What are Overexcitabilities?

What are overexcitabililties?

Have you ever wondered why you’re sensitive to things that other people just don’t notice? Or why your child has strong reactions to things that other kids seem to take in their stride? Maybe people have always described you as ‘intense’ or told you to ‘toughen up’, or warned you to stop pandering to your child?

If you can relate to any of these questions, you probably have experience of what psychologists call ‘overexcitabilities’.

‘Overexcitability’ is a translation of a Polish word meaning ‘superstimulability.’ Leading twentieth century psychologist Kazimierz Dabrowski first used the term to describe a tendency to react more easily and in a stronger and more lasting way to stimuli.

Dabrowski suggested that there are five forms of overexcitability (OE): psychomotor, sensual, intellectual, imaginational and emotional.

You can read how I found out about OEs in my post, How I Discovered the Secret Key to Understanding my Sensitive and Intense Family.

What are overexcitabilities?

Find out if you or your family have overexcitabilities by taking my free online OE questionnaire.

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