On the Enlightened Highly Sensitive Person with Elaine Aron

I’m joined by Dr Elaine Aron, clinical and research psychologist and internationally bestselling author of The Highly Sensitive Person, a groundbreaking book that has been in print for nearly thirty years. Her work has shaped the way millions of people understand themselves, and it deeply shaped me too, both personally and professionally.

In the first half of our conversation, we explore what it really means to be a highly sensitive person. We talk about temperament, overstimulation, depth of processing and the gifts and challenges that come with high sensitivity.

Elaine shares how the research unfolded, what has surprised her over the decades and why sensitivity is not a disorder but a trait with evolutionary value.

In the second half, we move into territory I didn’t initially expect. Elaine has recently written a new book, Spirituality Through a Highly Sensitive Lens, and our conversation takes a beautiful turn into spirituality, meditation and enlightenment.

We explore themes that will feel very familiar to many of you who live at the intersection of yoga and psychology:

• Cleaning up, growing up and waking up
• Yogic philosophy and psychological maturation
• The difference between emotional healing and spiritual awakening
• And Elaine’s own personal experiences of enlightenment

If you stay right to the end, you’ll hear her speak vulnerably about her own awakening process, which is both profound and refreshingly human.

As someone who has been a psychologist and yoga teacher for over twenty years, I found this conversation incredibly rich. Elaine brings scientific rigour, lived experience and spiritual curiosity together in a way that feels deeply integrated.

In this episode, we explore:

• What defines a highly sensitive person
• The science behind sensory processing sensitivity
• Why sensitivity is often misunderstood
• How highly sensitive people experience meditation and spiritual practice
• The relationship between psychological development and enlightenment
• The process of cleaning up, growing up and waking up
• The risks of bypassing emotional work in the name of spirituality
• Elaine’s reflections on her own spiritual experiences

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