Understanding Tribal bands and survival traits
Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) is a survival trait, not a diagnosis. It should not be confused with PTSD, anxiety disorders, or other mental health conditions.
When I first heard the term "Highly Sensitive Person" (HSP), I dismissed it as inconsequential word fodder. The name sounded hokey, and I assumed it wasn't worth my time. I was wrong.
Dr. Elaine Aron, PhD. coined the term HSP in her formally discovering the survival trait Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) in 1991.
I did not seriously investigate SPS until after Intensive Outpatient PTSD treatment, when I finally had the time, space, and courage enough to do so.
I watched Sensitive,The Untold Story, and when Dr. Aron mentioned the influence of Carl Jung in her work, I began paying close attention to what was going on. Before trauma therapy I had never heard of Jung. After trauma therapy, I will never forget him, as his work helped me heal.
I stopped casually watching and started intentionally investigating.
Research suggests this trait exists in more than 100 species and is present in approximately 15-20% of humans.
Some researchers theorize that while most of the tribe focused on action, exploration, and execution, a smaller percentage was naturally inclined toward observation, awareness, risk detection, and caregiving.
Whether viewed through science, temperament, or tribal metaphor, SPS represents a distinctly different way a minority population of people process the world.
The D.O.E.S. Model
Dr. Elaine Aron uses the acronym D.O.E.S. to describe the core characteristics of SPS.
D — Depth of Processing
People with SPS tend to process information deeply.
When something captures our attention, we often immerse ourselves in understanding it. The subject usually needs to matter to us and be of our own choosing; we are rarely motivated simply because someone else says it is important.
O — Overstimulation
Because more information is being noticed and processed, overstimulation can occur more easily. Crowds, noise, conflict, emotional tension, multitasking, and prolonged stress can consume significant mental bandwidth. The same system that allows for deeper awareness often requires more recovery time.
E — Empathy
Many people with SPS experience strong empathy and emotional attunement.
We often notice shifts in mood, emotion, tone, and body language before they become obvious to others.
S — Sensitivity to Subtleties
Small details frequently stand out.
Changes in facial expression, social dynamics, environment, mood, energy, or risk may be noticed long before others recognize them.
If these characteristics sound familiar, you may be among the 15-20% of people with the trait of Sensory Processing Sensitivity.
HSS + SPS
Not everyone with SPS is quiet, cautious, or reserved.
The people Dr. Elaine Aron primarily describes in The Highly Sensitive Person often resemble the temperament of a bedside nurse—calm, patient, nurturing, and attentive.
However, research suggests that approximately 30-50% of people with SPS also possess the trait of High Sensation Seeking (HSS), sometimes called thrill and adventure seeking / novelty seeking, and this is where Dr. Tracy Cooper, PhD comes in.
If SPS explains the bedside nurse, HSS/SPS is more like the ER nurse, flight medic, firefighter, or first responder.
Both care deeply.
Both possess a heart of gold.
One prefers calm and predictability.
The other willingly runs toward challenge, novelty, pressure, and uncertainty.
This combination can feel like having one foot on the gas pedal and one foot on the brake.
Part of you seeks peace, calm, and safety.
Another part seeks adventure, growth, challenge, and intensity.
Learning that this was the operating system I was working with made a lot of life make more sense and relieved a significant amount of unnecessary suffering.
Why This Matters
Research suggests people with SPS may be more affected by difficult environments, chronic stress, and traumatic experiences. The same research suggests they may also benefit more from supportive, healthy, and positively reinforcing environments.
Neither strength nor weakness.
Simply responsiveness.
Imagine a job that requires both a hammer and a micrometer.
You can pound a nail into wood with a micrometer, but it is inefficient and eventually throws the instrument out of calibration.
Likewise, you can use a hammer to measure something, but it will never provide the precision of a micrometer.
Both tools are valuable.
Both tools are used on the same job.
Both have strengths.
Both have limitations.
The goal is not to become a different tool.
The goal is to understand the tool you've been given.
When we stop fighting our nature, give ourselves grace, and radically accept what we're working with, we become far more effective at working with it.