn't be anxious.'
"And lots of people get feedback from other people: 'You're too anxious. You worry too much. You're too sensitive. You think too much.' Which, by the way, doesn't help anyone and you can't stop doing this."
Dr. Jeffrey Rutstein is a clinical psychologist and expert in the treatment of trauma. This audio is from a Sounds True video excerpt from his Navigating Anxiety program.
He comments about his program:
"In this workshop, we’re going to show you ways you can intervene with your anxiety and also free yourself from viewing your anxiety, fear, and worry as your fault."
Navigating Anxiety program - Insights and Practices to Heal Your Nervous System and Restore Emotional Well-Being.
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Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
"When we are storing these emotions in our body and they become stuck, they are preventing us from having the clear, clean, energetic flow through our muscles, glands and organs that we should.
"I believe that that is essential for physical health. And I also believe that when we hold emotional blocks, it blocks the energy of our spirit.
"It blocks who we are from expressing that out into the world."
▶️ Online Course: Stop Feeling Like Sh*t - From Depression to Creative Expression. Lifting Depression for Writers and Creatives with Amy B. Scher.
Amy Scher is "an energy therapist who helps people break through blocks...the author of the How to Heal Yourself series and other books, and endorsed by notable authors such as Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray Love; Dr. Sanjiv Chopra, Harvard Medical School; and more." (From a Sounds True profile.)
This audio is a brief excerpt from an episode of the Insights at the Edge podcast by Sounds True, hosted by Tami Simon.
To hear more episodes, see the page of Amy B. Scher books and programs, and click "Podcast" at bottom of the page.
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Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
Psychologist Cheryl Arutt found with her therapy clients that "Creative artists, actors and writers and people who do performances, had a different relationship with their trauma than regular people who don't consider themselves creatives."
She notes “Polyvagal theory is a new way of thinking about the autonomic nervous system…the part with the things that our body does all on its own without thinking about it, like breathing and heart rate.
“We've learned about things like the fight or flight response and the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, where a lot of times people know that when they need to fight or run away from something it's their sympathetic, and when they're relaxed, it's the parasympathetic.
“But polyvagal theory takes things further…”
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This is an excerpt - hear full episode on page with links to resources:
How Polyvagal Theory and Therapy Help Trauma Recovery, with Dr. Cheryl Arutt
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Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
"Wild animals go through traumatic events all the time but they don't [usually] develop PTSD.
Elizabeth Stanley, PhD adds, "Each time through this cycle [trauma and recovery] they add to their toolbox of survival skills and they widen their window.
"In humans however, we have a thinking brain that can override this automatic process controlled by the survival brain and nervous system, and we often impede this recovery process."
Those comments are from her online program Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training.
» Free video Learning Session by Sounds True "Why You Can’t Just ‘Push Through’ Stress—And What Actually Works Instead" from Dr. Elizabeth Stanley's program Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training (MMFT).
This Creative Mind Audio episode is an excerpt from the Untangle Podcast, hosted by Patricia Karpas, who starts by asking Dr. Stanley about her personal journey leading into her writings and teachings on trauma recovery and resilience.
» Hear the full (47min) "Episode 500 Can You Rewire Your Brain and Train Yourself to Be More Resilient? With Dr. Elizabeth Stanley" in Meditation Studio. (See link to podcast at bottom of page).
Meditation Studio is part of the site of Muse EEG headband for stress relief and resilience.
Dr Stanley notes “When we're regulated, we're more likely to find agency and access choice in every situation, no matter how challenging, stressful, or traumatic it might be."
This is a preview of my longer podcast episode How to Recover and Rewire to be More Resilient With Mind Fitness Training.
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Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
“I was in a situation where I loved and trusted this person more than I trusted myself.” Anna Kendrick
"Was I raised so that I was always trying to win their love?" Judith Orloff
"HSPs tend to be over-givers and toxic people tend to be over-takers.” Julie Bjelland
"That dysfunction can give us the message that I am not okay." Donna Jackson Nakazawa
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This audio is an excerpt from the longer episode: How Narcissistic Parenting and Toxic Relationships Impact Us, and Recovery.
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RESOURCES
» Understanding Narcissism Summit by Sounds True: "Features 20 Sessions of Insight and Guidance from Leading Experts in Psychology & Spirituality." (Judith Orloff, MD is a speaker.)
» Enjoy the full length original "Episode 104: How to Avoid and Heal From Toxic Relationships, with Julie and Willow" on the Sensitive and Neurodivergent Podcast on the Sensitive Empowerment site of Julie Bjelland, LMFT - where you can find many more of her articles, books, courses, Sensitive Community and other resources.
» Free class by Julie Bjelland: "How to Set Healthy Boundaries and Why it’s Essential for Wellness as an HSP" - See list of her free webinars.
» audio podcast (on Substack): "Overcoming Adverse Childhood Experiences" with science journalist and speaker Donna Jackson Nakazawa.
» More posts and podcasts on toxic relationships.
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National Domestic Violence Hotline offers free, confidential support and many resources to help at thehotline.org.
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Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
As various researchers and therapists note, being a highly sensitive person or another form of neurodivergent, with different "neurological wiring," we can experience many positive qualities, such a greater appreciation of beauty and art, a heightened awareness of subtleties, emotional depth, stronger empathy, and more.
All of which can enhance creative expression and performance, as shown by many actors, musicians, writers and other artists.
But we can also be more vulnerable to stress and overwhelm.
Therapist Julie Bjelland, LMFT talks about sensory overload in multiple posts, videos, podcasts, and the image refers to one of her suggestions to relieve unwanted effects:
"Watching news visually can cause a lot more anxiety than reading it for most highly sensitive people. Take breaks from reading or watching the news."
This audio is a short excerpt from one of her free classes: Sensory Overload & Sensitivity.
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In one of her articles, "Managing Sensory Overload: A Guide for Sensitive and Neurodivergent Individuals," she explains more. Here is an excerpt:
"Sensory sensitivity means experiencing heightened awareness of sensory input such as sounds, lights, textures, smells, and more. For instance:
Sounds: Struggling with the background noise in a cafe.
Textures: Avoiding certain fabrics or cutting clothing tags.
Lights: Feeling overwhelmed by fluorescent lighting.
This happens because neurodivergent brains process sensory input differently. In many cases, there’s reduced "brain pruning," meaning connections aren’t trimmed as much, leading to heightened awareness.
While this sensitivity can feel overwhelming, it’s important to recognize it as a natural part of how your brain works—not a flaw.
Prolonged exposure to sensory overload can have significant impacts, including:
Chronic Stress: Elevated cortisol levels, weakened immunity, and digestive issues.
Burnout: Emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion, often mistaken for depression.
Mental Health Risks: Increased anxiety and emotional distress.
Physical Strain: Migraines, hormonal imbalances, heart disease, and autoimmune disorders.
Sensory Joy: The Flip Side of Sensitivity
While sensitivity can be challenging, it also allows you to experience the world’s beauty with incredible depth. Examples of sensory joy include..."
See the Creative Mind post for more: Sensory Overload can lead to anxiety, fatigue. How to renew energy and calm?
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Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
Therapists provide insights and strategies
Psychologist Melanie Joy notes "this is an incredibly dysregulating time for everyone, especially those of us who are highly sensitive."
Therapist Emma McAdam: "If emotions are getting in the way of you living your life, you can learn how to slow down, think clearly..."
Dr Cathleen King: "A dysregulated nervous system can turn routine experiences into sources of stress.”
Therapist Julie Bjelland: "The brain has a negativity bias..."
See much more, including related articles and videos, at the original Creative Mind Audio podcast episode page:
What is being dysregulated, and how can we better process our emotions?
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Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
Psychologist Melanie Joy notes this is an incredibly dysregulating time for everyone, especially those of us who are highly sensitive.
This is an excerpt from her conversation with Andrea Weber for the Sensitive Empowerment Community.
Dr Joy comments: "We're especially affected by violence, chaos, and unpredictability. And right now, it's just an incredibly dysregulating time, as you pointed out, for everyone.
"So the question really is, how do we find the balance, right? So how do we take in enough information?
"I think this is one of the things that does throw people a little bit off because they don't want to just tune out entirely. We need to be informed enough so that we're not a part of the problem by sticking our heads in the sand.
"But how do we stay informed enough and not get over informed and then manage when we do get over informed?"
She suggests multiple resources, including books, apps and practices, to help emotional regulation and resilience.
This is an excerpt from the HSP podcast episode "Is Dysregulation Impacting Your Life? How to Recognize and Manage our Emotional Response with Dr Melanie Joy."
➡️ Hear the full episode at The Sensitive and Neurodivergent Podcast on the Sensitive Empowerment site of Julie Bjelland, LMFT - where you can find many more of her articles, books, courses, Sensitive Community and other resources.
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Do You Think Your Nervous System Is Dysregulated?
Cathleen King, DPT, is a "doctor of physical therapy who teaches neuroscience principles, and is a mind-body practitioner." She writes:
"If you’re feeling persistently anxious, stressed, or physically unwell, it might be more than just a temporary response to life’s challenges—it could be a sign of a dysregulated nervous system.”
See much more in her article Understanding A Dysregulated Nervous System: The Symptoms and Signs.
Follow the link to her site with more articles, a membership program, and more.
Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
Fairy Tales & Jungian Shadow Work
"Many of us are gifted with the ability to hold the darkness of others but we don't always know how to uncover it within ourselves."
This Creative Mind Audio is an excerpt from the free Shift Network video interview with Melissa Kim Corter: The Alchemy of Fairy Tales & Jungian Shadow Work.
Jungian depth psychologist Melissa Kim Corter comments, "Denzel Washington once said that some people will never like you because your spirit will irritate their demons.
"It took me years to understand that this is a gift that my warm and grounded presence can put people at ease to help them feel safe to unburden their hearts - yet others were instantly repelled by my presence."
She notes she was drawn to engage with Fairy Tales as a child: "There was something about these stories that allowed me to recognize patterns in my own life. They gave solutions. They had this magical and enchanting sort of quality where the natural world was alive and that really resonated deeply for me."
Corter writes on her Substack site Hauntingly Beautiful Things: "My ideas and words seem to resonate with those who never know their place.
"My psyche guides me as I write about the exiled parts of the mind, human behavior, and shadow. I collect broken pieces, like breadcrumbs, and try to make some sense of them. Putting them together in mythopoetic forms that speak to the soul.
"My writing blends psychology with symbolic forms found in film, fairy tales, and forensics. I have found value in the dark, misunderstood, and macabre dimensions of my personality..."
Perhaps you can relate. I certainly do.
Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
"Then I created a roadmap to guide me out of the dense fog of my illness and fear. I learned how to self-regulate my nervous system."
Dr Cathleen King, DPT, is a "doctor of physical therapy who teaches neuroscience principles, and is a mind-body practitioner."
This audio is an excerpt from her conversation at the 2025 Trauma Super Conference, titled "Trauma, Emotional Processing, and Physical Health."
A summary of topics:
Why we should understand the science behind nervous system regulation
How to separate trauma story from identity
*Self-regulation techniques to help with trauma therapy
» Free replay February 8 - 10, 2025 (also recordings) -
Trauma Super Conference - "50 internationally recognized trauma experts."
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A long journey into healing
📖 How Healing Happens - free guide by Cathleen King, DPT on "brain retraining and nervous system somatic healing...both the science and approach to self-healing for chronic illness and chronic stress."
[See link at bottom of page above to learn about her Membership program.]
In her guide, Cathleen King writes:
"I’ve personally walked the path of chronic illness (Lyme, mold toxicity, Chronic Fatigue, and more) with many debilitating symptoms, and felt completely overwhelmed with the fear that I might never return to a full and vibrant life.
"Like many of you, I went from doctor to doctor, piling up a staggering number of diagnoses and desperately trying treatments, many of which only made me feel worse."
She explains her experiences led her to become "obsessed with the drive to fix myself, spending endless hours frantically researching and unable to concentrate on anything else in my life.
"I know painfully well the spiral of loneliness, anger, and deep despair that comes with being told there is no chance of fully healing."
But, she adds, "then I created a roadmap to guide me out of the dense fog of my illness and fear.
"I learned how to self-regulate my nervous system and, astoundingly, to experience true joy and calm even while I was still experiencing difficult symptoms and limitations.
"My nervous system started to change. My brain began to rewire. And I began to trust my body could heal."
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Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
Empaths and highly sensitive people "aren't just open to trauma. They're open to everything, and it can feel traumatic when you're young and don't have any guidance." - Dr. Judith Orloff
"Our nervous system is picking up more information, receiving information that others don't, feeling things that others don't, which means sometimes having an uncontrollable body response to imperceptible changes in the environment." - Dr Aimie Apigian
In this excerpt from her biology of trauma podcast (episode #102 Strategies for Empaths: How to Navigate Sensory Overload, Shame & Trauma), trauma recovery physician Aimie Apigian talks with empathic psychiatrist Judith Orloff about some of the many aspects of being exceptionally responsive to emotions and sensory information for those of us who have a highly sensitive nervous system.
Dr Orloff says "I love being an empath. Yes, it has its challenges but so what? Everything has its different challenges."
She adds that being highly sensitive, "You get to feel everything. I get to feel the flowers, feel nature, I get to feel deep love and connection with people. I get to be in touch with the mystery and you know the the gorgeousness of Life on such a deep level."
Escaping an angry, bullying, bossy person
In the podcast, Dr Orloff recalls she was "in a situation recently with a group and this woman was trying to make a point and she got very authoritarian and loud and bullying and bossy.
"It was on a zoom call and I was supposed to be part of this meeting and I'm feeling, This isn't acceptable to me, and so I just told everyone have to leave."
See the Creative Mind Audio post for more, including links to resources:
How to navigate sensory overload and trauma as a highly sensitive person
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Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
Meg Haworth, PhD recalls, "I grew up with a narcissistic parent in a toxic family system, and I also had all kinds of abuse growing up and spent a lot of time in my childhood being very sick."
This audio is an excerpt from a longer interview, talking about her adverse childhood experiences that led to her own healing and developing a mind body process that has helped many people gain clarity, health, and recovery.
Register free to view the full interview at The Shift Network (and learn about her related course): How to Heal Yourself From Toxic & Narcissistic Family Dynamics.
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Dr. Haworth notes "Sexual, physical, and emotional violation is debilitating. It can lead to unhealthy choices, poor personal boundaries and self-defeating patterns.
"All these things get stored in your body as memories that create pain and difficulties."
She adds, "I also drowned and had a near-death experience, and I was highly intuitive.
"I was so sensitive and psychic and empathic that I really just took on a lot of the abuse and a lot of the emotions that were coming my way, and really took it on as a part of me.
"And that led to illness. But it took me many many years to unwind this..."
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See video version of interview excerpt: Healing From Toxic and Narcissistic Family Dynamics.
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The left section of the image - family holiday gathering - is from article 5 Ways to Deal with Difficult Family Members During the Holidays and Beyond By Dr. Meg Haworth, The BusinessWoman Today, December 11, 2024.
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Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
Most of us have a wide variety of emotional experiences as a child and teen, and as as adults, of course.
These may include relatively minor and temporary hurts, but also abuse, even trauma.
And these experiences can endure, especially when not addressed or healed, deeply impacting our lives and access to our creativity.
This audio is an AI-generated "podcast" with the "speakers" doing a great job of covering main topics and quotes in my article How Adverse Childhood Experiences and trauma affect our lives and creativity.
From article:
“During our childhood, we are much closer to our authentic selves. Even if our memories of childhood may be filled with challenge and discomfort.” Sensitivity therapist and author Julie Bjelland, LMFT
“It’s an often complicated part of being a young performer…being taken advantage of by someone with ulterior motives and intentions.” Actor Jamie Lee Curtis
“If you didn’t feel loved enough as a child, the world becomes the realm of the ‘unloved child’ and you find yourself on a never-ending search for acceptance and approval.” Psychotherapist Mihaela Ivan Holtz
"Because of that household dysfunction, our brains do a couple of really significant things: they begin to give us the message that we're not okay." Science Journalist Donna Jackson Nakazawa
Also perspectives of Keira Knightley, Aimie Apigian, MD, Halle Berry, Ben Kingsley, and others.
Also videos and resources.
Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
This audio is a "podcast conversation" generated by AI program Notebook, based on text in my article How Working With Our Emotions Helps Us Be More Creative.
Excerpts of longer comments in the article:
"I am the kind of person that feels so much that if I didn’t have acting (and music), I would burst from all of the emotion inside!” Gloria Reuben
Psychologist Cheryl Arutt notes “Creating art has always been a way to channel emotional intensity.”
Dr Holtz of Creative Minds Psychotherapy finds “It’s not always easy to connect with your emotions and convey them in your art."
Therapist Julie Bjelland helps highly sensitive and neurodivergent people. She says "When the emotional brain is activated, the cognitive brain kind of goes to sleep."
See the article with much more, including videos and links to resources.
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Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
How to Thrive in a Chaotic World as a Highly Sensitive Person
From a free class by Therapist Julie Bjelland
"The modern world is often overwhelming and stressful for those of us with sensitive nervous systems."
High Sensitivity therapist Julie Bjelland, LMFT adds, "Many of us have suffered from the challenges of high stress, anxiety, sensory overload, and mental health and physical health issues.
"Fortunately, after years of working with and researching Highly Sensitive People (HSPs), I have developed many tools that have not only helped me but thousands of HSPs all over the world move out of survival mode living and into thriving."
Register free for her class Tools to Help the Sensitive Thrive in a Chaotic World.
Follow link to the registration page to see links to more of her resources.
Julie Bjelland, LMFT 🌈 is a "Highly Sensitive, Autistic, LGBTQ+ Psychotherapist and founder of Sensitive Empowerment with posts, courses, free webinars, podcast episodes, a community program, and more for sensitive & neurodivergent people.
Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
Excerpt from the longer Creative Mind Audio episode How we can resist despair and keep creating even in turbulent times - “This is precisely the time when artists go to work."
