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Photo credit: Alexander Rext
๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐. ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ is the founder, doctoral researcher, and award-winning author. The Gift of Sensitivity launch made it a bestseller in the business diversity and inclusion category. This BISAC category, introduced in 2022, reflects the need for JEDI topics. The Independent Press Award recognized The Gift of Sensitivity as a Distinguished Favorite in Personal Growth 2024.
Bringing over 15 years of international business and startup experience, Elena holds four polydisciplinary degrees in social management, biology, executive business administration, and psychology at the Masterโs level. Currently pursuing a Ph.D., she blends behavioral psychology and economics using neuroscience researching behavioral factors influencing sustainable consumption at the nexus with impulsive buying behavior.
๐๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ: โDo it, stop being emotional, take back control, move and donโt get stuckโ โ all of these are so familiar to many of us. I was โin controlโ for half of my life, using personal influence. It worked out until I collapsed. However, what if we could become best friends with our emotions, which are the source of life energy? What if we are meant to feel, know, and understand more, transform faster, and utilize more parts of our brain?
We are all born sensitive; I have never met any human without the ability to feel. However, most of us are frozen or disconnected, emotionally stultified. Others are vulnerable and wounded and prefer not to touch the emotional zone, which is often a source of pain. Therefore, many of us prefer a life of self-control instead of a life of freedom. A paradigm focused on self-control rather than self-exploration rules the day.
๐๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ, ๐ฐ๐ก๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ก๐ฐ๐๐ฒ?" Drawing on extensive research and personal experiences, Amber provides a fresh perspective on what it means to be human in an age of technological acceleration, highlighting the importance of emotions in both our personal and professional lives.
“A compelling perspective on the way a form of neurodivergence can ultimately drive effective adaptations rather than serve as a source of difficulty... a unique self-help book focused on the benefits of sensitivity.”
โ Kirkus Reviews
Amber explains how her neurodivergence enables her to thrive.
In this self-help book, the author, a former business executive, describes her own experiences as a highly sensitive person (a recently defined condition in which, as she explains, โI see, taste, hear, smell, and feel many more stimuli than others, and I feel them more intenselyโ) and discusses how traits she has developed in response to this sensitivity, in addition to her studies in psychology and her professional experience, allow her to function more effectively in the world. Amber discusses how developing sensitivity skills can help others improve their experiences at work, in relationships, and in personal growth. She takes readers through an abbreviated version of her difficult childhood, marked by an often-unhappy home life (โThe air of my real home was thick with tragedy, and life took place in dark violet hues, riddled with the pink scars of freshly healed newly obtained woundsโ) that forced her to learn to adaptโit was a gradual process of discovering her interests and strengths, powered by a desire to share her insights with the wider world. The author outlines her educational path and her evolving professional life, highlighting the moments in which she made small decisions that would later turn out to be life-changing and life-defining. She encourages readers to pursue alternative methods of thinking, such as โmental time travelโ (โYou may also call it the process of remembering, which includes future episodes if you think of time as a cycle, not the arrow or line. Any mental trips generated, whether by AI virtual reality, imaginary, or life experiences, could be liberating, but it is a matter of emotional connectionโ) to better understand their own needs and desires, and to achieve their own moments of epiphany. Amber attributes much of her success in life to her heightened sensitivity and the related skills she developed. And she offers readers advice on strengthening their own perceptual abilities to improve their relationships with others and with the world at large.
The book offers a compelling perspective on the way a form of neurodivergence can ultimately drive effective adaptations rather than serve as a source of difficulty. The author concisely explains how her high sensitivity has been a net benefit: โIt has given me the ability to foresee threats and the ability to be prepared, feeling opportunities and being ready to catch them.โ The book is less effective at conveying background informationโalthough it is clear that Amber grew up outside the United States, it is never stated where she spent her early years, making it difficult to contextualize the stories she tells about her childhood. Some readers may find the authorโs approach to changing thought patterns a bit too esoteric for their tastes (โThe one mastering sensitivity becomes a seeker of physical tensions, which embodies emotional attachments to situationsโ), though the language may feel familiar to self-help enthusiasts. Throughout the book, Amber makes clear her intention of helping readers with their problems, and that sense of generosity runs through the text, creating a welcoming environment.
A unique self-help book focused on the benefits of sensitivity.
Pub Date: Nov. 21, 2023
ISBN: 9781788605021
Page count: 200pp
Publisher: Practical Inspiration Publishing, UK
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2023
The Gift of Sensitivity_book trailer
THE GIFT OF SENSITIVITY: THE EXTRAORDINARY POWER OF EMOTIONAL ENGAGEMENT IN LIFE AND WORK: The Independent Press Award Distinguished Favorite in Personal Growth, 2024
THE GIFT OF SENSITIVITY: THE EXTRAORDINARY POWER OF EMOTIONAL ENGAGEMENT IN LIFE AND WORK: NYC Big Book Award Distinguished Favorite/Personal Growth, 2024
THE GIFT OF SENSITIVITY: THE EXTRAORDINARY POWER OF EMOTIONAL ENGAGEMENT IN LIFE AND WORK: Best Book Awards Finalist/Nonfiction: Inspirational, 2024
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