Discovering One's Giftedness as an Adult

A serious focus on the unique psychology of gifted adults is a relatively recent development in the wider field of psychology. We'll be discussing with psychologist and founder of InterGifted Jennifer Harvey Sallin, to explore insights into the lived experience of gifted adults and how they can understand and meet their unique needs for self-awareness, growth, and psychological well-being. We'll be asking Jennifer about what it's like to discover one's giftedness later in life and what the process of giftedness integration is like for adults. She'll also share how achievement-focus and masking affect adult giftedness expression and experience, and how gifted adults can reclaim and recover their capacity to embody their giftedness in authentic and nourishing ways.

[WingZeroDuality]

Yes, its an important bit of self-knowledge to fit in for purposes of practicality and effectiveness. I’m glad this discussion exists because its not about being better than, or smarter than. Its more like putting a puzzle together that involves the individual and others.

[jadencecardoza]

The beauty of retro causality and reclaiming and/or the innerstandings of our inner child is probably the most profound part of feeling the textures of my past. The vast subtextual gesturism of this reflection not only brightens one’s own self existence but also opens up a tool for the macrocosmic observer aka narrators perspective. From this observatory, the compartmentalized fractal lines disappear, it’s like a form of de compartmentalization that is smeared into a mosaic spherical ever expanding bubble.

[jenniferbarry]

I was told I was gifted and talented when I was a child and I have never fit in life is not easy and I wish I knew more people with my same experience

[bjrnlsriedelriedel]

I was considered as very gifted as a child, and my mother always said that Im accurate the same as anyone Else and she always got me down to earth whenever I began thinking I already knew something.
That was very, very helpful.
But in every science class I always was told to not say anything. The teachers assumed that I knew it already, because they observed it many times and I just "said too much answers".
The whole high school I was allowed to give chemistry classes when the teacher wasn't there for some minutes. But I wasn't supposed to talk besides that because the others "couldnt learn because of me". That worsened my marks over time because it didn't thought me how to keep up at a specific topic. And of course I didn't knew everything.
The worsened thing was if other smart Kids got a better mark in an chemistry exame and mobbed me and said
: "youre not that good afterall are ya?!" Or they told their parents "I was even better than Bjørn" wich still gets me cooking! Because if I Werenskiold forbidden to speak the teachers could actually corrected me and I would have learned it better.

In general I never mentioned that I was considered "gifted" as a child when I became an adult. But some of my family members and classmates still called me nerd or asked if I could stop speaking of all those ideas and science and explaining. "Nobody wants to know that", or "can you just go away Bjørn?". That was more of a curse and also it was considered bragging in school and just too much in the spare time ", or "I dont want to talk about science with you so late(every time its late in the evening)) So as I audio-/visualize it here; the giftedness came always up again, just the last years: I always sufferd from OCD and always got something like: "dont worry that much its gonna be okay nobody else thinks about toxins in plants and LD50's so youre not gonna die from touching that plant", but for almost 3 years that led me to using both hands equally well, (because the OCD forced me to do everything opposite over the 2.75 years, reading everything backwards or thinking about geometries that could give the same thing by defolding and recreating) and that mirroring all the time, led to anxiety, panic attacks but almost all OCD symptoms got away. I still know everything is perfectly fine with me. But the Anxiety is much harder to handle than the OCD and really unpleasant and threatening, especially if one cant sleep and suddenly start to think about finding something more about imaginary numbers by playing with the Euler identity, but that never works so stress goes on.
And on and on.
And I sometimes I wonder if this had happened if we would just give more support instead of supressing children for knowing something well...

[samyang]

Thank you. The whole universe seems to be leading me here to this video and I really needed this to accept what I have.

[susymcadam]

Very enlightening and encouraging. I don't know if I am gifted, but I know my son is. Like myself he has ADHD, Visual Processing Disorders, Anxiety, plus which masked his giftedness until 9 months ago (12th grade).

[yootoob]

It's been suggested to me a few different times during the course of my life and frankly I feel like I don't even want to go there. For some reason, even thinking about it causes me a tremendous amount of anxiety to the point I almost don't want to think about why it does. At this point, I don't even know where or from whom to seek assistance on this because I fear a wild goose chase ensuing. Thank you for covering what to do if there's a feeling of unsafety with the exploration of one's situation.

[jadencecardoza]

Agreed, implementing and the integration of the many aspects of one self is tremendously hard. All while everything is going on upstairs in the head, producing its fruit is another thing. I find it extremely difficult observing and overwhelmed at all these boxes to be stuffed in and culturally/environmentally forced to pick one. I wrote a little poem that I’d like to share❤️

Puzzle I am

I watch, I hear, I grow, as does the pieces. I rest as the chrysalis forms, I gather all the attributes of perception and put together the picture I saw in the mosaic splatter. I feel the immensity of every piece, they begin to speak in profound colors. I wait and wait, then wait some more, I then start to integrate, for the beauty of my wings must stretch before I fly.

I’m here and ready 🌈🐛🦋💃❤️

[SoaresGaucho]

13:54 YEEES, It's very Hard but a beautiful process.

[jadencecardoza]

Finding the right has been so incredibly draining. It doesn’t take me long to determine if I can “trust” (the ability to take in what I have to share and the transference of energy) someone to actually “ listen ” ( the ability to have an open/ unbiased mind). Mind you I don’t mean this as a belittlement of ones integrity as a person, it’s merely a discernment of the ethos chemistry. I’m on OHP insurance and can’t afford the ones who specialize on this topic.

So if there’s someone out there that would or could help with some options I am most appreciative?

And of course I’m still searching myself❤️👉🌎🌍🌏

[jasonkrick]

I lost my gift that I loved, absolutely loved, as I got older.

The ability to eat non stop without gaining weight. Not even kidding.

I could easily eat 10, 000 calories a day. And not put on a pound.

Even my wife had to stop eating with me because the amount of food I consumed at one sitting. Talking 5 in n out double doubles with fries and a shake. For my ‘first’ dinner.

I would go to Costco. Have two hot dogs and two slices of pizza for a snack.

Now…just one hot dog and I’m done.

When I was at a dinner party and just had one plate. The host asked if I was okay. Did I not like the food? I told him. No. I’m full. Saddest day in my life.

[AboveRL]

Maybe some can enlighten me. I took the test to be in GT classes in the 90's in Texas. I got in. What IQ is that equivalent to? as a baseline for acceptance.

[Nildaem]

Paused at 9:42 - as it's intended to be relatable, i feel like i went through this w/out support.. I know that was exxtra uncomfortable. I think it's worth it for sure, although i reckon I have more to do because as of yet, I don't feel like i've built enough of a portfolio to recommend it. I'm still just getting to understand this whole gifted idea; I'm still only self accused.

[SoaresGaucho]

13:21 I thought she would be drinking "chimarrão" 😅

[robertpolnicky]

I never wanted to be famous with my karaoke or songwriting. I just wanted to do something

[alif]

Great if you are gifted. Not if you’re not. 😢

[scottjackson]

I think there is a danger of narcissism and unproductive self-absorption in all of this - a propensity for worshipping potential over accomplishment. People who can should do and let their work products stand as testimony to any qualities of mind may underly the fruits of their labor.