In the full length episode:
“This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.“ - Toni Morrison
Actor and writer Amber Tamblyn reads comments by journalist Rebecca Solnit, followed by Solnit talking about activism for social change and not giving up.
Psychologist Melanie Joy talks about how distressing media and events can be for highly sensitive people, and how our intense emotions can turn us away from things we desire to change in the world.
"A dysregulated nervous system can turn routine experiences into sources of stress.” Dr Cathleen King
Follow link to listen to the full length audio podcast episode, and see links to articles, videos, guides, and programs
Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
Being a highly sensitive person, or neurodivergent in other ways, we may have grown up feeling misunderstood, and even like we were flawed.
The first section of this audio is an excerpt from a related podcast episode with Julie Bjelland and Willow McIntosh, followed by comments by Dr. Aimie Apigian on how trauma relates to these feelings.
Hear the full podcast episode "The Pain of Being Misunderstood and the Joy of Belonging with Julie Bjelland, LMFT and Willow McIntosh" - See the HSP and Neurodivergent Podcast page.
In this excerpt, therapist Julie Bjelland, LMFT mentions her Autistic Women’s Group - this is free for members of her Sensitive Empowerment Community.
A member writes: “Thank you for such loving words and the support!…this community you created has made me feel so welcomed, understood and provides a beautiful garden that I feel comfortable to share my vulnerabilities openly and have a positive space that feeds me with beauty in so many ways!"
Willow McIntosh notes in a post on his site: "For those of us born with the trait of high sensitivity and high sensory intelligence we typically experienced the world in a particular and often profound way.
"It is quite common for us to have been misunderstood and for our emotional sensitivity to be seen as a disadvantage.
"Yet it is often the challenges we faced and the way we saw the world back then that shape us to specialise in a particular area of life."
From post "The importance of reframing our childhood as a highly sensitive person" in the blog section of his site Inluminance.
Trauma and feeling misunderstood
“Trauma results in this belief that we are different, that we’re not enough, that there’s something about us that pushes people away or that we’re too much for other people."
Trauma healing specialist Aimie Apigian, MD continues:
“And so if they were to truly know us – all parts of us – then they would leave us, then they would kick us out, then they would reject us, abandon us.
"And those feelings of being abandoned and being different are so painful that our system responds in a self-protective way…”
Dr. Aimie Apigian, MD, MS, MPH, is an author, speaker and founder of Trauma Healing Accelerated.
Hear more in podcast episode How attachment trauma impacts our lives with Aimie Apigian, MD.
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See the Creative Mind Audio post for more resources:
Highly Sensitive, Neurodivergent and Misunderstood. How Can We Be Ourselves?
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Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
"I received six diagnoses and my first one came when I was was 12 and a lot of [my memoir] Pathological is about that."
Author Sarah Fay adds, "I think this is is something we're seeing now with young people on TikTok and Instagram - self-diagnosing but also receiving diagnoses.
"My experience taught me to associate emotions like anxiety with pathologies and diagnoses like Generalized Anxiety Disorder."
She adds, "And no one explained to me that even with a diagnosis it doesn't go away. And so much of my life was spent hoping that the next diagnosis was going to be the explanation, was going to be the reason, and that it would make my life easier in some ways..."
This audio is an excerpt from her video conversation "Creativity, Mental Health, and Recovery" at the Anxiety Super Conference - free Replay Weekend (50+ expert speakers) Sept 28-30 (2024), and recording packages available.
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Hear longer audio excerpt in Creative Mind post with links to her book Pathological and to her Substack site, an excerpt from her book Cured: The Memoir, and more:
Creativity and Mental Health and Recovery - excerpt from interview with Sarah Fay
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Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES): "That dysfunction can give us the message that I am not okay."
Donna Jackson Nakazawa is an award-winning science journalist and speaker. This audio is from her video interview for the Anxiety Super Conference.
She comments about some early experiences:
"Because of that household dysfunction, our brains do a couple of really significant things: they begin to give us the message that we're not okay.
"Our little brains are so active and so busy trying to help us, but instead of saying 'My situation is not okay' - our developing brain doesn't have the wherewithal to do that - instead we go, 'I am not okay in who I am, in my body, in my being - I'm wrong, I'm terribly terribly wrong.'
"And that begins to shift the action of our nervous system, and our self-beliefs and how we see ourselves, and how we respond to ourselves in adversity for the rest of our lives."
⏩ NOTE - this is a shorter version - hear the full version, plus see video clip from the interview, in post Overcoming Adverse Childhood Experiences with Donna Jackson Nakazawa.
⏩ Register free to see her full presentation: "Overcoming Adverse Childhood Experiences" at the Anxiety Super Conference September 2024.
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⏩ Also learn about multiple programs by Donna Jackson Nakazawa on her site, including "Your Healing Narrative: Write-to-Heal With Neural Re-Narrating" and "Breaking Free From Trauma."
The Adverse Childhood Experiences Guided Journal by Donna Jackson Nakazawa [Amazon] [Bookshop]
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Related podcast episodes
Healthy relationships and attachment styles with Aimie Apigian, MD
How attachment styles and trauma impact our relationships - with Dr Diane Poole Heller
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Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
Dr. Cheryl Arutt is a trauma-informed Clinical & Forensic Psychologist, Certified EMDR therapist, and specializes in trauma recovery and creative artist issues.
“Many people in my practice are actors and performers and people who have a platform.”
She finds, “A lot of times people will think that when they achieve a certain level of success, they’ll feel like, Now I’ll feel whole, I’ll feel okay, I can relax. And what ends up happening instead is, Why am I still me? …
“And what I found in my practice with all these years is that people just keep kind of moving the goalposts and they’ll achieve it.
“They’ll get that great job, or the relationship or, you know, they want to have a baby. Then they have a baby, then they’re stressed about the things that have to do with the baby. I refer to them as feeling states driving around looking for a place to park.”
This audio is an excerpt from Ep 103 — How Trauma Drives Anxiety and How to Heal With Dr. Cheryl Arutt from the More Than Anxiety Podcast by Megan Devito.
From the Show Notes by Megan Devito:
“In this episode, Dr. Cheryl Arutt joins me to discuss the deep connection between anxiety and unresolved trauma. She shares insights into how past experiences can manifest as ongoing anxiety, creating a cycle of stress and avoidance.
Dr. Arutt challenges the belief that simply managing anxiety is enough, emphasizing the importance of understanding the body’s role in this struggle and sharing hope through EMDR for a life that isn’t consumed by constant anxiety and vigilance…”
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This is a short preview — See longer audio podcast episode plus resources in the post How trauma drives anxiety and how to better regulate our system with psychologist Cheryl Arutt.
Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
"Sensitive people are more prone to stress because we are picking up so much more information from the internal and external environment."
Dr. Natasha Fallahi, a mind-body health expert, functional medicine practitioner, known as “The Sensitive Doctor,” says trauma arises from overwhelm in situations when we can’t fully process and integrate our experiences.
Publisher The Shift Network writes:
"Dr. Natasha explains that trauma is essentially an experience of overwhelm that occurs anytime you’re unable to process and integrate something — then, in a maddening twist, this same trauma opens you up to absorbing more energetic information, adding to your overwhelm.
"When you can’t return to your homeostatic baseline where you feel like your true self, your mind, body, and spirit can get stuck in a liminal state of distress...
"Thankfully, there is a way to step off this treadmill and learn how to maintain an energetic balance for your uniquely sensitive system. The principles of psychoneuroimmunology hold the answer, says Dr. Natasha."
» Register free for The link between trauma & your sensitivity - a video event with Dr. Natasha Fallahi.
You will also receive information about her course "Healing Trauma for Sensitives: Harmonize Your Mind-Body-Immune System for “Micro-Trauma” starting Tuesday, August 27, 2024.
[The Shift Network notes: "You can stream the recordings and download the transcripts of all course sessions, so you never need to worry about missing live calls. You can also engage with the full community and leaders in our private online community group."]
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Julie Bjelland, LMFT, is a psychotherapist and author specializing in helping highly sensitive and neurodivergent people.
» One of her free webinars is Sensory Overload & Sensitivity.
The information page notes:
"Sensory Overload tends to be one of our biggest challenges. It is when our senses take in more information than our brain can keep up with processing.
"You might be surprised that it is often the culprit of symptoms of emotional reactivity, anxiety, irritability, sleep issues, exhaustion, and even loss of productivity, creativity, and focus.
“What makes it extra hard is that the world isn’t set up for those of us with high sensitivity."
» Also hear related podcast ep How to Live Better With Sensory Overload.
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Image: young woman in city feeling stressed from noise - AI image - DALL*E/Bing
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Transpersonal Coach and Trainer Jules De Vitto, MAEd, MSc, comments "Although there may be some similarities between the sensory processing challenges experienced by highly sensitive individuals [HSPs] and those with autism, there are some key differences between the two conditions.
She finds, "despite the overlap, ASD and HSP can be distinguished from each other based on the research that highlights their distinct differences.
"These differences have been largely supported by a study, led by Dr. Bianca Acevedo of the Neuroscience Research Institute of the University of California which analyzed 27 papers comparing high sensitivity, autism, and other conditions."
This Creative Mind Audio is an excerpt from her Highly Sensitive Humans Podcast.
She summarizes, "In today's episode, I speak with Robert Siegers exploring the "similarities, differences and overlapping traits with the purpose of opening up a dialogue around this important topic.
"We also explore the purpose and potential limitations of using labels and diagnosis. We discuss the importance of understanding neurodiversity with the intention and goal of delving into the lived experience of being highly sensitive and how it may overlap or intertwine with other diagnoses - ultimately, respecting and honouring the diversity of our human experience."
She notes that Robert is "a highly sensitive person and entrepreneur from Germany. He is the host of the Understandable podcast. On his channel, he talks about mental health topics such as high sensitivity and other neurodivergent conditions."
Hear the full Season 2 Episode3: "Is the Highly Sensitive Person the same as Autism Spectrum" in the Podcast section of the HSH Website - see link to the website at the The Highly Sensitive Human Academy – "A central hub providing an abundance of resources and accredited courses for Highly Sensitive People all over the world."
Also se the article "Is The Highly Sensitive Person the same as Autism Spectrum Disorder?" in the HSH Website.
~~~~
Related Creative Mind Audio podcast episode: Thriving as a highly sensitive person, or autistic, or both - especially as a woman.
From the episode Notes:
Therapist and author Julie Bjelland, LMFT comments about her podcast Episode 189: Highly Sensitive, Autistic, or both? Understanding the Differences. See page on her site for the HSP and Neurodivergent Podcast.
"I discuss the differences that set autism apart from high sensitivity, particularly in women. I highlight the outdated diagnostic criteria for autism and the misdiagnosis or lack of diagnosis in many women."
~~~~
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“I always felt awkward and shy.” Steven Spielberg
“I wouldn’t say I have much of an outgoing personality." Idris Elba
“I’m very sensitive in real life.” Jessica Chastain
Listen to comments by artists, psychologists and others about high sensitivity, as well as introversion and shyness.
These are separate experiences that share some qualities, and can overlap and interact for many of us.
This is a preview of the longer audio podcast:
Artists and creative people are likely to be highly sensitive, or introverted, or both
https://thecreativemind.substack.com/p/artists-and-creative-people-are-likely
~~~
Support the Show.
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
"It is hard to change that feeling flawed piece...it's so seeped into your bones." Julie Bjelland
“Trauma results in this belief that we are different, that we’re not enough, that there’s something about us that pushes people away or that we’re too much for other people."
Trauma healing specialist Aimie Apigian, MD continues: “And so if they were to truly know us – all parts of us – then they would leave us, then they would kick us out, then they would reject us, abandon us.
"And those feelings of being abandoned and being different are so painful that our system responds in a self-protective way…”
~~~
Julie Bjelland, a psychotherapist and author specializing in high sensitivity and neurodiverse people, comments in an episode of her podcast:
"It is hard to change that feeling flawed piece...it's so seeped into your bones because it's your inner child. It's stuff that you learned with a child's brain."
~~~
Dr Cathleen King finds "in my experience, and in the research of the psychology of chronic pain, we often see that the pain cycle is ultimately cross wired with some type of underlying core belief such as “I’m not okay, I’m not good enough, I’m unworthy, undeserving, imperfect, unloveable, etc” that has been enmeshed with our core identity."
Cathleen King, DPT, is a "doctor of physical therapy who teaches neuroscience principles, and is a mind-body practitioner.
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Mihaela Ivan Holtz, Psy.D., LMFT of Creative Minds Psychotherapy comments about judgments and perfectionism interfering with our creativity and emotional health.
She writes about being "in the flow, completely at peace with yourself and what you’re doing" and asks, "So, what takes you out of this emotional authentic space?
"It could be a comment you hear or the look in someone’s eyes as they observe something you’re doing. It might be a memory of someone telling you that you “are doing it wrong,” “ruined something,” “keep breaking things.”
"Your own self doubt can cause the disconnection, especially when your inner voice says things like “I’m afraid I will fail,” “people won’t like me,” or “I can’t do this.”
"These are messages of not being “good enough” keeping you stuck in the quest for perfection. The desire to be or do things “perfectly” is a mental space of fear that leaves you caught in anxiety about being wrong, making mistakes, or being flawed."
» Also listen to this episode, and see links to videos with these psychologists, in the related Creative Mind post Getting past feeling flawed to being authentic and connecting better with others.
~~~~
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Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
"It is hard to change that feeling flawed piece...it's so seeped into your bones because it's your inner child. It's stuff that you learned with a child's brain."
⏩ From Episode 195 Feeling Flawed of the HSP and Neurodivergent Podcast.
From the original Show Notes:
"In this conversation, Julie Bjelland and Willow McIntosh discuss the importance of accepting and embracing sensitivity and neurodivergence.
“They share personal experiences and highlight the need to normalize and celebrate these traits."
» Follow link above to Julie's site to find this episode 195 and page with Resources & Links including:
-
One-on-one Coaching and Consultations with Julie
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Feel safe to be yourself in the world. LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC safe. Join Julie’s private, nurturing community: Sensitive Empowerment Community
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Free Autism Quiz Helping to Identify Women
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Autism Assessments for Women in California with Julie
» From original transcript:
"Think about two children...one of them is getting the message that they're flawed in life and that they need to change who they are.
"The other one is celebrated for who they are. They're honored, they're accepted, they're embraced. How do we think they're going to enter into the world, experience the world?
"It's going to be completely different because that feeling of being flawed is like a thousand pound weight on top of you, everything that you do. It affects literally everything that you do. It prevents you from your light shining bright.
"And then there are some kids who are raised with parents who are very supportive, with caretakers, with people around them. They're very
supportive of their uniqueness. And those kids are so remarkable. They don't have that feeling flawed holding them back.
"And I just imagine if you had that message, if I had that message that we didn't have to carry that weight. It is hard to change that feeling flawed piece. It's hard. It's like so seeped into your bones because it's your inner child. It's stuff that you learned with a child's brain."
Also see
⏩ Courses for the Sensitive and Neurodivergent
⏩ Understanding Autism in Women - An Online Guide by Julie Bjelland, LMFT
Image is from book: Neurodivergent - Embracing Neurodiversity: Socially Acceptable Stimming Techniques for Autistic Individuals by Rick Canady
~~~
Related Creative Mind podcast episodes
» Elizabeth Gilbert on Self Acceptance
» How self-acceptance is a foundation for a healthy and creative life
» Self Esteem and Creative People with Marisa Peer
▶️ Enjoy more episodes of The Creative Mind Audio Podcast
▶️ See more videos in Playlist: Neurodivergent & 2E
Support the Show.
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
“I’ve taken off two months, three months at a time, and, by the end, I get really squirrelly. My night life, my dream life, gets extremely populated and crazed. It’s as though something in there is running all the time. And if it doesn’t get an outlet on the page, it comes out in the dreams.” Stephen King
"The thoughts are unstoppable - but so is the music. It comes to me constantly." Lady Gaga
"Sometimes those of us who are creatives have this greediness with ideas and I use the word greed purposely meaning we're indulging our ideas all the time. That is another form of nervous system dysregulation when you can't shut off your idea switch and just be in the present moment." Cathleen King, DPT
As a doctor of physical therapy, King teaches neuroscience principles, and is a mind-body practitioner.
Most of this Creative Mind Audio is a brief excerpt from her interview with two functional medicine doctors for their Health Babes Podcast.
The last few minutes are comments by Willow McIntosh about working with a busy creative mind as a highly sensitive person.
~~~
Resources from Cathleen King:
Primal Trust Membership & Community - "Learn to consciously self-regulate your biology and heal."
How Healing Happens - free 127 page guide to brain retraining and nervous system somatic healing...Contains 5 self-regulation exercises."
~~~
Health Babes Podcast #138 Somatic Healing & Nervous System Recovery with Dr. Cathleen King, hosted by Dr. Becky Campbell and Dr. Krystal Hohn.
~~~
Willow McIntosh, founder of Inluminance with programs for people with High Sensory Intelligence, comments that "Depth of processing is one of the abilities that we have [as a highly sensitive person], and that's something that can serve us and can also turn against us.
“We can turn it in on ourselves if we allow our thoughts and our minds to overprocess, and if we fall into self judgement and criticism, especially when our energy gets low... One of the reasons I'm passionate about this is because I have a really creative mind - my mind is incredibly busy."
His audio comments are from Highly Sensitive and Neurodivergent Podcast Episode 150: How To Manage Low Energy, Negative Thoughts, and Overprocessing.
~~~
See more Substack posts and podcast episodes on emotional/mental health.
~~~~~
Support the Show.
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
"Have you heard the statistic that neurodiverse employees are 90 to 140% more productive than non-neurodiverse? Isn't that amazing?"
Therapist Julie Bjelland, LMFT from "Episode 192- Embracing Neurodiversity with Julie and Willow" of her HSP and Neurodivergent Podcast. (Follow link to her site & find her Downloadable Guide for Organizations and Individuals under the autism tab.
She is probably referring to a case study by JPMorgan Chase in its Autism at Work initiative; see the podcast post [link below] for more details.
» NOTE- This is a short excerpt from the full episode.
