We cannot separate the body from the mind and the body-mind from our spirit.

At the Daimon Institute, we view giftedness as a global integrative mental capacity.

Giftedness has a particular developmental reality that affects every aspect of a person's life. Every aspect, every day. All parts of who we are.

In this view, the concept of giftedness is NOT cognicentric (exclusively a phenomenon of one's cognitive experiences); nor is it relegated to an epiphenomenon of the brain. We know for certain that the very gifted brain has form and functionality beyond the norm, but there is more to our giftedness than that.

"Integral Practice for the Gifted"(TM)  is the model used here at the Daimon Institute: for our research and our psychotherapeutic interventions. (And, the term psychotherapy is inclusive of support for growth and development, for education and learning, for specific mental health challenges, for relationship skill-building, for creativity stoking, for self-exploration and joy-enhancing: the whole bag of tricks any one of us might need, over time.)

Our IPG™ model is non-dualistic: it does not separate body from mind and body-mind from spirit. Instead, we know that all parts of the EPG, child and adult, develop in interpenetrating ways.

This is a powerful perspective in that it encourages us to access natural processes of integration.

Daily movement, for instance, reduces stress and anxiety, releases endorphins (which create feelings of happiness and euphoria), improves self-confidence, increases brain power, sharpens memory, and increases our muscle and bone strength.

Likewise, an increase in physical stamina, flexibility and range of motion feeds back to the mind as increased capacity and resilience in the world.

Embodied cognition is the term to describe this relationship between the mind and the body.

Our gifted kids (and adults) benefit enormously from opening up this two-way powerful channel of good health.

This mind-body integration can be activated by starting small steps and does not have to be intimidating for us. On the contrary, even small gains daily make an enormous impact on well-being.

P. Susan Jackson

Author

Daimon Institute Inc.