New here, looking for insight - 08/12/16 01:01 AM
Hello, I'm new here. I'm new to the idea of gifted adults in general actually. Anyone else fairly new with the idea, too?
Re: New here, looking for insight - 08/12/16 04:20 PM
Welcome!
If new to the idea of gifted adults, you may be interested in the SENG article, Can you hear the flowers sing? which discusses traits of gifted adults.
Hoagies Gifted Education Page has a list of resources for gifted adults.
There are also a number of high-IQ societies, populated with gifted adults. The iqcomparisonsite website summarizes the entrance criteria of several high-IQ societies.
If new to the idea of gifted adults, you may be interested in the SENG article, Can you hear the flowers sing? which discusses traits of gifted adults.
Hoagies Gifted Education Page has a list of resources for gifted adults.
There are also a number of high-IQ societies, populated with gifted adults. The iqcomparisonsite website summarizes the entrance criteria of several high-IQ societies.
Re: New here, looking for insight - 08/12/16 04:28 PM
Yeah I just got here. This place was recommended as one in which I could find intelligent logical thinking people to bounce some new ideas against, so here I am. I don't really know anything about what is meant here by the term "Gifted Adults" but I'm sure I'll soon find out.
I consider myself gifted in some ways, as I have experienced some things I haven't heard of anyone having experienced, along with a lot of experiences others seem to find negative, though mine were all amazingly awesome and taught me so much so fast it was like being hooked up to that learning machine in the matrix.
So needless to say I have much I want to talk about and am hoping to meet others who have experienced something similar. I can't be the only one. The experience resembles the manic side of bipolar disorder, which I believe is actually an order rather than a disorder and a good and necessary part of life. Entertaining mental extremes are to the mind like stretching muscles are to the body, healthy.
Anyway, pleased to make your acquaintance. Do you know what the term Gifted Adults means to these people?
Btw, Does this moderator approval thing go on indefinitely or is it only temporarily for new members. I don't think I can handle this for too long.
I consider myself gifted in some ways, as I have experienced some things I haven't heard of anyone having experienced, along with a lot of experiences others seem to find negative, though mine were all amazingly awesome and taught me so much so fast it was like being hooked up to that learning machine in the matrix.
So needless to say I have much I want to talk about and am hoping to meet others who have experienced something similar. I can't be the only one. The experience resembles the manic side of bipolar disorder, which I believe is actually an order rather than a disorder and a good and necessary part of life. Entertaining mental extremes are to the mind like stretching muscles are to the body, healthy.
Anyway, pleased to make your acquaintance. Do you know what the term Gifted Adults means to these people?
Btw, Does this moderator approval thing go on indefinitely or is it only temporarily for new members. I don't think I can handle this for too long.
Re: New here, looking for insight - 08/12/16 05:49 PM
Hello, I'm relatively still in the shock stage. I am wondering if there are tests for adults that can gauge whether or not one is gifted or not?
Re: New here, looking for insight - 08/12/16 05:51 PM
Thank you I have, in fact, been on those sites frequently. There is quite the load of information on them. I'm mostly looking for people to talk to of similar mentalities.
Re: New here, looking for insight - 08/12/16 05:58 PM
It is nice to meet you too! I believe the term "Gifted" means a way of thinking and experiencing the world that is beside the average person. It's not so much smartness as intelligence.
I used to have that experience, that unusual "knowing" that I knew what I was doing while supposedly being taught for the first time. I've delved fairly deep into psychology as I have been diagnosed with many disorders.
Mania is one of my diagnoses so I have an understanding. It is a time in ones mentality where things need to get done. It is a mentality where new things are tried and being active is a must. It's pretty 'crazy' isn't it?
I used to have that experience, that unusual "knowing" that I knew what I was doing while supposedly being taught for the first time. I've delved fairly deep into psychology as I have been diagnosed with many disorders.
Mania is one of my diagnoses so I have an understanding. It is a time in ones mentality where things need to get done. It is a mentality where new things are tried and being active is a must. It's pretty 'crazy' isn't it?
Re: New here, looking for insight - 08/12/16 06:25 PM
Welcome!
