A supportive, empowering weekend for highly sensitive people wishing to explore the challenges and joys of the highly sensitive trait, led by Barbara Allen (UK) and Annet de Zwart (NL).

Both Barbara and Annet have worked nationally and internationally as HSP facilitators and received advanced training from Dr Elaine Aron. They have many years of training and experience in supporting individuals and groups to discover the magic in being born sensitive. Come along to enjoy both the company of other highly sensitive people and to learn more about your Self in a supportive, positive and enriching environment :)

DAY ONE - Over-stimulation - Understanding and meeting the challenge of over-stimulation and the effects on our sensitive system - how can we work with this in an authentic, effective and positive way?

Evening optional: return for a small campfire and HSP chit-chat 7-9pm
(Weather permitting, guitars or singing allowed 😊).

DAY TWO - Empowerment - looking at the strengths of HSPs and how we can grow, reframe and maintain our sensitivity as a positive force for ourselves and others :)

Both days will include a few minutes relaxation, meditation or gentle yoga to help us start our day at peace.

Who is this Retreat suitable for? In order to make the most of this Retreat, you will need to be an HSP who is in a good enough place to contribute to the group as a whole, either by sharing the process and your reflections on the topics we are covering, or by your quiet attention, support and solidarity if that is your style. You don’t need to know a lot about high sensitivity, but it will help you if you have read Dr Elaine Aron’s book ‘The Highly Sensitive Person’ and taken the self-test at www.hsperson.com.

This is not a place to be if you are in crisis, however, it will be a good place for you to be if you want to do some work that feels positive, warm, informative, has therapeutic moments and promotes personal growth and acceptance in the area of high sensitivity.

RETREAT FEE
£175 for the weekend workshops (two concessionary places of £125 offered, please ask) and light lunch of soup or salad, coffee/tea/snacks. Please inform us early if you have any special dietary requirements, feel free to also bring your own snacks.

We have compiled a list of information that may be useful for anyone travelling to this retreat by car, train or by air, staying or camping in the area and so on. Let us know if you would like us to email the list to you or if you have any questions that we can help with.

The venue consists of a dedicated workspace for sensitive people and surrounding landscaped garden. There are two small dogs, a cat, ducks, geese and hens on the premises.

If anyone would like to volunteer to be a helping hand on either of the days, let myself or HSP Claire B know - thank you in advance :)

Venue postcode: SP11 7DH. Nearest railway station ‘Andover’ is 1.5 miles from Annadell House (approx 1 hour from London Waterloo, 2 hours from Bristol, 2 hours from Bournemouth). Local taxis from outside Andover station to the venue cost approx £6/6.50 each way.

Nearest airports: Southampton, London Heathrow. Train service from Southampton airport is excellent, one change. You can get a National Express coach from terminals at London Heathrow to Andover town centre (taxi from there).

Welcome to our Online HSP Meetup, a bi-monthly online meeting of Highly Sensitive people. Join Ildiko for an open conversation via video link exploring aspects of HSP living. Ponder questions, find out some facts, discuss what it means to be highly sensitive and get to know others at various places along the path towards thriving and enjoying the sensitive life. A friendly, facilitated, gentle and informative atmosphere will be created so that it's easy to be present. Join in discussions if you like, or just listen and ponder, it's up to you.

The meeting will begin with some information around High Sensitivity, followed by discussion, questions and conversation. Topics open for exploration through the year might include:

Facts about Sensory Processing Sensitivity
Acting and reacting
Boundaries
The difference between avoidance and protection
Friends, family and partners
Challenges and joys of work
Healing past wounds
Sensitivity as an asset
Self worth and confidence
Anxiety, stress, relaxation
Creativity, balance and process
Nutrition, sleep and environment
Everyday spirituality or connectedness

If you would like to attend online, simply RSVP here at least one day before this event (RSVPs close after that). Nearer the time you will receive access information for the video meeting by email via this meetup site (make sure email messages are switched on in your profile). You can prepare ahead of time by creating a free account at Zoom https://zoom.us/download). Remember, we have no control over your internet connection, so do make sure it's up and working properly before we start. You can get directions about how to join a Zoom online meeting at: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-How-Do-I-Join-A-Meeting . If you have any questions, email Barbara through this site.

