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The Systemic Torture of Sensitive People
The Biology of Sensitivity
A child sits at the edge of a playground, watching the other kids move like predictable clockwork — tag, dodgeball, laughter that seems just a little too loud. This child is very sensitive. He notices the way the others play. In his way, he is playing with others by sitting on the outside, being curious about the way they move through the world. Despite the fact that he is sitting on the sidelines, he is actively participating. From where he sits, he feels the hesitation of one boy before running, he catches a glimpse into another’s uncertainty. He feels the tension between two girls before they even exchange words. His brain is a symphony of connections, understanding how the big and small picture become a whole. Yet in our arrogance, we choose to see and measure humans only by what is reproduced, not what is truly understood internally. In doing so, we destroy those who create perspectives we have never considered before.
What does science tell us about him? His mirror neuron system is more active than usual, amplifying his ability to perceive others’ emotions as if they were his own (Iacoboni, 2009). His insula — responsible for internal awareness and sensory integration — fires constantly, turning the world into a flood of input (Craig, 2009). The anterior cingulate cortex, finely tuned for detecting errors and…