In the second section of the full length Creative Mind Audio is an excerpt from the Neurodiversity Podcast by Emily Kircher-Morris, Episode 122: Attorney, Author, Artist, Autistic.
From the show notes: "A three-year-old with an autism diagnosis is looking at a completely different future than someone who has masked their neurodivergence for years.
"We talk with Haley Moss, an attorney, author, and consultant, who helps companies create a neurodiversity-friendly atmosphere. She was diagnosed at age 3, and now has strong opinions about what it takes to move the world in the right direction..."
Haley Moss comments "I think self-diagnosis is extremely valid and a very powerful tool for a lot of people to discover something about themselves especially if they knew that they seemed different but didn't really know why."
Photo: The character of Astrid Nielsen, left, is an autistic consultant to a Paris police department in the Frech tv series "Astrid et Raphaëlle" in which she teams with neurotypical police detective Raphaëlle Coste.
Podcast post with longer audio plus resource links:
Embracing neurodivergent people as positive and valuable in a workplace
Is self-diagnosis helpful? How are organizations supporting neurodivergent people?
~~~~
Support the Show.
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
A number of wearable devices can help improve our physical and emotional health. In this audio, several people talk about the Apollo Neuro device, starting with Psychotherapist Julie Bjelland.
She comments that highly sensitive people have a "unique and deep sensitivity to our surroundings and emotions, which grants us numerous strengths, including heightened empathy and creativity.
"However, this sensitivity and intense emotional responses to stressors can leave us more vulnerable to anxiety and reduced resilience."
She recalls a stressful construction project in her home, and how the Apollo device "reduced my anxiety and helped me feel calmer."
Dr Dave Rabin, a psychiatrist, neuroscientist, inventor, and cofounder of Apollo Neuro, comments that "the human body is amazing, adaptive and powerful, but it is not designed for the way we live."
Kathryn Fantauzzi, CEO and co-founder of Apollo Neuroscience, explains more about their wearable device: "It sends a signal to your brain that says 'Hey, this email is not going to kill you, the traffic is not actually going to hurt you'.
"And you have this moment of pause in the same way that you have in a moment of pause when you meditate or when you deep breathe, but in the moment that you need it and without you having to do anything."
Her comments (and some other people) in the last section of this Creative Mind Audio are from the video Neuroscience behind the Apollo Wearable to help focus, sleep, improve stress resilience. https://youtu.be/UF7UAZ0stg0
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Ragga Ragnars, an actress and Olympic swimmer (at far right in the image), says "I use my Apollo throughout the day to help me relax, focus or get into social situations.
"In the evening I use it to prepare myself for sleep...My heart rate variability (HRV) has increased as well as my deep sleep and rem sleep.
"How do I know all this? Because I pair my Apollo with my Oura Ring. Tracking my health and sleep with Oura, while using my Apollo has been a game changer."
[From an Apollo Instagram reel; quotes not included in this podcast episode.]
~~~
Learn more at the Apollo Neuro sit.
Learn about the Oura Ring.
One of several posts by Julie Bjelland, LMFT: "Gentle 'Touch Therapy' Vibration to Activate Calm and Improve Resilience and Sleep From a Wearable Device" - See the HSP and Neurodivergent Blog section of her site.
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Note - Links on this page to free posts and information pages may be affiliate links, which means a company or publisher provides a small commission to me if you end up choosing to purchase a program or product. There is no extra cost to you. These commissions help support my work in creating free content on my various sites, and help pay for costs such as website hosting and software.
Support the Show.
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
Therapist Julie Bjelland says "the reason we call it hidden is because many of the things that we experience as autistic women are in fact things that are internal, that are not actually seen by other people.
"So I want to share some of those things. One of the things is this high intelligence and diverse interests. It's almost like having a supercomputer brain. We can really process enormous amounts of information quickly and we have an interest in a broad range of topics."
This is an excerpt from Episode 190-The Hidden World of Autistic Women of the HSP and Neurodivergent Podcast.
From the Episode Summary on the podcast page:
"In this episode of the HSP and Neurodivergent podcast, psychotherapist Julie Bjelland delves deep into the hidden world of autistic women, aiming to illuminate the unique challenges and strengths that have not been well understood until now.
"A significant focus is placed on the reality that many autistic women remain undiagnosed, often due to the subtle and internalized nature of their experiences.
"Julie shares profound insights from her personal journey and professional assessments, emphasizing how these experiences can profoundly impact personal identity and societal interaction.
"The discussion explores the concept of the "supercomputer brain" that many autistic women possess, which allows them to rapidly process enormous amounts of information and maintain an intense focus on subjects of interest.
"This capability, however, is often accompanied by a challenging mismatch between their intellectual ambitions and physical energy levels, a disparity that can lead to significant frustration and burnout."
See the podcast page with Resources Mentioned incluing:
-
Autistic Women's Group (Free group inside the private Sensitive Empowerment Community).
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The HSP & Neurodivergent Toolbox Course
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Autistic Resources: Quiz, Research, Assessment, Consultations
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Photo: Astrid Nielsen is a criminal records archivist and consultant to a Paris police department in the French tv series.
From summary on search engine Perplexity for my query "is astrid french series a good depiction of autism" -
"Yes, the French crime drama series "Astrid et Raphaëlle" (known as "Astrid: Murder in Paris" in English) is widely praised for its authentic and thoughtful depiction of autism through the character of Astrid Nielsen, played by Sara Mortensen.
Here are some key points about how the show portrays autism:
Astrid is openly identified as being on the autism spectrum from the very beginning. Her autism is treated as an integral part of her character rather than just a quirk or plot device.
Mortensen's performance as Astrid is lauded for capturing the nuances of autism, such as stimming behaviors, difficulty with eye contact, need for routine, and challenges with social interactions.
The show doesn't sensationalize or mock Astrid's autism. Instead, it highlights her exceptional memory, pattern recognition skills, and different way of perceiving the world as assets for solving crimes.
Storylines explore the discrimination and misunderstanding Astrid faces due to neurotypical society not accommodating her needs. For example, she attends an "Autistic Adults Anonymous" support group.
Support the Show.
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
The first part of this episode is an excerpt from a Neurocuriosity Club Podcast episode:
Megan Griffith asks her guest Jennifer Harvey Sallin "What do we need to know as gifted adults trying to navigate the world? I know there's not one piece of advice that's going to be a one size fits all."
Jennifer Harvey Sallin, Founding Director at InterGifted: "First we have to know we're gifted... And that could sound like so simple... but it is really big because it's not automatic, you're not just going to find it out because that's a normal thing that's taught in the general population.
"And if you don't find it out and you struggle a lot with the things that gifted adults struggle with, and that's not even saying anything about twice exceptionality and multi exceptionality having giftedness plus other neurodivergence."
The 2nd, much shorter, part of this Creative Mind Audio episode includes comments by Julie Skolnick: "The topic of social-emotional needs and communication for 2e adults is a crucial area that often requires special attention and understanding. Explore strategies and insights that can help support well-being effectively."
She points out how valuable it can be to connect with other gifted people. One of her resources for that is The Haystack community for 2e adults.
The image is Kara Hayward in Moonrise Kingdom - see why I chose it below with more comments, articles, videos and other resources.
See podcast post for much more:
Gifted and Neurodivergent - How does our brainmind work differently?
Understanding what's going on can lead to a better path in life.
~~~~
Support the Show.
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
"I do think that [my novel's heroine] Stella, deals with a lot of insecurity about herself because she's on the spectrum. And that's also something that I personally live with." Author Helen Hoang
"Growing up in the 1990s...I operated on a different wavelength: I gravitated towards philosophy and books that dissected the meaning of life. I was extremely literal, and had a fascination with math and numbers, as is common in autism." Zhara Astra
"Although there may be some similarities between the sensory processing challenges experienced by highly sensitive individuals and those with autism, there are some key differences..." Jules De Vitto
"I discuss the differences that set autism apart from high sensitivity, particularly in women. I highlight the outdated diagnostic criteria for autism and the misdiagnosis or lack of diagnosis in many women." Julie Bjelland, LMFT
This audio is from her podcast episode Episode 189: Highly Sensitive, Autistic, or both? Understanding the Differences. See page on her site for the HSP and Neurodivergent Podcast.
This Creative Mind Audio is a preview of a longer excerpt - hear it, and see more comments, links to articles, videos and more in post Thriving as a highly sensitive person, or autistic, or both - especially as a woman
~~~~~
Support the Show.
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
"Autism informs everything that I do - it's you know my processing unit so it's how the information goes in and out. So it's always informed me. Since being diagnosed, it's helped me understand that I'm not a rubbish person - I just think about things differently." Hannah Gadsby
"Autism doesn't define me." Kayla Cromer
"In the 60s doctors recommended to my mom to put me on some medications and institutionalize me, and I'm so thankful that she didn't." Daryl Hannah
"I was groomed from such a young age, to hide all of the strange peculiarities of even my autism." Sue Ann Pien
"Diagnostic criteria are developed using white boys and men, failing to serve many neurodivergent girls and women." Zhara Astra
"Past diagnostic criteria were inaccurate, particularly when it came to recognizing Autism in women, and estimates suggest that up to 80% of Autistic women may be undiagnosed..." Julie Bjelland, LMFT
See her page: Resources for Autistic HSPs - includes Autism Education, Support Group for Autistic Women, Autism Quiz, Research on HSP & Autism Similarities & Differences, and more.
See longer podcast post with videos, plus links to resources: Autistic Women: Perspectives by Hannah Gadsby, Kayla Crome, Daryl Hannah, Sue Ann Pien, Zhara Astra, Julie Bjelland.
~~~
Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
"To get out of our heads and into our bodies a little more...I think gifted humans, neurodivergent humans and humans impacted by trauma...really have a hard time doing that."
Christine Fonseca is "a licensed educational psychologist, critically acclaimed author, and a nationally recognized speaker on topics related to educational psychology, mental health, giftedness, and using storytelling to heal past wounds."
This audio is from a much longer Embracing Intensity interview hosted by Aurora Remember. See post with details, transcript and more:
Getting out of our heads, working with emotional intensity, and more with Christine Fonseca.
~~~
Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
"Growing up in the 1990s, I was different from other girls, but I certainly never considered I had autism."
Zhara Astra continues, "Sure, I operated on a different wavelength: I gravitated towards philosophy and books that dissected the meaning of life. I was extremely literal, and had a fascination with math and numbers, as is common in autism.
But, less commonly, I didn’t like to be touched, I laughed at inappropriate times, ate the same foods every day, and was frequently overstimulated by smells, textures and sounds.
We are starting to discover that these traits are more likely to occur in women and girls with autism."
From her Scientific American article: “We Need Better Diagnostic Tests for Autism in Women” - Diagnostic criteria are developed using white boys and men, failing to serve many neurodivergent girls and women.
Zhara Astra is a screenwriter and producer, and also a professor at Arizona State University where she teaches a course she developed on “Understanding Neurodivergent Women” with an emphasis on autism in women and girls.
This audio is an excerpt from the podcast interview: “The Vital Importance of Diagnosis of Autism in Girls and Women: A Discussion with Zhara Astra” - an episode of Uniquely Human: The Podcast with Barry M. Prizant, PhD, and Dave Finch.
Barry M. Prizant book: Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism
~~~
Julie Bjelland, LMFT is a "proud Autistic, HSP, Licensed Psychotherapist specializing in highly sensitive people and adult-diagnosed Autism in females. I founded Sensitive Empowerment to raise awareness about the extraordinary value inherent in Sensitivity and Autism." (From her site.)
Articles in the Blog section of her site include:
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Unmasking Autistic Traits in Women: Could You Be Autistic?
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Neurodivergent Women: HSPs and Autism
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Autistic Women: A Support Group Empowering the Adult-Diagnosed or Self-Diagnosed
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Navigating the Challenges of Autism Diagnosis as an Adult Woman - "…can be a daunting journey. This exploration aims to illuminate the inherent challenges and propose actionable solutions to make this path less difficult.
The Diagnostic Obstacles for Women
Masking and Compensation: Many autistic women master the art of camouflaging their autism traits through coping mechanisms and masking strategies, rendering their symptoms less noticeable to others.
Evolving Diagnostic Criteria: As our understanding of the autism spectrum widens, the diagnostic criteria evolve accordingly. Unfortunately, this evolution often fails to capture the unique manifestations of autism in women.
Limited Professional Awareness: A significant barrier to diagnosis is the lack of training and awareness among healthcare providers regarding autism in adult women, leading to a high rate of underdiagnosis or misdiagnosis. ..."
See the full articles in the HSP Blog section of The Sensitive Empowerment site of Julie Bjelland - follow link to also find her podcast, books, free webinars, courses, Sensitive Empowerment Community and other resources.
~~~~
Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
"I was also aware that I was not really allowed to be so gifted, that I threatened their self concepts. Which is to say that I wasn’t really encouraged or allowed to be my full self, but I was rather being asked to act as a kind of instrument or one dimensional trophy for other people.
"And I found that it’s really hard to live inside such suffocating and dehumanizing expectations.
"But in adulthood, I have come to understand that I don’t actually need to be beholden to such expectations." - Kaitlin Smith
This is a short clip from a longer excerpt from an Embracing Intensity Podcast episode: host Aurora Remember interviews Kaitlin Smith, a scholar, facilitator, and founder of Our Wild Minds.
The longer (17 minute) excerpt is available to subscribers of The Creative Mind Newsletter - learn more on the podcast post https://thecreativemind.substack.com/p/thriving-more-as-gifted-or-bipoc
Topics in the full interview, as listed on the Embracing Intensity page, include
*Kaitlin’s journey as a scholar, facilitator, and founder of Our Wild Minds.
*The intersections between the history of mind sciences and African American studies in Kaitlin’s research.
*The challenges Kaitlin faced growing up in a predominantly white suburb and the conflicting expectations placed upon her as a gifted Black individual.
*The impact of cultural dynamics on expression and the pressure to conform to societal expectations.
Listen to the full podcast episode 266-Navigating Intensity Through a Cultural Lens with Kaitlin Smith, MSW, and learn about the Embracing Intensity Free Resource Library - includes links to blog posts, podcasts, videos, Course Membership, and more. https://thecreativemind.info/EI-free-resources
The photo of Kaitlin Smith and the drawing are from her site https://www.ourwildminds.com
Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
"Have you ever frozen up in the face of what should otherwise be a nonthreatening situation?"
That is one way to define the trauma response of freeze.
In the first section of this podcast episode, Dr. Aimie Apigian, MD comments "when we bring in the right kinds of support, the right kinds of energy, I have seen the time needed for the freeze response to become less.
"And yet every person, every body, every nervous system, seems to have its own rough time schedule for the freeze response..."
This is an excerpt from her video "What To Do When You Are In The Freeze" on her YouTube channel.
Dr. Aimie Apigian, MD, MS, MPH, is an author, speaker and founder of Trauma Healing Accelerated. Learn about Dr Apigian's program the Foundational Journey “for addressing stored trauma in the body.”
She is a speaker at the ongoing Trauma Super Conference - featuring 60+ experts on the "impacts trauma can have and how to gain optimal health."
~~~
In the second section, Dr. Jeffrey Rutstein, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and expert in the treatment of trauma, talks about freeze as one of five defensive states in response to trauma.
This is an excerpt from his video 3 on freeze from a Sounds True free series. The description on the registration page asks:
"Have you ever frozen up in the face of what should otherwise be a nonthreatening situation? It can be confusing to say the least.
“Video #3 addresses what we can do to begin the path to self-regulation."
Register free for "Take Back Your Nervous System with Dr. Jeffrey Rutstein" - A 5-Video Series with "Practical ways to calm yourself and others throughout each of our five defensive states."
Also on that page you can learn more about his new Healing Trauma Program, with 12 other trauma experts.
~~~
See video version of this episode, plus transcript, in the Podcast Section on my Newsletter site.
Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
Probably all of us don't like certain kinds or levels of emotion, and want to get away from them, sometimes in self-destructive ways.
In this episode, several psychologists and others talk about what emotions are.
"As an actor I have a tendency to skitter along the top of emotional things. I'm Lutheran, I don't like being emotional." William H. Macy
Psychologist Cheryl Arutt: "Creative people do tend to be highly sensitive and an exquisite sensitivity is an asset when it comes to creating art...but that same sensitivity can often make the painful experiences that they have even more so."
Neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett says "You might believe that your brain is prewired with emotion circuits, that you're born with emotion circuits, but you're not."
Emotions researcher Karla McLaren thinks "It's important for our joints to have a complete range of motion, but it's also important for us to have a complete range of emotion."
~~~~~
Related Creative Mind Videos playlists:
Emotional Health
Trauma Healing
~~~~~~~~
Sources for this podcast episode:
Image is from article Artificial Intelligence: Why it Can't Detect the Correlation Between Human Emotion and Facial Expression, Ron Jefferson, The Science Times Aug 24, 2021.
William H. Macy quote from video
Psychologist Cheryl Arutt from my video Artists are highly sensitive and need skills to use their emotions safely
Lisa Feldman Barrett from TED Talk video in my post Are emotions hardwired and just triggered? No - our brains build them.
Karla McLaren from her video Do You Have a Full Range of Emotions? in my post How To Gain Better Emotional Health By Working With Feelings.
Dr. John Demartini from his video "How to Manage Emotions" - see it in my post How to upgrade your financial health and life success – NeuroGym programs
Pema Chödrön from video The Noble Journey From Fear to Fearlessness
Note: the narration is a clone of my voice, text-to-speech, via elevenlabs.io.
See more Show Notes pages with active links:
Main episode page https://creativemindaudio.buzzsprout.com/1898067/14287151
Newsletter page https://thecreativemind.substack.com/p/how-to-understand-and-work-with-emotions
~~~~
Support the show
Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
Self-acceptance, self-compassion, self-regard, healthy self-esteem... how do these impact us, including being creative?
In this episode, a number of artists and psychologists talk about their perspectives and some of the research.
