2022 Dabrowski Congress

The 2022 Dabrowski Congress took place 18-19 July at the University of Denver. The 15th Congress was hosted by the Daniel L. Ritchie Endowed Chair in Gifted Education, Dr. Norma Hafenstein, at the Morgridge College of Education, University of Denver.

2022 Dabrowski Congress participants at the University of Denver.
2022 Dabrowski Congress
15th International Dabrowski Congress 2022 logo

Save the date!

The 2024 Congress will be held July 11-14, 2024, in Denver, Colorado. 

We’ll announce more details ASAP. 

TitleSummaryCategoriesLink
01_Welcome and Opening Address

Dr. Norma Hafenstein welcomes visitors to the 2022 Dąbrowski Congress

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02_How did we get here? Mentors, Archives, and Building Community

Dr. Chris Wells discusses the Dabrowski Center’s origins and the importance of building a community

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03_Kazimierz Dąbrowski—The Existential Therapist

Dr. Frank Falk discusses Kazimierz Dąbrowski’s clinical practice and theoretical underpinnings.

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04_Thinking it over: Research into Overexcitabilities

Dr. Shelagh Gallagher discusses how overexcitabilities have been characterized and measured, and proposes some changes

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05_The Third Factor: Attitudes towards innovators in the US Navy

Dr. ES Vorm discusses research that uncovers unique challenges that innovative and creative people have in some organizations

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06_From Nihilism to Toy Making: My Pathway to Positive Disintegration

Melissa Bernstein discusses her journey of transforming darkness and suffering from existential depression and anxiety into toys and creative works.

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07_Day 2 Welcome

Dr. Norma Hafenstein welcomes attendees to the second day of the Congress.

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08_Positive Maladjustment of Gifted Teens in a Chaotic World

Dr. Patricia Gatto-Walden and Dr. Linda Silverman discuss issues teenagers have dealt with during the pandemic.

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09_The Dispute over the Legacy of Dąbrowski: Controversies and Dilemmas

Dr. Dominik Chojnowski shares his research concerning a dispute over the legacy of Dąbrowski’s theory.

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10_Trauma and Giftedness, A Unique Intersection

Patricia Williams discusses trauma and its impact on gifted individuals with overexcitabilities.

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11_The Spiral Model of Development: Understanding the GT/2e Developmental Trajectory

Dr. Karen Arnstein presents her spiral model of development, a visual representation of the GT/2e developmental trajectory.

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12_Overexcitability Magnification in Family Dynamics

Nicole Mattingly discusses the impact of overexcitability on family dynamics through the lens of her family’s experiences.

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13_Why Not Level V?

Dr. Michele Kane presents the case study of a woman who meets the criteria for Level V in Dąbrowski’s theory.

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14_Derived from “Five”—Raised by a Being Much More than Level Four

Pam Ryan presents the case of her father as an exemplar of Level V.

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15_Closing Reflections

Dr. Chris Wells and Dr. Norma Hafenstein offer closing reflections to end the in-person portion of the 2022 Congress.

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16_Developing Identity for Gifted Readers through the Lens of Overexcitabilities

Katie Coggin and Dr. Kim Freed discuss the development of identity in gifted readers through the lens of overexcitabilities.

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17_Character Advice: Overexcitabilities in Literature and Metacognition of Levels of Overexcitabilities

Jessica Williams presents a workshop session on using overexcitabilities to analyze manifestations of behaviors in characters in literature with students.

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18_Dabrowski’s Theory Implications for Physical and Mental Health; Health Prevention

Jacquie Aitken discusses the relevance and importance of Dabrowski’s levels of emotional development in working with victims of physical and sexual violence.

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19_Through the Eyes of Love: Overexcitabilities in a Gifted Woman with Alzheimer’s

Dr. Alena Treat discusses her wife, who was gifted with all five overexcitabilities and recently died from Alzheimer’s. Alena discussed how the various OEs manifested themselves and were dealt with during a state of mental decline.

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20_An Argument for Doing Nothing: Nurturing Organized Multilevel Disintegration

Dr. Robert Schultz discusses the need to apply the theory in practice and live it rather than talking about it without action. He shares what he’s done to help students become aware of their addiction to technology in light of TPD and positive maladjustment.

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21_The ‘Tool of Dabrowski’: What it ‘Ought to Be’

Emma Nicholson draws upon her experience as a business analyst to address criticisms of Dąbrowski’s theory and provides insight into how improving the “tool” of positive disintegration can make it accessible and visible to those who need it.

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22_”Falling Apart”, Together: Supporting Positive Disintegration through Concept-based Literature Instruction

Dr. Todd Hodgkinson discusses facilitating positive disintegration and personality development in gifted children and adolescents with concept-based literature instruction.

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23_Prior Years of Teaching, Overexcitabilities and Feelings of Loss and Grief in Teachers

Jackie Owen presents a poster session exploring the issue of loss and grief in teachers who taught prior to and during No Child Left Behind. She found that only imaginational overexcitability was correlated with feelings of loss and grief.

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24_Overexcitabilities at Work

Carrie Pokrefke discusses how overexcitabilities can influence individuals at work and shared ways to lean into them as a strength.

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25_Voice Problems as Signs of Positive Disintegration

Laura Stavinoha discusses how she uses overexcitabilities and dynamisms in voice coaching, and how the voice can guide the developmental process.

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26_Shaken, Not Broken: Personal Transformation in Times of Global, Existential Threat

Lotte van Lith shares her personal creative projects and developmental process through the lens of positive disintegration.

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27_Philosophy of essence (Developmental philosophy based on the theory of positive disintegration)

William Tillier provides a synopsis of Dabrowski’s introduction to his theory from an unpublished manuscript.

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28_Child-Centered Authentic Education for the Gifted

This presentation introduces the Child-Centered Gifted Consortium, a group of educators who met throughout COVID to create a set of principles for guiding authentic gifted education.

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29_RS2e2: Reimagining Socializing for Twice-Exceptional Students

Samuel Young discusses the ways that COVID has increased acceptance of online learning as a useful way to serve twice-exceptional learners.

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30_Reframing the Identity as a Neurodivergent through the Lens of Positive Disintegration

Dr. Melanie Wong explores the journey of reframing neurodivergent identity using positive disintegration as a framework.

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31_Positive Integration and the Formation of Hybrid Professional Identity

Dr. Sarabeth Berk outlines a new framework of professional identity that accounts for integration of multiple professional identities.

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32_1st Generation South East Asian American Self and Parental Reflections on Positive Disintegration

Lin Lim shares her experiences on positive disintegration and parenting 2e/PG children through a cultural perspective.

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The Dabrowski Center is a completely not-for-profit organization that serves several communities of interest by providing resources, advocacy, and information about the Theory of Positive Disintegration. We provide these services through the generous and ongoing support of individuals just like you! Click the link below to learn about our ambitious projects and how you can help support this work!