In this crazy world this is an important question and one I have been reflecting on for many years. Now that The Awakened Caterpillar Community for Sensitive Souls has now been formed, it felt right to put my thoughts and experiences down for the benefit of those who resonate. Sensitivity has an infinite variety of expressions in the human race and this article could not even begin to attempt to collect all the ways that a human can be sensitive. This will only reach the tip of the iceberg as a short introduction to what it means to be sensitive. There will be many more specific deep dive articles coming in the future.
Our world seems to favour those who are perceived as strong, tough and powerful. We live in a patriarchal society that champions traits such as competitiveness, grit and willpower. These can be very useful if not vital attributes to mankind, yet the balance in the world has tipped far too much in this direction. Too far to the point that intuition, creativity, sensitivity and divine feminine energy, for example, is seen as ‘lesser than’ and not something that is deeply essential and invaluable to humankind. It is this imbalance that is feeding wars, greed, famine, division and the destruction of our environment and ecosystems across this incredible planet. Those who are sensitive feel this deeply either consciously or unconsciously which can be expressed in us physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually.
Sensitivity as a healthy response
Could it be that it is indeed those seen as ‘sensitive’ by society that are the most sane?
Sensitivities are often misunderstood by society and many have been labelled by mainstream medicine as diseased or malfunctioning in some way. I am not a champion of the way sensitivity is pathologised in western society and I believe that most with the right support and the right environment do not require the pharmacological interventions encouraged by western medicine. Please do not take this as me encouraging those reading this to stop taking medication that has been prescribed to them. This is something that has to be reviewed with a health professional in a careful way and on a case by case basis.
Perhaps, however, the real ‘dis-eased’ and ‘insane’ among us in society are the numb, the dissociated, the avoidant – the desensitised among us. I believe human sensitivity is our natural healthy guide to healing and to wholeness. It is our guidepost and route back to homeostasis for ourselves, our fellow humans and our beautiful planet, Mother Gaia. We simply need to respect and honour it while listening compassionately to its call.
An important note to make is that all humans are essentially sensitive, yet some seem to be much more so than others. I would say if you are reading this article you are most likely one of those. My belief is that humans have been conditioned over countless generations to become desensitised to the world around them. It is this very desensitisation that is causing so much disharmony on an individual and collected level.
If you find yourself to be sensitive, it could well be that you are expressing a natural and healthy response to the environment you find yourself in.
What does being sensitive look like?
So, let’s explore what being a sensitive soul can look like for an individual. A good place to start would be to describe some of the sensitivities I have experienced in my life, which I hope many reading this will resonate with in some or perhaps even all areas. I will write a little about sensitivity from a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual perspective. These will highlight some of the challenges that sensitive people can face. Bear with me, as later in the article we will be looking at how these sensitives can be harnessed as a vehicle for healing, peace and transformation in our lives and those around us.
Physical
For me, I have a large number of physical sensitivities but here are some of them. I have significant food intolerances to gluten and high histamine foods and anything highly processed. Like many sensitives out there, I have quite severe reactions to certain food additives such as MSG. I am extremely sensitive to all types of drugs, such as caffeine, alcohol and pharmaceuticals and avoid them all as much as possible. Most chemicals in common household products I find very harsh and have to take special care to minimise or eliminate these completely.
There is an unprecedented level of environmental toxins in our environment. I believe this toxic load can have an incredibly deep impact on the physical wellbeing of a sensitive person especially. Therefore being conscious about minimising these and eliminating triggers from my diet and environment is crucial for my wellbeing, along with my energy healing and meditation practices.
Not doing so tends to lead to migraines and sinus issues, digestive issues, brain fog, fatigue, joint pain, anxiety, mood swings, irritability, skin rashes and immune system issues, among many other symptoms. These are just a few examples of my own physical sensitivities but these could express themselves in countless other ways for other individuals.
Mental
In terms of mental sensitivity the primary point to highlight is overstimulation from the environment which is a common issue for many sensitives. Life has become so fast paced. It can seem like there is no time to just be simply present. We get stuck in thoughts and chronic overthinking about anything and everything and all the dmeands of modern society. To make matters more challenging, many of us are surrounded by TV’s, screens, electromagnetic energy, wifi signals, and 5G. These are all carrying and emitting vast amounts of information which our brains and bodies have to process on one level or another. This is nothing short of exhausting and can often lead to stress and burnout for a sensitive person.
Also, social events or gatherings where the people are engaged in small talk and conversations that are judgemental, critical or overstimulated in some other way is something that exhausts me mentally. I can be quite introverted when it comes to dealing with the general public and social situations and take special care for who I spend my time and energy with. This is not due to a sense of superiority or anything like that, it is simply to protect my wellbeing. It can take a huge amount of energy for me to support myself in certain social environments leaving me mentally exhausted. There are many great techniques that can help with this that I have learned over the years and self-care and boundary-setting is absolutely crucial, for me at least.
Emotional
Sensitives tend to feel emotions very deeply. The highs and the lows. For me, I am very sensitive to the emotional states of the people around me. In a therapeutic environment this is fine and actually serves as a great blessing as I can hold this space safely for another person and this is something I love to do. The challenge can be dealing with the often unconscious emotional projections from the people you come into contact with in your everyday life.
Many sensitives identify as empaths and this is an incredible blessing but can also be an almighty challenge for those who have yet to learn how to deal with this in a healthy way. If an empath is left unsupported then they can be flown around in the wind at the whims of the emotions of others, often unconsciously, which can be deeply unsettling and leads to unstable and ungrounded states of being.
