Psychotherapy for Highly Sensitive People and Empaths

Attuned to every vibration, do you feel like a human tuning fork?

Highly sensitive people often feel everything all at once. The energy in a room. The emotions of others. The weight of the world. This trait, while beautiful and profound, can also be exhausting—especially when it goes unrecognized or is misunderstood.

I’m Sara, a depth-oriented psychotherapist and empath in Oakland, CA. I offer therapy for highly sensitive people and empaths who are seeking not just relief—but deeper understanding.

Your sensitivity is not a flaw. It’s a language. A way of knowing. And when held with care, it can become a powerful source of insight, connection, and self-trust.

High Sensitivity Is Not a Diagnosis. It’s a Gift.

Roughly 20% of the population is born with the trait of sensory processing sensitivity—a nervous system that is more finely tuned to subtleties, nuance, and emotional energy. HSPs tend to be deeply intuitive, conscientious, empathic, creative, and spiritually open.

But in a loud, fast, and often harsh world, high sensitivity can lead to:

• Chronic overstimulation and emotional overwhelm

• Anxiety, depression, or dissociation

• Perfectionism, people-pleasing, and burnout

• A sense of shame or “not fitting in”

• C-PTSD from childhood environments that didn’t support your sensitivity

If your early experiences taught you that you were “too much” or “too sensitive,” you may have learned to hide, shrink, or disconnect from your truest self. Therapy can help you begin to reverse that pattern—gently, consciously, and with compassion.

Jungian Depth Therapy for HSPs: Working with the Shadow

In Jungian psychology, the parts of ourselves that were rejected or misunderstood often end up in the shadow—hidden from view, but still very much alive. As a highly sensitive person, you may have internalized the idea that your depth of feeling was something to be ashamed of or fixed.

But what we push into the shadow doesn’t disappear—it resurfaces as shame, anxiety, self-doubt, or emotional withdrawal. Depth psychotherapy helps us bring these hidden parts into the light, so they can be seen, felt, and integrated.

Together, we can:

• Explore your unconscious patterns and limiting beliefs

• Work with dreams, symbols, and somatic cues to access your inner wisdom

• Reclaim the parts of you that were left behind in childhood

• Build emotional resilience without abandoning your sensitivity

• Learn to protect your energy while staying deeply connected to yourself

Being an Empath: Gift, Challenge, or Both?

Empaths often feel others’ emotions as if they were their own. Without clear boundaries, it can feel like there’s no filter between you and the world. This can lead to:

• Chronic emotional enmeshment

• Burnout or compassion fatigue

• Co-dependency or people-pleasing

• Somatic symptoms or unexplained exhaustion

• A persistent question: Is this feeling mine?

Through depth therapy, we work on untangling what belongs to you and what doesn’t. You’ll learn how to hold space for others without losing yourself in the process. This is the path of the wounded healer—and healing begins when you learn to care for the part of you that always cared for everyone else.

Your Sensitivity Is a Portal, Not a Problem

When your high sensitivity is validated, understood, and integrated, it becomes a gift:

• A deeper connection to beauty, creativity, and meaning

• A finely attuned intuition

• A sense of purpose in helping, healing, or creating

• The ability to perceive emotional or energetic shifts others might miss

But it requires support. And it requires space.

If you’re ready to explore your sensitivity—not as something to fix, but something to understand—I’d be honored to walk with you. I offer therapy for highly sensitive people and empaths in Oakland and online across California, rooted in Jungian depth psychology and soul-centered care.

Let’s turn your sensitivity into strength.

Let’s help you come home to yourself.

Reach out to begin therapy or schedule a free consultation.

RELATED BLOGS: