No one really likes the word “gifted.” Maybe it’s because we understand that we’re using honorific language to describe ourselves, and even in English, that’s gauche. Could there be neutral, or even humble, words for this thing we call giftedness?
If you want to make it as a metaphorical overexcitable astronaut, you’ve got to learn to read your instrument panel. That’s what autopsychotherapy is for.
What does it mean to be “overexcitable?” Where are we most likely to find these people? And why is it an important part of the experience of positive disintegration? Third Factor’s editors offer a basic introduction to Dabrowski’s overexcitabilities.
If you’ve ever said “Oh, I wish I could meditate, but my mind’s just too active,” then this article’s for you. We sat down with Kate Arms, an experienced meditator and life coach, to discuss how meditation can be helpful to those with overexcitability.
After his brother’s assassination, Robert Kennedy faced a disintegration. Though it was brutal, it was also a positive one, demonstrating the power of overexcitability when fueled by high-level courage. Bobby’s ill-fated campaign ultimately showed glimmers of level V, the highest level of personal development.
The Mind Illuminated is a great meditation manual that will guide you, step by step, from establishing your practice to achieving tranquility and equanimity. If all you’re looking to do is learn to sustain your focus, it’ll help you with that, too.
Dabrowski’s hierarchy of levels is one of the most well-known aspects of his theory of positive disintegration. But what’s really going on in those levels? And what are those “dynamism” things, anyway? The editor of Third Factor Magazine explains the basics here.
THIRD FACTOR. The autonomous factor of development. The first factor…
Years before I first heard the term “positive disintegration,” I was struck by the process as it played out in a biography of Robert F. Kennedy. Intense, quirky, and with a sense of the epic, RFK and his life journey reveal the human drama beneath Kazimierz Dabrowski’s academic jargon, showcasing overexcitability, dynamisms, and inner psychic transformation in all its dramatic glory.