See you in our HSP Meetup 😊

There are times when many of us feel a sense of disconnect or a feeling that there is something ‘missing’, especially when the world feels very turbulent and chaotic. As highly sensitive people we have a deep sense of awareness around change and we feel personal and global losses more deeply. We may long for a simple life, where community and connection are valued and where we can experience ourselves as whole and complete, without the need to strive for more status, more money or more success.

Psychotherapist, Francis Weller explains that we live in a ‘flatline’ society where we don’t acknowledge our whole range of emotions. We tend to want to pursue happiness and positivity and if we feel any sense of loss or grief we hide these feelings for fear of being perceived as negative. These hidden feelings don’t simply disappear, ‘When our grief cannot be spoken, it falls into the shadow and re-arises in us as symptoms’. We can become exhausted or ill. We also mistakenly think that if we are feeling a sense of loss or sadness that we should hide away and wait till we feel better before facing the world. Weller states that in fact grief and loss needs to be processed within a community and that it is in sharing with others that we can move through painful feelings.

There are many levels of grief and loss; from the changes in season, the loss of a friendship, job or pet, the death of a loved one or the suffering across the world. This workshop gives us the opportunity to share our worries and to offer support to others. We find that through sharing our stories, we gain a sense of shared identity and that through acknowledging our pain we give ourselves the freedom to fully experience our joy. We can experience a more vivid and conscious life by being with our perceived negative feelings. Creativity and simple rituals are a key part of each session. Routines and structures keep us grounded and creativity offers us an alternative way to share in our full range of feelings.

How does it work?

- Each session will follow a format eg. a grounding/ connecting activity to begin, followed by sharing of losses and a simple ritual. One person speaks at a time. Followed by a gentle creative activity such as painting or movement which is optional
- Each person needs to be in safe place and able to contribute to the group eg. they have engaged in personal development of some kind whether through therapy, a spiritual path, coaching or other methods. The group is not a therapy group but there will be therapeutic elements. Everyone is responsible for their own wellbeing
- Everyone is welcome to these sessions whether you wish to take part in an active way or perhaps observe quietly. You may wish to share small losses or more significant ones, each person can take part in their own way
- Attention will be paid to keeping the group safe and creating a nurturing experience

Please email Bridget through Meetup if you have any questions or would like to know more.

Welcome to our HSP meetup in Hampshire. We look forward to welcoming new and old members who would like information on the Highly Sensitive Nervous System and to meet others like themselves!

The meetup lasts for a couple of hours with a break in the middle for tea/coffee and cake etc. Facilitated gently so that you can relax as much as possible and enjoy the time together with other HSPs. This is an information meeting, with opportunity to share ideas and tips on living life to the full as an HSP, run in a supportive atmosphere but not a therapy group. If you would like to come along, do call Barbara on[masked] for more information and to get directions.

£5 per person on the day. Please RSVP so I know how much cake will be needed :)

Welcome to our Online HSP Meetup, a bi-monthly online meeting of Highly Sensitive people. Join Ildiko for an open conversation via video link exploring aspects of HSP living. Ponder questions, find out some facts, discuss what it means to be highly sensitive and get to know others at various places along the path towards thriving and enjoying the sensitive life. A friendly, facilitated, gentle and informative atmosphere will be created so that it's easy to be present. Join in discussions if you like, or just listen and ponder, it's up to you.

