HSPs and the fetish

[magictoes11]

Recently I've been seeing a therapist for general/social anxiety issues and for help coping with a phobia. As part of the treatment/diagnosis, she says I am a Highly Sensitive Person, supposedly a trait being examined by therapists now to describe someone who's easily overwhelmed by day-to-day life. This new wave of 'treatment' is to not treat--instead teaching the HSP to embrace his or her nature rather than 'curing' any perceived 'shyness' or 'inhibitedness.'

I'm wondering if anyone else has come across this particular trait, in their own therapy or otherwise, and I wonder if it has any sort of relation to this fetish (or if I just happen to be both ... the HSP and the fetishist). It seems a bit fitting that a sneeze fetishist could be perceived as an HSP--it'd explain the sensitivity and the unusual reaction to a simple bodily reflex, not to mention, as Aku puts it, the 'fetish-colored glasses' view of the world where one either suspects that others must know about the fetish or that someone else in their vicinity must also be a fetishist.

Any thoughts? There's an explanation of an HSP at the following website, in addition to a self-test to determine whether one might be an HSP: http://www.hsperson.com/index.html

(And yes, I do think it's strange to be deeming 'HSP' a diagnosis rather than a description, but if it gets me better, I ain't complaining.)

[army-girl]

HSPs, there's one I haven't heard of yet ^.^= always good to learn something new. Mmmmm my therapist and I have never touched on the issue (of HSPs or the fetish) so I can't imagine it'll be on my file, anyway I took the on-line test on the link you posted, and scored an 8, some aspects of it were very true to me, others entirely not *shrug*.

As a general rule though, with my keen love of observing just about everything in life (among that naturally, sneezing in others) maybe there is something to the environmental sensitivity aspect of it, I just don't feel flooded by it like some of the items on the test implied ...

[Secret98]

I'm going to asume it's a new term defined by some psychologist very recently. I took the test and got 22 on the test and it said:

Scoring:

If you answered more than fourteen of the questions as true of yourself, you are probably highly sensitive. But no psychological test is so accurate that an individual should base his or her life on it. We psychologists try to develop good questions, then decide on the cut off based on the average response.

If fewer questions are true of you, but extremely true, that might also justify calling you highly sensitive.

My therapist hasn't mentioned it, but she is old, which could have something to do with it and I haven't been to therapy in forever. I always knew I was a highly sensitive person, but didn't know the would come up with a diagnosis for it and stuff of the above... oh well. All ways somthing new with psychology.

MY THEORY:

Being linked to fetish though, I think NOT. Fetishes come about through some type of classical conditioning, at any point in an individual's life. It's possible that having this fetish could have caused us to feel different when others didn't seem to have our same love for sneezing, making us not want to mention it. Which could have made some of us sensitive around this fetish, but not other things and then those of us who are highly sensitive people and have the fetish, something else could have caused us to become HSP not related to the fetish.

[Vetinari]

I scored 5, so I am probably hideously insensitive. But it may well depend upon mood when you're taking the test.

[Bondi]

I scored a 14 so given their description I guess I'm exactly in the middle of their spectrum but some of those questions are really true for me, so I don't know.

[SusieQusie]

I scored a 19...but I think I was much more sensitive as a kid than I am now. I still love art, however...so I guess that makes me permenently sensitive for life?

[Nea]

I scored a 19. Woo hoo!

[Geist]

Oh, psychological discussion?!?! My FAVORITE!

Please do not take what I am about to say as being insensitive (HA!), but pscyhologists today try to label EVERY POSSIBLE BEHVIOR as some type of "disorder" or just a random label to help the individual cope with who and what they are. More often than not, people are merely PEOPLE. We all have distinguishing personality traits that are cultural and environmental.

In fact, VERY LITTLE of the personality is "inherited." Most personality traits are learned. Yes, this has been tested and re-tested many times. The only primitive basis to this particular type of thing seems to be a test adminstered to newborns. Stand in front of a newborn and clap loudly. Some will cry and be soothed easily. Some will cry and it will take ages to soothe them. Some have no reaction at all. HOWEVER, if monitered over the development of the child's life, even THIS trait can (and often does) change.

