Pointers of any form may be very helpful. We wouldn’t function without them.
For instance, one of the fashionable labels is highly sensitive, and I see how it fits me too.
There are two ways to relate to these labels. We can take them as real and solid, identify with them, and use them to solidify an identity. This is who and how I am.
We can also use these labels as a starting point for inquiry. I am highly sensitive, is it true? What do I find when I look into this thought? (The Work.) Also, what do I find when I look at the words, images and sensations associated with this label for me? (Living Inquiries.) What if I find that the whole experience of being “highly sensitive”, and the discomfort associated with it, consists of nothing more than a collection of words, images and sensations, and that there is no threat in any of them when I look at each one separately? What if I find that what’s left is a sensation, and there is no threat in it?
Btw: I know that it may seem naive to think that something that may appear as solid and real as being “highly sensitive” can fall apart just through looking at what’s really there. And yet, that’s what we may find if we sincerely explore it under guidance of a trained facilitator.