Introducing the Highly Sensitive Person to Grief

Written by Katelyn Miranda

There is one certainty in this life – we are all going to die. With that truth comes another – we are all going to grieve.

There are those of us among the human species who fall under the trait of Highly Sensitive Person. When grief arrives for an HSP, it doesn’t just knock on the door; it moves in, rearranges the furniture, and lingers in the body long after the initial shock has passed. The experience of loss for an HSP can feel all-encompassing. It’s not just a mental or emotional process – it lives in the nervous system, in the breath, in the way we move through the world. We may need more space, more slowness, more permission to grieve in a way that’s deeply personal and nonlinear. And while it can be isolating to feel things so deeply in a world that often urges us to "move on," there’s also profound wisdom in this sensitivity. It reminds us that grief is not something to be fixed or avoided – but honored, tended to, and witnessed.

What is a Highly Sensitive Person?

The term Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) was coined by Dr. Elaine Aron, and also refers to
Sensory-Processing Sensitivity (SPS). This is not considered a disorder or condition, but rather a personality trait. Dr. Aron states that 15 to 20 percent of the population are HSP. Essentially, the trait of high sensitivity is all about processing information and the world more deeply.

Highly sensitive people are not weak. They are open. Receptive. Attuned. Responsive. Susceptible. There is such a thing called Differential Susceptibility, which refers to the fact that sensitive individuals process everything in their environment so deeply that they are inevitably more affected by both the “good” and the “bad” in their environment.

According to Dr. Elaine Aron, Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) is thought to have evolved as a way to promote species survival. While some humans evolved to take quick action, highly sensitive people developed a keen awareness of their environment, carefully noticing subtle cues and detecting potential threats, opportunities, or the need for strategic action. This trait is marked by deeper cognitive processing, heightened emotional responsiveness, greater empathy, and sensitivity to sensory input. Rather than being a flaw or disorder, high sensitivity is a biologically-based trait offering important advantages in the right contexts, such as caregiving, leadership, creativity, and intuition.

Stay tuned for more thoughts about grieving as an HSP.