HSP? Hmmm. I do not think this test can accurately predict such a thing. There are WAY too many confounding variables in the questioning and it seemes skewed on the misconception that "sensitivity and creativity" are the same thing. Just because people are extremely moved by music, art or literature does not make them "hyper sensitive."

This could be called "creative" or even "intuitive" in some respects.

I am not saying this does not exist or that it is not a "real" condition....I am merely stating that factually, most of personality is learned, not inherited and unless this is a physiological-based disorder, it sounds much like many of the other label out there.

Hell, I'm labeled as having "social anxiety disorder." That's a fancy way of saying "Aku gets nervous in public." I can almost guarantee that I LEARNED that somehow and was not "born" with it. In fact, I KNOW I learned it because I wasn't always that way.

Therefore, what needs to be done is cognitive behavioral analysis and therapy in order for me to UNLEARN the "undesirable" behavior and learn a new, "positive" behavior in its place. I did this with emetophobia and while I do have setbacks, for the most part I would venture to say that I am phobia-free.

Also, I don't think this has anything to do with this fetish or any fetish. I believe a fetish is a conditioned, sexual response to a specific stimuli that has "shifted" in nature. What I mean is that somehow, pleasure was associated with the action and it manifested into a sexual nature as one got older. I think it's a dopamine-related response, if anything. Your brain "learned" that a certain thing feels good, so it reacts that way.

*NOTE* This is not true for everyone. It's a theory. Don't get your undies in twist.

BTW, I scored 11 on this test. Almost everything that I picked was art/music based. I also don't like loud noises simply because they hurt my ears and my hearing is ungodly sharp thanks to music training.

~Aku

[vote_for_pedro]

I scored 5, so I am probably hideously insensitive. But it may well depend upon mood when you're taking the test.

I think you're right. I scored an 8, but if I took this test a year ago I probably would've checked every single box. I'm a product of my environment, and my old environment would've driven anyone to insanity.

[Vetinari]

I scored 5, so I am probably hideously insensitive. But it may well depend upon mood when you're taking the test.

I think you're right. I scored an 8, but if I took this test a year ago I probably would've checked every single box. I'm a product of my environment, and my old environment would've driven anyone to insanity.

I was thinking much the same thing even as I did it!

[Bondi]

Oh, psychological discussion?!?! My FAVORITE!

Please do not take what I am about to say as being insensitive (HA!), but pscyhologists today try to label EVERY POSSIBLE BEHVIOR as some type of "disorder" or just a random label to help the individual cope with who and what they are. More often than not, people are merely PEOPLE. We all have distinguishing personality traits that are cultural and environmental.

In fact, VERY LITTLE of the personality is "inherited." Most personality traits are learned. Yes, this has been tested and re-tested many times. The only primitive basis to this particular type of thing seems to be a test adminstered to newborns. Stand in front of a newborn and clap loudly. Some will cry and be soothed easily. Some will cry and it will take ages to soothe them. Some have no reaction at all. HOWEVER, if monitered over the development of the child's life, even THIS trait can (and often does) change.

HSP? Hmmm. I do not think this test can accurately predict such a thing. There are WAY too many confounding variables in the questioning and it seemes skewed on the misconception that "sensitivity and creativity" are the same thing. Just because people are extremely moved by music, art or literature does not make them "hyper sensitive."

This could be called "creative" or even "intuitive" in some respects.

I am not saying this does not exist or that it is not a "real" condition....I am merely stating that factually, most of personality is learned, not inherited and unless this is a physiological-based disorder, it sounds much like many of the other label out there.

Hell, I'm labeled as having "social anxiety disorder." That's a fancy way of saying "Aku gets nervous in public." I can almost guarantee that I LEARNED that somehow and was not "born" with it. In fact, I KNOW I learned it because I wasn't always that way.