The thumbnail image is actor Michelle Rodriguez, who said, “I don’t think it’s narcissistic at all to love yourself and believe in yourself. I think some people are really scared to do that. I have to. If I don’t, I would not succeed in what I do.”
In an interview for The Self-Acceptance Summit, Sounds True founder Tami Simon asked author Elizabeth Gilbert why self-acceptance is important to her personally.
Gilbert replied: "Well, I mean I’ve kind of been a student of it my whole life because I’ve had to be, because its moments of absence in my life have brought me the darkest pain I’ve ever been in."
Actor and playwright Tracy Letts finds “It’s hard to give yourself a break, isn’t it? You can’t just decide to do it. It’s not an act of will. It takes actual work..."
See more details including transcript and much longer episode as a subscriber, in post How self-acceptance is a foundation for a healthy and creative life.
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Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
"There are actually four, I think, predispositions of our brain that get us into trouble vis-a-vis trauma. The first one is very, very basic. It's something that we share with all other animals... the tendency to recoil from that which might be dangerous or painful."
Dr. Siegel adds, "All animals have an instinctual aversion to pain.
"Humans have particularly sophisticated ways of trying to avoid it, especially when that pain is emotional or psychological. We employ a wide variety of strategies to distract ourselves or actively push out of awareness painful thoughts, feelings, images, instinctual urges, and memories.
"But these efforts are usually only partially effective: When we bury feelings, we bury them alive.
"Disavowed mental contents are easily reawakened, and when they get close
to our awareness, we feel fear."
From article Mindfulness in the Treatment of Trauma-Related Chronic Pain by Ronald D. Siegel.
This is a brief excerpt from video presentation "Overcoming evolution in trauma healing" by Dr Ronald Siegel, PsyD at the ongoing Trauma Super Conference - featuring 60+ experts on the "impacts trauma can have and how to gain optimal health."
Topics include:
How human evolution predisposes us to trauma
How mindfulness practices help our healing and happiness
Why our relationships with ourselves and others are so critical
From Trauma Super Conference profile: "Harvard Medical School Assistant Professor of Psychology and mindfulness teacher Dr Ronald Siegel explains why humans did not evolve for happiness and what we can do about it...He is a long-time student of mindfulness meditation, an author of many books."
Programs by Dr Siegel include:
Healing Through Mindfulness: Effective Practices for Chronic Health Conditions
Audible Audiobook Or Audio CD from Sounds True.
The Science of Mindfulness: A Research-Based Path to Well-Being (DVD)
The Mindfulness Solution: Everyday Practices for Everyday Problems (Audible Audiobook).
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Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
Britt Frank notes "the definition of trauma that I use comes from Dr Peter Levine, who founded Somatic Experiencing, and trauma is anything that's too much, too fast, too soon.
"And my little addition to that is: or not enough. Trauma is anything you got that you didn't need or anything that you didn't get that you did need.”
She adds that "trauma is an internal process. It's a brain indigestion process. A trauma response is when our brain either throws up or goes into freeze. So you can eat bad food and not necessarily get sick.
"Same thing with trauma. You can experience a traumatic event and not necessarily have a trauma response.
“But the things that we call panic, anxiety, things like that, are often trauma responses, which is the symptom or the behavior or the manifestation of the trauma that we experienced or witnessed."
Britt Frank, LSCSW, SEP is a licensed neuropsychotherapist and author of book The Science of Stuck.
This audio is from her video interview for the ongoing free Trauma Super Conference - featuring 60+ experts "on the impacts trauma can have and how to gain optimal health on every level."
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Related:
Dr Peter Levine is a presenter at the ongoing Reset Conference: "Self-regulating for trauma healing"
*Why co-regulation and self-regulation are both important
*Practical exercises for self-regulation
*Why trusting the wisdom of our body is so important
Register free for Reset Super Conferene.
Dr. Levine is author of The Healing Trauma Online Course, and a speaker at The Healing Trauma Summit - Learn more and find links in article: Resources on How To Understand And Recover From Trauma.
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Listen to episodes and see transcripts and resources in the Podcast section of The Creative Mind Newsletter and Podcast site.
Journalist Robert Whitaker, author of books including Mad in America, interviews Sarah Fay about her mental health experiences and her memoir.
This is a brief excerpt from the much longer conversation podcast. My title comes from a comment by Sarah Fay: "I have to admit that I was so attached to my diagnosis, I had defined myself by it."
Source podcast:
The Impact the DSM Has Had On All of Us: An interview with Sarah Fay and Allan Horwitz By Robert Whitaker, Mad in America, April 6, 2022
Sarah Fay, PhD is an author of essays and articles published in the New York Times, the Atlantic and numerous other national publications. Her memoir is Pathological: The True Story of Six Misdiagnoses.
In her newsletter, Fay summarized: "Simply put, Pathological is both a memoir and a work of investigative journalism that...explores the ways we pathologize human experiences and emotions."
She quotes a review:
"Over thirty years, doctors diagnosed Sarah Fay with six different mental illnesses—anorexia, major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and bipolar disorder.
"Pathological is the gripping story of what it was like to live with those diagnoses, and the crippling impact each had on her life. It is also a rigorous investigation into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)—psychiatry’s “bible,” the manual from which all mental illness diagnoses come.
"Yet as Fay found out, some of our most prominent psychiatrists have been trying to warn us that the DSM is fiction sold to the public as fact.
"In Pathological, former advisory editor at The Paris Review and award-winning writer Fay calls for a new conversation about mental health diagnosis, one based on rigorous transparency.
"With exquisite detail and a precise presentation of fact, she digs up her own life at the root to finally ask, Is a diagnosis a lifeline or a self-fulfilling prophecy?"
Her site: sarahfay.org
Her book Cured: The Memoir "tells the story of Sarah’s full recovery from serious mental illness and how recovery is possible for everyone. It’s the sequel to Pathological. Read the exclusive publication on Substack.
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"Improv games cultivate openness and playfulness, relaxation and self-care."
Julie Skolnick, M.A., J.D. is Founder of With Understanding Comes Calm, with programs including the Let’s Talk 2e! Conference and The Haystack, a community for 2e Adults.
2E or twice exceptional people are gifted as well as experiencing learning differences or neurodivergent qualities such as dyslexia, ADHD, or autism.
Gordon Smith is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Coach, and Improv Instructor. His practice focuses on neurodivergent adolescents, adults, and families.
His site Gifted and Growing notes Improv can be defined “as the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted: created spontaneously by the performers.”
Learn about Online Improv for Gifted Adults (also online improv classes for 2E+ Teens, and for Families).
"The class offers a six-week experience in which we come together (on zoom) with 2e+ peers to explore, experiment, and play.
"Through Improv games and exercises we cultivate openness & playfulness, relaxation & self-care, emotional intelligence & empathy, and creative storytelling & expression."
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"When I made that choice to write the book, I wanted it on my terms as opposed to somebody else's."
Ulcca Joshi Hansen adds,
"That felt like a really important moment for me as an author because it was saying, you know, my gift, my voice, my ideas are important, and I need to trust them enough to put them out in the world in the ways that I think are right."
In this excerpt from their much longer podcast episode, Transformational Author mentor Christine Kloser talks with author Ulcca Joshi Hansen - a "mother, educator, researcher and advocate working to change the way we think about and do education.
"She believes each young person deserves the chance to discover their unique potential, and to explore what that means for how they contribute to the world. An internationally-recognized expert on educational transformation at the level of instruction, assessment, organizational design and policy systems, Ulcca has a BA in philosophy from Drew University, a PhD from the University of Oxford, and a JD from Harvard Law School."
Her book: The Future of Smart: How Our Education System Needs to Change to Help All Young People Thrive by Ulcca Joshi Hansen.
Hear the full episode "091: Ulcca Joshi Hansen – How to Succeed on Your Author Journey" in the Podcast section of the Get Your Book Done site by Christine Kloser.
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"The differences between the brains of highly effective creative achievers and the brains of the rest of us are far less important than the commonalities."
Shelley Carson continues in her book Your Creative Brain:
"There are certainly genetic differences that influence creativity, and of course, there will always be people who are more creative than others. However, through the study of highly creative brains, we’ve found that all of us have creative brains. We are all—barring serious brain injury—equipped with basically the same brain structures."
Shelley Carson earned her Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard University, where she continues to teach and conduct research on creativity, psychopathology, and resilience.
Topics in our audio interview related to the creative mind include:
- the seven brain activation patterns she discusses in her book
- the relation of creativity with ADHD
- flexibility in thought
- mood states like anxiety and fear.
This is a short clip from our much longer conversation for paid subscribers to The Creative Mind Newsletter (follow link to learn more).
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See more comments from artists and psychologists, plus links to resources, in article Creative People and Mental Health – Artists using therapy to be more creative.
This audio includes clips from three video interviews:
Jameela Jamil on unfollowing toxic people, when to cut people off, self-care, managing mental health
"What do I do to manage my mental health? So I've had therapy...EMDR therapy. That's eye movement desensitization reprocessing therapy. I also have unfollowed anyone who triggers me on social media..."
Think You Need Therapy? First Watch This
Russell Brand: "Most therapy I've been fortunate enough to have, particularly as an adult since i've been earning money, I paid for. But what I tell you is this: Many of us don't address the deep motivations and fears that are secretly governing our lives..."
Selena Gomez on How To Stop Insecurity & Truly Love Yourself To The Core
Jay Shetty - the On Purpose Podcast.
Selena Gomez: "I think that I just have to understand that my fears are only going to continue to show me what I'm capable of; the more that I face my fears the more that I feel I'm gaining strength, I'm gaining wisdom and I just want to keep doing that..."
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This audio is from the video version of an episode of the podcast ("Why Isn't Everyone Doing This?") by Emily Fletcher - titled "Embracing Your Emotions with Travis Van Winkle."
Host Emily Fletcher: "I am so delighted to share this conversation with you - today's guest is one of my new favorite people. He and I met at a friend's birthday party and we were stunned with how much we had in common - we both practiced the same style of meditation, we both studied in Rishikesh, India, we both used to be actors.
"He is still an actor, and happens to be a star of the Netflix series FUBAR with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"Today we're gonna go deep into why isn't everyone training their emotions - something Travis Van Winkle has been doing for the past 20 years.
"Emotional training does not just have to be for actors it's actually something that all of us can do."
Emily also says she is striving to "take these sacred potent ancient tools and make them more attractive and accessible to a mainstream audience."
She notes that she shared with her guest Travis "one of the practices I call Emotional Alchemy - we're basically just like dancing your feelings and alchemizing them into like pure Life Force creation energy."
Learn more in her free class: Secrets to Reduce Stress, Overcome Anxiety, and Improve Sleep.
Emily Fletcher is creator of The Ziva Technique, and has taught at Apple, Google, Harvard, and more.
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As psychotherapist Stephen A. Diamond Ph.D notes, "We were all once children, and still have that child dwelling within us. But most adults are quite unaware of this. And this lack of conscious relatedness to our own inner child is precisely where so many behavioral, emotional and relationship difficulties stem from."
From his Psychology Today post "Essential Secrets of Psychotherapy: The Inner Child."
This audio is a brief excerpt from an episode of The HSP Podcast hosted by high sensitivity therapist and author Julie Bjelland.
From her original Show Notes:
Julie Aird has seen firsthand how powerful and profound Inner Child Work can be for personal growth and transformation through her own experiences as well as her clients.
Julie is excited to share with you a specific inner child practice that she has found to be one of the most powerful tools used in her 30+ years of personal and spiritual work.
Working with the inner child is one of the tools Julie uses to help us nurture and release parts of us that are stuck in our past so that we can be totally present in our adult lives. It’s like learning to re-parent our inner child so we are free to move forward.
Julie Aird is an inspirational speaker, ICF-credentialed coach, spiritual director, and the Founder of Julie Aird Life Coaching. You can learn more about Julie and her work by visiting: https://julieaird.com.
Please Note: This inner child practice is one of the tools Julie Aird uses for personal growth and transformation within her capacity as a certified coach. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any illness or medical condition.
Julie Bjelland, LMFT, is an HSP psychotherapist specializing in high sensitivity, the author of The Empowered Highly Sensitive Person, and founder of the Sensitive Empowerment Community. Her HSP Podcast ranks among the top 5% of the most shared and followed podcasts worldwide.
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Listen to the full episode 172 Inner Child Healing-A Powerful Tool for Growing Self-Love with Julie Aird in The HSP Podcast section of Julie Bjelland's Sensitive Empowerment site, where you can find many more of her articles, books, courses, Sensitive Community and other resources.
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Aurora Remember of Embracing Intensity introduces her guest in this excerpt from the original podcast episode.
From the Show Notes:
"This week, we talk with Arianna Bradford, an ADHD productivity coach, about the best ways for adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to boost productivity in their daily lives.
We cover a range of topics, from common symptoms of ADHD and organizational strategies to productivity hacks and the Pomodoro technique. Arianna shares her expertise on how to set specific goals and prioritize tasks, as well as how to use the right tools and resources to get the most out of your work mode.
We also discuss the importance of taking breaks and transitioning between tasks, as well as how to manage ADHD symptoms in the workplace or in your personal life.
Whether you’re a project manager, creative professional, or simply looking to be more productive, this episode has something for everyone.
Arianna Bradford, an ADHD productivity coach, shares her tips for building productivity processes that work for neurodivergent brains.
Productivity for people with ADHD is not an arbitrary number or percentage, and should be set by the individual in regards to upcoming external deadlines.
Keeping all tasks and deadlines in one central place is important for feeling in control, and regularly reevaluating task priorities is crucial.
The ICNU method (Interest, Challenge, Novelty, Urgency) can help hack an ADHD brain and increase productivity, as can adding challenge and urgency, trying new approaches, and allowing for downtime."
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Hear the full episode, and see transcript and Show Notes for episode 261 ADHD Productivity with Arianna Bradford in the Podcast section of Embracing Intensity.
[Photo of Bradford is from her site - find link in the Show Notes.]
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See more neurodivergence-related posts and podcasts.
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Gracie King, a Positive Psychology Wellness Coach, talks with Jenn Granneman, the founder of "Introvert, Dear," and co-author of 'Sensitive' -The Hidden Power of the Highly Sensitive Person in a Loud, Fast, Too-Much World.'
This audio is an excerpt from a much longer HSP Podcast episode.
From Show Notes for the original episode pag:
Topics covered included:
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How Jenn, as an introverted HSP, balances demanding entrepreneurship with meeting her own sensitive needs
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Why Jenn feels passionate about educating the public about high sensitivity and advocating for HSPs and everyone to embrace the gifts of sensitivity
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What HSPs should carefully consider before deciding whether to have children
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How HSP parents can balance meeting their family's needs as well as their own
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How HSPs who want to change the world can do so without burning out
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Why the Sensitive Boost Effect gives hope to HSPs who struggle to appreciate their sensitive nature
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Ways to transition from Threat mode into Soothe mode
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What the world might look like after a Sensitive Revolution
Hear the full length episode "170-Interview with Jenn Granneman" at The HSP Podcast site.
Follow link to the Sensitive Empowerment site of therapist and author Julie Bjelland, LMFT with articles, books, podcast, free webinars, courses, the Sensitive Community and other resources.
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Support the showView selected episodes and articles with more resources: The Creative Mind Audio Podcast page on the main site.
"What does it look and feel like to be truly happy as an HSP?"
This is a brief excerpt from HSP Podcast episode 96: "What is Joy for an HSP?" with hosts Julie Bjelland, the founder of Sensitive Empowerment, and Willow McIntosh, the founder of Inluminance and leader of the High Sensory Intelligence movement.
Show Notes for the original episode:
Joy! What does it look and feel like to be truly happy as an HSP? What is it exactly we are striving for? Are we often comparing our happiness to what it looks like in non HSPs?
The pursuit of happiness is a huge topic in itself and is often referred to as being only attained through the acceptance that we can’t be happy all the time!
However it goes deeper and research indicates that happiness means the pursuit of meaning, service and authentic social relationships.
Whilst there is certainly a need for meaning, service and authentic relationships for us, how should we be pursuing this as HSPs? What do these things really look like for us?
What do we value as most important in our lives as HSPs that perhaps is not being acknowledged when we compare to the happiness of non HSPs? Are we truly recognising and honouring our needs?
Are we being honest about what truly makes us feel a sense of contentment, achievement and happiness?
Where might we be over processing or over complicating what happiness really means to us?
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Visit the Sensitive Empowerment site by Julie Bjelland to hear the full HSP Podcast episode 96: "What is Joy for an HSP?" and many other episodes.
Also at the site: take Julie’s free sensitivity quiz, explore her podcasts, books, free webinars, the Sensitive Community and other resources to "reduce the challenges and access your gifts."
The forest image for this Creative Mind Audio Podcast episode is from the information page for her program "Grow Your Heart-Centered Business" - follow link above to her site and click on the Courses tab.
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Related Creative Mind Newsletter Site post: How important is joy for our creative lives?
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Support the showView selected episodes and articles with more resources: The Creative Mind Audio Podcast page on the main site.
The first part of this audio is a clip from Elizabeth Gilbert's TED Talk video "Your elusive creative genius" (2009).
Gilbert comments: "When I was a teenager, when I first started telling people that I wanted to be a writer, I was met with this same sort of fear-based reaction.
"And people would say, "Aren't you afraid you're never going to have any success? Aren't you afraid the humiliation of rejection will kill you? Aren't you afraid that you're going to work your whole life at this craft and nothing's ever going to come of it and you're going to die on a scrap heap of broken dreams with your mouth filled with bitter ash of failure?" (Laughter)
"The answer -- the short answer to all those questions is, Yes, I'm afraid of all those things."
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The second part of the audio is an excerpt from a conversation between Gilbert and Kate Bowler, a New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, and professor at Duke University.
Kate: "You have this beautiful line [in 'Big Magic'] from the poet Jack Gilbert that I just I think about about once a week.
"And it is. 'Do you have the courage to bring forth this work? The treasures that are hidden inside you are hoping you will say yes.'
