Sure do, SoupDragon. Feelings way too intense for many other people to relate to. In fact it makes me feel somewhat of an outcast and isolated - not because people shun me, but because they think I overreact or make too big a deal about some things. E.g. I can get swept away by music or so irritated by it that I have to turn it off. Smells or sounds can affect me strongly.

I have become very particular about my coffee because the taste and smell can make it feel terrible and undrinkable through to ecstatically delicious.

It can be really difficult not to take things personally - especially when I'm manic or depressed. Someone will say to me "its no big deal" but it is a big deal - at the time, the whole world's survival hinges on that one little point. It becomes a fundamental principle, and not just about the specific issue being disagreed on. It takes a tremendous amount of emotional energy to back off and let things go sometimes.

At a music therapy group session a few days ago, one of the participants wanted to know why I felt so vulnerable about music. It turns out he experiences intense rage, and music of certain forceful types can trigger him. The group discussed it, and it seems that most of us there were strongly emotionally influenced by music.