Overview
Author Events
News Articles
Reviews
Videos/Multimedia
Contact Inquiries
Book Reviews
|
Barbara Jackson Gilman, M.S.., Author of Academic Advocacy for Gifted Children “Living with Intensity is a can't put it down exploration of the multi-faceted sensitivities/intensities of gifted children and adults, which fuel their personal growth--if they are NOT misunderstood. It will assist all parents, teachers, and clinicians to understand and nurture the complex combination of intellectual advancement and overexcitabilities gifted individuals present, and avoid tragic misperceptions and misdiagnoses.” |
|
Bill Tillier, M.S., former Dabrowski student, archivist, and webmaster, www.positivedisintegration.com
“Emerging from Dabrowski's original theory, this comprehensive introduction surveys evolving approaches to sensitivity and explores the important challenges of living positively with intensity.” |
|
Creative Mama, Amazon.com Reviewer "I happened upon the definition of a 'gifted' child from this book on a website: Their excitement is viewed as excessive, their high energy as hyperactivity, their persistence as nagging, their questioning as undermining authority, their imagination as not paying attention, their passion as being disruptive, their strong emotions and sensitivity as immaturity, their creativity and self-directedness as oppositional. They stand out from the norm. But then again, what is normal? "It is the best description of my daughter I have ever read. This book is a must have if that above statement describes your child - or even yourself! It discusses the excitabilities psychomotor, sensual, intellectual, imaginational and emotional." |
|
Danica Gehringer, Bad Bramstedt, Germany "I learned a lot reading this book and it proved helpful in understanding myself without the often biased looks from others. Readers need to be prepared to challenge their beliefs about things like 'being too sensitive' - it's not a liability, it's an asset and should indeed be seen this way. This book provides helpful advice on how to handle / cope with difficult situations that only arise because you are special but is still easy to read and understandably written." |
|
Dr. Susan Berry, Psychologist who works with gifted children and their families, Glastonbury, CT "As a practicing psychologist who works regularly with gifted children, I find that one of the most common and compelling issues parents and teachers raise is their lack of ability to 'manage' what appears to be the extreme expressions of emotion, the passionate interests, and the acute sensitivities of the gifted children in their lives. "Living with Intensity zeros in on just this phenomenon, and, with an intensity all its own, provides the lens of Kazimierz Dabrowski’s theories of personal growth and positive disintegration through which to understand the 'overexcitabilities' (OE’s) of gifted individuals. "Editors Susan Daniels and Michael Piechowski have compiled the writings of notable researchers and practitioners in the field of giftedness to produce a book that may seem a bit daunting to some parents because of its detailed explanation of the theoretical basis for Dabrowksi’s view of development and for the five forms of overexcitabilities: psycho-motor, sensual, intellectual, imaginational, and emotional. However, the insights included therein provide practitioners and nonprofessional parents alike with vivid descriptions of the same family, school, social, and clinical situations which have been encountered, for years, by those who live and work with gifted children and adults. Parents of gifted children, and gifted adults, will recognize 'their story' in the pages of this book. "(This book) also investigates more practical applications, providing a very readable format, complete with examples of what children, with each of the OE’s, need to hear from adults, as well as how adults might help gifted children modulate their particular OE’s. "Many incisive issues are addressed, such as why those uneducated about giftedness often think that 'giftedness' is often just an excuse for a child's OE behavior. Or how we might look upon a difficult or depressive period in a gifted child’s or adult’s life as a time of psychological growth, which may require appropriate support rather than an influx of medication. "Living with Intensity provides something for everyone who lives or works with gifted children and adults. With chapters devoted to clinical work with the gifted, family dynamics, issues affecting specifically adults who are gifted, and research studies and applications, Daniels and Piechowski have provided a noteworthy and even essential contribution to the field of giftedness." |
|
Kendra Kett, Author of The Pinwheel Girl Takes Flight "This book is a lifesaver for the gifted population...it presents a clear and concise overview of their inner and outer worlds, how they think and process, how they can and cannot express themselves, what is needed in their environments in order for them to thrive and offer up their unique and needed contributions to the world...I couldn't put it down because of the affirming recognition I felt in this book...the book offers enormous breakthroughs for anyone in this category who may have been living in the shadows of constant criticisms or living on the fringe for their 'differentness.' "For those of you who are 'sensitive' and who've been told all your life you are too this, too that, and that you need to chill out, pipe down, take a break, stop thinking so much, stop talking so much, stop reading so much into everything, stop taking everything to heart, stop laughing so loud, and more...this book will help you see that you are not alone and that you are not abnormal, defective, crazy, or that something is wrong with you. You only have one life...it is so important for the gifteds and the sensitives to beam their unique perspectives out into the universe, to make their unique contributions...it is the only way for you to live your best life and the only way for humanity to move forward. There is immense power in the novel idea and in the novel perspective. Cultivate the courage to be who you are even in the face of being misunderstood. The world needs you and that is why you are here! This book will help you to cross over the painful barriers that have made you feel like you must pretend to be less than you are!" |