The WAIS-IV, WJ-IV COG, and SBV are all normed for adults, generating deviation IQs up to or approaching about 160 (+4 SDs). Out of pocket cost starts at about $400 for IQ only (depending on your region), and runs through multiple thousands for a full neuropsych.
Some of the high-IQ societies referenced above by indigo also offer their own qualification tests, which are generally closer to $100 ($40 for Mensa).
The WAIS-IV, WJ-IV COG, and SBV are all normed for adults, generating deviation IQs up to or approaching about 160 (+4 SDs). Out of pocket cost starts at about $400 for IQ only (depending on your region), and runs through multiple thousands for a full neuropsych.
Some of the high-IQ societies referenced above by indigo also offer their own qualification tests, which are generally closer to $100 ($40 for Mensa).
Re: New here, looking for insight - 08/12/16 06:31 PM
I love those manic episodes. They're so much more than just hyperactivity, there's also hyper communication, a connection to other minds including collective minds, and also what seems to be a computer like mind, given its perfect precision, its sequential teaching style and the eloquent simplicity of its highly complex functions.
I love being in that state. It could definitely be a very scary thing when one suddenly falls into fear in the midst of such experiences, but there are a few simple tricks one can use to navigate them without fear, and thus without con-sequence.
Iv'e started a thread on that very topic in General Discussions, it's just awaiting approval. I think you might find it interesting.
I love being in that state. It could definitely be a very scary thing when one suddenly falls into fear in the midst of such experiences, but there are a few simple tricks one can use to navigate them without fear, and thus without con-sequence.
Iv'e started a thread on that very topic in General Discussions, it's just awaiting approval. I think you might find it interesting.
Re: New here, looking for insight - 08/12/16 06:35 PM
Thank you! I'll look in to them. I definitely appreciate the information!
Re: New here, looking for insight - 08/12/16 09:11 PM
The moderation of each new member is temporary. This site base relatively few spammers - probably because of it.
Re: New here, looking for insight - 08/13/16 05:24 PM
After you have 5 approved posts, the moderation goes away.
Re: New here, looking for insight - 08/13/16 05:49 PM
Hi! I remember when reading about this stuff for my son's benefit hit me! It was quite a shocker! However, since then, I've drifted away from the concept of "overexcitabilities" which the gifted community has taken out of context of the original work which contains it.
I'm drawn to replying to your post because your mention of bipolar disorder and mania. I have a misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder (among about a dozen other psych misdiagnoses) and not surprisingly I first identified very strongly with "overexcitabilities". Interestingly, my son ended up with an ADHD diagnosis 2 years after we stumbled across the "giftedness" stuff. And another year after that, I got a SURPRISE! diagnosis of ADHD too. I was getting comfortable with my therapist of 3 year and told him some stuff about the way I think which I'd never told anyone except my sister and best friend of 16 years. I never knew my therapist was an ADHD expert and it totally tipped him off. He suggested some reading material. I read it and asked for an appointment with my psych nurse practitioner who diagnosed ADHD and helped me start some medication.
It's all very good and fine to frame the "overexcitabilities" and "mania" experiences as gifts and beneficial. I've certainly felt that way in the past. But relief of these "gifts" has been an extraordinary relief! I'm not "dulled" in my experience, but I can choose what sensations and emotions I want to attend to. I can choose to attend to the pleasant and am no longer dominated by attending to unpleasant stimuli and emotion.
I apologize for being forward, reading between your lines to draw some conclusions. I also felt strongly to offer a voice you're not likely to find in the "gifted" community. The concept of overexcitabilities predates the first ADHD diagnoses. The term is being used shockingly out of context in the gifted community. The original pretense is an old theory of psychology which is not evidence-based. It's on man's heavily religiously-influenced understanding of how some people act more virtuously than others, and who goes so far as to say that people without Christian/catholic religious values are lesser people, even mere animals. Overexcitabilities is a minor piece of an outdated piece of moral elistism.
However, the concept of "overexcitabilities" is actually alive and well under a different name in modern evidence-based psychology! In the 5-Factor Personality Model, the global personality trait of "Openness of Experience" is equivalent to "overexcitabilities", but it's fortunately evidence-based, not taken out of context from an outdated work, not derived from religion, and not elitist.
