Rejection Sensitivity: Healing the Hurt, Fostering Safety and Deepening Connections with Compassion and Flexibility

Synopsis

Rejection sensitivity is characterised by intense, pervasive, and long-lasting emotional distress in response to perceived rejection. Well-known among ADHDers and Autistic people and seen as a key process in borderline personality disorder, rejection sensitivity is not limited to these groups. Indeed, therapists may also experience rejection in ways that have lasting negative impacts on well-being and valued living.

This workshop will explore the origins of rejection sensitivity in interpersonal trauma and the processes that may contribute to ongoing distress, including alexithymia, social confusion, masking, executive functioning and emotional regulation. Integrating recent research findings with clinical and lived experience, the presenter will outline an affirming framework for rejection sensitivity grounded in evolutionary and neurobiological contexts.

Blending experiential exercises, case exploration and discussion, participants will learn practical strategies to alleviate distress and promote recovery by soothing painful emotions, cultivating self-compassion and self-acceptance, enhancing emotional clarity, and fostering interpersonal safety through supportive relationships and healthy boundaries. Participants will leave with a greater ability to help clients navigate the pain of rejection and build lasting emotional well-being.

Learning outcomes 

On completion of this workshop, participants will be better able to: 

1. Identify and describe the key factors that contribute to rejection sensitivity, including the possible roles of social confusion, alexithymia, masking, and emotional regulation difficulties. 

2. Implement therapeutic strategies to alleviate the emotional impact of rejection by cultivating emotional awareness, self-compassion, self-acceptance, and interpersonal safety. 

3. Foster a safe and supportive therapeutic environment that enables clients to explore their experiences with rejection, develop coping mechanisms, and cultivate self-compassion in response to painful social experiences. 

Workshop agenda