Sensitive Men Rising - the Docuseries
Walt’s Waltz is excited to announce that Susan Crooks was interviewed for the film Sensitive Men Rising - the Docuseries. Sensitive Men Rising follows the acclaimed film featuring Alanis Morissette - Sensitive: The Movie directed by Will Harper. Most are unfamiliar with this trait which impacts over 20% of men and women and wasn’t identified until the mid-90s. Will Harper and Dr. Tracy Cooper hope to change that with this film. In addition, Walt will be one of the dedications in this film. We believe this film can help save lives. Fittingly, the film opened on June 16, 2024, for Father’s Day.
Why you need to know about this trait
Having the trait of high sensitivity plays a significant role in a person’s life. As a Compass and a Megaphone, we are working to educate society about this trait. Walt was told late in his life that he was a highly sensitive person, but he was given no direction on life changes that might improve his well-being. It was a brief comment followed by other possibilities. Susan wishes this had been highlighted because of the impact this trait has on people’s lives. Often, HSPs feel out of place and need to find their tribe. An overarching goal of Walt’s Waltz is to REDUCE SUFFERING, and this film, this work, is significant for this goal. Walt’s Waltz eyes are on the future as we promote early identification, parental/school involvement, and tools for success. At Walt’s Waltz, we encourage you to learn more about how Mental Wellness is complicated.
Some of the possible qualities of an HSP include:
Heightened sensitivity to smells, sounds, and visual stimulation
Sensitivity to fabrics and tags in clothing
Limited tolerance in crowds
Significant emotional reaction to violence
Susceptible to anxiety
Heightened empathy for others’ emotions
The need to withdraw following social situations
Active imagination and deep internal exploration
Labeled shy as a child
A deep appreciation of the arts
Diagram from “Sensory Processing Sensitivity in the context of Environmental Sensitivity: A critical review and development of research agenda” Science Direct.
Insightful Videos
We encourage you to take a moment to go through the following slideshow to learn more on this subject. We believe that education is the key to understanding and identifying those who may have HSP. The more we educate ourselves on this subject, the wider our awareness grows, and our hope to save others grows with it.
Walt’s Waltz eyes are on the future as we promote early identification, parental/school involvement, and tools for success. At Walt’s Waltz, we encourage you to learn more - for Mental Wellness is complicated.
Additional Resources on HSPs
Websites
Dr. Tracy Cooper has written 3 books with a 4th soon to be released. He is internationally recognized for his work in the field of High Sensitivity and High Sensation Seeking. Tracy is open about his own life experiences as an HSP and HSS person.
Visit Dr. Elaine Aron’s website for a wealth of resources on The Highly Sensitive Person. Elaine, with her husband Arthur Aron, was the first to identify and educate others on the trait of High Sensitivity. There are also self-tests that you can take to see if you have this trait.
The Sensitive Man- Blog by William (Bill) Allen that provides insights into Highly Sensitive Men.
Inluminance- Website of Willow McIntosh. Here you can find a blog about HSPs as well as a program meant to help HSPs discover their purpose in life.
Highly Sensitive People in the Workplace – Strategies for Inclusion- LinkedIn post by Linda Binns on strategies to step up and be heard as an HSP in the workplace.
Articles
Positive Psychology offers a great article on their blog Body & Brain 4 Oct 2022 by Jo Nash, PhD titled “What is a Highly Sensitive Person”.
“Sensory Processing Sensitivity in the Context of Environmental Sensitivity: A critical review and development of research agenda” Science Direct. This article is illuminating and worth the read.
Videos
The HSP Brain - Dr Esther Bergsma
Link: https://youtu.be/Yg5-911-h5c?si=hgSKfihAqmsaTfON
Duration: 24:42
About This Talk:
Dr. Esther Bergsma discusses the different studies that have been done to understand how the HSP brain works. She is a Dutch expert and researcher on High Sensitivity with various published books including The Brain of the Highly Sensitive Person.
Conscious Parenting. Raising the next generation of Highly Sensitive Children - Dr Genevieve von Lob
Link: https://youtu.be/7Ex6go96Iko?si=Z6dFPszuPIEzdxmb
Duration: 36:05
About This Talk:
Dr.Genevieve von Lob discusses techniques for parents raising Highly Sensitive Children. These children can provide many challenges for parents who may not understand how to better support their child’s development and oftentimes need a different approach to how to parent these children. She works to help parents recognize that the struggle is a natural part of parenting these children and is not a reflection of their failure to do their job. Dr. Genevieve works with parents to boost their confidence in the choices they make when they feel challenged by their children. She believes that this understanding of the Highly Sensitive Child can lead to a more harmonious family environment.
What can we do to effectively raise confident, self-aware HSP boys? - Bill Allen & Josh Speraneo
Link: https://youtu.be/TUmZd4juvgY?si=woH3fzqZwQXD1xB-
Duration: 54:22
About This Talk:
Bill Allen, an author of books on Highly Sensitive Men and a blog on HSP men, provides his perspective on how to approach raising highly sensitive boys. He discusses these insights with Josh Speraneo and goes into depth about what it looks like growing up as an HSP male, the challenges of being highly sensitive, and the gifts that can come from being highly sensitive. Allen gives tips on how to help HSP boys thrive by providing the proper support they need to understand themselves.
The role the HSP trait is here to play in the world - Willow McIntosh
Link: https://youtu.be/ydngarfHBA0?si=DsnfejnGispcqrPx
Duration: 45:46
About This Talk:
Willow McIntosh, founder of Inluminance and creator of the High Sensory Coaching Program, discusses the role HSP people have in this world. McIntosh shares his ideas with Josh Speraneo and frames the idea that it is not sensitivity but intelligence. He believes that those who identify as having the HSP trait can have a large impact on the world positively by discovering their passion or sense of purpose and sharing those ideas with others.
Rewriting our story through the lens of sensitivity with Andy Mort
Link: https://youtu.be/IHuJtt00Rro?si=y0CBkMJ-DVSU_atO
Duration: 29:59
About This Talk:
Andy Mort utilizes Elaine Aron’s Five Necessities for HSPs to coach the viewer through reframing their memories from the perspective of being a highly sensitive person. He provides insights on how this approach helped him reflect differently on his memories and how he uses creativity to help himself while going through this process. He also explains why this may help those with this trait to understand themselves and their emotions better and help them let go of things they may have held on to without realizing it. He offers the viewers a moment to reflect on their own while guiding them through their thoughts.
How to Step Up and Be Heard as an HSP- Linda Binns
Link: https://youtu.be/GF0nss5RExM?si=DqKB8j8PZuFhchTl
Duration: 34:55
About This Talk:
Linda Binns discussed three strategies that introvert HSPs can use to help navigate this trait and be heard by others. She shares these strategies with Josh Speraneo and the viewer, and she provides explanations on how these strategies will help someone understand who they are differently. She believes these strategies will help those with HSP who are more introverted thrive by overcoming struggles they may face.
Sensitive Sensation Seekers: Reflections and Perspectives - Dr. Tracy Cooper
Link: https://youtu.be/GUaMPs397Ks?si=xgpBGMOLx0SD6Psn
Duration: 30:13
About This Talk:
Dr. Tracy Cooper was invited to share his thoughts on HSPs at the Empaths, Sensitives, and Intuitives Summit through the SHIFT Network. He expresses what being a sensitive sensation seeker means and the different aspects found in those people. He also discusses the gender breakdown of these people, highlighting the Sensitive Men Rising documentary and the work they hope this film does to show the world what it means to be a sensitive man. Additionally, he shares how the creativity found in sensitive sensation seekers can help people become leaders and why this creativity matters.