Blog | The Inner Life of the Highly Sensitive Person
Don’t Wait Until the New Year: Why Now Is the Best Time to Begin Therapy
Starting therapy before the new year can help you end the year feeling grounded and supported instead of burned out. Learn why now is the right time.
Why the Holidays Might Be the Perfect Time to Start Therapy
Many people wait for January to “finally start therapy.” But what if the most loving thing you could do for yourself this year was to start now?
Therapy during the holidays isn’t about adding one more thing to your to-do list. It’s about taking something heavy off your shoulders—so you can breathe again, think clearly, and maybe even find small moments of genuine peace.
Self-Care Boundaries to Prevent Burnout for Highly Sensitive Women
If you’re a Highly Sensitive Professional Woman, you care deeply. You show up fully. You give your best - always. But when giving outpaces receiving, emotional burnout sets in.
How Setting Boundaries Protects Self-Care and Mental Well-Being for Highly Sensitive Women
Highly Sensitive Women often feel responsible for keeping everyone else comfortable. But your peace matters too.
Discover why boundaries are an essential self-care and mental wellness practice - not selfishness.
The Covert Narcissist & the Sensitive High-Achiever: A Painful Pairing
The covert narcissist doesn’t rage—they guilt, withhold, and twist your empathy against you.
For Highly Sensitive High-Achievers, that dynamic is both intoxicating and devastating.
This post explores how to recognize the pattern—and how to walk away with self-trust intact.
Why Highly Sensitive Women Do All the Emotional Work in Relationships (And How to Stop)
Why Highly Sensitive Women Do All the Emotional Work in Relationships | Inner Life Psychotherapy.
Discover why Highly Sensitive Women often over-function in relationships—and how to stop doing all the emotional work while cultivating balance and self-worth.
The Hidden Impact of Covert Narcissistic Abuse (And How You Can Heal)
Covert narcissists may not raise their voice, but their tactics can leave you exhausted, guilty, and questioning your own worth. If you recognize these patterns, you are not overreacting. Naming these behaviors for what they are is the first step toward healing.
10 Tactics of a Covert (Vulnerable) Narcissist You Need to Know
When most people think of narcissism, they picture someone loud, arrogant, or demanding the spotlight. But covert (or vulnerable) narcissists often look very different. They may appear quiet, humble, or even insecure. On the surface, they don’t seem threatening.
But behind closed doors, they use subtle, manipulative tactics to control, confuse, and wear you down. If you’ve ever felt constantly guilty, drained, or unsure of yourself, you may have experienced covert narcissistic abuse.
Here are 10 common tactics to watch for:
The Strengths of Being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)
If you’ve ever been told you’re “too sensitive,” it might have felt like criticism. But sensitivity is not a flaw—it’s a trait, and it comes with powerful gifts. In fact, being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) means your nervous system is wired to notice, feel, and process the world more deeply than most people.
10 Signs You Might Be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)
Have you ever been told you’re “too sensitive,” “overthinking everything,” or that you “just need to toughen up”? If so, you may actually be part of the 20% of the population who are Highly Sensitive People (HSPs).
From Confusion to Clarity: What Healing From Gaslighting Really Looks Like
Wondering what life looks like after gaslighting? See the before-and-after of healing and how therapy helps you move from confusion to clarity.
The Hidden Costs of Not Healing From Gaslighting
Gaslighting doesn’t just confuse you in the moment—it has ripple effects that reach every part of your life. Many women stay stuck, thinking it will fade on its own. The truth is: the longer it goes unhealed, the higher the cost.
Why Gaslighting Leaves You Doubting Yourself (And How to Rebuild Self-Trust)
Gaslighting works by making you question your reality. It erodes trust in your memory, your instincts, and your sense of self. The result? You begin to think “Maybe it really is me. Maybe I am too sensitive.”
10 Signs You Might Be Experiencing Gaslighting
Gaslighting is one of the most confusing—and damaging—forms of emotional abuse. It’s designed to make you question your memory, your feelings, and even your sanity. The truth is: if you’ve been made to believe you’re “too sensitive,” “imagining things,” or “overreacting,” you may be experiencing gaslighting.
Why Highly Sensitive People Get Stuck in Narcissistic Relationships
Why HSPs Get Pulled In
You didn’t end up in this dynamic because you're naïve.
You ended up here because you care.
HSPs often have a high capacity for empathy, emotional labor, and second chances. We want people to feel seen and safe—and we tend to question ourselves before we question someone else.
Christina Sheehan, MS. LPC. LMHC
As a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) myself (she/her pronouns), I know the struggle it can be to accept yourself and your unique abilities and needs. My dream is a world where all HSPs can feel their value and have the freedom to share their gifts in the world. Now, maybe more then ever, highly sensitive people and empaths are very needed to help care for this world. Through my private practice in Portland, Oregon I currently contribute by working with highly sensitive individuals on the issues that affect HSPs more deeply then others. This includes, covert narcissistic relationships, midlife transitions/crisis!, and learning about & accepting yourself.