The meeting will begin with some information around High Sensitivity, followed by discussion, questions and conversation. Topics open for exploration through the year might include:

Facts about Sensory Processing Sensitivity
Acting and reacting
Boundaries
The difference between avoidance and protection
Friends, family and partners
Challenges and joys of work
Healing past wounds
Sensitivity as an asset
Self worth and confidence
Anxiety, stress, relaxation
Creativity, balance and process
Nutrition, sleep and environment
Everyday spirituality or connectedness

If you would like to attend online, simply RSVP here at least one day before this event (RSVPs close after that). Nearer the time you will receive access information for the video meeting by email via this meetup site (make sure email messages are switched on in your profile). You can prepare ahead of time by creating a free account at Zoom https://zoom.us/download). Remember, we have no control over your internet connection, so do make sure it's up and working properly before we start. You can get directions about how to join a Zoom online meeting at: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-How-Do-I-Join-A-Meeting . If you have any questions, email Barbara through this site.

See you in our HSP Meetup 😊

Details
Welcome :). If you are a highly sensitive person and a therapist, psychologist, or professional in a related support field and would like information on Sensory Processing Sensitivity and to meet professionals like yourself, join this gently facilitated Meetup supported by the National Centre for High Sensitivity. Those in training or working as volunteers are also welcome if you have experience or self-awareness that will enable you to be a full participant. If you are a client of a group member, please check with them if it's appropriate for you to join them here. You can evaluate whether you are highly sensitive by taking the self-test on Dr Elaine Aron's website at hsperson.com and you will find it helpful to read her book 'The Highly Sensitive Person' before attending so that you can make the most of the opportunity for discussion with your peers.

Ildiko will facilitate exploration of topics related to this trait and professional aspects relevant to your practice and sensitivity, as a person and therapist. This is an information sharing and peer support group rather than a therapy, training or peer supervision group, however, you may find the discussions have poignant moments. You are welcome to join in discussions, or just to listen in if you prefer.

Over time, we are hoping that you will be able to form closer relationships with some of your Highly Sensitive peers through these meetups and would be able to expand your referal network for your clients. You would be also welcome to initiate forming peer support or supervision groups with your fellow HSP professionals.

If you have any questions about this Meetup, please contact Ildiko by email through this site. This Meetup is sponsored by Growing Unlimited on behalf of the National Centre for High Sensitivity (NCHS) and participants of this Meetup would get 10% off the Professional Training about Sensory Processing Sensitivity organised by the NCHS. (Valid for a year after this Meetup for any of the professional trainings organised in the UK by the NCHS). If you have any enquiries about other events and training for professionals, please call Barbara Allen on[masked] or message her through this site.

Places are limited for this meeting so please RSVP early ( at least one day before this event as RSVPs close after that ). In the meantime, if you have not already, please do read Dr Elaine Aron's book 'The Highly Sensitive Person'.

If you would like to attend online, simply RSVP and pay here via Paypal. Nearer the time you will receive access information for the video meeting by email via this meetup site (make sure email messages are switched on in your profile). You can prepare ahead of time by creating a free account at Zoom (https://zoom.us/download). Remember, we have no control over your internet connection, so do make sure it's up and working properly before we start. Please also make sure that your webcam and microphone is working sufficiently. You can get directions about how to join a Zoom online meeting at: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-How-Do-I-Join-A-Meeting . If you have any questions, email Ildiko through this site.

See you online in our HSP Meetup for Support Professionals 😊

I’m delighted to announce a new HSP-friendly art workshop presented by long-time Meetup member HSP Bridget Woodward. Here is her description: “In this workshop, we will practise some simple art journaling techniques using watercolour, drawing and collage. We will experience gentle movement, creative exercises, mindfulness and guided visualisation and then move into using art as a means of self-discovery. This workshop is about exploring the creative, intuitive parts of ourselves, celebrating our awareness of subtleties and diving into a visual world. As HSPs we can tend to get stuck on over-thinking and art offers us a chance to communicate in a more natural and organic way. We will be curious about the process and be open to making wonderfully imperfect art.

The event will be suitable for all, there will be a focus on creating a warm and welcoming environment with time for reflection, sharing of experiences and of course, tea and cake.

All materials are provided. Please wear old clothes or bring an apron.”

"In the creative process, as in falling in love, we contact our sweetness, longing and powerful intention, and profound thoughtfulness" Joseph
Zinker.

