The Hidden Psychology Of Highly Sensitive People - Dr Sasha Hamdani
Psychiatrist Sasha Hamdani joins Chris Williamson to explain emotional sensitivity and rejection sensitive dysphoria, why criticism and uncertainty hit some brains so hard, and the tools from her book Too Sensitive for calming big emotions.
The gist
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Hamdani says rejection sensitive dysphoria involves an overactive amygdala, an underactive frontal lobe and a frayed link between them, plus dopamine and norepinephrine surges.
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She says falling estrogen lowers dopamine, raising sensitivity for two weeks each month, and testosterone drops in men's 50s and 60s can do the same.
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Hamdani says boys learn only anger is acceptable; Williamson notes over 90% of UK men who die by suicide had sought counseling.
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Williamson says ChatGPT read his genetic data and called him a great detective but poor SWAT operator, arguing people should pick environments that suit them.
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Hamdani's top tools are movement, like tensing your calves in a tense meeting, delaying your reaction, and mindfulness that observes feelings without judgment.
Chris Williamson uses it
"I had this really great interaction with ChatGPT where I sent my genetic data to it and had a conversation with it and said, 'Hey, imagine you know nothing about me — tell me what sort of a person you think I would be just based on my genetic data.' And it came back with all o..."
▶ Play at 8:34145 creators recommend it, including John Coogan, Riley Brown, and Peter Yang.
See all on the ChatGPT page"I think being really drilling down on the mindfulness — and what is really important about this is giving myself the space to non-judgmentally just observe what's happening in my brain. There was a study that came out of Yale looking at this: the power of just observation inst..."
▶ Play at 1:04:54"I think one of my favorites is just utilizing movement because when you are incredibly emotionally overloaded, there's a tremendous amount of value in physical movement — pattern disruption, getting oxygenated glucose to your brain and hopefully shunting it to that frontal lob..."
▶ Play at 59:06What they recommend · 3 picks
"I think one of my favorites is just utilizing movement because when you are incredibly emotionally overloaded, there's a tremendous amount of value in physical movement — patter..."
"I think being really drilling down on the mindfulness — and what is really important about this is giving myself the space to non-judgmentally just observe what's happening in m..."
"I had this really great interaction with ChatGPT where I sent my genetic data to it and had a conversation with it and said, 'Hey, imagine you know nothing about me — tell me wh..."
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See what they all swear by Or pick your own peopleSasha Hamdani
2 picks · guest
"I think one of my favorites is just utilizing movement because when you are incredibly emotionally overloaded, there's a tremendous amount of value in physical movement — patter..."
"I think being really drilling down on the mindfulness — and what is really important about this is giving myself the space to non-judgmentally just observe what's happening in m..."
Chris Williamson
1 pick · host
"I had this really great interaction with ChatGPT where I sent my genetic data to it and had a conversation with it and said, 'Hey, imagine you know nothing about me — tell me wh..."
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