For myself, I have experienced severe anxiety with incredibly strong and, at times, terrifying panic attacks with general anxiety and this is a manifestation of overwhelm for me personally. These ungrounded states of being can manifest in a myriad of different ways: such as an array of different anxiety related symptoms, depression and other mental health challenges as well as physical, mental or even spiritual manifestations also. I have been deeply affected, yet also deeply moved, by my empathetic sensitivities and I have been on a steep learning curve to manage this blessing in a truly healthy way.
My meditative and energy healing practices have been an essential and fundemental part of this. I also believe a supportive, sensitive community around you can be extremely valuable. Sensitives are much stronger and wiser together and have the potential to be a poweful force on this world driving transformation and growth for the good of our communities and the planet at large. This is a gentle call to action: the planet needs us to come together right now.
Spiritual
One of the greatest gifts to a sensitive person is their spiritual sensitivities. Sensitives are often more aware of the deeper patterns and order that goes beyond simply the material and physical world. This can manifest in many different ways such as a deep connection to nature. For example, I have an affinity with trees. The joy I get when I see a sapling in a forest is indescribable. The beauty of nature and our environment can literally move me to tears and being connected to it is essential to my wellbeing.
Music is often something I experience spiritually and I totally see it as Plato described as a ‘gateway to the soul’. Also, animals: the deep connection I have with my dog, Barney, is divine, and something that cannot be explained. I felt I knew him before we met and I know he has come to teach me about unconditional love.
Then there is the connection to universal energy and divine wisdom which I could talk about for hours but this is for another article! Feeling connected to spirits, angels and guides is another sensitivity for many, but by no means all sensitives have an affinity for. We may see patterns in numbers or perceive synchronicities and signs from the universe in our everyday life. Our sensitivities are unique and expressed in their own way which makes them so beautiful and fascinating. It is like all sensitives have their own blueprint for potential expression in this lifetime and this excites me immensely.
Spiritual Bypassing
It is important to note that in the spiritual realm our state of being can become unbalanced. I have experienced and come to understand ‘spiritual bypassing’ as a very real and challenging phenomenon. In essence, it means that someone is focussing on the spiritual aspects of their life as an escape from their physical, mental or emotional life. This leads to being ungrounded, imbalanced and unembodied in many cases.
The neglecting of our physical, mental or emotional self can actually make existing issues more pronounced, as everything is connected. Neglecting any part of our being is neglecting the whole. We cannot heal and bring balance to a life where we are avoiding parts or a part of ourselves. This is why being grounded and present and embodied within our spiritual practices as sensitives is essential to our wellbeing and transformation.
Being sensitive brings many gifts, talents and abilities. Many sensitives are healers, therapists, intuitives, dancers, writers, storytellers, artists, musicians, conservationists, nature-lovers, teachers, carers…and so much more!
Creativity & Sensitivity
Creativity is the intended channel for our sensitivities so they can be expressed in this world.
Sensitivity is the gateway to creativity in all of its different forms and outlets. Creativity is the intended channel for our sensitivities so they can be expressed in this world. The suppression of our creative potential in my opinion leads to our sensitivities feeling stuck, blocked and becoming stagnant in our system which can lead to the overwhelm that was discussed earlier in this article. Therefore, creative expression is crucial to a sensitives looking to navigate their way through this challenging world. I recently heard there have even been studies that have found that creativity, or lack thereof, has a direct relationship to the perceived sense of wellbeing in a person.
Creative Meditation
This is where a creative practice of meditation and energy healing can be helpful. Some may be surprised to hear that meditation can be a creative process but I wholeheartedly believe it to be the case. The more creative and free the meditation and self healing practice is for the individual, the more they will transform and benefit from the process. From my experience with Energy Healing Meditation Therapy, the freedom that comes from surrendering to the creative power of the universe can be a powerful catalyst for healing, change, growth and transformation on all levels of your being.
An analogy I like to give is that meditation and energy healing is like plugging yourself directly into the mains of source energy with infinite creative potential as its output. This is in contrast to being connected to a restricted power bank, somehow limiting your unbounded creative potential. It is when we are in the unlimited flow of source energy that creativity can truly flourish and be a natural home, respite, and resting ground for our sensitivities. It is in this flow where the greatest works of art and most profound discoveries have been made by humankind.
We have a natural and infinitely powerful place to channel our sensitivities so that they do not cause stress, burnout, overwhelm and the huge host of symptoms that can be associated with these. This is why I am now so very excited to be sharing this form of meditation with my clients and community. I believe becoming aware of our energetic selves, the underlying forces that make us who we are, is where true transformation lives and a direct connection to the unique and divine spark of creative potential that we all have within us.
Sensitivity and Energy Healing Meditation Therapy
I will be holding an online introductory webinar on Sensitivity and Energy Healing Meditation Therapy, and the way that such a practice for sensitives can unlock the creative spark within us to drive transformation, growth and healing in our lives:
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 26TH 2026 – 18:30 – 20:00 (UK TIME)
This is a free event, and to attend, you simply need to send me your email address so that I can send you the calendar invite with the link to attend.
Thank you for reading this article all the way to the end. I hope it helped you find some inspiration on your transformational journey as a sensitive soul!
Author: Joseph Whyles, Founder of The Awakened Caterpillar
Joseph offers Energy Healing Meditation Therapy workshops and classes in Glastonbury along with running The Awakened Caterpillar Community for Sensitive Souls. He is also an experienced Reiki and Energy Healing Practitioner and Teacher and offers Energy Healing in Glastonbury for his clients.
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