Dabrowski’s Theory and Existential Depression in Gifted Children and Adults Webb, J, Ph.D. When people undergo a great trauma or other unsettling event—they have lost a job or a loved one dies, for example—their understanding of themselves or of their place in the world often disintegrates, and they temporarily "fall apart," experiencing a type of depression referred to as existential depression. It's very hard to keep your spirits up. You've got to keep selling yourself a bill of goods, and some people are better at lying to themselves than others. When people undergo a great trauma or other unsettling event—they have lost a job or a loved one dies, for example—their understanding of themselves or of their place in the world often disintegrates, and they temporarily "fall apart," experiencing a type of depression referred to as existential depression. This spontaneous existential depression is also, I believe, typically associated with the disintegration experiences referred to by Dabrowski (Daniels & Piechowski, 2009; Mendaglio, 2008a). Background Life Meaning
Overexcitability and the Gifted Overexcitability and the Gifted by Sharon Lind A small amount of definitive research and a great deal of naturalistic observation have led to the belief that intensity, sensitivity and overexcitability are primary characteristics of the highly gifted. OVEREXCITABILITIES Overexcitabilities are inborn intensities indicating a heightened ability to respond to stimuli. PSYCHOMOTOR OVEREXCITABILITY Psychomotor OE is a heightened excitability of the neuromuscular system. Allow time for physical or verbal activity, before, during, and after normal daily and school activities-these individuals love to “do” and need to “do.” SENSUAL OVEREXCITABILITY Sensual OE is expressed as a heightened experience of sensual pleasure or displeasure emanating from sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing (Dabrowski & Piechowski, 1977; Piechowski, 1979, 1991). Show how to find the answers to questions. EMOTIONAL OVEREXCITABILITY Emotional OE is often the first to be noticed by parents.
Dabrowski's by Stephanie S. Tolan Written for Hoagies' Gifted Education Page, February, 1999 Dabrowski talked about OE's - over-excitabilities ("superstimulatabilities"), and how the gifted were extremely sensitive in a variety of areas. The five areas are: Psychomotor This is often thought to mean that the person needs lots of movement and athletic activity, but can also refer to the issue of having trouble smoothing out the mind's activities for sleeping. Sensual Here's the "cut the label out of the shirt" demand, the child who limps as if with a broken leg when a sock seam is twisted. Imaginational These are the dreamers, poets, "space cadets" who are strong visual thinkers, use lots of metaphorical speech. Intellectual Here's the usual definition of "giftedness." Emotional This includes being "happier when happy, sadder when sad, angrier when angry," etc. Dabrowski believed emotional OE to be central -- the energy center from which the whole constellation of OE's is generated.
Your Brain Knows a Lot More Than You Realize | Memory, Emotions, & Decisions Meanwhile, a similar story was unfolding oceans away. During World War II, under constant threat of bombings, the British had a great need to distinguish incoming aircraft quickly and accurately. Which aircraft were British planes coming home and which were German planes coming to bomb? It was a grim attempt. With a little ingenuity, the British finally figured out how to successfully train new spotters: by trial-and-error feedback. The Knowledge GapThere can be a large gap between knowledge and awareness. Consider patients with anterograde amnesia, who cannot consciously recall new experiences in their lives. Of course, it’s not just sexers and spotters and amnesiacs who enjoy unconscious learning. Flexible IntelligenceOne of the most impressive features of brains—and especially human brains—is the flexibility to learn almost any kind of task that comes their way. The Liar in Your HeadOn December 31, 1974, Supreme Court Justice William O.
Overexcitability Overexcitabilities are sometimes used to help predict "giftedness" in both children and adults: The more "excited" or the more stimulated a sense is in a person, the more susceptible or prone his brain is to react in an extreme manner to anything that triggers it, thus the possibilities of expansion in ways of learning are increased in this person. Gifted people appear to be very in touch with their 5 senses possibly making them, in a sense, more 'global' than others.
