Dear Sensitive Soul,

September is already here. Is it just me or is 2005 flying by? August was nicely balanced for me. My sweetie and I took a lovely trip to Mt. Shasta. Later I ventured to the Pacific Northwest HSP Gathering, which was wonderful and fulfilling. It was quite a gift to connect with other sensitive souls!

Last month's e-zine sparked a few questions, which led me to write this month's feature article, "The Shadow Side of SPICE." I hope you find it insightful. To further elucidate the topic, I've included "Don't Let Your Imagination Run Away With You" in this month's "Tips for Sensitive Souls."

If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, please join me for my talk at the Elephant Pharmacy on Monday, Sept. 26, at 2 p.m. It will be called "Energy Skills for Sensitive Souls." See the sidebar for more details.

Warmly,
Jenna

Feature Article
The Shadow Side of SPICE

August's feature article, "Sensitive Souls Have the SPICE of Life," included a note about the "shadow sides" of certain qualities that go along with being highly sensitive. This includes, for example, our imagination, which can run away from us into worst-case-scenario thinking or worrying. I also wrote: "The antidote is to follow your inner guidance and develop your gifts, bringing them into the light where they belong, and remembering to redirect your energy when the shadow sides of these traits start to take over."

One reader wrote in to say, "How true! Any tips on keeping out of trouble and how to do this?"

So let's review, briefly.

SPICE stands for spiritual, perceptive, intuitive, creative, and empathic. The shadow sides of these traits might include:

Spiritual: This might look like impatience, dissatisfaction with the mundane or ordinary, a constant search for meaning, or not being grounded in reality or the physical.
Perceptive: This includes a propensity for overstimulation, over-thinking, and being unable to consciously filter information received.
Intuitive: When we haven't developed our intuition, it may turn up as fear, superstition, and self-doubt.
Creative: Our creative energy run amok may lead to worrying and worse-case-scenario thinking.
Empathic: This includes losing our boundaries or our sense of self, becoming caught up in other people's lives, and taking on too much responsibility for others.

Here are a few tips:

1. Pay attention. Notice your experience. What's happening? Can you see which of your qualities is drifting into overdrive? Whatever you do, don't try to repress or ignore your experience -- that usually makes it worse. Just observe. Is this serving you in some way? Is there something you need right now that you are trying to create for yourself?

2. Be conscious. Remind yourself to use your gifts wisely. For example, if you allow yourself to indulge your creativity in worrying, you may have less energy for creative projects.

3. Take action. Make a conscious choice to cease the shadow behavior and bring your attention to a new effort. Or, make an effort to fulfill the need that is expressing itself, which may be a need to develop these qualities.

4. Develop your gifts. As you work with your sensitivity, rather than against it, the shadow side will be less likely to take over. In other words, make sure you are engaging and experiencing your spirituality, your perceptivity, your intuition, your creativity, and your empathy in a positive and productive way. For example, take an intuitive development class, get out your sketchbook, choose how you want to focus your attention, or concentrate on strengthening your personal boundaries.

On My Nightstand
Recent Reads

Vitamins for the Soul, by Sonia Choquette
Healing Through the Dark Emotions, by Miriam Greenspan
Acupressure for Emotional Healing, by Michael Reed Gach
How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy, by Orson Scott Card
Survival: Species Imperative No.1, by Julie Czerneda

On the Blog

Career Concepts
Coping With College
"It's Gonna Feel Like Heaven When We're Home"

Tips for Sensitive Souls
Don't Let Your Imagination Run Away With You

To cope with a worrying mind, try this:

1. Rather than worry, pray.
As I wrote a few months ago, you can direct your energy by praying rather than worrying. Sending positive energy through prayer is ultimately much more powerful, and it helps us put our faith in the Universe to create the best possible outcome.
Read more about this in the June e-zine:->

2. Practice "fear-storming."
Write down all your fears, worries, what-ifs, doubts, etc., in a stream of consciousness brainstorm session, until you can't think of a single thing more to write. By the time you're done, you'll likely have either been able to get a little perspective, or ideally, to laugh.

3. Meditate.
Learning to soothe your mind is a powerful way to handle an overactive imagination.
Read more about meditation in the August e-zine:->

4. Create.
Use your creative energy in an artistic or inventive endeavor. Perhaps you are worrying BECAUSE your creative mind needs something to do!

Embrace Your Essential Self Through Coaching

Here's what one recent graduate said about my Embrace Your Essential Self coaching program:

"This program has been far more effective than any therapies I’ve tried previously. I’ve experienced great shifts in my self-confidence and self-esteem. It was also hugely helpful for me in dealing with depression and anxiety. In fact, it eliminated social anxiety & a profound shyness altogether!

"Within a very short time you’ll begin to view your sensitivity in a very positive light, leaving you feeling blessed and lucky to have so many wonderful abilities and skills in your life.

"Overall, it has been the most important thing I’ve done in my life and the changes for me have been phenomenal and life altering."

-- A.D., Yorkshire, UK

Are you ready to develop the gifts of your sensitivity? Call me at 510.528.1696 to schedule a complimentary half-hour phone consultation. We'll talk about whether my Embrace Your Essential Self coaching program would be right for you.

The Art of
Sensitive Living
September 2005 Contents

feature article

on my nightstand

on the blog

tips for
sensitive souls

upcoming events

web site resources

embrace your essential self through coaching

Upcoming Events

Thursday, Sept. 15,
11 a.m. PDT
TeleGathering for Highly Sensitive Souls
A free gathering with like-minded souls. Third Thursdays of the month. Sign up for details and announcements.

Monday, Sept. 19,
5 p.m. PDT
Berkeley Sensitive Souls Walking Group

Monday, Sept. 26,
2 p.m. PDT
"Energy Skills for Sensitive Souls"
Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, California
Sensitives are often unknowingly affected by the energy, emotions, and desires of others. This can be both confusing and overstimulating because we are unable to distinguish whether we are operating from our own center or someone else's. In this talk you'll learn about energetic techniques and valuable resources to help you protect yourself and clear away the energy and emotions of other people. Free.

Thursday, Oct. 20,
4 p.m. PDT
TeleGathering for Highly Sensitive Souls

Web Site Resources

The Embrace Your Essential Self Program

Five-Star Products for Sensitive Souls

Recommended Reads

Articles

Calendar of Events

Centering for
Sensitive Souls

Other Events

Dr. Elaine Aron
in New York
"The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive in a Not-So-Sensitive World"
Sept. 23 to 25, Omega Institute in New York

A Call for Assistance

What would you LOVE to see written about in this e-zine? What are your burning questions and curiosities? Your feedback is welcome and desired. Please e-mail me your thoughts or ideas for future issues. Please be advised that I will be unable to answer your questions directly, though you may request an e-mail consultation if you're interested.

E-mail Jenna: ->
E-mail consultations: ->

© Jennifer Avery, 2005
e-mail: use webform
tel/fax: 510.528.1696
web: www.highlysensitivesouls.com

Thanks for reading!

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