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Positive Disintegration

Positive Disintegration

By: Emma Nicholson and Chris Wells
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 What if your emotional intensity isn't a problem to solve, but a pathway to growth? Positive Disintegration explores how inner conflict and breaking down can lead to profound transformation. Hosts Chris Wells and Emma Nicholson dive into Kazimierz Dąbrowski's theory of positive disintegration, examining giftedness, neurodivergence, and the journey toward becoming your authentic self.

www.positivedisintegration.orgEmma Nicholson & Chris Wells Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • Reflections at Year Four

    Reflections at Year Four
    Dec 9 2025

    In episode 81, Chris and Emma mark four years of the podcast with a candid look at what’s changed—in themselves, their work, and their relationship to the theory.

    Both faced challenges this year, and both noticed something striking: they handled it differently than they would have before. The theory has become a real-time companion rather than a post-mortem tool—dynamisms catching in the moment instead of being identified after the fact.

    They discuss:

    * The shift from analyzing crises afterward to navigating them as they unfold

    * How relational resilience and genuine listening matter (with gratitude to bee mayhew )

    * What they’d do differently—never saying levels, prioritizing lived experience over expertise, better audio equipment

    * Plans for 2026: more episodes featuring just the two of them, deeper dives into lived experience

    * An announcement: they’re stepping away from the Dabrowski Congress to take a new direction

    The episode ends where the theory always points: shedding what’s less like us and moving toward greater autonomy.

    Resources from this episode

    * Dabrowski 101 (YouTube)

    * Ep. 56: Autoethnography for Personal Growth

    * Ep. 72, Healing through Writing with Dr. Lil Jedynak (The Gifted Experience)

    * cosmic cheer squad podcast

    * PDA: Resistance and Resilience podcast

    Connect with us

    * Positive Disintegration on Substack

    * Visit the Dabrowski Center website

    * Facebook

    * Instagram

    * The Positive Disintegration YouTube Channel

    * Adults with Overexcitabilities group on Facebook

    * The Tragic Gift blog by Emma

    * Email us at positivedisintegration.pod@gmail.com

    * Please consider donating to the Dabrowski Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

    * Find Positive Disintegration Merch

    If you enjoyed this episode on Apple or Spotify, please remember to click on the stars and leave a rating or write a review. Thank you!



    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.positivedisintegration.org/subscribe
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    59 mins
  • Sexuality and Relationships

    Sexuality and Relationships
    Oct 15 2025

    In episode 80, Chris and Emma talked with Heather Anne Keyes, a neuroqueer Gestalt psychotherapist and educator based in Durango, Mexico. Together, we explore the intersections between sexuality, neurodivergence, and development through the lens of Dąbrowski’s theory of positive disintegration.

    This conversation invites listeners to think about how we relate to ourselves and others when we step outside of convention. Heather’s insights bridge psychotherapy and lived experience, showing how awareness, compassion, and honesty can transform the way we love, communicate, and grow.

    Topics include:

    * Rethinking monogamy, non-monogamy, and ethical relationships

    * The overlap between giftedness, neurodivergence, and relational complexity

    * Gestalt therapy as a practice of awareness, authenticity, and co-creation

    * I-Thou relationships and the ethics of seeing others as full humans

    * The role of language in communication and self-understanding

    * How Buddhist psychology and radical acceptance inform Heather’s work

    Heather also shares moving reflections on loss, love, and the lifelong process of learning to “accept pain without turning it into unnecessary suffering.”

    Resources from this episode

    Heather’s website

    Humans of Gestalt (website)

    Humans of Gestalt (YouTube)

    Connect with us

    * Positive Disintegration on Substack

    * Visit the Dabrowski Center website

    * Facebook

    * Instagram

    * The Positive Disintegration YouTube Channel

    * Adults with Overexcitabilities group on Facebook

    * The Tragic Gift blog by Emma

    * Email us at positivedisintegration.pod@gmail.com

    * Please consider donating to the Dabrowski Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

    * Find Positive Disintegration Merch

    If you enjoyed this episode on Apple or Spotify, please remember to click on the stars and leave a rating or write a review. Thank you!



    This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.positivedisintegration.org/subscribe
    Show More Show Less
    48 mins
  • Crisis, Connection, and Fractals of Transformation

    Crisis, Connection, and Fractals of Transformation
    Aug 20 2025
    In episode 79, Chris and Emma explore the revolutionary idea that positive disintegration extends far beyond individual psychology with guest Richard Edelman, founder of Living Arts Wisdom and a cultural evolution strategist who synthesizes neuroscience, evolutionary philosophy, and trauma-informed practices. Drawing from interpersonal neurobiology, evolutionary theory, and climate psychology, Richard demonstrates how Dabrowski's developmental framework operates as a fractal pattern—appearing at the individual level, within relationships, across cultural systems, and throughout our species' evolution. This conversation reveals how our current global crises, from climate change to political upheaval, can be understood as manifestations of species-wide disintegration, and how individuals can become conscious participants in determining whether this leads to collapse or transformation.Key Topics Explored:* Interpersonal Neurobiology & Integration: Richard explains Dan Siegel's framework connecting mind, brain, and relationships, and how understanding integration helps us better comprehend what disintegrates in positive disintegration.* The Deep Neuroculture: A fascinating concept describing our collective nervous system as a species: the "mycelial network" beneath the surface of individual consciousness that shapes our biological and cultural niche.* Species-Wide Disintegration: How humanity is currently experiencing a collective positive disintegration driven by climate crisis, requiring us to transform our relationship with our environment.* Toxic Enculturation & Cycle Breaking: The process of liberating ourselves from harmful cultural patterns passed down through generations, with special attention to parents who refuse to perpetuate trauma.* Third Factor as Evolutionary Avatar: Reframing third factor individuals as harbingers of consciousness and relational evolution, essential for species survival.* Courage and Authenticity: The vital role of bravery in expressing our authentic selves and challenging the status quo, even in seemingly small interpersonal moments.Connect with Richard Edelman:* Richard’s website: livingartswisdom.com* Email: richard@livingartswisdom.comResources Mentioned:* Dan Siegel's work on interpersonal neurobiology* Iain McGilchrist's book "The Master and His Emissary"* Internal Family Systems (IFS)* Climate Psychology Alliance* Enactivism and Francisco Varela* Britt Wray’s Unthinkable (the book: Generation Dread)* The Third Factor (Dabrowski Center website)This episode offers a powerful reframe of the theory of positive disintegration, showing how individual transformation is intimately connected to the larger evolutionary challenges facing humanity. Richard's synthesis of multiple frameworks provides both theoretical depth and practical pathways for those seeking to navigate—and actively participate in shaping—our current polycrisis toward positive transformation.Connect with us* Positive Disintegration on Substack* Visit the Dabrowski Center website* Facebook* Instagram* The Positive Disintegration YouTube Channel* Adults with Overexcitabilities group on Facebook* The Tragic Gift blog by Emma* Email us at positivedisintegration.pod@gmail.com* Please consider donating to the Dabrowski Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.* Find Positive Disintegration MerchIf you enjoyed this episode on Apple or Spotify, please remember to click on the stars and leave a rating or write a review. Thank you! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.positivedisintegration.org/subscribe
    Show More Show Less
    55 mins
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