Positive Disintegration on Tilt Parenting
Episode 362: Dr. Chris Wells Explains the Theory of Positive Disintegration
I’m excited to share this great conversation with Debbie Reber from the Tilt Parenting podcast. It’s always fun and challenging to discuss the theory on other pods. Debbie made me feel comfortable and asked great questions.
From the Episode 362 show notes:
“A few months ago, I heard about something called the Theory of Positive Disintegration—a theory created by K. Dabrowski, whose name I was familiar with because of his bringing attention to the idea that gifted children have inborn traits known as overexcitabilities—and I was instantly curious. Positive Disintegration—it sounded complicated, good, and messy; so I wanted to know more. That’s when I learned of the work of Dr. Chris Wells, who is the founding president of the Dąbrowski Center and who is dedicated to sharing knowledge and resources about this profound theory and the psychology of giftedness.
I invited Chris on the show to explore the Theory of Positive Disintegration with us, and fortunately for all of us, they said yes. And I will just say upfront—there is a lot that goes into understanding this theory and the implications it has for our differently wired children. So in today’s episode, we are only scratching the surface of this theory. But I am so excited to share this conversation as I believe this framework has the potential to offer a new perspective on neurodivergence and mental health that is important for families in our community to explore. And a trigger warning—this episode includes mention of suicidality and suicide attempts, so if those are difficult topics for you, please take care of yourself while listening.”
Click here for Episode 362 on the Tilt Parenting website, or find it in your favorite podcast app. Tilt Parenting is available on all major podcast platforms.
Here are the key takeaways Debbie shared with her audience:
Things you’ll learn from this episode
What the Theory of Positive Disintegration is and how it offers an alternative perspective on mental health struggles
What the five domains of Dabrowski’s overexcitabilities are
How the connection between overexcitabilities and the autonomic nervous system can provide insights into nervous system regulation
How the Theory of Positive Disintegration fits in with traditional therapeutic modalities
How anxiety and depression might be signs of growth and development