Depth-Oriented, Attachment-Based Therapy for Highly Sensitive People (HSPs)

Highly sensitive people experience the world with more depth. You may notice subtleties others miss. You may feel emotions intensely, think deeply, and process experiences for a long time. While this sensitivity is a strength, it can also feel overwhelming.

You may struggle with overstimulation, emotional flooding, relationship stress, or chronic self-doubt. You may have been told you are “too much,” “too sensitive,” or “overreacting.” Over time, this can erode self-trust and create anxiety, shame, and relational confusion.
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Therapy can help you understand your nervous system, build emotional regulation skills, and learn how to experience your sensitivity as a source of strength rather than a flaw.

I'm Smadar Salzman, and I offer a relational, neurobiological approach to therapy for Highly Sensitive Adults.

As a licensed psychotherapist with nearly two decades of experience, I specialize in working with highly sensitive adults navigating complex trauma, childhood emotional neglect, dissociation, and relational wounds.

My approach integrates:

• Attachment-based therapy
• Psychodynamic exploration
• Interpersonal neurobiology
• Mindfulness-based regulation skills
• Complex trauma-informed care
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Together we'll focus on undoing some of the negative messages you may have received growing up, restoring a sense of internal and relational safety. We'll work to strengthen healthy boundaries, build emotional regulation, and grow your self-trust.

Therapy is collaborative and depth-oriented rather than surface-level or overly structured.

Highly sensitive people often benefit from therapy that honors complexity. Quick fixes rarely address the deeper relational patterns shaping current distress.

About Smadar

What Is a Highly Sensitive Person?

The concept of the Highly Sensitive Person was developed by Elaine Aron. It describes individuals with heightened sensory and emotional processing sensitivity.
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Being highly sensitive is not a diagnosis. It is a temperament trait. However, when combined with relational trauma, childhood emotional neglect, or chronic invalidation, high sensitivity can increase vulnerability to:

• Anxiety disorders
• Complex trauma
• Dissociation
• Relationship instability
• Burnout and emotional exhaustion
  
  

If you grew up in an environment where your emotions were dismissed, criticized, or ignored, your sensitivity may have become associated with danger rather than safety.

Signs You May Be a Highly Sensitive Person

You might:

• Feel overwhelmed by loud environments or strong sensory input
• Absorb other people’s emotions quickly
• Ruminate after social interactions
• Need more recovery time than others
• Feel deeply affected by conflict
• Experience strong empathy alongside difficulty setting boundaries
• Struggle with self-criticism
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Many highly sensitive adults have a history of relational trauma or attachment disruption. Sensitivity alone does not cause suffering. Chronic invalidation does.

When High Sensitivity Is Linked to Trauma

If you're highly sensitive and grew up in a chaotic, critical, or emotionally unavailable home, you may have developed:

• Hypervigilance
• Emotional enmeshment
• Fear of conflict or abandonment
• Chronic shame
• Dissociative coping strategies
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Therapy can help differentiate temperament from trauma responses. The goal is not to reduce your sensitivity. The goal is to heal the injuries that made it unsafe.

Benefits of Therapy for Highly Sensitive People

Throughout our work together, you may begin to notice: 

• Reduced anxiety and emotional flooding
• Increased self-compassion
• Clearer boundaries
• Improved relationship stability
• Greater resilience in overstimulating environments
• Stronger sense of identity
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Sensitivity becomes an integrated strength rather than a source of distress.

FAQ about therapy for Highly Sensitive People (HSPs)

Is being a Highly Sensitive Person a mental health diagnosis?

No. High sensitivity is a temperament trait. However, it can coexist with anxiety, trauma-related conditions, or attachment disruptions that benefit from therapy.

How is therapy for HSPs different?

Therapy addresses nervous system regulation, relational safety, and boundary development. The work tends to be deeper and more relational rather than purely skills-based.

Can therapy help with overstimulation?

Yes. We build regulation strategies while also exploring the relational roots of chronic overwhelm.

Do you offer telehealth therapy?

Yes. I provide telehealth therapy for adults and couples.

How do I know if we’re a good fit?

I offer a free consultation to assess fit and answer questions. Ongoing therapy is best suited for clients seeking long-term, depth-oriented work.

I SPECIALIZE IN THERAPY FOR LASTING CHANGE

If you're a highly sensitive person who feels overwhelmed, anxious, or relationally stuck, I can help you build safety, resilience, and self-trust.

Schedule A Free Consultation