I guess for me the real issue here is not rejection sensitivity... Even to say this to me gives too much power to others... I own my own autonomy too much...I do not allow myself to be ever swept away. I stand up for myself always... (unless for some political reason it is unwise of not efficacious to do so) And if I am in too far over my head for the moment i don't drown myself I just retreat for the time being and marshall my forces.... For me the real issue I was talking about with raw vulnerability was more related to going beyond my safety zone into the unknown... I definately have very expansive explorative "astronaut" dispostion combined with sensitivity... The vulnerabilty I talk about can happen when I have spent a lot of time alone for a couple of days. For whatever reasons I can tend to lose ground a little and I feel open to the utterly naked vastness and bigness and aliveness (and insecurity as the condition of this aliveness) of the moment...(I sense the largeness of life happening everywhere in all the billions of people (or at least the ones I see or think about in my awareness at this time and in this state this is enough) each with their own drama and life and all happening in this naked moment) (Life itself in its naked existence just hits me hard... that it is really happening... (I have also been meditating for years and this is definately a factor to opening like this ) This is the vulnerabilty I am talking about-- (what is my connection to this world that I am in or if I am clearer that I find within my own awareness) For me this is always the issue... steping into the unknown embracing change and necessary insecurity as the creative condition of life... This also can come to the fore around others... But for me not sure if rejection sensitivity (though maybe in a way) Being with others (strangers especially) challenges us to live in the moment without a net without sure rules or compass or not sure of rules you do have pushing the edge.... This edge is where life really creatively happens...I am not afraid of rejection I am afraid of life...and so is the other person... though some are better fliers then others.... and this is exactly how it is and should be as the very condition of life's creativity... I am allowing this more and more in my life...embracing and welcoming fear allowing it totally and not looking away... Looking at it totally and allowing it to creatively transform me into a creative solution or movement... pushing the edge living in the unknown playing by ear... much more growthful and satisying... I think many conditions and emotional psychological problems stem from the fear of really living (living at this necessarily insecure edge). Instead of living it is safer to stay with what we know... We fear this necessary condition of life and hence we never learn to fly... this is where all the action is for me now.. Learning to fly...Which necessarily means leaving the nest behind and responding/adapting to conditions of life as they present themselves fully embraced in the moment... (and its beautiful and flowing when we hit it when we hit flow in flying) This is what flying is... When I shut down it is closing down this awesome awareness and necessarily insecure creativity which can be overwhelming sometimes... (too much turbulence- too mcuh newness - too fast etc..) This is the time to slow down and pull back a bit for a bit in an adaptive rather than maladaptive manner.... For me meditation=best centering when gets too much too fast change etc.. When I was little the big deal was to be swimming in the deep end of the pool... Thats where I am right now and it is very exciting but sometimes insecure... swimming in the deep end without a full net...