Wikipedia overview of Openness to Experience: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Openness_to_experience
And you don't have to take my word for the relationship between "overexcitabilities" and Openness to Experience, here's a bit of research from people with more capital letters behind their names than I have:
http://gcq.sagepub.com/content/60/3/192.short
I am looking forward to hearing your opinions and responses after your moderation is lifted! Welcome!
I'm drawn to replying to your post because your mention of bipolar disorder and mania. I have a misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder (among about a dozen other psych misdiagnoses) and not surprisingly I first identified very strongly with "overexcitabilities". Interestingly, my son ended up with an ADHD diagnosis 2 years after we stumbled across the "giftedness" stuff. And another year after that, I got a SURPRISE! diagnosis of ADHD too. I was getting comfortable with my therapist of 3 year and told him some stuff about the way I think which I'd never told anyone except my sister and best friend of 16 years. I never knew my therapist was an ADHD expert and it totally tipped him off. He suggested some reading material. I read it and asked for an appointment with my psych nurse practitioner who diagnosed ADHD and helped me start some medication.
It's all very good and fine to frame the "overexcitabilities" and "mania" experiences as gifts and beneficial. I've certainly felt that way in the past. But relief of these "gifts" has been an extraordinary relief! I'm not "dulled" in my experience, but I can choose what sensations and emotions I want to attend to. I can choose to attend to the pleasant and am no longer dominated by attending to unpleasant stimuli and emotion.
I apologize for being forward, reading between your lines to draw some conclusions. I also felt strongly to offer a voice you're not likely to find in the "gifted" community. The concept of overexcitabilities predates the first ADHD diagnoses. The term is being used shockingly out of context in the gifted community. The original pretense is an old theory of psychology which is not evidence-based. It's on man's heavily religiously-influenced understanding of how some people act more virtuously than others, and who goes so far as to say that people without Christian/catholic religious values are lesser people, even mere animals. Overexcitabilities is a minor piece of an outdated piece of moral elistism.
However, the concept of "overexcitabilities" is actually alive and well under a different name in modern evidence-based psychology! In the 5-Factor Personality Model, the global personality trait of "Openness of Experience" is equivalent to "overexcitabilities", but it's fortunately evidence-based, not taken out of context from an outdated work, not derived from religion, and not elitist.
Wikipedia overview of Openness to Experience: https:/
And you don't have to take my word for the relationship between "overexcitabilities" and Openness to Experience, here's a bit of research from people with more capital letters behind their names than I have:
http:/
I am looking forward to hearing your opinions and responses after your moderation is lifted! Welcome!
Re: New here, looking for insight - 08/13/16 06:51 PM
Oh, thank goodness! I have been reluctant to post because of the moderation delay. Great to know that it is only temporary.
Re: New here, looking for insight - 08/25/16 01:27 PM
Hi, I am psyched to be redirected here, I posted on another topic (which I quoted below), which I trust many of you can relate with!
I found out that I may be gifted about 2 years ago. I was told so by a gifted person, and a mother of a gifted teen (I believe the mother herself was also gifted). It was quite a sickening experience to me, I spent a few days like a zombie. I read about other gifted people's experiences, which were creepily like reading my own biography. I read the book The Gifted Adult by Mary-Elaine Jacobson, and there is a long self-evaluation "test" (you might want to check that out), and my score was so high it didn't fit in the graph at all. It felt somehow validating, yes, but eventually I brushed the whole thing aside as some kind of mistake...
But I never felt better and recently I came out of a hermit phase and began meeting new people. This has high-lighted a contrast of some kind between myself and the others... and plunged me into a state of perpetual down feeling and frustration (I wouldn't call it depression). I got so desperate, went back to read more about giftedness, and with 2 years of distance, I realise now that I can identify myself very likely to be gifted.
It is so comforting to read I'm not alone...
I found out that I may be gifted about 2 years ago. I was told so by a gifted person, and a mother of a gifted teen (I believe the mother herself was also gifted). It was quite a sickening experience to me, I spent a few days like a zombie. I read about other gifted people's experiences, which were creepily like reading my own biography. I read the book The Gifted Adult by Mary-Elaine Jacobson, and there is a long self-evaluation "test" (you might want to check that out), and my score was so high it didn't fit in the graph at all. It felt somehow validating, yes, but eventually I brushed the whole thing aside as some kind of mistake...
