The Sensitivity scale has several items that assess how sensitive you are to other people’s feelings. The primary level of this scale addresses human relationships, consideration for others, empathy, and a desire to serve them. All these aspects have been shown to be important factors in creating happy and healthy relationships.

Since a spiritual life includes service to others, many of the items on this scale provide some insight regarding your concern and care for others.  Hence, this scale does have some value in helping to reveal if you bring your spiritual values into everyday life.  Selflessness and moving past the desire for personal ego satisfaction is a recipe for joy.

In addition, there is a window to another level as well. Two of the items touch on the realm of subtle energy:

• • I can tell when I am picking up someone else’s emotional vibrations.
  • When I walk into a room, I can pick up on the mood of the people there.

These two items explore your awareness of subtle energy. Spirit is manifesting everywhere and is the hidden force that creates and sustains all life. This hidden force is an energy that can be perceived through intuition. The soul’s intuitive power can be experienced as sight, sound, feeling, hearing, and direct knowing. What you do with this information, is another matter. It is up to you to introspect and determine if you use this information in a helpful, positive manner.

If your score is high on the Sensitivity Scale, then, perhaps, it reflects a degree of spiritual develop that has opened the window to a more subtle realm. If so, there are many positive functions that can result from this dimension.

One gift is that it can help you stay physically healthy, and you can help others heal from emotional, physical, and mental difficulties. Various system of energy healing use this subtle realm to heal the body. It is possible to learn to become more aware of energy and how to consciously direct it to help yourself and others. I do discuss this type of healing in my book, Sacred Healing: Integrating Spirituality with Psychotherapy.

It is important to note that a high degree of sensitivity does not necessary suggest a high level of spiritual development. Individuals with an extremely sensitive nervous system can be very perceptive regarding subtle energy. Other factors are also important: consideration of others, selflessness, and a desire to serve.  Having a sensitive nervous system does not necessarily make you holy!

If you want to develop in this area, please look at the Sensitivity section on Suggestions for Further Growth and Development.