The Mystery of Spiritual Sensitivity: Your Guide to Responding to Burdens You Feel from God's Heart

by Carol Brown

You are designed to touch God and supernatural The high sensitivity required to sense and feel what other people experience is what makes life painful-it also makes it possible to sense, feel, and hear from God. Author Carol Brown explains spiritual sensitivity--what it looks like and feels like, how this sensitivity affects you, and the common, human reflex reactions to this sensitivity.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Christian

352 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2008

Reviews

[Samantha Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book!! My review:

I began my read of Mystery of Spiritual Sensitivity to learn a new concept of how God works in believer’s lives. What a shock to find out that Carol Brown was going to explain why I cry reading the newspaper or can’t shake off horrific news about a stranger. I am a God made and ordained Burden Bearer!
The book points out in our lack of knowledge; we live out only a portion of our “design capabilities” and God’s design for humankind is perfect.
I love this phrase from the book, “Without empathy you cannot sense the heart of God where Burden Bearing begins”. It is truly an honor to be a Burden Bearer, but one must learn how to give the burden to Jesus. The Holy Spirit is our guide.
Your God given neural hardware makes it possible to subconsciously receive spiritual, physical, and emotional information in order to pray or to comfort another. When we Burden Bear another’s emotions, we will need to build-in the reflex of turning to the Lord to ask why this feeling has overcome us and how to intercede as the Lord directs.
Without a doubt this book has amazing insight and I thank Carol Brown for writing in such a way that the reader hungers for the next page. She has a gift and is truly in tune with our Lord.

[Chantelle J.]

A recommendation that was simple eye catching to click add to library. Iam not one to dabbing in many spiritual books but I did find this read enlightening. As a Hindu Ive read many of the texts with a mindful expression of modernized thinking. This read is similar to that plight I felt after reading there is a care but also a gentler motive. Oh and Thank you @bookbub for the recommendation as always I appreciate it.

[Esther Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational

This book is an excellent read, inspirational, and detailed on how to succeed spiritually in life, overcoming relational obstacles and how to tap into the power of God in your life

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helps one to recognise spiritual sensitivity within our brokenness

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book a month ago as well as the author’s other book on the same subject, because my mind keeps returning to some of the thoughts from these books on spiritual sensitivities I thought I would review it. This book finally started me on a path of understanding parts of me I couldn’t explain. I finally have an acceptance for what I considered as weakness within me (such as suddenly feeling anxiety or sadness upon entering a room or feelings of being overwhelmed emotionally or even anger I couldn’t explain…) I now see them as strengths God has created in me to love others and carry them to the cross of Christ Jesus of Nazareth. I am becoming aware of the Holy Spirit’s prodding to care for others HE wants me to, and awareness of those HE did not intend for me. It takes practice and the willingness to have the spirit alert for prayer. Yet it’s so freeing and encouraging! I’m understanding my own sufferings and sorrows on a new level and feel that my prayer life is also being moved forward and strengthened. If you find yourself sensitive and fighting hurts that seem to have no explanation, I highly recommend reading Carol Brown’s books. It helps you understand empathy from a Christ-centered perspective, that often gets attacked, stolen and/or twisted for Satan’s desires.
Edited to add: I loved this book, mostly. But by the last two chapters I had to quit again. Now I’m remembering why I didn’t thoroughly finish it last time! The last two chapters felt as though they were pointing out every little sin I could have made and even possibly made in utero (what?!) and I must repent of them. It didn’t feel like the gentle conviction of the Lord. It felt demanding and condemning. I’m working on some of the suggestions; however it was seriously overwhelming. I’ll keep leaning into the Lord and let him work on me in his way.

[Amanda Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one felt a bit like a mirror. Admittedly, not as many applicable advice as much as information about burden bearing. Author talks about intercessory prayer as a way to draw other's burdens to the Cross, but doesn't provide multiple creative strategies for this. Given the title says this is "your guide" was hoping for additional practical advice.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard for me to write a simple 100 word review for this book. There was much within it that was spot on for me, some I questioned, and some I disagreed with. Conversation would be better than summation. I'm thinking anything that deals with the spiritual part of life falls into this category.

I do believe it gave a splendid understanding of how sensitivity works, explained how we can connect, and reminded me of what I already knew but hope to now carry out. I think it would be easy to walk away from reading this book thinking that all heavy feelings come from others, when in reality we have our own share. Though if you get to the last few chapters it does mention this.

Speaking of, I wish the last few chapters had been earlier in the book. Mainly because I feel they were pretty important, and would be the easier ones to miss. We end up in our life wounded and broken and this has a huge affect on how we relate to others and the emotions we carry. To leave this to the end seemed bad positioning, but then I am sure there was reasoning for that.

I do think it's a good book to help understand those who are spiritually/emotionally/physically sensitive. (They have a tendency to go together.) As with any book of this sort, not everyone who is sensitive will have all this book speaks about, but it's a great start point for those conversations I was talking about.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally changed my life. As a highly sensitive person this book gave me the perspective I've needed for decades. It's loaded with heavy pearls of wisdom that require reading and re-reading. Can't say enough good about this book. Highly recommend for anyone. If you are highly sensitive, especially you need to read this. If you are not, then you know someone who is and this will help you understand where they are coming from better. This book also is chock full from beginning to end with sample prayers; this is one of my pet peeves about christian authors is they love to write their opinion on a subject but rarely provide the prayer to help the person get to the next "glory." Also I had the honor of a short skype with Carol A. Brown to answer a few questions I had. She is so humble, truly an amazing woman of God. I can only hope to reach her level one day.

[Echo Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms. Brown did a phenomenal job! A family friend, who is a physician, told me about this book. I cannot thank him enough. I found this book to be one of the most insightful readings I've ever read.

It has helped me to better navigate a world that does not understand the blessings and curses, pains and pleasures, of being highly spiritually sensitive.

If you ever find yourself thinking that you are somehow vastly "different" than most people, and feeling that, "No one really understands how hard it is to be you," because you have an uncanny ability to feel, sense, discern, relate to, and see what others feel, then I highly recommend that you read this book.

[Kevin Orth · Rating 1 out of 5]

You would never know this by the title or subtitle, but this is more of a Bible based sermon from a conservative Christian perspective than about being highly sensitive. My issue is the 'bait and switch'. By all means, write a book heavily Bible citation. Have at it, write a book that is more sermon than research. Please do not title the book so deceptively that the potential reader has less than no sincere understanding on the true nature of the piece.

[Linda Husvar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was full of information about how highly sensitive people carry burdens for other hurting people. The author shares intense nuggets of information about how to pray for others without becoming over-burdened. This process requires deep faith and the ability to "carry the burden to the Cross". I recommend this book to those who want to help hurting people effectively.

[Dina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Helped me to understand why I feel things the way I do!