Let me start by sharing one of my little sayings, (One my kids are sick of hearing.)

“Your positive is your negative and your negative is your positive.” 

(They will have to deal with me repeating and repeating, as I continue to drill this into their heads... I believe this notion applies to so much! ;)

For much of my life I have keyed in to my senses more readily, or seemingly consciously than most.  I suppose it could be said I am an over-sensitive soul.... Though having this pointed out has proved challenging at times, especially by those not as sensitive or understanding.  (aka insensitive) 

Since we are on my Massage related site, the first positive/negative example I’ll share, is my sense of touch.  

Everyone can feel with their hands, this is a given.  That being said, I could always ‘feel’ things others could not... The slightest deviation in muscle tissue, a shift in skeletal structure, swelling, heat, calcium deposits... you get the gist.  Going to school for massage only enhanced this trait and - in regards to massage - placed it fully on the positive spectrum.  A few of my doctors may not be so convinced, this as they try to ‘feel’ what I ‘feel.’  I can vividly recall a visit regarding a lump.  I felt it, the doctor did not and disagreed, discrediting me... the sonogram proved me right.  (If I could have overlooked the fact that I indeed had a lump, the quizzical look on his face over my ability would have been sweet vindication...)  Over the years I have gravitated to medical professionals that ‘get’ me and take my ‘gift’ seriously.  For anyone that has been on my massage table, there is little question.

‘Energy’ is another area that has always been a magical mystery for me.  Everyone has experienced it at some point.  Ponder this... you’re not even facing the door, but someone walks in and you feel a shift in the room... or maybe your hairs stand on end with a particular individual, though you’ve never met them before... or you walk into a room in which individuals have just had words - the air is thick with tense energy...  Years of bodies on my table, has afforded opportunity to decipher subtle sensations.  I could sense or ‘feel’ areas of pain, minute changes or shifts, imbalances - especially if it was a long time client... it was all input, and added up to - not only my end goal/treatment at that moment - but my sensitivity skills to date.   (Check out this link => it explains the notion of a Sixth Sense.  Through the Wormhole.)  

My husband is ‘entertained’ by my ‘gift.’  A funny example... Many years ago, we went to listen to some live music.  The woman singing on the stage struck me outright.  Normally people pass by relatively unnoticed, but to me she stood out.  I sensed a huge lack of energy in her hands and head.  It was almost as if she had a dark grey/black screen blanking out those areas.  Frank (who was always asking me to point out what I sensed, just so he could try to ‘see’ what I ‘saw’) was intent on knowing if I was onto anything.  (It was a comical moment of a hubby trying to prove a crazy wife, crazy...)  Upon questioning, we found out that she had been experiencing blackouts and pain, stiffness and tingling in her hands.  Twice she had passed out on the bathroom floor in the very building we were in.   (There was a brief moment where Frank thought I was amazing...though that moment has passed. ;)

This ‘sensitive’ trait is useful when massaging - a huge positive - because it helps me to key into problem areas.  It is not helpful in a crowded room... 

The most compelling positive/negative I’d like to share - the one that prompted this story - is my sense of hearing.  

I have always had the most intense auditory ability.   I remember sitting in my 6th Grade classroom, I could hear everything - I mean EVERY THING!  The clock on the wall, the teachers steps as she walked around the room, the watch the kid was wearing two desks away, the heat rising from the heater, the pencils as they etched marks on papers, the papers shuffling on the desks, the creaking of the chairs as bodies shifted, people breathing, people in the hall, people in the neighboring classrooms... It was like a scene out of a movie.  In no way did I think I was the only person experiencing this anomaly.  As I passed the teacher on my way to my next class, I pointed out what I thought was the obvious, “Boy, it was really loud in there today!  I could even hear John’s watch ticking...”  She was baffled.  Grabbing my arm, somewhat annoyed, she made me repeat my statement to a nearby student.  They both looked at me puzzled.  “What!?”  The teacher, bending into my face, said,  “If you could hear the watch ticking, why would you say it was noisy?”  Turning to the other child, “Wouldn’t you say ‘it was so quiet, you could hear the clock ticking?’”  She obviously thought I didn’t know what I was talking about.  I assure you... I did.  

