Giftedness has an emotional depth as well as cognitive and intellectual complexity.
Although endowed with great potential, gifted people are also prone to emotional and interpersonal crises.
Gifted persons are more aware and affected by their surroundings. Adults, teens and children who feel things with great intensity experience the world in a different way than their non-gifted, non-HSP peers.
Emotional and even physical reactions to events can last longer which can lead to gifted trauma.
Gifted children are sometimes labeled as "overexcitables".
Examples:
1) Psychomotor: high levels of energy- pacing, rapid talk and use of hand gestures.
2) Sensual: heightened awareness of all five senses: sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing (This is the same as Highly Sensitive Persons , HSP, which refers to the sensory processing sensitivities) - sensitivities to textures, food, needs for physical hugs, cuddles and sensory seeking toys.
3) Emotional: extreme emotional sensitivity (same as HSP)- intense empathy, compassion, depression, anxiety, loneliness.
4) Intellectual: deep curiosity and complex thoughts- solving problems, puzzles, constant questioning and reading.
5) Imaginational: vivid imagination and visualization - metaphorical speech, vivid dreams, magical thinking.
Here are some questions to ask yourself when assessing the need for therapy:
- Are you an emotionally intense and highly sensitive person?
- Do you often feel out-of-place in the world?
- Do you 'absorb' other people's feelings and energies to the point where crowds and social settings are overwhelming you?
- Do others around you deem you as 'perfectionistic'?
- Do you get frustrated when you witness injustices or corruption in the world and struggle to tolerate other people's ignorance or apathy?
- Do you get excited easily, and your creative inspirations keep you up at night?
- Are you a fast learner?
- Do you downplay your achievements and abilities to appear 'normal' so others won't attack you?
If you resonate with some of the above questions, then you may be a gifted person.
Counseling may greatly benefit gifted people as they are more susceptible to experiencing emotional intensities.