What Magnetic Fields Do to Your Brain and Body - The Crux (Credit: pippeeContributor/Shutterstock) There’s no escaping magnetic fields—they’re all around us. For starters, the Earth itself is like a giant magnet. A spinning ball of liquid iron in our planet’s core generates the vast magnetic field that moves our compass needles around and directs the internal compasses of migrating birds, bats, and other animals. On top of that, ever-industrious humans have produced artificial magnetic fields with power lines, transport systems, electrical appliances, and medical equipment. We may not be able to see, hear, feel, or taste the magnetic fields that surround us, but some may wonder whether they can still exert effects on our bodies and brains. Everyday Exposure A magnetic field arises whenever a charged particle, like an electron or proton, moves around. From time to time, a scientific study finds a link between living near high-voltage power lines and illness. An MRI machine. What’s the Threshold? Medical Magnets Out-of-this-World Magnetic Fields
Positive Disintegration The Theory of Positive Disintegration (TPD) by Kazimierz Dąbrowski is a theory of personality development. Unlike mainstream psychology, Dąbrowski's theoretical framework views psychological tension and anxiety as necessary for growth. These "disintegrative" processes are therefore seen as "positive," whereas people who fail to go through positive disintegration may remain for their entire lives in a state of "primary integration." Advancing into disintegration and into the higher levels of development is predicated on having developmental potential, including overexcitabilities, above-average reactions to stimuli. Unlike some other theories of development such as Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, it is not assumed that even a majority of people progress through all levels. Dąbrowski's theory[edit] Kazimierz Dąbrowski (1902–1980), a Polish psychiatrist and psychologist, developed the Theory of Positive Disintegration over his lifetime of clinical and academic work. Notes[edit]
Sensitivity vs. Allergy - Japanese Acupuncture ClinicJapanese Acupuncture Clinic Food Sensitivities Testing is not as same as a typical Food Allergy Test (scratch test) that you might have done at your allergist’s office. The major difference between Food Allergy and Food Sensitivities is the onset of symptoms. A food sensitivity test is a blood test that examines your immune system’s response to a wide variety of foods and chemicals. The Difference between Food Allergy and Food Sensitivities Food Allergy (IgE): Food Allergy is much more easily diagnosed because its onset is faster, from immediate to 1 hour after ingestion. This is IgE reaction. Food Sensitivity (often IgG): Immunologic reaction to food. Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity: I had gluten sensitivity for many years and I could not put the pieces together the gluten is the root cause even though I use to write a migraine and period notebook. Intolerance: Non-immunologic reaction to food. To learn more about the difference between Food ALLERGY and Food SENSITIVITIES, please visit here.
The SIFT Model Explanations > Brain > SIFT Model Sense the world | Infer meaning | formulate intent | Translate into action | deep stuff | So what? We understand and respond to the world through complex cognitive processes. The SIFT model is a simplification of the inner workings of the mind that helps explain how we perform this amazing feat. Either click on the areas of the diagram below for more detail, or read the summaries in the sections below. Sense the world We do not directly understand the world around us as the only interface we have is through the inputs from our five senses. Read more on the Sense page. Infer meaning The sensed inputs we receive are light, sound, pressure, etc. that have no meaning in themselves. Read more on the Inference page. Formulate intent Deciding what to do about the world is a choice between quick, intuitive reaction and slower, thoughtful consideration. Read more on the Formulation page. Translate into action Read more on the Translation page. Deep stuff
The Misdiagnosis of Gifted Adults — Gifted, Talented & Creative Adults Gifted Adults are frequently misdiagnosed and misunderstood by professionals and persons in positions of authority. This widely circulated article was written for therapists and published later in Mensa Magazine as well as several other Mensa publications. Because this article is very popular, you will often find it on websites that feature gifted adult issues and information. An article by Lynne Azpeitia, M.A. and Mary Rocamora, M.A. Gifted individuals face many challenges. It's well known among researchers of the gifted, talented and creative that these individuals exhibit greater intensity and increased levels of emotional, imaginational, intellectual, sensual and psychomotor excitability and that this is a normal pattern of development. It is because these gifted children and adults have a finely tuned psychological structure and an organized awareness that they experience all of life differently and more Intensely than those around them. Published in Mensa Bulletin, November 1994
How Our Sense of Touch is a Lot Like the Way We Hear – Science Life When you walk into a darkened room, your first instinct is to feel around for a light switch. You slide your hand along the wall, feeling the transition from the doorframe to the painted drywall, and then up and down until you find the metal or plastic plate of the switch. During the process you use your sense of touch to develop an image in your mind of the wall’s surface and make a better guess for where the switch is. Sliman Bensmaia, PhD, assistant professor of organismal biology and anatomy at the University of Chicago, studies the neural basis of tactile perception, or how our hands convey this information to the brain. The sense of touch has traditionally been thought of in spatial terms, i.e. receptors in the skin are spread out across a grid of sorts, and when you touch something this grid of receptors transmits information about the surface to your brain. Neurons communicate through electrical bits, similar to the digital ones and zeros used by computers. Like this: