Alanis Morissette Is an HSP Too

Last Friday we went to the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival where 7-time Grammy winning singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette was the headliner. It was on Harriet Island at the Mississippi River in downtown St. Paul.

The grass-covered field, plentiful trees, and a light cloud cover that dimmed the intense July sun combined to counterbalance the intensity of a large festival crowd. I was excited to see her because, like many young women in the 90s, I was taken with how real and raw she was and felt at once drawn in by her music. I’ve also learned more about her as an HSP. Her depth of processing, emotional sensitivity and high sensation-seeking trait contribute to her creativity. She’s an incredible role model for taking something we often mask or struggle to understand and alchemizing it into a powerful form of expression. 

After a brief autobiographical slide show, Alanis opened her performance by flashing statistics on the big screen about gender inequality. The one that caught my breath was this:

At the current rate, it will take 202 years for women to achieve equal pay.

More stats about violence towards women flashed on the screen and ended with “Why Do We Fear the Divine Feminine?”

She went on to belt out hit after hit with much of the audience singing along. She’s incredibly powerful, clear and open. She infused her spirituality along with her incredible vocal range throughout her show. My guy, (see photo credits) who wasn’t familiar with much of her music, was impressed. He said, “I see why she’s won so many awards.”

I only cried once. It was near the end when she sang “Thank U”, a song drawing from her year on a spiritual quest in India.

Thank you India
Thank you terror
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you frailty
Thank you consequence
Thank you, thank you silence

It touched me deeply as I related to my own time exploring spirituality in India, and how all she’s thanking in the refrain is like Miracle-Gro for our soul.

The whole show was an emotional rollercoaster ride, in the best way. It was at once raucous and intimate. A nearly full moon in Capricorn rose through the clouds opposite the downtown skyline and held a prominent place in the sky for the second half of the show. We happened to see this Triple Moon Tour, named for the three phases of a woman’s life, two days before the full moon. 

Alanis Morissette’s best-selling album, Jagged Little Pill, was released in 1995. Dr. Elaine Aron published her book, The Highly Sensitive Person, the first book detailing the trait of highly sensitive person (HSP), in 1996. Isn’t it ironic?

Later, in a 2015 documentary Sensitive: The Untold Story, Alanis told Elaine, “I feel honored to be sitting next to you, and grateful. Because without having read your book I would continue to feel like an insane person.” She was featured in the movie as being a highly sensitive person and shared what it was like for her.

Her most recent album, The Storm Before The Calm, is a series of meditations inviting the listener to “explore the other side of stillness” and supports the restoration we all need. In an interview on Mayim Bialik’s YouTube channel, Alanis said, “Resting is enlightenment.”

I feel like Alanis Morissette captures the zeitgeist and holds it all in her wise hands. Gender equality, the three phases of womanhood, Divine Feminine, HSP, emotional intelligence and really great music. It was refreshing, empowering, and deeply moving to see her perform live. I’m grateful for the experience.

The last words she shared with the crowd at the end of the night were, “I love you. Take care of each other.”

This show was a quilt of all that's on my heart at this time in my life. Learning to let go, and becoming more aware of the triple moon of maiden, mother and crone as I move into this latter stage. Deepening spirituality and increasing validation and understanding of being a highly sensitive person.

Alanis shares with the world truth, beauty and inspiration while being a voice and a role model for a sensitive life. She shared an intimacy that’s universally recognized. It brings another tear to my eye as I think to her, “Thank U”. 

photo credit: Steven Beaupré