Positive Disintegration

In episode 13, Chris and Emma were joined by Dr. Amanda Harper, an educator and Dąbrowski scholar from Tasmania, Australia. We discussed the deep and fascinating work that Amanda has done in examining Dąbrowski’s writing. The focus was on two of her published papers: one on Empathy and the Syntonic Continuum , and the other on Philosophy, Faith, and the Personality Ideal . We talk about the differ...

In episode 12, Chris and Emma were joined by Ellie Krug and Tamara Grady for a discussion of gender and authenticity. Ellie is the author of Getting to Ellen: A Memoir about Love, Honesty and Gender Change (2013) , was a trial lawyer and has extensive experience providing training on diversity and inclusion. Tamara is an Osseo District School Board member in the suburbs of Minneapolis, and she is...

In episode 11, Chris and Emma were joined by Tina Harlow, LCSW, a child and family therapist specializing in giftedness in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, who shared her experiences as a neurodiversity-affirming clinician. She talked about how overexcitabilities can differ among family members and the importance of understanding and honoring these differences. She also shared strategies for dealing w...

In episode 9, Chris and Emma were joined by Lotte van Lith, a coach, lecturer, and author from the Netherlands. Lotte has been studying and working with Dąbrowski’s theory of positive disintegration for more than a decade, and she brought her personal and professional expertise to this discussion of complexity and emotional development in gifted and creative people. She feels that once you view th...

**Content Warning**: Please be aware that sensitive issues such as suicide attempts, hospitalizations, police-related trauma, and drug use and treatment are mentioned. We’d also like to include a language warning for this episode. In episode 8, Chris and Emma share their personal experiences of positive disintegration, in an intimate, honest (and brave) discussion. They connect these life stories...

In episode 7, Chris and Emma were joined by Fiona Smith, a psychologist from Sydney, Australia. Fiona brings to life the issue of living with intensities and sensitivities, from her perspective of a parent as well as her own experiences. We learn (again) that having an intense experience of life brings challenges, and we hope that listeners will resonate with her words. We discussed empathy, overe...

In episode 6, Chris and Emma were joined by Kate Arms, JD, PCC, a leadership coach who talked about her personal experience of development through positive disintegration, and how she created her own autopsychotherapy practice. What is Autopsychotherapy ? This is a question that has been asked often on social media, and it is one of Dabrowski’s dynamisms that requires more explanation than you wil...

In episode 5, Chris and Emma were joined by Dr. R. Frank Falk, who has been dealing with the construct of overexcitability as a researcher for more than 40 years. Frank talked about his work with the original Overexcitability Questionnaire (OEQ) and the subsequent development of the Overexcitability Questionnaire-Two (OEQ-II). We discussed the challenges of researching OE and the effort that Chris...

In episode 2, Chris talked about their presentation at the 2021 NAGC Conference on distinguishing science from pseudoscience. Emma and Chris went over the five types of overexcitability and their forms and expressions, the connection between OE and positive disintegration, and also discussed some of the myths and misunderstandings about OEs that are found in the gifted community. Resources mention...

In the inaugural episode, Emma and Chris introduced themselves and Dąbrowski’s theory of positive disintegration. The discussion touched on some of the basics, such as: * Who was Dr. Kazimierz Dąbrowski, and where did his theory come from? * What is positive disintegration? * Unilevel vs. Multilevel processes * Overexcitabilities and Developmental Potential * Levels of Development * Dynamisms We a...