The Sensation-Seeking Highly Sensitive Person Online Course
What happens when you’re both deeply sensitive and also crave excitement, novelty, and adventure? For many Highly Sensitive People (HSPs), this mix can feel like pressing the gas and the brakes simultaneously or longing for stimulation yet becoming easily overwhelmed by it.
Research suggests that nearly half of all HSPs also identify as High Sensation Seekers (HSSs). This overlap often creates unique challenges that ripple through daily life, relationships, and career choices, leaving people feeling caught between two opposing needs.
To address this paradox, international researcher and author Dr. Tracy Cooper is leading a new 7-week online course beginning in September and titled “The Sensation Seeking Highly Sensitive Person: Thriving in the Chaos.”
Created for both professionals and individuals, the course offers clear strategies, practical tools, and fresh insights to help participants better understand and navigate this fascinating blend of traits.
Why the HSP/HSS Combo Can Feel So Complicated
Highly Sensitive People tend to process information deeply, feel emotions intensely, and need downtime to recover from overstimulation.
High Sensation Seekers, on the other hand, crave novelty, excitement, and variety. When someone is both, life can feel like an ongoing tug-of-war,
You may experience:
- Identity confusion – Am I cautious or adventurous? Both? Neither?
- Over or under-stimulation – Wanting excitement but crashing from too much of it.
- Career struggles – Feeling restless in routine jobs yet overwhelmed by high-pressure roles.
- Relationship challenges – Needing stability but also craving novelty in connection.
- Cultural mismatch – Living in societies that rarely understand this paradox.
These conflicting needs often leave HSP-HSS individuals feeling “out of sync” with themselves and others.
A Course Designed for This Unique Mix
To truly understand the paradox of being both highly sensitive and sensation-seeking, Dr. Cooper incorporates insights from psychology and sociology. This isn’t about abstract theory; it’s about providing participants with practical strategies for their daily lives.
Each week, the course builds on core themes such as neuroscience, emotional regulation, relationship dynamics, and self-regulation.
A central part of the program is the Cooper HSS-HSP Conflict Matrix©, a unique framework that helps participants identify where sensitivity and sensation-seeking collide, and how to navigate those moments with awareness and choice.
Alongside live teaching, participants also gain access to carefully designed resources, including workbooks, expert interviews, and self-assessment tools, making the learning process interactive and personal.
These materials are designed to turn big ideas into actionable steps and help course takers apply what they learn to real-world situations.
Course Features at a Glance
- 7 weeks of live online sessions with Dr. Tracy Cooper
- Practical tools, including the Cooper HSS-HSP Conflict Matrix©
- Workbooks and self-assessment tools to track your growth
- Exclusive expert interviews offering additional perspectives
- Certificate of completion, ideal for professionals and personal development
- Scholarship opportunities to make the program more accessible
What This Means for HSPs
If you’ve ever wondered why you crave adventure but burn out faster than others, this course offers a way to make sense of that tension. By learning how to regulate your stimulation levels while still honouring your need for novelty, you can build resilience and self-trust.
For professionals who support Highly Sensitive People, the program also provides a clear framework for guiding clients through this paradox. Instead of encouraging someone to “pick a side,” the training models how both traits can be embraced sustainably.
Dr. Cooper reminds us that sensitivity and sensation seeking aren’t opposites; they’re two powerful forces that can coexist.
With the right tools, HSP-HSS individuals can turn what once felt like a struggle into strengths such as curiosity, adaptability, and a deeper appreciation for life’s richness.
In Closing
Being a High Sensation Seeking Highly Sensitive Person doesn’t have to feel like you’re forever pressing the gas and the brakes at the same time.
With the right tools, what once felt like inner conflict can become a balanced rhythm. You will know when to accelerate toward new experiences and when to ease off for rest and reflection.
Dr. Tracy Cooper’s upcoming program is designed to help you find that rhythm. Through guidance, structure, and community, it offers the support you need not only to understand your paradox but to thrive within it.
Sensitivity and sensation seeking aren’t opposites to be managed; they’re complementary forces that, when embraced, can make life richer and more fulfilling.
The Sensation Seeking Highly Sensitive Person Course FAQs
1. What are the main challenges faced by HSPs who are also HSSs?
HSPs who are also High Sensation Seekers often feel like they’re pulled in two directions. On one hand, they crave novelty, adventure, and variety.
On the other hand, they become overstimulated more quickly than most people, which leaves them drained or anxious after too much activity.
This tension can appear in careers, where they may feel restless in stable jobs but overwhelmed in high-intensity roles. In relationships, they may struggle between wanting closeness and independence.
Many also feel “out of step” with cultural expectations, unsure of how to explain their paradoxical needs.
2. How can the Cooper HSS-HSP Conflict Matrix© help individuals?
The Cooper HSS-HSP Conflict Matrix© is a tool created by Dr. Tracy Cooper to help people map out the areas where their sensitivity and sensation-seeking traits clash. By identifying these patterns, individuals can understand why they feel conflicted in certain situations.
Instead of seeing these traits as incompatible, the matrix helps people develop strategies to meet both needs in a balanced way. It’s about recognising when to lean into novelty and when to honour sensitivity with rest and recovery.
3. What resources are included in the course?
Participants receive more than just weekly live sessions. The course includes workbooks, self-assessment tools, and access to expert interviews. These resources allow students to take what they learn and apply it directly to their own lives.
The mix of interactive learning and practical materials makes the program accessible, whether you’re a professional working with HSPs or simply someone wanting to better understand yourself.
4. Who is this course for—professionals or individuals?
This program is designed for both. Highly Sensitive People who also identify as sensation seekers can use it for personal growth and self-discovery.
At the same time, professionals such as therapists, coaches, and educators can apply what they learn to better support clients or students with these traits.
Everyone who completes the course also receives a certificate, which can be helpful for professionals who want to demonstrate added expertise in this area.
5. How long is the course, and what is the structure?
The program runs for seven weeks, beginning September 1, 2025. Each week includes a live online session led by Dr. Tracy Cooper, covering topics like neuroscience, self-regulation, relationships, and emotional management.
In addition to the live sessions, participants are encouraged to use the course’s resources—like workbooks and assessments—to deepen their learning. This combination of teaching, reflection, and practice helps make the concepts stick.
6. Are scholarships available?
Yes. Recognising that not everyone has equal financial access, the program offers scholarship opportunities. This makes it possible for people who may be struggling financially to still benefit from the material.
The goal is to make this knowledge available to as many HSP-HSS individuals and professionals as possible, without cost being a barrier.
7. What’s the biggest takeaway for HSP-HSS individuals?
The biggest takeaway is that you don’t have to choose between sensitivity and sensation seeking. These traits may feel like opposites, but they can coexist. With the right tools, you can create a life that honours your depth and your adventurous spirit.
Instead of being “too much” or “not enough,” you can reframe your paradox as a strength. This course helps you move from conflict to balance—so you can thrive in both stillness and adventure.
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With love and kindness,