Flash forward about 25 years, to when Frank and I were living in the little bay house in Island Park.  I sat in the living room hearing the constant sound of water running.  Double checking every faucet in the house, I could not figure out where the sound was coming from.  Frank, cognizant of my ‘gift,’ triple checked me.  Though he could not hear anything, he knew if I said I heard it... it was there.  The basement of the house was a little dirt crawl space, not a place anyone ever wanted to go... He checked that too.  He could find no water running anywhere.  Rather than come to me with the ‘I can’t find anything’ speech... He stood out in the yard scratching his head... thinking... trying to buy time before coming in 'empty handed'... when he noticed he was standing in a puddle of water.   A pipe had broke in the yard!  Shaking his head in disbelief, he laughed, “HOW did you hear that?!”  {How did you not?}

From time to time, my father - auto mechanic extraordinaire - would go nuts investigating as I pointed out strange new sounds engine noises... “Car’s make noise, ya know?!”  A few weeks would go by and the problem would present... At one point he laughed, “Just wait a few weeks, it’ll show up...”  Today, our mechanic has grown to ‘appreciate’ my ears.  Rather than question, they’ve come up with the tactic of driving the car under a bridge.  The ‘walls’ and low ‘ceiling’ work like an echo chamber, and amplifies any sounds.  The most recent earful had them ribbing Frank... “Man, she has some set of ears...” Frank laughed, “Yup, I can’t hear it.  I just tell you what she hears... you can figure it out.”  (FYI - The brakes that were recently replace were faulty/cracked... yup, heard it...)

I came to terms with my ‘sensitivities’ years ago.  There is nothing I can do about any of them - no matter what anyone thinks, says, or feels... They are not a choice.  

I will never be a barfly - listening to music and having a conversation don’t mix... I can’t handle crowds - friends, family or otherwise... I need earplugs and a sound machine to sleep... my kids insist I can hear a gnat two miles away.... (I can ;)

If you happen to be one of my clients, you probably didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.  (Aside from my not-so-ordinary infatuation with bones, muscles, and body parts ;)  My ‘sensitive’ traits are what guided me to Massage Therapy, and why the profession worked so well for me.  Think about it - the ability to ‘feel,’ the awareness of energy, the one-on-one, the quiet serene setting... Makes sense, right?

For 48 years I navigated around and through, surroundings and situations... until 2012.  This was the year my daughter (10 years old at the time) had serious issues at school.  Much of what I just outlined regarding my own ‘sensitivities,’ she was contending with full-scale.  Excessive noise, chaos in the classroom and/or screaming classmates took a huge toll.  If the teacher was a ‘yeller’ she was lost.  More than lost.  

Every year I pleaded with the school to address the noise levels, address the chaos, address the student behaviors.  (Seriously... some of the ‘drama’ at school is overwhelming and bewildering.)  I could sympathize - wholeheartedly - with what my daughter was going through.  {Please forgive me... as I rant for a moment.} The school did the exact opposite, I swear in an attempt to ‘toughen’ her up... (In fact, that is what one teacher said.)  (Again - A sensitive person can no more 'change' - or toughen up - than a light haired, fair skined, blue eyed sunburn/skin cancer prone person can toughen up their skin... it is what it is.)  Every year she was given a more ‘vocal,’ authoritarian teacher... clearly ‘informed’ of her sensitive-need-to-be-made-tougher issues... Shame based comments ("you need to learn how to live in the real world" - "you are being irresponsible" - "stop lying" - "your just not trying" and so on...) were unfortunately all too common... 

Her ability to focus and think got worse the more she was pressured.  As well, she began having physical reactions due to the overload, and hence, began missing days of school.  Of course, I was fighting with the school to ease up - day in and day out - going nowhere fast.  It was at this point I took her to have an educational evaluation.  I was convinced an ADD diagnosis was in order... (A formal diagnosis would require the school to address her needs accordingly - forgoing personal, unsupportive and ignorant 'opinions'...)

We ended up in Dr. Cobin’s office for a week long series of tests.  Lo and behold the results came back with an enlightening diagnosis!  

CAPD - Central Auditory Processing Disorder.

Unfortunately, even after the formal educational evaluation, her homeroom teacher would not accept the doctor's diagnosis and - without going into too much detail - was blatantly and pointedly disparaging.  So seriously that it was in my daughters best interest to be home schooled.

It was a crazy year... to say the least. 

Having a diagnosis label opened an entire world.  Of course, my nature is to dive into anything related to the human body/medical, and given the personal nature, dive I did.  

As I researched this disorder, I found enlightenment to my own hearing anomaly.  (and yes... the disorder is hereditary...)  

As an adult I naturally choose a profession that limits noise, i.e. massage is one-on-one, music is soothing, environment is calming, etc.  My daughter is not yet able to make choices such as this for herself... but soon enough she will.  

In the mean time, we have implemented, addressed and put in place tools to manage the best we can.