Gifted individuals make up 3-5% of the population, that is an average of 400 million people. The complexities that a high-powered, neurodivergent brain engenders can bring as many blessings as it does challenges. Therefore, understanding giftedness in adults is as important as it is for children, whether they were recognized during childhood or later in life. Interestingly, gifted adults do not recognize that they have a gift, they are usually alerted by external sources or when seeking diagnosis for other neurological or psychological conditions.
🎁 Brief Overview on characteristics and indications of giftedness
Sophistication of thought process, energy, curiosity, mental speed, concentration, heightened sensitivity (both emotional and physiological), drive, persistence, a playful and sophisticated sense of humor, a highly developed moral sense, and a constant demand for intellectual stimuli are common traits among the gifted. Their ability to find patterns that no one else notices, retain large amounts of information, concentrate for long periods of time, put very complex ideas together, and do it faster than their peers, are other special talents of the gifted.
🫥 The dark side of giftedness
Gifted individuals are often misunderstood, considered an "oddball", eccentric, strange, and even an outcast. The toll that is taken on a high-powered brain can lead to mental health issues like anxiety, depression and burnout, specially because of the isolation that comes with being different.
🎓 Giftedness V. intelligence
Giftedness doesn't always equate to intelligence and vice-versa. A gifted person can have an immense cerebral ability but lack the emotional intelligence to bring it to fruition. They may also be considered unintelligent for not being able to conform with social and educational structures. In fact, many gifted children do not do well in school, and as an adult find it difficult to fit into conventional forms of employment. An interesting fact: it is estimated that 20% of the prison population is gifted.
🧚🏽 Sensitivities
There is also a emotional sensitivity connected with giftedness: where others see a trivial, common occurrence, the gifted can perceive it as an overwhelming emotional burden. Many gifted individuals also carry a heightened sensory sensitivity (taste, touch, smell, sound, sight) and also an amplified sensitivity to medications, synthetic or herbal.
👩🏽⚕️ Diagnosis
The diagnosis can be done through a thorough, in-person neuropsychological evaluation conducted by a qualified professional. Be sure to check their credentials.
👯🏽 Giftedness/ADHD/ASD
Research confirms that not only neurodivergent conditions are highly inheritable, but that they also share genes among one another, increasing the chances for comorbidities (carrying two or more disorders) and twice exceptionalism (carrying giftedness and a disorder). The correlation is such, that a geneticist, just by looking at a set of genes, is unable to distinguish between ADHD, bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and giftedness. Read Ayurveda and ADHD
🪷 Giftedness and Ayurveda
Even though gifted individuals are inherently different from one another, they share several traits that can be further observed and categorized through the lens of the Ayurvedic tridoshic theory. Distinctive patterns can be perceived on how these gifted traits manifest in each one of the Doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Despite their peculiarities, an Ayurvedic regime is suitable to aid each doshic composition equivalently. Read "Ayurveda and Gifted Adults" full paper below:
Keywords: giftedness, gifted adults, Ayurveda, tridoshic theory, high-powered brain, eccentric, multipotentialism, sensory sensitivity, neurodiversity.
To a balanced life!
Namaste,
Grazie Prokopetz, Doctor of Ayurveda
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