Arousing the sleeping giant: Giftedness in adult psychotherapy

When the term gifted is used in casual conversation, it generally is assumed the discussion is about someone under the age of eighteen. Yet the attributes and concerns of the gifted do not disappear in adulthood, and at certain junctures in an adult's lifespan can become critical to an individual's well-being. As adults proceed through various stages of development, they inevitably seek a clearer sense of identity, integration, and purpose. Such tasks are replete with difficulties, particularly for those gifted adults whose drive toward realization is obstructed by mistaken self-concepts. Especially challenging to the counseling psychologist are clients who were identified as gifted children, but now believe their special abilities have somehow expired, who never were appropriately identified as gifted or educated about what giftedness means, and who suffer from anxiety, depression or relationship problems that are unknowingly related to lack of information and support as a gifted person. To further understandings of the nature of giftedness across the lifespan, this article offers a glimpse into the clinical "aha" experience of under-recognized giftedness in adults, and suggests methods for exploring and supporting a reunion with the gifted self.