159 High sensitivity

Many artists have been plagued by high sensitivity including Vincent Van Gogh and Leonardo Da Vinci. As mentioned in a previous blog I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder several months ago. I've had the disorder as long as I can remember and I'm improving by following a strict regimen. But sound sensitivity has gotten worse as the years have passed. Lately it has gotten so bad that my weekends–when neighbor's are using a variety of outdoor vehicles and tools–has been almost impossible to tolerate.

But thankfully I found a solution that helps me control my environment. Like many I own an Apple iPhone. I downloaded the Amazon Cloud Player and use a variety of meditation MP3s to help me sleep. My favorite is by Mark Grant, an Aussie who combines EMDR therapy with guided meditation on his audio recordings. If you follow that link note that the two audio tracks can be downloaded for $1 each in the download section toward the bottom of the page. Be sure to listen to the audio with headphones as the stereo EMDR effect is lost otherwise.

When I'm trying to relax and someone stokes up their motocross bike or snowmobile I can put in the earphones and play an audio recording. The earphones I use are from Tylt and are more akin to earplugs and block nearly all the noise even without audio. I also use a Tylt battery pack which allows me to listen to the iPhone in my pocket while painting in the studio or in the field for long sessions.

This may seem like extreme measures to those who aren't Highly Sensitive People. If you have the condition you may want to try these methods.

Brad Teare March 2014