The Sensation-Seeking Highly Sensitive Person: Thriving in the Chaos

A 7-Week Online Professional course designed to increase awareness of the 50% of HSPs who are also high in sensation seeking.

By Dr Tracy Cooper

Starts 1st September, 2025

Did you know that around 50% of Highly Sensitive People are also High Sensation Seeking?

Designed with professionals in mind - but equally valuable for the general public - this science-backed course offers an enlightening and comprehensive exploration of the 50% of Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs) who are also high in Sensation Seeking (HSS). You'll gain powerful insights and practical tools to navigate the unique tension between these two traits and learn how to live with intentionality, balance, and deeper self-awareness

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Why Join this course...

This course supports HSP with the following struggles..

Confusion About Identity: Struggling to understand and integrate these two strong genetic traits can lead to uncertainty about one’s true self
Understimulation: Experiencing boredom, anxiety, or depression when life lacks enough stimulation.

Overstimulation: Feeling burned out or overwhelmed when exposed to too much stimulation.

Career Challenges: Difficulty in choosing a suitable career path and maintaining long-term job satisfaction.
Relationship Struggles: Finding it hard to select the right partner and maintain healthy, lasting relationships.
Cultural Mismatch: Facing challenges fitting into a culture that may not support or align with these traits.
Self-Care Difficulties: Struggling to prioritize and maintain effective self-care routines.

The Sensation-Seeking Highly Sensitive Person: Thriving in the Chaos is the only course exclusively led by Dr. Tracy Cooper that focuses specifically on High Sensation Seeking Highly Sensitive Persons (HSS/HSPs). As the leading course in this area for both professional development and personal growth, it offers a distinctive blend of psychological and sociological insights not found elsewhere.

Dr. Cooper brings extensive experience in facilitating online courses that foster genuine learning communities. He creates a safe and accepting environment where participants can form authentic connections with each other and with him. This course is grounded in Dr. Cooper’s book, Thrill: The High Sensation Seeking Highly Sensitive Person, and draws on the pioneering work of Dr. Elaine Aron, who first identified the highly sensitive trait.

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Weekly Live Online Sessions

Hands-On Work with the Cooper HSS/HSP Conflict Matrix©

Custom Multimedia Learning Materials

Asynchronous Online Discussion Forums

What's Included In The Course...

Live Webinar Thursday, September 4th (2-3pm CST / 8-9pm BST)

Week 1: Embracing the Paradox - Foundations of the HSS-HSP

Core Science: Overview of Sensory Processing Sensitivity (Aron) and High Sensation Seeking (Cooper & Zuckerman); description, prevalence, assessment, and neurobiology

Live Session: "Ferrari Brain, Melted Crayon: Mapping the HSS-HSP Experience"

Matrix Activity: Introduce the Cooper HSS-HSP Conflict Matrix© graph; participants map their own or client scenarios.

Live Webinar Thursday, September 11th (2-3pm CST / 8-9pm BST)

Week 2: The Restless Brain - Neuroscience of Conflict

Core Science: Brain regions in conflict-cingulate, premotor cortex, dopamine/reward systems, and HSP hyper-processing.

Live Session: "Brain Wars: When Your Amygdala Parties Like It’s 1999"

Matrix Activity: Use the Cooper HSS-HSP Conflict Matrix© to analyze real-world dilemmas (e.g., overstimulation vs. boredom).

Professional Focus: Applying neuroscience to psycho-education and client self-awareness.

(Live Webinar Thursday, September 18th (2-3pm CST / 8-9pm BST)

Week 3: Controlled Burn - Managing Overstimulation

Core Science: Threshold theory, arousal regulation, and evidence-based interventions.

Live Session: "How to Flirt with Chaos Without Marrying"

Matrix Activity: “Boundary Experiments”-testing limits in Cooper HSS-HSP Conflict Matrix© quadrants.

Professional Focus: Coaching/therapy tools for boundary-setting and self-regulation.

Live Webinar Thursday, September 25th (2-3pm CST / 8-9pm BST)

Boredom as Brilliance - Harnessing Novelty

Core Science: Evolutionary perspectives on novelty-seeking, HSP burnout, and resilience.

Live Session: "Netflix Binges & Psychological BDSM: The Science of Boredom".

Matrix Activity: “Edge Play Planner”-designing safe novelty and risk-taking using the Cooper HSS-HSP Conflict Matrix©.

Professional Focus: Goal setting for healthy stimulation and preventing client stagnation.

Live Webinar Thursday, October 2nd (2-3pm CST / 8-9pm BST)

Week 5: Emotional Hangovers - Empathy & Impulsivity

Core Science: Mirror neuron systems, emotional depth, and sensation-seeking disinhibition.

Live Session: "Why You Cry at Dog Commercials but Crave Skydiving"

Matrix Activity: “Empathy Lab”-role-play scenarios to avoid emotional burnout.

Professional Focus: Supporting clients with emotional regulation and empathy overload.

Live Webinar Thursday, October 9th (2-3pm CST / 8-9pm BST)

Week 6: Relationships on the Edge - Navigating Intimacy

Core Science: Social overstimulation, attachment, and dopamine in social risk-taking.

Live Session: "How to Date When You’re 50% Monk, 50% Rockstar"

Matrix Activity: “Conflict Navigator”-using the Cooper HSS-HSP Conflict Matrix© for relationship and communication coaching.

Professional Focus: Relationship guidance, boundary negotiation, and conflict resolution.

Live Webinar Thursday, October16th (2-3pm CST / 8-9pm BST)

Week 7: Rebel Integration & Mastery - Building Anti-Fragile Lives

Core Science: Flow states, creativity, and long-term thriving for HSS-HSPs.