Bridget is kindly donating part of her fee to the National
Centre for High Sensitivity, CIC. Thank you so much Bridget :)

(Please note there will be a date assigned to this meet-up once we have a minimum of ten attendees.)
Welcome to our HSP meetup in Leeds. We look forward to welcoming new members who would like information on the Highly Sensitive Nervous System and to meet others like themselves!

The meetup lasts for a couple of hours with a break in the middle for tea/coffee and cake etc. Facilitated gently so that you can relax as much as possible and enjoy the time together with other HSPs. This is an information meeting, with opportunity to share ideas and tips on living life to the full as an HSP, run in a supportive atmosphere but not a therapy group. If you would like to come along, do call Barbara on[masked] for more information and to get directions.

£10 per person. Please RSVP so I know how much cake will be needed :)

There are times when many of us feel a sense of disconnect or a feeling that there is something ‘missing’, especially when the world feels very turbulent and chaotic. As highly sensitive people we have a deep sense of awareness around change and we feel personal and global losses more deeply. We may long for a simple life, where community and connection are valued and where we can experience ourselves as whole and complete, without the need to strive for more status, more money or more success.

Psychotherapist, Francis Weller explains that we live in a ‘flatline’ society where we don’t acknowledge our whole range of emotions. We tend to want to pursue happiness and positivity and if we feel any sense of loss or grief we hide these feelings for fear of being perceived as negative. These hidden feelings don’t simply disappear, ‘When our grief cannot be spoken, it falls into the shadow and re-arises in us as symptoms’. We can become exhausted or ill. We also mistakenly think that if we are feeling a sense of loss or sadness that we should hide away and wait till we feel better before facing the world. Weller states that in fact grief and loss needs to be processed within a community and that it is in sharing with others that we can move through painful feelings.

There are many levels of grief and loss; from the changes in season, the loss of a friendship, job or pet, the death of a loved one or the suffering across the world. This workshop gives us the opportunity to share our worries and to offer support to others. We find that through sharing our stories, we gain a sense of shared identity and that through acknowledging our pain we give ourselves the freedom to fully experience our joy. We can experience a more vivid and conscious life by being with our perceived negative feelings. Creativity and simple rituals are a key part of each session. Routines and structures keep us grounded and creativity offers us an alternative way to share in our full range of feelings.

How does it work?

- Each session will follow a format eg. a grounding/ connecting activity to begin, followed by sharing of losses and a simple ritual. One person speaks at a time. Followed by a gentle creative activity such as painting or movement which is optional
- Each person needs to be in safe place and able to contribute to the group eg. they have engaged in personal development of some kind whether through therapy, a spiritual path, coaching or other methods. The group is not a therapy group but there will be therapeutic elements. Everyone is responsible for their own wellbeing
- Everyone is welcome to these sessions whether you wish to take part in an active way or perhaps observe quietly. You may wish to share small losses or more significant ones, each person can take part in their own way
- Attention will be paid to keeping the group safe and creating a nurturing experience

Please email Bridget through Meetup if you have any questions or would like to know more.

This is an initial announcement of our exciting two day National Conference on high sensitivity (SPS) here in the UK, (hopefully spring 2020 if all goes well - please note the date indicated on Meet-up.com here is a guesstimate at this stage). It feels the right time for the National Centre for High Sensitivity to bring together a multitude of people in one place and one time in the UK, to bring awareness of SPS well and truly out from the background and into the foreground. Ideally it will be two days and will include speakers from the scientific and research community, the fields of education, health and well-being, workplace psychology and also speakers on the topic of parenting highly sensitive children. I would also like to have some creative people there who work within the arts to explore how we can bring more awareness about sensitivity through the arts, whether that is painting, film/TV, music or writing. I’m envisioning lectures, talks, a hub to explore current and future projects, discussion and training groups on various topics related to support, research, plus opportunities for HSPs or parents of HSPs to talk about empowerment and education of the sensitive population. Please RSVP to show interest, signing up to attend the conference will be via a different website. Please feel free also to comment here or email me with any ideas :)