advocating for a highly sensitive world

Mathilde Chevalier-Pruvo

(Eyrolles, 224 pages, 2022)

While highly sensitive people are often told they must develop strategies to cope with their surroundings and curb their excessive emotional reactions, Mathilde Chevalier-Pruvo flips the narrative to reveal the world’s dire need for a reawakening of sensitivity. She conveys how learning to listen again to our bodies and hearts, and integrate this language into that of our minds, will enable us to combat the widespread burnout that many of us have settled for, out of a fear of never doing enough.

The book raises the question of to what end are we chasing after ever increasing productivity? Not only are we destroying ourselves, Chevalier-Pruvo explains, but we are demolishing our planet as well in the process. Living in urban environments, a large part of the human population is constantly overstimulated by unnatural sights and sounds that cause us to tune out the natural world. The development of this collective numbness leads to a larger estrangement from our planet’s cries for help. In order to combat the climate crisis, we must first rediscover the world within us, and embrace the emotions that teach us about our relationship to ourselves, others, and our ecosystem.

Advocating for a Highly Sensitive World is about envisioning a future where we no longer push ourselves or our planet to the brink of death. By adopting the attitudes of artists, philosophers, and spiritual masters, we can rekindle our zest for life and develop a more sustainable future.

Mathilde Chevalier-Pruvo holds a doctorate in philosophy and specializes in leading practical workshops for children, adolescents, and adults on emotions, the self, and artistic expression.