|
Leslie Forstadt, Ph.D., in Roeper Review “The application of Dabrowski becomes clear for counselors, teachers, and parents. Nice examples of working with (not against, or trying to fix) intensity. This book is an ideal companion to Dabrowski's Theory of Positive Disintegration (2008).” |
|
Margaret Gosfield, Gifted Education Communicator "...I believe that for the first time I truly understand the essential aspect of Dabrowski's levels and his theory of the process of development. "Living with Intensity presents theories, examples, and strategies with a clarity and evenness that is remarkable in a collected work with numerous authors...My copy is filled with underlinings of significant comments regarding the complexities of highly and profoundly gifted learners. I believe that it is important reading for all of us who serve as advocates for gifted learners--including the learners themselves." |
|
Miraca U.M. Gross, Professor, Director: Gifted Education Research, Resource and Information Centre (GERRIC), The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia “A detailed and insightful perspective on intensity throughout the lifespan. The section on adolescence should be compulsory reading for parents, teachers and counselors.” |
|
N.J. Hurle, Australia "It was wonderful to be introduced to this book by my lecturer and then to purchase my own copy. The authors have obviously studied and known Dabrowski and his theories and this book is a treasure house of explanation for the sometimes intense responses and feelings that gifted young people and adults live with. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who is or has contact with exceptional individuals as an insightful glimpse into their world." |
|
Steven I. Pfeiffer, Ph.D., ABPP, Professor and Director of Clinical Training, The Florida State University “A valuable resource for anyone working or living with a person who is gifted . Dabrowski's concepts of overexcitabilities and positive disintegration are helpful in understanding what might otherwise seem like inexplicable behaviors among some gifted children and adults. Living with Intensity, an apt title, provides practical insights to guide educators, psychologists, and parents.” |
|
Suki Wessling, Gifted Children Examiner "Living with Intensity navigates its arc from education to advice to history and future with only a small amount of the awkwardness inherent in such a wide-ranging work by so many authors. It is an informative, important piece of work, of value both to parents and educators of children as well as to gifted adults and mental health professionals. Though each group may find themselves skimming at times, the book as a whole offers a strong argument for turning intensity into a positive word." (View full review at http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-33270-Gifted-Children-Examiner~y2010m3d21-Book-review-Living-with-Intensity) |
|
Vlad Glăveanu, Editor, Europe's Journal of Psychology "Living as a gifted person, from childhood and youth to late adulthood. Living with gifted persons: children, adolescents, adults. In both cases, living with intensity. The book edited by Susan Daniels and Michael Piechowski takes on the huge challenge of making us all aware of how it is to actually live with intensity, to live with and near giftedness. It is a challenge because of the numerous preconceived and/or misconceived ideas about giftedness, development, and normality maintained by both science and common sense for decades. At the heart of these prejudices stand a group of correlated assumptions: that pain, anxiety and disintegration are always negative, that these could only harm creativity and therefore that any person experiencing these inner states is sure to be pathological rather than creative. “Living with Intensity, a book published in 2009 by Great Potential Press, brings together a number of authors that use the conception of Kazimierz Dabrowski in their theoretical and empirical studies of giftedness. Consequently, they all embrace a vision of giftedness that emphasizes the importance of emotions, of personal growth, of overexcitabilities and developmental potential over the entire lifespan. The book offers all readers a comprehensive insight into Dabrowski’s theory and its important applications for understanding and cultivating talent and creative potential regardless of age, sex, education, social position; a valuable guide for all interested in or 'touched' by giftedness, from gifted persons themselves, to parents and teachers, counselors and psychologists, creativity researchers, social workers, everyone working in fields that promote and depend on the creative energy of the gifted: education, business, science and art to name just a few. "…Summing up, Living with Intensity is both a pleasant and instructive reading. It undoubtedly succeeds in its declared aim of making 'highly complex material accessible without diluting its essential concepts' (p.265). Using a language that is easy to follow and being filled with illustrations and practical suggestions, this book is essential for all parents, teachers and counselors 'dealing' with giftedness and intensity. The message it advocates, that of listening to gifted children and adults, respecting and understanding them, is an imperative in today’s world both scarred by a series of misconceptions about the creative self and in desperate need of creativity. Dabrowski’s deeper message is also one of hope in our human potential and our capacity to grow and create, strengthening the belief that 'it is never too late to be what you might have been.'" |