The Sensitivity Doctor

Breaking the Cycle: Dr. Amelia Kelley Answers Your Questions on Gaslighting & Healing

Episode Summary

In this intimate solo episode, Dr. Amelia Kelley dives deep into the most commonly asked questions from listeners and clients about high sensitivity, trauma, and gaslighting. With both clinical insight and personal reflection, she unpacks how sensitivity is not only a genetic trait but can also develop through trauma. Dr. Kelley shares her thoughts on the emotional impact of gaslighting, how to differentiate it from overthinking, and why highly sensitive people (HSPs) are more vulnerable to narcissistic relationships. She also opens up about her own journey as an HSP, how it shaped her parenting, and how sensitivity can be a powerful guide to authenticity and healing. Whether you’re newly discovering your sensitivity or navigating life after emotional abuse, this episode offers supportive, validating guidance for tuning into your nervous system, honoring your needs, and living more authentically.

Episode Notes

Key Takeaways:

• Sensitivity can be both innate and shaped by trauma; both can coexist.
• Highly sensitive people absorb their environment more deeply, making trauma and gaslighting more impactful.
• Gaslighting creates a destabilizing feeling; overthinking, while mentally exhausting, feels different and more internalized.
• Intermittent rewards and euphoric recall explain why we sometimes miss people who hurt us.
• HSPs and neurodivergent individuals may unintentionally attract narcissists due to their deep empathy and adaptability.
• Masking your sensitivity over time can lead to disconnection from your authentic self—Dr. Kelley shares how to reconnect.
• Healing from gaslighting starts with reconnecting to your voice through rest, play, and safe relationships.
• Sensitivity is not fragility—it’s a heightened awareness that can be a superpower when properly understood.
• Therapists should learn to differentiate between mental health diagnoses and sensitivity or neurodivergence for better treatment outcomes.