DBT Skills for Highly Sensitive People: Make Emotional Sensitivity Your Superpower Using Dialectical Behavior Therapy

by Emma Lauer

Powerful skills to build emotional resilience and celebrate your sensitivity for the gift it is! Have you been told that you are “too sensitive?” Do your emotions often feel intense or overwhelming? If so, you may be a highly sensitive person (HSP). HSPs are often empathic, intuitive, and passionate; but they can also struggle with strong emotions. This book will help you understand and balance your emotions, and reframe your emotional sensitivity as a strength—not a weakness. Using skills from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), this evidence-based guide will show you how to increase emotional resilience and learn to appreciate your sensitivity for the superpower it is! With this book, you’ll learn to understand and regulate your emotions, “read” your body’s physical responses to difficult emotions, and discover effective ways to self-soothe when the outside world feels overwhelming. You’ll also find strategies to help you deal with difficult or challenging interactions with others. Emotional sensitivity is a gift; but it’s important to learn how to manage your emotions, so they don’t get in the way of relationships and reaching your goals. With this book as your guide, you’ll find the balance you need to be your very best.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Psychology, Mental Health, Audiobook, Communication, Counselling

176 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2023

Reviews

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a highly sensitive person, this book will feel like a warm hug. It's like all the things you've wanted to hear your whole life, with guidance on how to really believe those words and move forward towards "building a life worth living". Lauer reviews DBT skills in such a digestible and compassionate manner, leaving room for realistic expectations and allowing yourself grace.

[Kristo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook version and it was painful to get through. So repetitive and seems to never actually say anything useful.
The narrator was really terrible and sounded like a high-school science class informational video. That's fine when it's a ten minute clip on how sheet metal is made, but torturous when it's a five hour audiobook.

[Morgan Bloodsmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starts off feeling a bit fluffy and placating, but if you continue, the meat of the book includes a lot of really good tools and things to remember to help deal with emotional volatility. I think ultimately it is a simple and effective collection of coping strategies and behavioral tools for living a more balanced life.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Checked it out from the library. I firmly believe this is solid and helpful information. Bought the book.

[Carla (Carla's Book Bits) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this over the course of a week and made notes on things I would find useful. I have to say, I kind of hate the subtitle for this book; ("make emotional sensitivity your superpower"); it implies a different kind of transformation than what is actually in the book. In truth, the book teaches skills to people who identify as highly sensitive people, who are struggling with negative self-talk and regulating their emotions. It is a transformation, but I kind of hate how hack-y this title makes it sound. Maybe I'm overthinking that lol.

Onto the book: I think the ideas in this book are great advice for HSPs, especially if you're like me and are always getting swept up in emotions and not gaining any mastery over them. Unfortunately though, a lot of it is advice you can find on the internet already, from following various psychologists and from just already practicing mindfulness. While I didn't really learn anything new, this book was a good reminder of the skills you need to practice anyway.

I think there's still more to learn about these skills though - often I found that the book brings up interesting ideas but doesn't really explain further or give proper examples. This might also just be a subjective thing; I'd prefer to dwell longer on concepts and really exhaust a topic before moving on to something else. I think I'll still be looking for something more in-depth, but I still have to say this is a good starter book for someone who wants to start doing research on how to live with their emotions better. Not a bad read, by any means!

[Bevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book great rewrite of PLEASE skill

I appreciate the rewrite of the skills as many people get hung up on acronyms. I also appreciate the rewrite of the PLEASE skill. Many people focus on starting a diet or losing weight as a way to take care of their physical health and this book shows a better approach to balanced eating and incorporating movement into your day. A lot of DBT materials are the same, but this is worth the buy even if you have done DBT training or read another DBT book.

[Stephy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have about five books on the go and am almost done most of them. Then, of course, six of my Libby holds came in all at once—so now I’m on a mission to finish my half-started stack. DBT Skills for Highly Sensitive People by Emma Lauer was one of those reads, and I’m really glad I picked it back up to finish.

It’s a thoughtful, approachable guide for managing intense emotions using core DBT tools like mindfulness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance. Lauer frames sensitivity as a strength and offers practical strategies for staying grounded when feelings get overwhelming. While much of it was a helpful refresher, I picked up a few new tools—especially around tuning into my body’s emotional cues. My biggest takeaway: create a list of things that bring me joy and lean on it when I need a reset. Simple, compassionate, and well worth the read.

[Hadley Cope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this book offered a great perspective and opportunity to self-reflect, I felt like much of the jargon was repetitive. There was also an overuse of how HSP's should be creative and frankly, I just didn't agree. I think there is room for much more nuance in how those with strong emotions express them, live, or act.

I would recommend this book to someone who is wanting some guided self-reflection and feel community in being more sensitive or prone to emotional. Overall, it was an easy ready, quick, and good intro to the non-fiction/self-help world!

[Daniell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the specific focus of this book for HSPs. Dialectical behavioral therapy does seem particularly suited for those who find CBT can be a bit blunt. DBT's model for describing emotions can be helpful in processing overwhelming emotions whose after-effects can linger for hours or days. Most of the "exercises" are journaling/self-reflection prompts versus instruction/how-to's.

[Dinesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is well written and well structured. The author is knowledgeable in the world of DBT. As a highly sensitive person, this book makes me feel more comfortable in my own skin and offers me great insight into how I relate to myself and my surroundings.

I’m excited to read more from this author.

[Omaya Ahmad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as a parent and partner to highly sensitive people, and I came away with skills to meet their needs. Even more, I gained insight into some of my own sensitivities. As Lauer says often in this useful, quick read: we are all doing our best AND we can still do more.

[Kylie Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was really helpful to read as someone who feels like their emotions heavily influence her actions and plague her thoughts. I can’t wait to implement the ideas covered in this book!

[Marie Angus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has some great help in it. It's NOT written from a Christian perspective, but I think I've benefited from listening to it and will probably listen to parts again.

Planning to look at some of the exercises if I can find a copy of them.

[Kelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great boiled down version of DBT with practice exercises. The language is easy for those who are just beginning to explore DBT as well as a great refresher and reminder of the method for those with more knowledge on the topic.

[Stephanie’s Libby Antics · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cheaper than therapy 😉 It can’t hurt, right?

(Actually no, self help books totally COULD hurt and make things worse… this one is helpful though. It is gentle and practical and doesn’t say anything problematic, like some other books, so I would recommend it)

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt this book was just ok. This was the first DBT book I have ever read but even to me it felt too basic. There wasn't a whole lot I felt I could do with the information and definitely feel I need to read another book after this one.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful.

[Aly Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book introduced me to skills that I didn't know I needed. I'm so happy to have found it. As a therapist I will be recommending it to many of my clients.

[Sarah McClure Starr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one will be reread and flagged many times over!

[Noura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had a lot of expectations for this, then found it to be very basic for me. Nothing new!

[Aysha · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a lot of overlap from the DBT skills I already knew which made this book difficult to read.

[Ally Trull · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adding this one to my toolbox for sure! Concise and helpful.

[Adrian Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with valuable knowledge and validation to more emotionally vulnerable folks

[Melissa Ade · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Brittany Monaco · Rating 5 out of 5]

HSP= autistic person

[Amy Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little summary of useful skills

[Cordelia McConnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

helpful!

[Quick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really helpful for me to understand the DBT process better so I can more accurately recommend it in appropriate situations. And helpful hints on reflection and interactions whether HSP or not

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful and concrete about symptoms and strategies. Straightforward.

[Gerberiela · Rating 3 out of 5]

a bit too much rambling