But I never felt better and recently I came out of a hermit phase and began meeting new people. This has high-lighted a contrast of some kind between myself and the others... and plunged me into a state of perpetual down feeling and frustration (I wouldn't call it depression). I got so desperate, went back to read more about giftedness, and with 2 years of distance, I realise now that I can identify myself very likely to be gifted.
It is so comforting to read I'm not alone...
Originally Posted by lechien
Is there such a thing as a forum for gifted adults (that’s free)? All I can find are for parents with gifted children. I see things I struggle with are discussed here, though spanning over some years, I see.
I feel that for me the issue isn’t so much about whether others are “morons” or not, but this devastating isolation. I can give myself mental stimulation by reading, writing, etc., but nothing compares to the experience of being nurtured by evolving with like-minded people. I am increasingly shying away from social situations because not only is it one-dimensional (and it’s uncomfortable to feel that way about other people) but also there is a lot of power games, which is an utter waste of time, stupid, and in order to maintain any social contacts on peaceful terms, I find myself making myself appear stupider than them so that they won’t get competitive with me. Otherwise people regard me as some sort of a mentor. These are people who consider themselves creatives and intellectuals. I don’t consider myself such a smart person, I rather want to be guided and taught, but above all be equal to the others. It’s such a paradoxical feeling, exhausting.
Even my psychotherapist, who is not a bad therapist generally, unwittingly says things that are deflating, discouraging, and sometimes even insulting. I understand where he is coming from, it’s probably just that he is not the right therapist for people like me. He also thinks that I have a paranoia of *feeling* like I am always misunderstood. I don’t think it’s a “feeling”…
Who feels that a day is too short to read all the books and make music and experience nature and watch news and learn a language and ruminate over trivial things in their lives to magnify and expand their inner worlds, and then get paralysed by the avalanche of visions? Who feels that we are here with a purpose, no matter how small and hidden, and are driven to extend beyond personal fulfilment and contribute to the excellence of human civilisation? Who feels that humanity has not given itself enough words and wants to simply let themselves drop in the middle of a room at the impossibility of our existence? Where are the people with inspirations running through their veins?
I feel suffocated. It’s like I accidentally trapped myself in an upside down world. And the worst is when I convince myself that I am crazy.
I feel that for me the issue isn’t so much about whether others are “morons” or not, but this devastating isolation. I can give myself mental stimulation by reading, writing, etc., but nothing compares to the experience of being nurtured by evolving with like-minded people. I am increasingly shying away from social situations because not only is it one-dimensional (and it’s uncomfortable to feel that way about other people) but also there is a lot of power games, which is an utter waste of time, stupid, and in order to maintain any social contacts on peaceful terms, I find myself making myself appear stupider than them so that they won’t get competitive with me. Otherwise people regard me as some sort of a mentor. These are people who consider themselves creatives and intellectuals. I don’t consider myself such a smart person, I rather want to be guided and taught, but above all be equal to the others. It’s such a paradoxical feeling, exhausting.
Even my psychotherapist, who is not a bad therapist generally, unwittingly says things that are deflating, discouraging, and sometimes even insulting. I understand where he is coming from, it’s probably just that he is not the right therapist for people like me. He also thinks that I have a paranoia of *feeling* like I am always misunderstood. I don’t think it’s a “feeling”…
Who feels that a day is too short to read all the books and make music and experience nature and watch news and learn a language and ruminate over trivial things in their lives to magnify and expand their inner worlds, and then get paralysed by the avalanche of visions? Who feels that we are here with a purpose, no matter how small and hidden, and are driven to extend beyond personal fulfilment and contribute to the excellence of human civilisation? Who feels that humanity has not given itself enough words and wants to simply let themselves drop in the middle of a room at the impossibility of our existence? Where are the people with inspirations running through their veins?
I feel suffocated. It’s like I accidentally trapped myself in an upside down world. And the worst is when I convince myself that I am crazy.