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awest93's review
2.75
There is some helpful information in this book, but it is buried beneath ableism and pseudoscience.
bupdaddy's review
4.0
Really important concept for dealing with a sensitive child. Their experience is real. For that alone, I give this book 4 stars.
mthorley23's review
2.0
Not well written but I got the validation I was seeking. I was also impressed by the recommendations for coping with sensory issues - maybe because a lot of times medication is recommended. Exercise, occupational therapy, good nutrition, and knowing/using techniques that calm you when you are overwhelmed (i.e. soothing music, a dark/quiet space, a bath, aromatherapy, etc.) are advised. I kind of think that most people have some sort of sensory defensiveness somewhere and all of us need to find useful ways to cope with stress. That is all.
subtlymelancholy's review
informative
slow-paced
2.0
I liked the more descriptive parts, but the anecdotes were very "and one day they tried hard enough, and they just got over it." At least I felt less alone when I first read it, but I wouldn't recommend it.
megatsunami's review
3.0
This book was validating for me re: my own mild form of this difficulty (and definitely made me thankful that I don't experience things the way some of the more severe profiles described). I'm not crazy about the term "sensory defensive" (though it might be an improvement over "highly sensitive person"). The lists of different types of sensory sensitivity was helpful for me. I also liked the part where they suggest you look at how to structure your day and how to identify experiences that are grounding/calming vs. overstimulating (although this part was too brief for me).
The chapters that were supposed to be about giving yourself "a sensory diet" and finding helpful therapies were not helpful for me. They mostly seemed consist of New Age pseudoscience and unproven claims. Also, the author seems more attached to promoting certain techniques rather than to helping you identify the ones that work for you. For example, "skin brushing" sounds like I would hate it. It felt like a lot of the suggested techniques were not things I need or want, and it seemed many of them were oriented toward more severe forms of this issue.
Would have liked some more info about how to talk to others about this (like how to frame or explain your needs when they might seem weird to others). Also wanted more about parenting and how to get one's needs met while being a parent. (The book alluded to parenting but didn't really get into detail about it.)
One final thing - the book was too negative. In the same way that "The Highly Sensitive Person" was overly sunny about how noble and wonderful sensitive people are, this book was overly gloomy and dire about how awful it is to live with high sensitivity. OK, I might get really overwhelmed by crowds and loud noises, but I think I also enjoy a lot of things more deeply too.
The chapters that were supposed to be about giving yourself "a sensory diet" and finding helpful therapies were not helpful for me. They mostly seemed consist of New Age pseudoscience and unproven claims. Also, the author seems more attached to promoting certain techniques rather than to helping you identify the ones that work for you. For example, "skin brushing" sounds like I would hate it. It felt like a lot of the suggested techniques were not things I need or want, and it seemed many of them were oriented toward more severe forms of this issue.
Would have liked some more info about how to talk to others about this (like how to frame or explain your needs when they might seem weird to others). Also wanted more about parenting and how to get one's needs met while being a parent. (The book alluded to parenting but didn't really get into detail about it.)
One final thing - the book was too negative. In the same way that "The Highly Sensitive Person" was overly sunny about how noble and wonderful sensitive people are, this book was overly gloomy and dire about how awful it is to live with high sensitivity. OK, I might get really overwhelmed by crowds and loud noises, but I think I also enjoy a lot of things more deeply too.
badassmama's review
why: I'm still feeling spaced out after an overstimulating experience 7 hours ago. There must be a way to make this easier.
kellylynnthomas's review
3.0
Lots of info I didn't know before, but the book was a little overwhelming. I think she tried to cram too much info into too small a space.
ejmiddleton's review
4.0
Knowing next to nothing about this, it was a perfect read for me. I liked that there were a range of ideas to pursue for the many different kinds of sensory issues covered in the book.