OMTimes Radio Archives

Living Sensationally – How Understanding Our Senses Can Transform Our Relationships And Our Life with Prof. Winnie Dunn

Aired Thursday, 7 July 2016, 7:00 PM ET

We all want to live a satisfying life, but what that means to you may be quite different than what it means to others in your life.

For example, how do you feel when you bite into a pear…wear a feather boa…stand in a noisy auditorium…or walk past a perfume counter in a department store? Some people love the grainy texture of a pear, while others shudder at the idea of this texture in their mouths. Touching a feather boa might feel luxurious and sensual to you, while others will bristle at the idea of all those feathers brushing on the skin. And strong scents or noisy, busy environments will energize some people, and overwhelm others.

Now imagine the tension and stress it could cause to your relationship if your partner needed to wake up to to bright lights, loud music, and the aroma of strong coffee to psyche them up for the day, while you required a slow, calm awakening with silence, dim lighting, and zero environmental stimulation to function properly.

We rarely think about it, but we all have our own pattern of responding to everyday experiences such as these, and they can make or break our day. In her eye-opening book, Living Sensationally: Understanding Your Senses, Prof. Winnie Dunn explains how understanding our sensory profile and those of our children, colleagues and loved ones can not only help us understand our own and others’ behavior and choices but can also help eliminate misunderstandings, tension and stress that may be affecting our relationships at home and work.

Join Sandie and Dr. Dunn as they discuss:

• The Four Major sensory types – Seeker, a Bystander, and Avoider or a Sensor
• How to discover your own pattern and those of your friends, children and colleagues and loved ones
• How to eliminate misunderstanding, anxiety and tension in your relationships with family members, children and colleagues
• How you can use this information to benefit your business or home life, or to pick the right kind of clothing, job and home and create a more harmonious and satisfying life

About the Guest Prof. Winnie Dunn

Dr. Dunn is Professor and Chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy Education at the University of Kansas. A member of the Academy of Research for the American Occupational Therapy Foundation, she is an internationally known expert for her studies about sensory processing in everyday life. She has published more than 100 research articles, book chapters and books, and has spoken around the world about her work, and is the author/ coauthor of all of the Sensory Profile measures, which capture people’s responses to sensory events in everyday life; these assessments have been translated into dozens of languages and are used for both professional practice and in research programs.

Her eye-opening book Living Sensationally – Understanding Your Senses, has been featured in several magazines including Time magazine, Cosmopolitan, The London Times newspaper, and on Canadian Public Radio: http://www.kumc.edu/school-of-health-professions/occupational-therapy-education.html