May 2011 HSP Gathering in New England

Although this isn't going to happen exactly in our neighborhood, Jacquelyn Strickland, creator/organizer of the "official" HSP Gatherings has recently announced that there will be a 2011 HSP Gathering in the Northeastern USA:

The event will take place May 26th-30th, 2011 at the Rolling Ridge Retreat Center in North Andover, MA.

If you have not been to an HSP Gathering, or are not familiar with them, they are wonderful events, both for learning and for finding fellowship and friendship with other HSPs. Although the idea of spending time with complete strangers might sound daunting, it's actually an uncommonly welcoming atmosphere.

For more information, links to the retreat center web site and to register for the event, please visit Jacquelyn Strickland's web site at:

http://www.lifeworkshelp.com/hspgathering.htm

Make plans early! There's a discount on the registration fee for those who commit early, and the Gatherings ARE limited in terms of number of attendees. In keeping with being "HSP friendly" events (size wise) no more than 35-40 applications are accepted.

HSP Gathering in Colorado, October 1-5, 2009

This is an initial announcement that there will be an HSP Gathering in Estes Park, CO this October. The event will take place at the YMCA of the Rockies facility on October 1-5, 2009-- near Rocky Mountain National Park.

This is the second HSP Gathering to take place in Colorado (the first was in 2007, and drew visitors from around the US, as well as Canada and the UK), and it is the closest venue for HSPs in Texas.

Colorado is beautiful in the fall, and it's not a terribly long drive, from most parts of Texas-- or hop a Southwest plane to Denver, and share a car rental with other attendees.

Don't be misled by the event being "at the YMCA." YMCA of the Rockies is a huge sprawling "campus" in beautiful natural surroundings.

Make plans to attend, early-- there's usually a discount for early registration. For more information, please visit Gathering Creator/Organizer Jacquelyn Strickland's web site:

Jacquelyn Strickland's HSP Gathering Page

So why attend an HSP Gathering? After all, the idea of "a group" probably sounds counterintuitive to most HSPs...

The purpose of these retreats is both to help HSPs learn about the trait, as well as to help us find fellowship with each other. There is nothing quite like spending several days with other people who truly "get it!"

How this got started: the old Austin HSP meetup

I got an email, asking how the Texas HSP group is listed as starting in December 2007, while I keep talking about the "Austin HSP group" and the year 2004.

Well, there was a previous Texas group for highly sensitive people which was active from 2003-06, and a group of Austin and Central Texas HSPs started a "meetup" out of that group. That group was partly made possible after Elaine Aron taught a weekend workshop at The Crossings in Austin, in the spring of 2004, based on her Highly Sensitive Person book.

With the combination of people from the workshop, the Texas group on Yahoo, and HSPs listing themselves as "interested in an Austin HSP meetup," we ended up with enough of a "base" to have local get-togethers. Fairly small, but none-the-less an HSP peer group in Austin.

The current group is an attempt to create something similar, but not as "Austin-centric," and hopefully with the outcome that there could also be local HSP groups formed in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, as well as in Austin.

So, that's the "short version" of the history behind this group.

As for the current "incarnation" of the Texas HSP Group, all things take time. The "old" Yahoo discussion group was active for 16 months before there was actually a get-together. I expect this group will also take a while to get going, even though the general level of awareness of high sensitivity as a trait is much higher in 2008, than it was in 2003.

Opening Remarks

This is the blog attached to the Texas HSP Group.

The Texas HSP Group is an online discussion and support group on Yahoo Groups for highly sensitive people living in the Lone Star State.

The blog is intended to serve as a space for group announcements, local meetings, events and other ongoing happenings, relating to the group. Information about the group will be posted as it becomes available.

If you're not sure what an "HSP" is, or you'd like to join the Texas HSP discussion group, please visit our group's web site for more information, both about high sensitivity, and the group itself.

To go directly to the group's home on YahooGroups, go here.