Wolf Meets HSP
I met a wolf this weekend. Luckily I didn’t happen upon her in the wild—in fact, I learned I will never meet a wolf in the wild because humans are their only predators and they are too smart to come near us. This wolf is named Willow and she lives at a wolf sanctuary deep in the Angeles Mountains called Wolf Connection.
Most wolves in captivity end up euthanized because animal shelters are required to put them down if they cannot find a sanctuary for them within 72 hours. But Willow made it out and found a home at the sanctuary.
So there we were, six therapists, sitting in a row, waiting to meet some wolves. We were told to be patient with Willow—that she is highly intelligent and shy and she needs to take in her surroundings with all of her senses before she can let her guard down and engage with you. Her caregiver said, “Willow is a very sensitive soul.”
We sat with our palms up waiting to be sniffed. Her pal, a wolf-dog named Wolfee, was affable and bounded in all paws and slobber, sniffing each of us and making it clear he wanted lots of pets. I noticed Willow standing at a distance watching Wolfee make the rounds. He seemed to be telling her, "It's alright, they're cool."
When Wolfee laid down about six feet in front of us, Willow came in for some sniffs. She passed through the space between us and Wolfee (like a channel of safety he helped hold for her) and quickly took in our scents. Then she stood at a distance for some time, as if to process all the information she had just gathered.
She came in for a second pass and this time lingered with each of us for a few moments. Then she took another break. This happened a few more times, and each time Willow stayed a little longer with us until eventually, we were able to give her all the loving pets we wanted.
Then it hit me, Willow is an HSW—a Highly Sensitive Wolf! Here she was having this intense sensate experience, taking in and deeply processing everything she was seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and tasting (yes, we even got some licks)—as HSP folks do. Because she had caregivers who accepted this part of her personality, she was given the space and time to navigate meeting us in a way that felt safe and manageable. She felt all the feels and took time out to understand it all. And she was supported in her need to do so.
When a highly sensitive being is not afforded this understanding (from others and also from themselves), overwhelm, anxiety, and fear sets in. Reactivity runs high and it can be difficult to connect with others. But with some understanding of this sensitivity and the room to explore it, a grounded connection is possible.
Willow got to be just who she is and could get on with doing her job, healing the hurts and hearts of the people who come to visit her. I’ve noticed the same is true for HSP humans - that when we learn how to appreciate and manage our sensitivity we can get on with the lives we are meant to lead and share our voices, creativity and healing powers with the world.
Looking for resources for the Highly Sensitive (or Empathic) experience? I’ve got you covered!