"Too Much or Just Right? How Therapy Can Support Highly Sensitive and Neurodivergent People"

Written By Traci Regis

Ever been told you're “too sensitive”?
Maybe you cry easily, feel everything all at once, or need more quiet than the world seems to allow. Maybe certain textures, sounds, or social settings leave you drained for days. If this sounds familiar, you might be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) or navigating life with an underlying neurodivergent condition that hasn't been fully understood—by others, or even by yourself.

As a therapist who is also neurodivergent and highly sensitive, I don’t just understand these experiences professionally—I live them too. I know what it's like to be told to toughen up, to feel like your emotions are "too much," and to walk through the world with a nervous system that registers everything.

In a world that often asks you to tone it down or mask your truth, therapy can be a refuge—a place where sensitivity is seen not as a flaw, but as a deeply valid way of being. Whether you're exploring late-diagnosed autism, ADHD, sensory processing sensitivity, or simply trying to make sense of why everything feels so much, you're not alone.

What Does It Mean to Be Highly Sensitive or Neurodivergent?

Being highly sensitive is more than just being emotional. It’s a trait that affects the way your nervous system processes the world. Loud sounds, bright lights, busy places, and emotional intensity can feel overwhelming. You might notice subtleties others miss, have a rich inner life, and be deeply affected by the moods and energy of others.

Many Highly Sensitive People also identify with neurodivergent traits—such as those associated with autism, ADHD, and sensory processing disorder. These conditions can overlap in ways that are nuanced and deeply personal. You may have masked your needs for years, over-functioned to fit in, and internalized the belief that your struggles were a sign of personal failure. They're not.

The Emotional Toll of Feeling "Too Much"

Highly sensitive and neurodivergent folks often carry an invisible emotional load:

  • Chronic anxiety or burnout from constant sensory or social stimulation

  • Shame about being "too much" or "not enough"

  • Difficulty regulating big emotions

  • Exhaustion from masking or people-pleasing

  • Isolation or the feeling of being misunderstood, even by loved ones

I know how painful this can be. I've lived it. And I also know how healing it is to be seen without judgment and supported without pressure.

How Therapy Can Help

A therapist who understands HSPs and neurodivergence can:

  • Validate your lived experience without pathologizing your traits

  • Teach emotional regulation skills tailored to your sensitivity

  • Help unmask your authentic self and understand your unique wiring

  • Support you through overwhelm, overstimulation, and sensory burnout

  • Create space for self-compassion, boundary-setting, and nervous system healing

You don’t have to fix who you are—you just need a space where your way of being is honored, not questioned.

You Deserve a Soft Place to Land

If you resonate with the experience of being a Highly Sensitive Person, late-diagnosed autistic or ADHD adult, or are a neurodivergent parent raising neurodivergent kids, know that you are not alone—and you are not "too much."

Therapy can help you build a life that works with your sensitivity, not against it. A life that feels gentler, clearer, and more like your own.

Ready to explore that path? I’d be honored to walk it with you.

Want to learn more about therapy for HSPs and neurodivergent adults? Reach out or visit the Services page to see how we can work together in a way that honors your sensitivity and your strengths.

Traci Regis