"When you describe wanting, needing to say no, just picture like putting things down in order to even notice the little glitter of something else that is beautiful, that shines, that discernment, that prudential wisdom - that sounds like it needs a certain kind of courage."
Elizabeth: "It does and again, everyone will be against it. Like this is the thing. Like it requires a kind of fortitude to disappoint people a lot.
"I was asked by an interviewer 'What is one thing that you can do to make your life better?' And I was like, Disappoint somebody today...get used to it. It’s good for them. It’s good for me when I get disappointed."
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See the TED Talk video and more quotes, plus links to Kate Bowler's podcast and other resources, in article Fear and courage and being creative - What does Elizabeth Gilbert say?
Support the showView selected episodes and articles with more resources: The Creative Mind Audio Podcast page on the main site.
"Learning how to give yourself what you needed as a child can be a powerful healing practice that can transform your life." - Julie Bjelland
This audio is from the HSP Podcast Episode 67: Reparent Your Sensitive Inner Child with Julie Bjelland and Willow McIntosh.
The Show Notes for the original episode include the quote above, plus:
Discussions in this episode:
Let’s explore the concept of caring for your inner child
Getting to know and connecting with your inner child. We share our stories too.
What did you need that you didn’t get?
Learning to listen to your inner child’s needs: validation, nurturing, honoring, healing
Is your self-talk truly yours or is it the voice of your parents, society, or culture?
Does your self-talk soothe you or stress you?
Practicing intentional reprogramming & changing the pattern
Growing more self-love: We can be loved at the level we love ourselves
We share some powerful practices that can support you
Here are what some of you said you needed as a child...
acceptance as myself as I was and encouragement, not being pushed to be like others
reassurance that everything was ok or would be.
Asking me: how are you? What is your opinion? How do you feel?
I needed encouragement, special attention, apart from the attention my siblings were getting.
I needed soothing.
that is was ok to have big feelings It's ok to be different than others I needed to be allowed to cry when I felt sad and hurt.
I needed nurturing.
I needed compassion and understanding about my sensitivity to noise. Instead, I was either ignored or told I was wrong and bad.
Julie Bjelland is a sensitivity expert, licensed psychotherapist, and author of several books, and teaches the online course Brain Training for the Highly Sensitive Person, Techniques to Reduce Anxiety and Overwhelming Emotions, highly recommended by psychologists Tara Brach Ph.D., and Rick Hanson Ph.D.
Willow McIntosh is the founder of Inluminance and leader of the High Sensory Intelligence movement. Unique circumstances during Willow’s childhood lead to the burying of his authentic self and complete misalignment to the work he was destined for. He began to carve his own path into understanding how people with sensory processing sensitivity can learn to use their genetic traits to their advantage.
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Listen to the full length Episode 67: Reparent Your Sensitive Inner Child with Julie Bjelland and Willow McIntosh at The HSP Podcast.
This link goes tp Julie Bjelland's Sensitive Empowerment site - where you can find many more of her articles, books, courses, the Sensitive Community and other resources.
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The photo is “The Walk to Paradise Garden” [1946] by W. Eugene Smith, which I really like and have used in multiple articles including Playing and being childlike to be more creative.
From the article: actor Kirsten Dunst once commented: “It’s so important in this business to stay open and childlike. You don’t want to block yourself. It’s really important to be affected by things.” Jamie Lee Curtis has claimed to be “as much of a child-adult as there is. I’m frozen at about 6 and a half.”
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“We’re the general contractors of our health, and there’s so many micro-changes we can make towards flourishing.” - Donna Jackson Nakazawa
This audio is a brief excerpt of her interview video at the Reset Super Conference titled Trauma and immune responses in the brain.
The Conference site summarizes some main points, and gives a profile:
- How chronic stress impacts our immune system
- The tie between the brain’s immune system responses and mental health
- Science-based practices to reprogram the brain
“Journalist and author Donna Jackson Nakazawa describes how chronic stressors can activate immune responses in the brain and cause anxiety, depression and even Alzheimer’s.
“Nakazawa is an award-winning science journalist, author of six books, and an internationally-recognized speaker whose work explores the intersection of neuroscience, immunology, and human emotion.
“Her book "The Angel and the Assassin: The Tiny Brain Cell That Changed the Course of Medicine" was named one of the best books of 2020 by Wired magazine. Her other books include Childhood Disrupted and The Last Best Cure.”
Learn about multiple programs by Donna Jackson Nakazawa, including “Your Healing Narrative: Write-to-Heal With Neural Re-Narrating™” and “Breaking Free From Trauma.”
See more in article How Trauma and stress impact our immune system and mental health.
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This is a short excerpt from a podcast episode with Julie Bjelland and Willow McIntosh on the topic of confidence. They are addressing highly sensitive people, but confidence is an issue for so many - even most - creative people.
From the Show Notes for the original episode:
I’ve noticed that so often something gets in the way of HSPs believing and accessing Confidence. Many of us have received messages our whole life that something is wrong with us for being so sensitive.
Or maybe we have been so overwhelmed by the challenges of our sensitive nervous system that we are in survival mode, instead of truly living our life with purpose.
Not having confidence can show up in the following ways:
not exploring your needs
not advocating for your needs
saying yes when you want to say no
not moving forward if something isn’t perfect or being stuck in fear of failure
not doing something you want because you are pleasing others instead
not believing you are worthy or good enough
not living a life that honors and aligns with your values ...
What is stopping you from what you want?
I’ve been hearing a lot of HSPs be held back from the worry of judgment from others or being different or listening to others' expectations of you, or even self-judgment and fear of failure. Why is that? What would it take for you to let go of that?
Worrying about what people think of us can zap our energy, taking away precious energy that could be used for creativity, growing, and embracing our life.
Can we instead live in a space that honors our needs in the world?
Can we stop thinking we need to fit in and be perfect and embrace our uniqueness?
Can we commit to a more conscious way of living?
Can we stay aware of which tools we need to use and develop to get out of survival mode and thrive?
Can we practice self-compassion when we don’t get it all right?
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Julie Bjelland is "the founder of Sensitive Empowerment. As a sensitivity expert and psychotherapist, her books, online courses, and Sensitive Empowerment Community have helped highly sensitive people (HSPs) worldwide reduce their challenges, access their gifts, and discover their significant value to thrive to their fullest potential.
Willow McIntosh is the founder of Inluminance and leader of the High Sensory Intelligence movement.
Hear the full Episode 117: Confidence: Let’s Explore Where it Comes From and How to Get it, with Julie & Willow at The HSP Podcast.
Also see article with videos and resources by other psychologists and coaches:
How We Can Develop Healthier Self Esteem, Self-Acceptance and Confidence.
Thumbnail image: actor Bill Nighy once commented: “You come to realize there is this huge disparity between what you think about yourself and your work and what other people think about you and your work, at first you either think they’re insane or that it’s a conspiracy to make you look stupid. Or maybe, just maybe, they’re right, and you’re sometimes quite good at what you do.”
From my article Nurture your healthy self-esteem to thrive as an actor and artist.
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Support the showView selected episodes and articles with more resources: The Creative Mind Audio Podcast page on the main site.
Show Notes for the original podcast episode with Julie Bjelland, the founder of Sensitive Empowerment, and Willow McIntosh, founder of Inluminance.
(This audio is a brief excerpt.)
HSPs [highly sensitive people] tend to be over-givers and toxic people tend to be over-takers.
This dynamic has been played out for many of us either in our families, friendships, romantic relationships, or even with work colleagues.
In healthy relationships, we should feel comfortable to be ourselves and feel good around them, you feel accepted for who you are, they can compromise and be understanding, and you can work through conflicts in healthy ways.
Recognizing Red Flags in Toxic Relationships
They might be very self-absorbed, not attentive, and have a sense of entitlement, and require excessive admiration
They put you down, you don’t feel good about yourself when with them
Monopolize conversations or look down on people.
Ignore your needs
Take advantage of others to get what they want
Not willing to compromise or recognize the needs and feelings of others
Become impatient or angry when they don't get what they want or receive special treatment
Have significant problems in their relationships and easily feel slighted
React with rage or contempt and try to belittle the other person to make themselves appear superior
Have difficulty regulating emotions and behavior... (continued on page for the original episode)
If you are experiencing abuse in your relationship, please reach out for support and visit the national domestic violence hotline that offers free, confidential support and many resources to help too at https://www.thehotline.org/ or Call 1.800.799.SAFE (7233).
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Enjoy the full length original episode "Episode 104: How to Avoid and Heal From Toxic Relationships, with Julie and Willow" - see link on the The HSP Podcast page on Julie Bjelland's Sensitive Empowerment site, where you can find her many articles, books, courses, Sensitive Community and other resources.
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Also register for free webinar by Julie Bjelland, LMFT: How to Set Healthy Boundaries and Why it’s Essential for Wellness as an HSP.
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This episode is included in article How Can Highly Sensitive People enjoy healthier relationships and deal with toxic people?
Some excerpts of the content:
People with more sensitive personalities “need help with intimacy.” Elaine Aron, PhD
“Highly sensitive people tend to be over-givers and toxic people tend to be over-takers.” Julie Bjelland, LMFT
“You can actually transform your relationship with a narcissist and feel valued, honored and respected.” Rebecca Zung
“Energy vampires are people who suck our energy dry.” Judith Orloff M.D.
“Why do some of the nicest, kindest and most thoughtful of us find ourselves painfully connected to narcissists?” Dr. Debi Silber
The image is from the movie ‘Twilight‘ - an example of toxic relationships, according to writer Melissa Girimonte, who describes the romance between vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Bella (Kristen Stewart).
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Artist, mentor and business coach Nicola Newman notes:
"Whether you're an artist, writer, or entrepreneur, it's natural to encounter obstacles in your creative journey."
This audio is from her longer podcast episode, in which she explores "gentle techniques for moving through these barriers and reigniting your creative spark."
Hear her full podcast episode, see transcript, and learn more about her resources, in article How to Overcome Creative Blocks and Reignite Your Creative Spark with Nicola Newman.
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“His take was like, you don’t have ADHD – that’s crazy of you to think that. You’re just gifted.” Chris Wells
This audio is a brief excerpt from “Overexcitability with Chris Wells” (founder of The Dąbrowski Center) - a guest interview available to members of the Embracing Intensity Community by Aurora Remember.
“The work of Kazimierz Dabrowski provides an excellent framework in which to understand the supersensitivity or overexcitability frequently found in the intellectually or creatively gifted.” Sharon Lind
See much more, including this audio, the transcript, and link to free resources from Embracing Intensity, in article:
How mental health symptoms can be reframed as positive - Chris Wells on Overexcitability
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“Being a sensitive empath is a beautiful thing as an artist, and it fosters a deep burning curiosity about why we do the things we do.” - Musician Alanis Morissette
She is featured in the documentary “Sensitive – The Untold Story” - based on the work of Dr. Elaine Aron and her research on the innate trait of high sensitivity, or sensory processing sensitivity.
The first part of this episode is from the conversation between Morissette and Dr. Aron in the movie.
The second part is an excerpt from an interview by author Cheryl Richardson.
See videos about the documentary and the trait, plus resources, in article On Being a Highly Sensitive Person – a Trait With Strong Gifts and Challenges.
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Author and executive coach Melody Wilding, LMSW "help sensitive high-achievers overcome the emotional challenges of success in the workplace."
She comments in a post that the traits of highly sensitive people “are often seen as weaknesses, but they may actually be your biggest professional strengths.
“A Sensitive Striver is a high-achiever who is also more sensitive to their emotions, the world, and the behavior of those around them.”
This audio is a brief excerpt from her 2023 Trauma Super Conference presentation "Navigating high sensitivity in the workplace."
See more details in article How our high sensitivity may be our biggest professional strength.
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In their podcast episode "The Importance of Understanding Our Value as HSPs," Willow McIntosh and Julie Bjelland talk about how we can value ourselves more as a highly sensitive person.
From their podcast Show Notes:
"The notion of value can mean different things. Yet in the context of personal value, it can mean the difference between a life of struggle and one of meaning and abundance. As HSPs, the value we bring to the world is often connected to our ability to process more deeply."
This audio is from the much longer podcast episode - see the video version, and find links to resources, in the article:
How Understanding Our Self-Value as a Highly Sensitive Person Helps Us Live More Fully.
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"But it’s not just work-related stress that can contribute to feelings of burnout. The household chores, long shifts, and a lack of much free time can also play a role."
From the Embracing Intensity podcast episode show notes:
Overcome Burnout
Welcome to From Burnout to Brilliance, a talk that explores the best ways to manage work-related stress and overcome burnout. In this episode, we have the privilege of speaking with Dr. Zarya Rubin, a Harvard trained MD turned functional medicine health coach, who will be sharing her insights and expertise on this important topic.
With the World Health Organization recognizing job burnout as a medical diagnosis, it’s more important than ever to pay attention to the signs of burnout, particularly for those in stressful jobs such as health care workers and first responders.
With long hours, heavy workloads, unreasonable time pressures, and a lack of self-care, it’s not surprising that many people experience burnout.
But it’s not just work-related stress that can contribute to feelings of burnout. The household chores, long shifts, and a lack of much free time can also play a role.
How to Deal With Burnout
We will take a closer look at the effects of burnout, including physical symptoms, mental exhaustion, and emotional exhaustion. We will also discuss the early signs of burnout and what you can do if you feel like you’re experiencing burnout.
From the importance of self-care habits, such as a healthy diet, spending time with family members, and deep breathing, to seeking professional help, Dr. Rubin will provide guidance on how to address burnout and begin the recovery process.
Dr. Zarya Rubin talks about the period of her life when she was doing a subspecialty neurologic fellowship at Columbia.
"Every day I just felt pretty miserable. I was exhausted and it was like a deep bone tiredness that I just couldn’t get out of bed."
"From all external measures, I was at the top of my game and I was outwardly very, very, very successful. But success does not always feel good on the inside."
You can find the full discussion and video presentation in the Embracing Intensity Guest Call Library.
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This audio is an excerpt of Embracing Intensity podcast 258: Overcome Burnout w/ Dr. Zarya Rubin, which is a shorter audio version of the video presentation Burnout to Brilliance.
See page for The Embracing Intensity Free Resource Library - a collection of resources from the Embracing Intensity Course Membership & Planner Club.
The signup page includes links to podcasts, videos and information about the Membership, which includes the Guest Call Library.
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"We often confuse giftedness with achievement, or executive functioning skills."
In one of her Embracing Intensity Podcast episodes, Aurora Remember talks about why so many of us as adults may think we've "lost" our giftedness.
Here are some of her notes for the video and related podcast episode.
I wasn’t sure what to talk about for today’s podcast when I happened upon Paula Prober’s blog post, Can Gifted Kids Become Ungifted Adults?
Hint: No. But read the full post for her take.
This got me thinking how I’ve observed as I’ve followed more neurodiverse folks on social media that people will often refer to their own giftedness in past tense and in quotes like “I was a ‘gifted’ kid,” as if giftedness was not something that still affected them now as an adult.
I got to speak with Nadja Cereghetti, host of a podcast for gifted adults called Unleash Monday, and we talked a lot about how a lot of gifted adults either don’t know they are gifted or no longer think they are.
In this episode:
We often confuse giftedness with achievement, or executive functioning skills.
Highly gifted folks don’t always fit the standard achievement picture because their thinking is outside the typical box.
Acknowledging our giftedness allows us to connect with our strengths and values to figure out what achievement really looks like for us.
Finding ways to support us in our executive functioning and self regulation skills can help us harness our energy in a positive direction.
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See video and more in article on my High Ability site: You were an exceptional kid. Are you still gifted as an adult?
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In her presentation “Antidotes for trauma in girls,” journalist and author Donna Jackson Nakazawa "outlines today’s growing female adolescent mental health crisis, examines how trauma affects the female brain and body uniquely, and offers hope for combating this adversity."
For example, she notes that estrogen "is the source of the reason why the female adolescent brain is a freaking superpower...But in unhealthy or overly stressful environments - which I argue our kids are living in and especially girls - it can flip to an evolutionary disadvantage where it amps up the stress response."
This audio is from her much longer presentation (recording available) at the Trauma Super Conference 2023.
Learn about multiple programs by Donna Jackson Nakazawa, including "Your Healing Narrative: Write-to-Heal With Neural Re-Narrating™" and "Breaking Free From Trauma."
One of her books: Girls on the Brink: Helping Our Daughters Thrive in an Era of Increased Anxiety, Depression, and Social Media.
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How does EMDR work? Can it help people recover from trauma, PTSD, addiction and other kinds of emotional health challenges?
The audio in the first segment is from a video conversation between Russell Brand and actor Jameela Jamil ('The Good Place' series).
Psychologist Cheryl Arutt finds EMDR is a "psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from distressing life experiences, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and panic disorders." The second segment is an excerpt from her TED Talk "That Good Feeling of Control".
See videos and more in article:
Can EMDR Therapy Relieve Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, Addiction and more?
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In the first part of this episode, therapist and a life coach Aileen Kelleher (photo) expands on how people with a "high intensity, sensitive type of personality" may experience perfectionism.
She notes it can be associated with depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and other mental health problems.
She adds "there are certain overlaps of characteristics of gifted people that also relate to perfectionism. There's the high expectations of yourself and others, there's this sensitivity, which will leave us easily wounded, and have a need for emotional support, high levels of frustration."
(See more in the transcript.)
The second part of this episode is an excerpt from a podcast: "Perfectionism & Procrastination: Two sides of the same coin?" by Aurora Remember.
She notes "There's an intersection between perfectionism and giftedness that a lot of people experience.
"For me perfectionism and procrastination have been two areas where my own brain has been in conflict over the years. Instead of fighting against these tendencies, I’ve found ways to flow with them more effectively."
Aurora Remember is a school psychologist, neurodiverse coach and founder of Embracing Intensity, with resources and programs which help you "identify and use your neurodivergent strengths, while supporting your challenges.”
The audio with Aileen Kelleher is a brief excerpt of a 45 minute video conversation in the Guest Call library available to Embracing Intensity members.
The Embracing Intensity Free Resource Library includes links to podcasts, videos, Course Membership and more.
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This audio is a brief excerpt from HSP Podcast Episode 164: Saving HSP Lives and Improving Mental Health by therapist Julie Bjelland.
Show Notes include:
In a recent survey of 326 HSPs collected over five days between December 17-22, 2022:
over 90% of HSPs have had thoughts of suicide.
over 18% have attempted suicide
almost 33% use alcohol or drugs to numb emotional pain.
We can learn a lot from this survey on how to support and save HSP lives.
Things that were named that make it hard to cope:
Overwhelming and intense emotions
Sensory overload
Absorbing the suffering of others and the world
Feeling different and misunderstood
Not understanding how to support their sensitivity
In the survey, HSPs also identified three main areas that helped them cope, which we can use to help others. Within each of the three areas, I have resources.
Learning About the Trait of High Sensitivity
Self-Care the HSP Way
Supportive People
Visit The HSP Podcast page for links to resources, and listen to full Episode 164: Saving HSP Lives and Improving Mental Health (46 min).
You will also find links to her articles, books, courses, The Sensitive Empowerment Community and other resources.
See more in related article How to Improve Mental Health and Save Lives of Highly Sensitive People.
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Support the showView selected episodes and articles with more resources: The Creative Mind Audio Podcast page on the main site.
"Marie Kondo’s method of tidying can be applied to your mind as well as your stuff."
Aurora Remember is founder of Embracing Intensity, with resources and programs which help you "identify and use your neurodivergent strengths, while supporting your challenges.” Her site includes podcasts, videos, a membership community with interviews and more.
In the introduction to her podcast episode 255: Tidying Up Your Brain, Marie Kondo Style, Aurora notes:
"As neurodivergent creatives, we often find ourselves overwhelmed with too much stuff both in our environment and in our minds. We may be overrun with office supplies, craft supplies, and/or miscellaneous things that support our hyperfixations or latest hyperfocus.
"The ADHD brain is especially prone to mental clutter, and when our environment is a mess it’s even harder to quiet our thoughts. On our last guest call, Nadja Cereghetti shared how you can use the Marie Kondo approach to tidy your brain!"
See more - including transcript, and link to The Embracing Intensity Free Resource Library - in article How decluttering Marie Kondo style can help our intense mind with Nadja Cereghetti.
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"If you think you are gifted, you probably are."
This is an excerpt from the podcast episode "Gifted and 2E Assessment" by Aurora Remember, founder of Embracing Intensity, with programs which help you "identify and use your neurodivergent strengths, while supporting your challenges.”
From her Show Highlights:
Considerations that are universal to all assessment types:
If you think you are gifted, you probably are.
Make sure the person doing the evaluation has experience with giftedness and twice-exceptionality.
Realize that every assessment will have limitations and strengths, and every evaluator will have personal biases.
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Listen to full Embracing Intensity podcast episode and see links to her free resources, and more, in article Benefits and Limitations for Being Evaluated as a Gifted or Twice Exceptional Adult.
https://highability.org/7752/
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"The work is like when the word and your impulse and your emotional life all connect up and it's really like nothing else in the world. It's like, your whole body is electric. And you chase that.
"But I think the profession is cruel, and particularly to women..."
Like many artists, Zoe Kazan was drawn to acting at an early age:
"I saved all of my money from babysitting and being a camp counselor, and paid for my own acting classes and took the bus before I could drive to acting class.
"I was bound and determined to show my parents that I was serious about becoming an actor."
Zoe Swicord Kazan was born in Los Angeles, California, to screenwriters Nicholas Kazan and Robin Swicord. She received her BA in Theater from Yale University.
(From her imdb profile; photo from her movie 'She Said.')
This audio content comes from three short videos
See links and transcript in article:
How artists thrive with challenges of a career - Zoe Kazan on acting
https://thecreativemind.net/8471/
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Aurora Remember is founder of the Embracing Intensity, with programs which help you "identify and use your neurodivergent strengths, while supporting your challenges.”
This audio is from a video version of her Podcast 205: Twice Exceptionality - When Giftedness Meets ADHD.
Topics:
~ Why the topic of twice exceptionality, or 2E, is important to me.
~ Why it’s important to talk about twice exceptionality.
~ Why it often goes overlooked.
~ How to recognize when you might be both gifted and ADHD.
~ Common themes from assessing 2E ADHD students.
~ Strategies that might help if you fit this profile.
See the video, plus links to Embracing Intensity Membership and other resources, in article:
Living better the complex life of being 2e gifted, neurodivergent, with ADHD.
https://thecreativemind.net/8410/
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Dr Aimie talks about “the effects of trauma on the fear of being seen for who we truly are, the fear of truly being known.
“Trauma results in this belief that we are different, that we’re not enough, that there’s something about us that pushes people away or that we’re too much for other people.
“And so if they were to truly know us – all parts of us – then they would leave us, then they would kick us out, then they would reject us, abandon us.
"And those feelings of being abandoned and being different are so painful that our system responds in a self-protective way…”
This audio is from her longer video "How To Be Your Authentic Self & Recover From Attachment Trauma" - See the video in article How attachment styles and trauma impact our lives and relationships.
https://thecreativemind.net/8392/
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This audio is a brief excerpt from the over 1 hour conversation "Imposter Syndrome with Kate Arms" with host Aurora Remember of Embracing Intensity.
Kate Arms is "a personal and business coach at Signal Fire Coaching. She loves helping smart, sensitive, and creative people harness their many passions, skills, and sensitivities and use that energy to thrive."
Notes for a related Embracing Intensity podcast with Arms:
Impostor syndrome is something that most people have felt at some point or another. Intense people may feel this in magnified ways, as the world tells them they are not welcome as they are.
Impostor Syndrome, also known as impostor phenomenon, is a term used to describe feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt.
It is often associated with being a member of an underrepresented group. It is common among high achievers, especially when they lack positive feedback from others. This can lead to reduced job satisfaction.
High-achieving women are especially prone to impostor feelings when their personality traits don’t conform to gender expectations. People with neurodivergences and/or mental health conditions may also experience negative thoughts around not fitting in.
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The full length interview is one of many guest calls available to subscribers of the Embracing Intensity Membership.
Learn about the Ignite Your Power Course and Membership.
Use coupon code for 75% off bundles and first month of membership: CREATIVEMIND
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“My ability to be this vulnerable is my true strength.”
"We’ve all had these moments of trauma. Those exiled parts of ourselves immediately go under lock and key and we say, Nope, I never want to feel that again.”
"But what’s beautiful and what’s most hopeful and heart opening is that we also have this part of us, this ever-present energy within us, known as Self, with a capital S... the undamaged, resourced, adult part of who we are, the energy of love."
Gabby Bernstein is a number one New York Times bestselling author with nine books, including "Happy Days: The Guided Path from Trauma to Profound Freedom and Inner Peace."
This audio is from a video conversation between Sounds True founder Tami Simon and Gabby Bernstein. See the video and links to her book, to Sounds True, and more in article How we heal our trauma and addiction wounds with author Gabby Bernstein.
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A profile on her site notes, "After years of feeling 'too much,' Aurora Remember finally realized that intensity is the source of her greatest power.
"Now instead of beating herself up about not measuring up to her own self-imposed standards, she is on a mission to help gifted and outside-the-box thinkers befriend their brains and use their fire without getting burned through her Embracing Intensity Podcast and community, coaching, and strengths-based educational assessment."
Her site Embracing Intensity "helps you identify and use your neurodivergent strengths, while supporting your challenges."
This audio is an excerpt from one of her videos.
Watch the video - and learn about her Embracing Intensity Membership program - in article: 2E Adult, Gifted, Neurodivergence - Do labels help? With Aurora Remember.
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Linda Roggli is one of the speakers at the Let's Talk 2E Conference For Adults, hosted by Julie Skolnick.
Her live presentation was titled Free to Be ADHD (and 2e).
The site for the Conference summarizes:
Linda Roggli is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC), award-winning author and founder of the A-D-Diva Network for ADHD women 40-and-better.
She is an internationally-recognized expert in midlife and senior ADHD. She co-founded the annual ADHD Women’s and ADHD Parents’ Palooza, two weeks of online conversation with 30+ ADHD experts. (adhdpalooza.com)
She also created the popular ADHD Get Organized program which features live organizing sessions.
Linda’s book Confessions of an ADDiva: midlife in the non-linear lane won first prize for women’s issues in the prestigious Next Generation Indy Book Awards competition.
She chairs the webinar committee for ADDA. She lives in Durham, NC with her slightly OCD husband, one OCD cat, four adorable ADHD Shelties and 15 cackling hens.
Owning an ADHD brain has its challenges — time blindness, trouble with initiation and completion, impatience, impulsivity. And they are magnified with the ‘gift’ of 2e at work and home (“If you’re so smart, why can’t you keep a job?”
With strong heritability, it also impacts parenting (“I’m sorry I forgot to pick you up after school! ”)
The paradox of high intelligence coupled with high distractibility is difficult to explain, even to ourselves.
But many ADHD adults, especially those diagnosed in later life, admit they have managed their lives by out-thinking everyone else in the room.
There is a high price for this hyper-vigilance — anxiety, exhaustion and eventual burnout.
Understanding the complex interaction between ADHD, executive function and giftedness is the first step toward creating a life that is authentic and richly rewarding.
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Learn more about speakers and recordings of the Let's Talk 2E Conference For Adults.
~~~
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This audio is part of a conversation between Julie Bjelland, LMFT, and host Bevin Niemann at the 2022 Empaths, Sensitives & Intuitives Summit.
From notes by Julie Bjelland for the original webinar:
"I'll discuss the three steps to conscious wellness for Highly Sensitive People and Empaths. Learn about high sensitivity, understand brain differences making you more susceptible to anxiety, and how to regulate your sensitive nervous system.
"Live consciously, guided by your body cues and intuition, doing what's right for you, and self-care the HSP way."
Julie Bjelland, LMFT, is a psychotherapist specializing in high sensitivity, host of The HSP Podcast and the Sensitive Empowerment Community, author of books, online courses, articles, and free webinars.
To listen to the original, full length Shift Network audio, see Episode 160: Lower Anxiety, Improve Wellness and Discover Your Sensitive Gifts of The HSP Podcast.
Follow link to Julie Bjelland's Sensitive Empowerment site to find many more of her articles, books, courses, Sensitive Community and other resources.
Related Creative Mind Audio episode: How Can Highly Sensitive People Manage Anxiety?
[The image above for this episode is "Silence the Sun - Faceless" by Mario S. Nevado on his Facebook page.]
Support the showView selected articles and subscribe to newsletter in The Creative Mind Magazine.
This audio is an excerpt from the presentation "Simple Self-Care for Sensitive Souls" by Julie Bjelland for the 2021 version of The Empaths, Sensitives and Intuitives Summit, with host Melissa Schwartz.
The Summit page noted Julie Bjelland, LMFT, is "a psychotherapist who specializes in working with people dealing with the trait of high sensitivity.
"She's host of The HSP Podcast, and founder of the Sensitive Empowerment Community, whose mission is to create a paradigm shift where sensitivity is embraced, valued, and honored."
Julie recalls "before I knew about this trait and supported myself with it - that I felt like I was this raw exposed nerve, like I just almost needed some armor on me, to protect myself, I felt so sensitive and so beaten down and so overwhelmed.
"I thought I wasn't smart, I thought I wasn't capable. I was depressed and anxious. These are actually pretty common for a lot of sensitive people.
"And unfortunately, a lot of medical and mental health providers don't know about these traits, and HSPs are getting misdiagnosed, put on medication they don't need that's actually making it worse."
But, she adds, "doing things like a breath technique to slow down the heart rate, or giving yourself those little mindfulness and meditation breaks throughout the day, and having that alone time every day, getting into nature everyday, these are things that will absolutely help us thrive."
The Sensitive Empowerment site of Julie Bjelland - articles, books, podcast, free webinars, courses, the Sensitive Community and other resources.
Also see article with videos and more: Challenges and thriving as a highly sensitive person.
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Paula Prober is a psychotherapist and consultant specializing in counseling gifted adults and youth.
This is an excerpt of her conversation at the 2021 edition of the Empaths, Sensitives & Intuitives Summit. She is interviewed by host Melissa Schwartz.
A page for the summit by The Shift Network summarizes:
"Do you feel like not enough and too much at the same time?
"Are you accused of always overthinking, when all you see around you are underthinkers?
"Do people tell you that you are too smart, too intense, too sensitive, too creative, too curious, too verbal, too persnickety, and too opinionated?
"If so, you might have a rainforest mind."
[See The Shift Network site for the 2022 Empaths, Sensitives & Intuitives Summit.]
In her article "Counseling Gifted Adults – A Case Study” Paula Prober writes about Susan, who “had known that she was different since she was seven.
“Her thoughts and feelings had never fit into the box that was comfortable and reassuring for most children.
“Her appetite for learning was insatiable. Reading was more nourishing than food."
See related article with more by Prober, therapist Sharon M. Barnes, John Lennon, and others: Gifted and creative adults are different from an early age.
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Therapist Julie Bjelland interviews Sydney James in this brief excerpt from an HSP Podcast episode.
Sydney notes "Being a Highly Sensitive Person has its own unique set of challenges and beautiful moments.
"When we factor in the added worldview of being a person of color, it changes the way in which we identify and relate to our sensitivities and sometimes we may not give ourselves permission to show up authentically...
"I want my HSP audience to receive the message that they don't have to align with the narrative that sensitivity means weakness and can embrace that side of themselves if it's there."
The page for this episode of the HSP Podcast adds:
"Sydney promotes healing, nurturing an authentic self-image and strengthening relationships in all that she does.
"Sydney is on a mission through The Sensitive Black Girl community to empower black women to embrace their sensitivity as a superpower and meet other women they can relate to. She is also the owner of Black On Black Therapy, a virtual safe space supportive of sensitive souls, LGBTIQ+ affirming and social justice oriented.
"Sydney is a Highly Sensitive Black Woman herself and dedicated to continuing the conversation of the HSP trait in the black community. www.blackonblacktherapy.com
Hear the full length episode and see more links on the page for Episode 116 Being a Highly Sensitive Person While Black with Sydney James - visit the The HSP Podcast on Julie Bjelland's Sensitive Empowerment site - where you can find many more of her articles, books, courses, Sensitive Community and other resources.
Support the showView selected articles and subscribe to newsletter in The Creative Mind Paper.
"Big life changes (even positive ones!) can turn our worlds upside down."
Gracie King, a Positive Psychology Wellness Coach, asks "So how can we better navigate the big changes that interrupt our finely honed routines?"
The Show Notes on Julie Bjelland's site for this podcast explains this episode specifically addresses highly sensitive people (HSPs) - but Gracie King's perspectives can be helpful for anyone dealing with change:
"This event addresses why change impacts HSPs so much, and how we can better prepare for expected changes and bounce back sooner from unexpected ones.
"Several tools are offered for maneuvering effectively through change using openness, curiosity, and lightness."
Hear the full podcast episode "159: Navigating Change as HSPs with Gracie King" at The HSP Podcast - plus other episodes.
Follow the link to find many more articles, podcasts, books, courses and other resources by Julie Bjelland.
The short comment at the end by Buddhist teacher and author Pema Chödrön is from the video The Noble Journey From Fear to Fearlessness.
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Artist Kate Shepherd interviews psychologist Cheryl Arutt in this brief excerpt from an episode of the Creative Genius podcast.
The episode summary on Shepherd's site includes:
Have you ever wondered any of these: What the science is behind creativity? What causes creativity in the brain? What part of the brain is used in creativity? Or maybe even how to activate creativity in the brain?
In this episode Kate speaks with Dr. Cheryl Arutt a clinical and forensic psychologist based in Los Angeles, California working with actors, writers, directors and showrunners supporting their psychological well-being.
A specialist in trauma recovery, creativity and post-traumatic growth, Dr. Cheryl is currently Access Hollywood’s go-to psychologist for trauma issues, a frequent psychological expert on many networks including CNN, HLN and DiscoveryID, and has been interviewed by the BBC and 20/20 Australia.
For more information about Dr. Cheryl please visit drcherylarutt.com, and for info about her [upcoming] online courses for creative artists please visit www.thecreativeresilience.com
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Listen to full episode: Dr. Cheryl Arutt Clinical & Forensic Psychologist : The Brain Science of Creativity
Listen to related episode, an excerpt from my interview: Psychologist Cheryl Arutt on Emotional Health and Creative People
That episode is also in article Psychologist Cheryl Arutt on Emotional Health and Creative People
⏺ Did you enjoy this episode? 💬 Leave a comment or Voice Comment.
~~~
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Show Notes from podcast episode page on Julie Bjelland's site:
Willow McIntosh is the founder of Inluminance and leader of the High Sensory Intelligence movement. He shares:
As HSPs we actually have an advantage when it comes to discovering our purpose. Our ability to process the world at a deeper level allows us particular abilities.
These abilities are intended and why the trait naturally occurs in 20% of the population.
The way in which we each process the world from a sensory point of view is unique to each of us, yet it is happening for a reason. A reason that is linked to areas of life we each care deeply about.
By exploring what matters to us most and considering how we have had particular callings since we were children, helps us to see how our sensory perception is actually designed to serve them.
It is through this inquiry that we can begin to reveal innate areas of competence and how we can serve the world in a way that is deeply fulfilling.
This in turn is how we can each find our area of interest and how this begins to reveal our purpose.
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This is a brief excerpt - hear the full podcast episode, read profiles of Julie and Willow, and see list of Resources & Links - Find Episode 158: How to Discover Your Purpose as an HSP with Willow and Julie at The HSP Podcast.
~~~
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Julie Bjelland is a Psychotherapist specializing in high sensitivity, host of The HSP Podcast, and Founder of the Sensitive Empowerment Community, whose mission is to "create a paradigm shift where sensitivity is embraced, valued, and honored. Julie offers multiple essential resources for educating, inspiring, and empowering HSPs."
This audio is a brief excerpt from one of her free webinars.
In a related post, she writes "Understanding the trait of high sensitivity is life-changing and the first step in moving out of survival mode and into thriving to your fullest potential.
"We have brain differences that evolved for the survival of the population. We don’t need to change ourselves, we just need to learn about our needs, normalize our experience, and use tools that support a sensitive nervous system.
"Everyone around you benefits when you are centered, balanced, and thriving. You will feel more energy, productive, creative, and be able to access the many gifts of this trait!"
Register for free webinar Understanding High Sensitivity Including Tools & Resources to Thrive - "Learn about the trait of high sensitivity. Plus, you’ll receive a downloadable copy of all my recommended resources to help you calm and balance the sensitive nervous system, sleep better, and improve your wellness."
Also see her listing of HSP Resources Supporting Highly Sensitive People.
~~~~~
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High sensitivity therapist and author Julie Bjelland introduces Andrea Weber in this brief excerpt of an episode of Bjelland's HSP Podcast for helping highly sensitive people.
Environmental Sensitivities and our HSP trait
Andrea Weber notes: "While environmentally sensitive people can be adversely affected by things like eme (electromagnetic energy), chemicals, mold, and other pollutants, highly sensitive people can be adversely affected by the energy of those around them and the spaces they are in.
"Knowing that I have the HSP trait and being able to understand my needs because of this has made a huge contribution to my level of self-acceptance and prioritizing of self-care and compassion, which has also helped in the management of environmental sensitivities.
"It’s important to note that not everyone who is environmentally sensitive has the HSP trait and not everyone who is an HSP has environmental sensitivities."
~~~
Read more, listen to the full podcast interview with Julie Bjelland, and find links to resources, in this article: How Sensitive People Can Manage Environmental Sensitivity with Andrea Weber.
~~~~
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"Highly sensitive people (HSPs) experience the world differently and we also need to take care of ourselves in unique ways.
"This episode will help validate your experience in the world and provide useful tips to support a higher level of wellness."
Highly Sensitive Psychotherapist Julie Bjelland, LMFT, writing about an episode of her HSP Podcast.
Hear the full episode, and see list of Resources & Links Mentioned in Episode, in article "Conscious Living and Wellness for Your Life as a Highly Sensitive Person."
~~~
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What is Twice exceptional or 2e? Julie Skolnick explains "This is a person identified as gifted with a learning difference or learning disability.
"Now, why did I say person? Why didn't I say kid? Well, because we don't outgrow our giftedness or our 2e-ness. It's something that's with us throughout our life and something we need to understand and manage and love so we can live our best lives."
The audio here is from two of her videos: "What is Twice Exceptional / 2e?" and "Emotion Regulation and the Twice Exceptional Profile."
See the videos and much more about the program she hosts in my article How To Thrive More as a High Ability Adult – the Let’s Talk 2e Adult Conference.
Julie Skolnick M.A., J.D. is "the Founder of With Understanding Comes Calm, LLC, through which she passionately guides parents of gifted and distractible children, mentors 2e adults, trains teachers on how to understand and address 2e strengths and struggles."
~~~
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"Everyone has experienced trauma."
Keesha Ewers, PhD continues in a post: "Trauma can be experienced as physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Research tells us that the physical kind is much easier to recover from than the other three types.
"In addition to the four kinds of trauma, there is also TRAUMA and there is trauma. I call capital “T” trauma the kind you usually think about when you hear the word trauma: physical violence, sexual abuse, emotional and mental and spiritual neglect/abandonment, and undernourishment.
"This is the kind of trauma I studied in my 2013 Healing Un-Resolved Trauma (HURT) Study. I found that the initial wound along our developmental map created architectural changes in the brain, nervous system and our belief and behavior patterns."
~~~
The first part of this audio is from her video "The Impact on Your Health from Stressful Childhood Events."
One of the related resources by Dr. Ewers is The Adverse Childhood Experience Quiz - "Do you ever wonder the ways in which your childhood may be impacting your life today? This is a way to quantify some of your traumas from early life."
The 2nd part of the audio is from a video about her program "You Unbroken."
Dr. Ewers summarizes: “This program consists of me guiding you through videos, worksheets, and audio recordings through a trauma healing program for emotional freedom. Make sure you know that you might also need a therapist.
"The program gives you the tools you need to become attuned and aware of your emotional world and will help you stay that way in spite of the inevitable stressful situations in your life."
Learn more about You Unbroken.
~~~
Dr. Keesha Ewers is "board certified in functional medicine and Ayurvedic medicine. She is a doctor of sexology, a trauma-informed psychotherapist, a family practice advanced registered nurse practitioner with a specialty in integrative medicine, a conscious dying doula and the founder and medical director of the Academy for Integrative Medicine Health Coach Certification Program."
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Diane Poole Heller Ph.D. is "an internationally recognized speaker, author, and expert in the field of child and adult attachment theory as well as trauma resolution."
The first part (about 2 min) of this audio is an intro for her online course Healing Your Attachment Wounds.
The Sounds True publisher site summarizes her audio program:
"Why do we experience recurring struggles in our relationships? And why do traumatic events, such as a physical injury, emotional threat, loss of a loved one, or other life crisis, so often awaken or amplify our sense of fear, anger, isolation, or helplessness?
"From our earliest years, teaches Diane Poole Heller, we develop an attachment style that follows us through life, replaying in our intimate relationships, with our children, and at work. And traumatic events can deeply affect that core relational blueprint."
The second part of this podcast episode is from her talk titled "Discover your attachment style to calm your nervous system" at the Anxiety Super Conference.
She covers * The 4 attachment styles * How to create a secure attachment * Practical steps for creating deeper connection in your relationships - and more.
The Anxiety Super Conference is live from July 11 - 17, 2022. Each speaker is free for 24 hours. There are "60+ expert interviews, and recordings of 70+ hours of content: real-life therapy sessions, guided meditations and yoga sessions designed specifically to ease your anxiety." Register now for immediate free gift videos and other resources.
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Julie Bjelland, a sensitivity expert and psychotherapist, talks with Willow McIntosh about why highly sensitive people (HSPs) can "often feel like we are in constant battle with ourselves internally."
Bjelland explains:
"It is almost like interference with our own energy and well-being. Whilst this sounds counterintuitive to our own happiness we can often be unaware of how much we are doing it.
"The cause of this is often as a result of feeling we needed to hide our true feelings as children in order to protect ourselves. The trouble is as adults this no longer serves us and can have a great cost to our health, well-being, and personal success."
This is a brief audio excerpt from a much longer video interview - which you can view in this article (which also has links to resources): Why can we feel resistance to ourself as a highly sensitive person? ~~~
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Artist and Mentor Nicola Newman says "My passion is supporting Creative Hearts to build loving relationships with themselves, express their creativity, trust their inner wisdom and carve out a life that’s personally meaningful and fulfilling to them."
Here is an excerpt of one of her podcast episodes. Her Show Notes include:
Often when we begin a new creative project, we have a vague, or sometimes very upfront, fear of failure attached.
We don’t want to “get it wrong”.
We don’t want to look like a fool or be embarrassed by what we create.
We want people to be impressed!
And we want to have the reassurance that it will all work out.
However, what I’ve found after years of making things, whether it’s been producing documentaries, renovating a house, making a website, writing a book, building a heart-led business, or making a painting is this, you’ve got to trust the process.
But what does that mean – trust the process?
~~~
Hear the rest of her podcast and learn about her resources for creatives in my article Trust the Creative Process With Artist and Mentor Nicola Newman.
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This is a short audio clip from the video for an episode of the HSP Podcast by sensitivity expert and therapist Julie Bjelland on "Understanding the Polyvagal Theory of stress and how stress impacts your biology as an HSP."
From the Show Notes for podcast:
Here are some questions answered in this event:
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What is Polyvagal Theory and how might it help HSPs to understand it?
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How might regulating the nervous system lower the challenges of sensitivity?
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How can HSPs leverage Polyvagal Theory to enable their unique creative genius to thrive?
See much more - including the full video conversation with Sukie Baxter - in my article How Polyvagal Theory Helps Highly Sensitive People Deal With Stress
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The first part of this audio with Dr. Ron Siegel is from his Talks at Google presentation titled "The Science of Mindfulness."
He notes, "It turns out that in recent years, neurobiologists, clinical researchers, and mental health professionals have discovered that a number of ancient practices, like mindfulness, that have been refined over the last 2,500 years or so, are extremely useful for helping us to work with all sorts of everyday emotional difficulties, everything from anxiety and depression to serious difficulties like chronic pain or, perhaps, relational conflict."
The second part is from "Healing Through Mindfulness" - a downloadable program produced by Sounds True.
Ronald D. Siegel, PsyD, is assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School.
He is presenting on the topic "Mindfulness and the evolution of anxiety" at the free Anxiety Super Conference June 20-26 2022.
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"It makes a big difference in your life when you learn how to balance your sensitive nervous system."
High sensitivity therapist and author Julie Bjelland notes :
"You don't have to suffer so much in the world. I used to be somebody that suffered a lot with anxiety and depression and just overwhelm and feeling like I couldn't do everything that needed to be done in the world.
"It is something that makes a big difference in your life when you start to learn how to balance the sensitive nervous system because it changes everything.
"I wouldn't be doing any of the things that i'm doing today if I hadn't learned how to balance my own nervous system.
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This is a short excerpt from her much longer video about her course "Brain Training for the Highly Sensitive Person, Techniques to Reduce Anxiety & Overwhelming Emotions" - see videos, podcasts and more in article How Can Brain Training Help Highly Sensitive People Thrive?
~~~
(Image is from my article Do Artists Have Unique Brains?)
~~~
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Julie Bjelland is a psychotherapist and author specializing in high sensitivity. This is a brief excerpt from an episode of her HSP Podcast in which she interviews psychiatrist and empath Judith Orloff.
Topics in the full interview include:
What is an empath and what are the neuroscience findings explaining the empath experience?
What is the difference between an HSP and an Empath?
What are the different types of empaths and the gifts?
How can empaths stop absorbing the emotions and physical symptoms of others and develop self-protection techniques so we can enjoy the gifts of sensitivity?
Listen to the full interview and see links in article:
How does empathy work? How is it related to high sensitivity? .....
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Julie Bjelland is a psychotherapist specializing in high sensitivity, and author of many resources to help highly sensitive people (HSPs) worldwide.
In this excerpt of one of her podcast episodes, she is joined by Willow McIntosh, the founder of Inluminance and leader of the High Sensory Intelligence movement.
In her Show Notes, Julie Bjelland writes:
The human mind is wired to look out for us which can often mean thinking worst-case scenarios and a negative view of things.
It takes conscious effort to maintain a positive outlook for us all, which of course is not always easy.
As HSPs we sometimes have a tendency to turn our powerful cognitive processing ability in on ourselves. When this is coupled with low energy or a pattern of self-doubt and low self-esteem our own minds can quickly become a very difficult place to be.
The trouble is, it can be difficult to identify what are just low-frequency thoughts of fear and which are coming from a place of knowing and self-alignment.
In this episode, we look at some of the techniques we can use on a daily basis to help maintain a peaceful state of being, including ways in which we can create peace of mind when our energy is low.
We will also look at why we end up in conflict with ourselves when we are simply trying to find a sense of belonging and safety.
~~~
Listen to the full podcast episode in my article How to Manage Our Energy, Negative Thoughts, and Overprocessing as HSPs.
The article includes links to resources such as the Sensitive Empowerment Community, Willow’s Coaching Program, the HSP Podcast list, and Julie's main site Sensitive Connection.
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Crystle Lampitt is a mental health therapist and trauma specialist. The first part of this audio is from her video presentation "The myth of self-sabotage" for the Trauma Super Conference. The second audio is from her TED Talk "Sad, Sick, and Stuck: Rethinking Mental Health."
Lampitt notes most people are likely to experience some type of trauma in their lives, even without a major event like rape, war or ongoing abuse.
"If you have a history of being misattuned to or you live in an environment where you haven't felt safe because you perhaps are a part of a marginalized group or because of microaggressions that have been committed towards you that you've internalized and haven't even noticed...
"I mean there are any number of ways that we can learn to adapt to really problematic traumatizing conditions, not even realize it and then normalize it and think, I don't understand why I'm so anxious or sad or why I keep repeating certain patterns..."
Learn about the Conscious Life Trauma Super Conference.
Watch her videos in my article How to understand and heal trauma - the Trauma Super Conference.
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Author Elizabeth Gilbert (“Eat, Pray, Love” and “Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear”) is one of the speakers at the Self-Acceptance Summit produced by Sounds True.
Host Tami Simon: Let’s start right with self-acceptance as a topic that you care about – why is this an important topic to you personally
Elizabeth Gilbert: Well, I mean I’ve kind of been a student of it my whole life because I’ve had to be, because its absence – it’s moments of absence – in my life have brought me the darkest pain I’ve ever been in.
And the only way out of that pain of the absence of self-acceptance was to claw, study, fight, beg and inch my way toward it.
And it’s been what I’ve been up to for a long time, and it’s something that I still have to work on.
And there are times where I lose it. I’d have to find my way back to it again and again and again – which of course always means finding your way back to your heart – it’s the only place you’re ever gonna find it.
~~~~
Hear the full length interview and many others:
Self-Acceptance Summit recordings
Article with more details, quotes, videos: The Self-Acceptance Summit
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Julie Bjelland, a psychotherapist and author specializing in helping Highly Sensitive People, notes "life can hit us with a bunch of emotional wounds or hard times - all impacting both our physical and mental health."
Here is an excerpt of the notes about her HSP Podcast episode: Episode 149: Emotional Wounding Support During Hard Times with Julie Bjelland and Willow McIntosh, the founder of Inluminance and leader of the High Sensory Intelligence movement.
Examples of Emotional Wounding…
Painful world events and images seen on the news
Social media, discrimination, hatred…
Death or pain of loved ones including animals and even trees.
Negative self talk and self-criticism
Medical or mental health challenges
Resources & Links Mentioned in the full Episode
HSP Practitioners Directory
'Tips & Tools to Thrive' Topic in the Sensitive Empowerment Community
Brain Training Course
Find the full length episode of this HSP Podcast, plus a list of "loving ways to support yourself" by Julie Bjelland, in my article Emotional Wounding as a Highly Sensitive Person – How to Help Ourselves.
~~~
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Actor and activist Evan Rachel Wood speaks with Trevor Noah on The Daily Show about surviving trauma and speaking out.
Singer, songwriter, voice actress and director Sia (Sia Furler) talks with Dr. Gabor Maté for the Talks on Trauma interviews.
See related article for more comments by artists and psychologists, videos, plus links to resources to relieve stress and support healing from trauma.
See The Daily Show video interview with Wood, quotes from artists and psychotherapists and resources for healing in article: How Dealing With Intense Emotions and Trauma Can Release Your Creativity.
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Emily Fletcher – founder of Ziva Meditation – notes “Stress is actually keeping you from performing at the top of your game.
“I tend to work with a lot of high performers.
“My CEO clients will say ‘Emily, my stress is the thing that gives me my cutting edge, that’s the thing that keeps me, you know, competitive and in the game’ – and my actors will say to me, ‘Emily, I need my stress…this is where my art comes from.’
“But here’s the news – stress is not helping you in the performance department.
“As a matter of fact, stress makes you stupid.”
She adds, Meditation is "a tool to help de-excite your nervous system & get rid of stress, which is going to help you perform at the top of your game...I found meditation during my 10-year career on Broadway.”
~~~
Learn more in her free class: Secrets to Reduce Stress, Overcome Anxiety, and Improve Sleep.
The audio here comes from three of her videos:
Stressed on Broadway
Why We Need to Stop the Glorification of Busy
Meditation for Better Productivity
See the videos and much more in article Learn how to live with less stress and more creative accomplishment - Ziva Meditation.
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Healthy self-confidence can be an issue for anyone, of course, but may be especially challenging for us as a highly sensitive person.
Here are excerpts from the Show Notes for the original podcast episode with Julie Bjelland and Willow McIntosh:
We often hear how important it is that we believe in ourselves, yet what if we are struggling to make something happen? It is all too easy to slip into self-doubt and a spiral of negative beliefs.
One of the greatest resources we have as HSPs is our commitment to our growth and development. Also, our tenacity to pursue our personal evolution and what is most important to us in the world.
When it comes to believing and trusting ourselves there are some very useful tools and techniques we can use that help us to access this in any and all circumstances.
For instance, when we allow ourselves to look back over our lives we will see that have evolved and we have grown through many challenges.
There is a great deal of evidence of us finding a way and being successful. Even if those examples may not be to the degree we wanted, the evidence is there nonetheless.
In this episode, we take a look at why it is important not to be over-critical when we are in transition or doing our best to achieve something important.
Instead by recognizing the deeper truth of our ability we can access and develop a reliable source of trust and belief in ourselves.
~~~~
See full podcast episode and much more in article How to build your confidence as a highly sensitive person.
Learn about articles, books, podcasts, free and paid courses, a private community and more to help Highly Sensitive People thrive by Julie Bjelland, LMFT at her site Sensitive Empowerment.
~~~
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Do feelings of insecurity and self-doubt impact our creativity? Of course.
In this audio and the related article, artists and psychologists express perspectives on our common feelings of insecurity and self-doubt – and how to improve our confidence.
Actor Annette Bening thinks we benefit from some insecurity.
In a video interview, actor Jessica Chastain commented: “I had a lot of insecurities and like confidence issues when I was younger.”
Like a number of artists, Chastain has talked about being a highly sensitive person.
Psychotherapist and sensitivity coach Julie Bjelland and her colleague talk about this topic in one of her podcasts titled "Confidence, Where it Comes From and How to Get it."
Psychotherapist Mihaela Ivan Holtz writes about how you have to ‘show up’ when you "step onto the stage or when you are about to present your creative ideas to other people."
She also notes “If you are a highly creative person – someone with a big drive or determination to achieve your life goals or dreams – an injured self-esteem will show up in your journey over and over again…It will interfere with your ability to invest yourself in creating your life."
