Where it all started
The innate personality traits knowns as overexcitabilities are part of the personality theory formulated by twentieth century psychologist Kazimierz Dabrowski (1902-1980). Dabrowski’s theory is known as the Theory of Positive Disintegration. This article is a good introduction to it.
The phrase, ‘Rainforest Mind’ was coined by American therapist Paula Prober. Find out if you have a rainforest mind by taking Paula’s fabulously light-hearted ‘totally, completely and utterly unscientific quiz‘.
Websites
PowerWood – Here you’ll find a digital version of the PowerWood booklet I handed out at the CPD day. (Let me know if you want any hard copies and I’ll get as many as you need sent to you – lucinda@lucindaleo.co.uk.)
And here’s the OEs questionnaire (results come back instantly by email). It’s pretty accurate but sometimes worth doing a few times. The first time my daughter (then 10) did it, she came out as having no OEs (she definitely does!). When she did it again she got a more accurate result.
The PowerWood website is a great resource for parents and anyone who works with young people who have OEs. It’s also got some great articles about OE generally, plus some interviews I’ve done with OE families.
Your Rainforest Mind – Paula Prober’s blog.
Facebook Groups and Podcast
PowerWood Group – for families or professionals dealing with OE. Really friendly group for learning about and supporting overexcitability. (I’m a co-admin of the group, with PowerWood founder Simone de Hoogh.)
For women with OEs – The League of Excitable Women. Run by Aurora Remember Holzman who also has a great podcast, Embracing Intensity. [Imposter syndrome alert!] Aurora interviewed me on the podcast here.
My Articles about OE
I’m four-fifths through a series about the positive side of OEs:
34 Ways to nourish your intellectual overexcitability
14 Delightful ways to use sensual overexcitability ot nourish your soul
How to use emotional overexcitability to nourish your soul
6 Eclectic ways to use imaginational overexcitability to nourish your soul
Light-hearted articles about the five types of overexcitability in children:
7 Signs your child has psychomotor OE
What is sensual overexcitability?
6 Things you need if your child has intellectual overexcitability
15 Things your child with emotional overexcitability might say
The ups and downs of imaginational overexcitability
For more articles, see my Start Here page.
Books
Your Rainforest Mind (Paula Prober) is a very readable, relatable book about what it’s like to have a rainforest mind. People with emotional OE will love it. Read my review here.
Living With Intensity (Daniels and Piechowski) is more academic but still accessible. I haven’t managed to read the whole thing, but the first half has some great stuff about the OEs. [My mum saw this one lying around and asked if I’d bought it for my husband. Ha ha.]
(* affiliate links, but it doesn’t cost you anything ;))
High Ability and Overexcitability
Although OE isn’t synonymous with high ability, OEs are common in the highly able population and for this reason the gifted community has written and researched a lot about them. Don’t let that put you off! 😉
My favourite definition of the controversial G word (and that favoured by everyone I work with in the gifted community) is by the Columbus Group:
‘Giftedness is asynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm. This asynchrony increases with higher intellectual capacity. The uniqueness of the gifted renders them particularly vulnerable and requires modifications in parenting, teaching and counselling in order for them to develop optimally.’ (The Columbus Group, 1991)
Talking of the G word, if you’re interested in this area I recommend Scott Barry Kaufman’s comprehensive book, Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined. Kaufman is a creative, highly relatable psychologist who failed through a lot of his school career due to his different style of thinking and learning. I listened to the audio version which Kaufman reads himself.
Comments or Questions?
Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any feedback, requests, or questions!