How mental health symptoms can be reframed as positive
“The work of Kazimierz Dabrowski provides an excellent framework in which to understand the supersensitivity or overexcitability frequently found in the intellectually or creatively gifted.”
Authors on giftedness such as Susan Daniels, Michael Piechowski and Stephanie Tolan note the original Polish word for psychiatrist Dabrowski’s concept of overexcitabilities can be translated more literally as “superstimulatabilities” or “superexcitabilities” in five areas: psychomotor, intellectual, imaginational, emotional and sensual.
The image above is from short post “Some strategies to use for students who have an Imaginational Overexcitability.”
“His take was like, you don’t have ADHD – that’s crazy of you to think that. You’re just gifted.” Chris Wells, from the transcript for this audio interview.
“Overexcitability with Chris Wells” (founder of The Dąbrowski Center) is a guest interview available to members of the Embracing Intensity Community by Aurora Remember.
From notes for the interview on the Embracing Intensity site:
“The Theory of Positive Disintegration is a theory of human and personality development. The theory was developed by Kazimierz Dąbrowski (1902-1980), a psychologist and psychiatrist born in Poland.
“One foundation of the theory is the recognition of a multilevelness of developmental phenomena, and processes through which this takes place—unilevel and multilevel disintegration.
“Disintegration involves the breakdown of one’s personality structure and experience of reality as a prelude to the creation of a more authentic personality.
“This is a process that can happen repeatedly throughout the lifespan, and it can be deeply uncomfortable and include symptoms that look and feel like mental illness such as anxiety, depression, and existential angst.
“The theory reframes these symptoms as positive because they’re indicators of the growth process and movement from unconscious, automatic living toward an authentic and self-chosen ideal.”
See article with podcast excerpt and more:
How mental health symptoms can be reframed as positive – Chris Wells on Overexcitability
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