Therefore, what needs to be done is cognitive behavioral analysis and therapy in order for me to UNLEARN the "undesirable" behavior and learn a new, "positive" behavior in its place. I did this with emetophobia and while I do have setbacks, for the most part I would venture to say that I am phobia-free.

Also, I don't think this has anything to do with this fetish or any fetish. I believe a fetish is a conditioned, sexual response to a specific stimuli that has "shifted" in nature. What I mean is that somehow, pleasure was associated with the action and it manifested into a sexual nature as one got older. I think it's a dopamine-related response, if anything. Your brain "learned" that a certain thing feels good, so it reacts that way.

*NOTE* This is not true for everyone. It's a theory. Don't get your undies in twist.

BTW, I scored 11 on this test. Almost everything that I picked was art/music based. I also don't like loud noises simply because they hurt my ears and my hearing is ungodly sharp thanks to music training.

~Aku

To be honest, I wanted to laugh at the fact that some psychologists have labeled a highly sensitive person as an official term as well when I first read this thread and I still want to laugh because it does seem rather extreme. I'm not against them labelling certain things as a disorder depending on what is going on and I'm not one of those totally anti-psychology people, but at times (such as this) it does get to be a bit much.

On the otherhand, they did say in their disclaimers that this test was essentially mostly for entertainment purposes and you shouldn't rely on it for an actual diagnosis, especially since these questions don't always have to mean that you are hyper sensitive just because you picked yes to them.

[Sternuto]

9.

A few years ago.... I probably would have been higher, but ... Im feeling MUCH better these days.

[Guest Xylaphone]

Very well stated Aku!

Sometiems I feel like docs just lable stuff in order to give a person someting tangible to hold on to in regards to a problem they may have. You gotta admit, being told you have FLS (Feline Lover Sydrome) is a lot better than people saying you're a freak for loving cats too much.

I got an 11 on my test thingie. Might be higher but i couldn't understand some of the stuff. Rich complex inner self?

Maybe Im just a dink.

Anywho, on a side note I almost read the title wrong and though it was talking about Harry Potter and connection to the fetish!

End of ramble

[magictoes11]

Wow, maybe I should have posted this in the off-topic board. But it is interesting to see that others don't score nearly as high as I have (I'm over 20 most days, although some answers do vary). I'm always looking for new ways to interpret the hows and the whys of this fetish, instead of just letting it be, as I probably should.

I also don't mean to imply that anyone who scores low is insensitive. It's not just about feelings, but also reactions and stimulus. I get extremely confused and terrified in crowds because there's too much going on around me, for instance. Loud noises set every nerve of mine on end, and it's hard to come down from the adrenaline rush.

I'm also taking the 'diagnosis' label with a grain of salt... Whether it's a condition or no, these feelings do interfere with my life, and the ol' headshrinker is helping me find ways of working with it, rather than allowing it to work me.

[Vetinari]

Wow, maybe I should have posted this in the off-topic board. But it is interesting to see that others don't score nearly as high as I have (I'm over 20 most days, although some answers do vary). I'm always looking for new ways to interpret the hows and the whys of this fetish, instead of just letting it be, as I probably should.

I also don't mean to imply that anyone who scores low is insensitive. It's not just about feelings, but also reactions and stimulus. I get extremely confused and terrified in crowds because there's too much going on around me, for instance. Loud noises set every nerve of mine on end, and it's hard to come down from the adrenaline rush.

I'm also taking the 'diagnosis' label with a grain of salt... Whether it's a condition or no, these feelings do interfere with my life, and the ol' headshrinker is helping me find ways of working with it, rather than allowing it to work me.

I used the word insensitive with a degree of humour intended. Good grief anyone would think you were hypersensitive or something!

*Runs away....."

[Honkytonklagoon]

I scored a 14... and I didn't even study for it.

Anyway, I don't think the fetish is connected. If anything, sneezing could be seen as overstimulating.