See article with videos, links to resources and more: How Creative People Feel Insecure, and How to Gain Confidence.
Learn about articles, books, podcasts, free and paid courses, a private community and more to help Highly Sensitive People thrive by Julie Bjelland, LMFT at her site Sensitive Empowerment.
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Dr. Natasha Fallahi is a mind-body health expert and functional medicine practitioner.
Based on her years of research and personal experience, she notes there are 6 Sensitivity Types — mental, emotional, physical, chemical, social, and energetic.
Also, 5 health issues that indicate you might be a Highly Sensitive Person: Chronic fatigue, Overstimulation, Autoimmunity, Anxiety, and Gut imbalance.
But she also writes:
"Despite popular belief, being a HSP (highly sensitive person) is a blessing- not a curse.
"Being highly sensitive allows you to view and experience the world in a very different light than other individuals."
This audio is an excerpt from a video webinar featuring Dr. Fallahi, hosted by Stephen Dinan of The Shift Network.
Register free for recording of Thrive as a Sensitive Person In an Insensitive World.
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How Can High Ability Adults Understand and Ameliorate Their Anxiety?
"Exceptionally bright human beings are infinitely more than the sum of their complex intellects and remarkable talents."
From description on a page for the Let’s Talk 2e Adult Conference, for the presentation "The Role of Anxiety in the Lives of Gifted Adults: Origins, Manifestations, and Amelioration" with Patricia Susan Jackson, M.A., R.C.C.
The description continues:
"Gifted adults have the inborn capacity for extraordinary cognitive, affective, physical and intuitive functioning.
"They have a core substrate of advanced and accelerated functions within the brain which is enhanced or inhibited by their interface in the environment.
"Due to their innate differences from the norm, there may be a gross lack of fit and absent or inadequate opportunities for them to develop holistically, without injury.
"Yet, it is every gifted person’s birthright to live a fully actuated “switched-on” life.
"We will examine guiding principles, habits, mindset and skills that contribute to a life well-lived for this extraordinary populace.
"Central to this discussion will be recognizing the complex role of anxiety in their lived experiences."
Learn more in article:
How To Thrive More as a High Ability Adult – the Let’s Talk 2e Adult Conference
https://highability.org/7639/
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The Let’s Talk 2e Adult Conference hosted by Julie Skolnick was an online event with presentations by 16+ experts “sharing powerful strategies on everything from dating to self-advocacy.”
In this short clip from the full presentation (about 1 hour) Julie Skolnick introduces psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman for his talk "The New Hierarchy of Needs and 2e."
From the Conference summary:
Over 70 years ago, Abraham Maslow put forward an integrated theory of human motivation that still captures the public imagination.
In this talk, I will present a revised hierarchy of needs that is supported by recent research, and incorporates Maslow’s writings on the importance of self-transcendence, which preoccupied him the last few years of his life.
I will tie my revised hierarchy of needs to the basic needs that are important for 2e adults to gain agency and momentum toward living a more self-actualized life.
~~~
Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D. is a cognitive scientist and humanistic psychologist. He is the founder and director of the Center for the Science of Human Potential, and the author of several books, including Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization.
He is also host of The Psychology Podcast, the most popular psychology podcast in the world.
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The Conference is over, but recordings are available.
See my post for info including some short intro videos (including one with Kaufman): How To Thrive More as a High Ability Adult – the Let’s Talk 2e Adult Conference.
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Susan K. Perry, Ph.D. is author of the books “Loving In Flow,” the Los Angeles Times Bestseller “Writing In Flow,” other nonfiction books, many articles and essays, and a novel.
She is also a social psychologist with expertise in relationships, and is a writing consultant and online instructor.
This is an excerpt from our much longer interview: Susan K. Perry on writing and flow.
> NOTE: this is a Private interview article for subscribers - follow link to read article if you are a Supporting Member, or to learn about memberships.
In our interview, she talks about the ‘busy mind’ and being distractible, and how that may be different in writing fiction, compared with nonfiction.
Also, about how fear impacts writing, and helpful attitudes to have about ourselves when creating.
book: Writing in Flow: Keys to Enhanced Creativity
Also see her Psychology Today blog Creating in Flow: The world of creativity—with a twist of rationality.
Susan K. Perry’s site BunnyApe.
In another interview, she commented, “Novelists have more fun.
"Or, to be accurate, those who are open to being their most creative selves have a much pleasanter time than I do when I’m writing an article to a formula, to please some editorial committee, or mainly to pay the bills.”
I asked her: Have you found all that true in writing your novel?
Susan K. Perry: "I wish I could say it’s all been jolly fun. Maybe if after the tenth revision I’d managed to sell the book quickly, I would look back on it differently. But it’s been hard work to make it as good as I feel it is now.
"What’s different is that I feel as though I’ve captured something important to me between the covers of “Kylie’s Heel.”
"I learned so much during this long process that I’m truly glad I dared to write fiction."
From Private article Susan K. Perry on daring to write fiction.
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Imi Lo works with emotionally intense and highly sensitive people, and is the author of books Emotional Sensitivity and Intensity, and The Gift of Intensity: How to Win at Life and Love as a Highly Sensitive and Emotionally Intense Person.
Imi is the founder of Eggshell Therapy and Coaching, working with intense people from around the world.
Listen to our full conversation at her Eggshell Transformations podcast.
Names of psychologists I mentioned, with some related resources:
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Elaine Aron: see video and more in article How To Understand Our Personality Trait of High Sensitivity and Thrive More.
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Julie Bjelland, LMFT: Learn more about her articles, books, podcasts, courses and more to help Highly Sensitive People thrive at her site Sensitive Empowerment.
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Sharon M. Barnes, MSSW, LCSW
- Her site Therapist For Sensitive And Gifted
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Article about her program: How to Gain More Emotional Health – a Program for Creative, Gifted, Sensitive People
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Eric Maisel - see list of his books (one of the sections of my Amazon store)
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Scott Barry Kaufman - author of books including Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind.
Also see list of articles with quotes by Dr. Kaufman.
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“Highly Sensitive People have particular brain differences that make us more susceptible to high stress, overwhelm and even anxiety.
“Thankfully there is a way to train your HSP brain so you can live your fullest life.”
Sensitivity expert Julie Bjelland, LMFT adds,
“What’s important to understand is…think of it as having two parts of your brain: there’s the emotional brain and there’s the cognitive brain. When the emotional brain is activated, the cognitive brain kind of goes to sleep.”
She adds, "We have an overly activated amygdala, for example, and that creates that fight flight freeze part where our brain doesn’t always understand that we’re not actually in danger so it sends out signals to to release adrenaline and that’s when we notice our heart racing."
Julie Bjelland notes, "Being an 'untrained HSP is really hard. I know because I used to struggle too. Before I knew about this trait of high sensitivity I walked around in the world feeling like my sensitivity was a weakness.
"I felt different and misunderstood, like there was something wrong with me. Now I get to live my life aligned in my center, feeling balanced and strong."
Julie Bjelland, LMFT is a psychotherapist, author, and founder of the online community, Sensitive Empowerment.
Visit her site to learn more about her course Brain-Training for the Highly Sensitive Person - "Techniques to Reduce Anxiety & Overwhelming Emotions."
Also see videos, audio podcasts and more about her online course in article Brain-Training To Help Highly Sensitive People Thrive.
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This is a short excerpt from a free video: Why Your “Survival Brain” Knows How to Face Trauma and Heal.
[Follow link to register and listen to the full video.]
Producer Sounds True summarizes:
"In this free video session, you'll learn about:
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A Closer Look at the “Fight-Flight-Freeze” Response - Why animals in the wild experience traumatic events all the time...
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“Ignore the Stress and Just Keep Pushing” - How our human thinking brain thwarts the survival brain’s natural ability to recover from stressful events and situations
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Corrupted Memory Capsules - Why unresolved traumatic memories can cause chronic anxiety, depression, insomnia, and other symptoms—as well as how we can resolve these memory capsules
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Reclaiming Your Ability to Thrive Under Stress - How to turn on your innate ability to recover and stop your thinking brain from overriding the process…and more."
Note - my old title - "Wild animals don't get PTSD but humans do. Why?" - does not reflect some research Dr. Stanley may not be aware of.
But her programs are designed to help us humans better understand and deal with stress and trauma.
See more links in my video clip Wild animals may recover from stress better than humans do. Why?
Elizabeth Stanley is a Georgetown University professor and creator of Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training (MMFT), taught to thousands in civilian and military high-stress environments. MMFT research has been featured on 60 Minutes, the ABC Evening News, NPR, and in Time magazine. A U.S. Army veteran with service in Asia and Europe, she holds degrees from Yale, Harvard, and MIT.
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Halle Berry comments about her movie ‘Bruised' and how it relates to abuse and trauma:
"It viscerally impacts me. I’ve seen this. I grew up with a very abusive father who was alcoholic, very much like our Desi character. I know that man. That could have been my father or my uncles.
"But what I also know about these people is they’re not bad people. They’re good people with bad problems."
This is a brief excerpt from a Los Angeles Times podcast titled How Halle Berry channeled her childhood trauma in directorial debut, ‘Bruised.'
Mark Olsen is the interviewer.
Hear the full podcast in my article How Dealing With Intense Emotions and Trauma Can Release Your Creativity.
Also find much more in the article on understanding and dealing with trauma.
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Topics in our interview include
the use of mood-altering substances, esp. marijuana and alcohol, by writers and other artists
the genius myth stereotype
how the idea of a creative muse impacts creative self-direction
how positive and negative moods relate to creative thinking
James C. Kaufman, PhD is a Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut, and teaches classes on creativity.
His website summarizes he is a Creativity expert (writer/scholar/speaker/teacher), has published more than 400 papers, and is the author/editor of more than 50 books.
Those books include:
The Psychology of Creative Writing by Scott Barry Kaufman, James C. Kaufman (Editors)
The Nature of Human Creativity by Robert J. Sternberg, James C. Kaufman (Editors)
Creativity 101 (Psych 101 Series) by James C. Kaufman PhD
One of my related articles: Madness and creativity: do we need to be crazy?
In the article, Dr. Judith Schlesinger (mentioned by Kaufman in our interview) comments on "the heart of the ‘mad genius’ myth that has been integral to Western culture for centuries."
This audio is an excerpt from our longer interview in article: James C. Kaufman on creativity research. NOTE: this is a Private article for subscribers - follow link to learn more about memberships.
Related book
How to Fly a Horse: The Secret History of Creation, Invention, and Discovery
"Tech innovator and entrepreneur Kevin Ashton rejects the popular notion that there are geniuses among us who do great things the rest of us can never hope to achieve."
"This divisive classification scheme of genius at the top is the kind of thing you need to call bullshit on,” he says.
Quotes above are from article Debunking the Genius Myth - "We too often attribute great advances to individual brilliance rather than hard work, suggests a new book." By Sara Shay, MIT Technology Review.
(Photo pf Kaufman is from his Facebook page – caption: “…with my friend the Sloth.”)
See more in my article Drugs, genius myth, muse and being creative - James Kaufman on the research
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Dr. Jeffrey Rutstein is a clinical psychologist, and an expert in the treatment of trauma.
This is a brief excerpt from an hour long podcast interview with Tami Simon, founder of Sounds True.
Dr. Rutstein talks about how being in a "state" impacts creative thinking and emotional health and life in general.
Hear the full interview and see excerpt videos from his free 5-video series “for those interested in self-regulation..." in my article Trauma Healing Free Video Series with Dr. Jeffrey Rutstein.
You can also go directly to the Sounds True site for the free video series: Take Back Your Nervous System.
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When you follow your passions into an arts career, you can find many creative and emotional satisfactions, even financial rewards, but artists also experience unique challenges and pressures.
“Actresses are made to feel entirely dependent in order to do the work they love.” Actor, Director Olivia Wilde
“I slowly started to fall into pressure, but I wasn’t living my most authentic self.” Transgender actress Leyna Bloom“Writers are under enough pressure without adding to it. But add to it we do.” Colleen M. Story
“Always trying to figure out what’s your next job, show, or audition…The demands never end. As you juggle so many aspects of your career, it feels like the pressure is coming from everywhere.” Psychotherapist Mihaela Ivan Holtz
Read much more and see videos in article How to thrive in your career in the arts – living with pressure. Note - Most of the audio is a transcription of my article text, with a synthetic voice - excerpt for the actual comments by Olivia Wilde from longer interview videos in the article.
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Judith Orloff MD is a NY Times bestselling author of multiple books, and is "a psychiatrist, an empath and intuitive healer, and is on the UCLA Psychiatric Clinical Faculty.
"She synthesizes the pearls of traditional medicine with cutting edge knowledge of intuition, energy, and spirituality and passionately believes in the power of integrating this wisdom for total wellness." (From profile on her site.)
Hear rest of interview in Private article Judith Orloff, MD on Emotional Freedom. Note: Private articles with audio interviews are for subscribers to The Creative Mind site at the Supporter Membership level. Learn more in article The Creative Mind Membership.
Register for FREE video event with Judith Orloff, MD: "Discover how you can embrace a difficult emotion from an expanded perspective" - Tuesday, January 11, 2022 - Register to tune in or receive the recording.
Dr. Judith Orloff’s Keys to Being a Healthy Empath - "In this free ongoing event, you’ll: Learn about your brain’s mirror neurons; Learn what intuitive healing means for empaths and sensitive people; *and more."
Read more and see videos with Dr. Orloff in (public) articles:
Energy Sensitivity
How to reduce anxiety – Judith Orloff on Emotional Freedom
The Empath’s Survival Guide Course by Judith Orloff
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Melora Hardin has wide-ranging passions as an artist, including acting, directing, dancing, writing and singing.
She says of her multiple talents: “I’m always very very keen to keep my eyes and heart and ears open to opportunities to be creative.
“That’s really my reason for being on this Earth, is to find more and more opportunities to be creative, and as long as I’m looking for those, and walking through those doors, and receiving those, and participating in those, I’m going to be fine.”
Quotes are from article with our 20 minute interview: Melora Hardin on acting, directing, singing.
NOTE: this is a Private article for subscribers - follow link to learn more about memberships.
Melora’s site: Melora.com
Related article of mine: Do We Need Mental or Emotional Pain To Be Creative?
“People who are getting into this archetype of the tortured poet end up really torturing themselves to death.” Sting | Clinical psychologist Cheryl Arutt says “You don’t have to be in pain to do great work as an artist.”
Also see excerpts from my book Developing Multiple Talents.
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This is a brief audio excerpt from a much longer video class by Julie Bjelland - Register free for Sensory Overload & The Highly Sensitive Person.
Also see article with a related podcast episode "HSPs & Sensory Overload" plus videos and more: How to Live Better With Sensory Overload as a Highly Sensitive Person.
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“Creating art has always been a way to channel emotional intensity…” Psychologist Cheryl Arutt
Dr. Arutt thinks that actors and other artists who are willing, in their creative work, to delve into the really “messy” feelings of being human (shame, devastations, disappointments, betrayals, traumas and more), probably have a relationship with those feelings.
But, as she notes on her site, “You don’t have to be in pain to do great work as an artist.”
In our interview, she also talks about actors and actresses with “bad boy” or “troubled” images, or problems with issues of anger and acting out. Also, our Shadow Self.
See more in article Psychologist Cheryl Arutt on Emotional Health and Creative People
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"Imagine there is a motor inside you. Most people whose motor is too fast experience feelings of anxiety." - Sensitivity expert Julie Bjelland.
One of her free Masterclasses: Highly Sensitive People and Anxiety.
See much more in article - How to Relieve Stress and Anxiety When You’re a Highly Sensitive Person.
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"Think of the shadow as the parts of yourself that you don't know much about, that circumstances in life activate so that you can find out a lot about...the shadow is neither good nor bad."
- Why is it so important to understand your Shadow’s contents?"
- How can the Shadow can also manifest as a protector?
This audio is from a free 3-part video series by Sounds True with Caroline Myss and Andrew Harvey: The Sacred Path of the Shadow.
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Learn more in these articles, among others:
Owning Our Shadow Self
Make friends with our shadow self to be more creative
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Dr. Diamond talks about some of the shadow emotions and thinking we may have learned to disown or bury, which can interfere with our creative lives. See much more on this topic in article Make friends with our shadow self to be more creative.
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Listen to full-length interview, plus see videos and much more, in article Shelley Carson on enhancing our creative brain. > NOTE: this is a Private article for subscribers - follow link to learn more about memberships.
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"So many gifted HSP healers are struggling financially and yet the potential for financial freedom in a heart-centered online business is big right now.
"I want to teach you what I did and provide you resources that can help you grow a business that you love, that helps people, and that gives you financial freedom." - Sensitivity expert and entrepreneur Julie Bjelland
Register free for her Masterclass : Reach Financial Freedom: Growing a Heart-Centered Online Business You Love.
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Our self-concept, positive self-regard and simply confidence, are key influences on how fully we realize our talents and live our lives.
What can we do to nurture healthy self-esteem, self-appreciation, self-compassion?
Therapist, author and speaker Marisa Peer finds “One of the biggest and most common issues people face is the belief that they are not enough.”
Many creative people - even highly acclaimed artists - report feeling incompetent, inadequate or insecure, and having low self-esteem or unhealthy self-regard at times. But there are ways to shift those feelings.
See much more in the article Self Esteem and Self Confidence and Creative People.
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Why are we more vulnerable to anxiety as a highly sensitive person? Sensitivity expert Julie Bjelland explains, “Anxiety or high stress is actually pretty common for highly sensitive people.
“Much of it has to do with an overloaded sensitive nervous system.”
“When the nervous system doesn’t get time to turn off, even away from someone’s energy in the room, this nervous system ‘engine’ gets overwhelmed…
“It’s common for highly sensitive people to have a busy mind and have a hard time turning it off to relax.”
This audio is a brief clip from a free Masterclass by Julie Bjelland: High Sensitivity and Anxiety.
Or learn more in article How Highly Sensitive People can deal with anxiety – a free Masterclass
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