Therapy for People Who Feel “Too Much”: Sensitivity, Shame, and Self-Compassion
You cry at commercials. You feel the mood in a room before anyone says a word. You care deeply—maybe more than you’d like to admit. And somewhere along the way, someone made you believe that was a problem.
At our North Sydney therapy space, we often work with people who have been told they are “too much”—too sensitive, too emotional, too intense. These words land like shame. But what if your sensitivity isn’t the problem? What if it’s the beginning of something powerful?
What It Feels Like to Be Told You’re Too Much
The message might not be direct. It might sound like:
“You’re overreacting”
“Just toughen up”
“You take things too personally”
“You’re so emotional, I don’t know what to do with you”
Over time, these comments can shape how you see yourself. You might:
Apologise for having feelings
Downplay your needs to avoid burdening others
Feel shame when you cry or get passionate
Push away your own depth just to stay “easy to be around”
Try to be smaller, quieter, more contained—even when it hurts
This often leads to a painful inner split between your sensitivity and your sense of safety.
The Truth About Sensitivity
Sensitivity is not weakness. It’s a way of deeply engaging with the world. Sensitive people often have:
Strong empathy and emotional insight
Intuitive awareness of relational dynamics
Creative or expressive depth
The ability to notice what others miss
But without support, sensitivity can turn inward. It becomes self-blame, overthinking, and shame. Therapy helps shift that. Instead of fighting your emotional depth, you learn how to support it.
Why Shame Often Follows Sensitivity
Many sensitive people grow up in environments where emotions were dismissed, overwhelmed caregivers couldn't attune, or vulnerability was unsafe. You may have learned early that your feelings were “too much”—and that being accepted meant being emotionally contained.
As a result, you might now:
Question whether your reactions are valid
Fear being abandoned for expressing your truth
Feel isolated even in close relationships
Carry an inner critic that says, “Why can’t you just let it go?”
This is not your fault. Shame is not the truth of who you are. It’s a response to not having your emotions seen, welcomed, or supported.
What Therapy Offers Sensitive People
Therapy can be a space where your emotions don’t need to be minimised, fixed, or explained away. They can simply be felt, with support.
In therapy, we work with:
Emotional regulation: Helping you feel your feelings without being overwhelmed
Shame awareness: Naming and releasing the parts of you that believe you’re “too much”
Parts work and inner child healing: Reconnecting with the younger you who needed more emotional safety
Self-compassion practices: Learning how to meet your sensitivity with kindness
Relational repair: Understanding how to express needs in ways that build connection, not disconnection
This isn’t about becoming less sensitive. It’s about becoming more supported in your sensitivity.
You Are Not Too Much—You Were Just Left Alone With Too Much
This phrase resonates for many clients. What feels “too much” is often unprocessed emotion, unmet needs, or unacknowledged pain. With the right support, those feelings soften. They become information, not identity.
North Sydney Therapy for Sensitive and Emotionally Intense People
Whether you’ve been told you’re too much or have come to believe it yourself, therapy can help you reconnect with the strength, clarity, and compassion that lives inside your sensitivity. You don’t need to shrink to be loved. You don’t need to be less to belong.
We offer therapy in North Sydney and online for individuals who want to stop apologising for their emotional truth and start building a life that can hold it.
Book a Session
If you're ready to stop editing your emotions and start embracing them, we’re here to support you.
