Autistic? ADHD? Highly sensitive? Gifted? If you've spent years trying to work out which one actually describes you, there's a good reason it's been hard to pin down: these traits genuinely overlap. And for a lot of people, getting an official answer isn't simple either, between long assessment waitlists, the cost of private testing, and diagnostic systems that often overlook people who are coping well on the surface. In this blog post I share two diagrams I use often with clients to map this overlap out, and what it can look like to start working with your parts even without a formal diagnosis.

As highly sensitive people, our childhood experiences can have a significant impact on our mental health and well-being. Even if we did not experience major trauma, our highly sensitive nature can make us more susceptible to mental health issues such as high levels of stress, health issues, anxiety and depression.

Being a highly sensitive person allows you to experience emotions and the world around you on a deeper level, but it can also make you feel overwhelmed and isolated. IFS can be an effective tool for HSPs to work through trauma and access their strengths. With IFS therapy, you can learn to embrace your sensitivity as a gift and design a lifestyle that suits your unique needs.