Live Session: "Why Your Midlife Crisis Will Be a Masterpiece"

Matrix Activity: “Life Design Blueprint”-participants create a personal or client-facing Matrix-based action plan

Professional Focus: Sustainable self-care, relapse prevention, and ongoing professional application.

Bonus Materials

As part of the course you will also recieve:

Workbooks and Reflection Journals
Downloadable workbooks and guided reflection journals to help you process course material, track your growth, and apply insights to your daily lives.
Printable Checklists and Quick-Start Guides
Checklists and quick-start guides summarizing key strategies for thriving as an HSS/HSP, making it easy for you to implement what you learn.
Expert Interview Series
A series of recorded interviews with other experts in high sensitivity and sensation seeking, providing diverse perspectives and practical advice.
Resource Library
Digital library of additional readings, research articles, podcasts, and recommended tools related to HSS/HSP topics.
Workshop Access
Discounted access to the annual High Sensation Seeking Highly Sensitive Person’s Workshop. Exclusively for participants of this course enjoy a 50% discounted workshop fee!
Self-Assessment Tools
Self-assessment tools that have been validated by peer review are included to help you better understand your unique blend of sensitivity and sensation seeking.
Professional Development
On-going Professional Development Hours through the Association of Coaching.
Certificate of Completion: certificate of completion and badge showing you've undergone Professional Development

Join us Today

Author | Professor | Mentor |International Consultant on High Sensitivity (ICHS)

Dr. Tracy Cooper

Dr. Tracy Cooper is a leading voice for high sensation seeking highly sensitive people (HSS-HSPs), highly sensitive people (HSPs), highly sensitive men, and with a mission to educate, mentor, and facilitate transformations in the lives of those seeking a conscious path to self-actualization and a creative realization of what it means to be human and alive at this moment. Dr. Cooper is the co-producer of the documentary film Sensitive Men Rising, the first film for highly sensitive men that seeks to open doorways to understanding and acceptance of this beautiful temperament trait in 30% of the world’s population.

An author of three publications, including Thrive: The Highly Sensitive Person and Career; Thrill: The High Sensation Seeking Highly Sensitive Person; and Empowering the Sensitive Male Soul, Dr. Cooper advocates for self-authorship, a conscious and creative leadership forging transformational reVisioning of self where we become creators of culture rather than mere consumers, curators of diverse narratives from across the globe, and mentors for those so desperately in need of guidance, encouragement, and healing. Dr. Cooper has had work published in the journal Current Research in the Behavioral Sciences, The New York Times, Psychology Today, and numerous podcasts and articles.

Dr. Cooper has a Ph.D. in Transformative Learning and Change, an M.L.S. in Social Science and Leadership Studies, a certificate in Community Development, and Advanced Training in the Concept, Measurement & Research on Sensory Processing Sensitivity with Dr. Elaine Aron. As a Professor in the Doctor of Education in Leadership in Higher Education at Baker University Graduate School of Education, he leads and mentors numerous doctoral candidates down the pathway of changing lives through higher education leadership.

Serving as an ambassador for Greenville, SC non-profit Walt’s Waltz, Dr. Cooper continues to elevate discussion aimed at demystifying and destigmatizing mental health and wellness, reducing suffering, and, ultimately, reducing suicides, especially in men. As an ambassador for 1340.org, he co-partners with Dr. Michele Mercer to envision a future where conscious and creative leadership intersects with multiple and complex layers of personal and professional navigational ambiguities, with a Creative Inquiry always at the fore of their innovative efforts to LEAD, HEAL, TRANSFORM, and CONNECT seekers with their own inner voices that intuitively guide them to personally meaningful and impactful experiences.

Dr. Cooper holds annual online workshops for HSS-HSPs, as well as periodic workshops for HS men and HSPs.

Living as a High Sensation HSP can be challenging, finding the balance between the two traits is not easy. Tracy Cooper gives a lot of background and helpful information on how to do this and what it means in practical life. A must read if you are a High Sensation Seeking HSP!!

- A. van Duinen

This is essential for anyone wanting a deeper understanding of the conflicting elements of our HSP/HSS personalities. At times we may feel at odds with the prevailing culture but in fact we possess incredibly useful skills and sensitivities for our rapidly changing world and I for one hope to see many more HSP/HSS personalities in leadership roles in the future.

- Debs O’D

Dr Cooper has invited us in to examine the complexities and contributions of highly sensitive people. This book offers a conceptual and practical understanding into the inner life and world of an HSP. Dr Cooper does a wonderful job sharing his own personal insight, provides exceptional awareness into the complex nature of HSP's and also has strong recommendations with thriving in life and your career!
A highly insightful book and a must read!!

- Michele Lee

Scholarships

There are limited spaces available for the scholarship (covers 20% of the course fees) - so please fill out the form to apply.

Who Can Apply for a Scholarship?

We understand that everyone's journey is different, and there are many reasons someone might need financial support to take a course. You’re welcome to apply for a scholarship if any of the following apply to you:

You’re facing financial challenges; You come from a background or community that’s been underrepresented in education; You’re looking to change careers or learn new skills but need help covering the cost; You’re a parent or caregiver balancing education with family responsibilities; You’ve experienced unexpected hardships; You live in an area with limited access to learning; You’re dealing with student debt; You’re currently unemployed; You’re rebuilding your life as a refugee; You live with a disability; You have strong potential and motivation, but limited financial resources

If any of this sounds like you — or if you have another reason — we encourage you to apply. We want to make learning accessible for everyone.

Apply for the Scholarship

Online Professional Course (October Enrolment)