Kelly Pryde, PhD

Today is the last day to RSVP for the Gifted Mindfulness Collective Open House as we launch this storytelling project for gifted women. Details about the project and how to RSVP are below. You're welcome to join!

As we begin our 5th year of the GMC and continue our mission of exploring mindfulness as a path to gifted wholeness, I'm delighted to be starting our 2nd community writing & art project for gifted women. For this journey, we'll be "Retrieving the Bones" as we venture into the past to reclaim the lost & stolen stories of our gifted female ancestors and explore how they can guide us today. ⁣
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All of the stories and accompanying artwork will be compiled into an ebook. There is no cost to participate in this project. ⁣
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Our Open House event is happening online this Saturday Jan 28th. Please join us as we explore the roots of this project and share inspiration for the journey together. Event details, including how to RSVP and a project invitation package can be found at www.giftedmindfulness.com/writingproject. We hope you'll join us! 🌺

Dear Gifted and 2e women ~ this is a unique opportunity to join a small group of like-minded and -hearted peers to learn approaches to mindfulness in gifted-relevant ways, reclaim feminine parts of yourself, and be seen more fully in your giftedness. I'll be leading this 6-week journey starting February 4th; we have a few spots still open!

Details are below...

It's time! This course is how the Gifted Mindfulness Collective came into being and is always a joy and honour for me to facilitate each year...⁣
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~ Are you a gifted or 2e woman wanting to embrace your giftedness more fully; to learn tools for supporting your intensity & complexity, especially in these disintegrative times? ⁣
~ Are you longing to connect with like-minds and -hearts where you can share and be seen more wholly? ⁣
~ Have you been frustrated with traditional approaches to mindfulness that don't take into account your unique way of thinking and being -- not only as a gifted person, but also as a woman? ⁣
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Our gifted mindfulness foundations journey was created to meet these needs. Now in its 6th year, our next offering is starting on Saturday Feb 4th and will run for 6 consecutive weeks on zoom with a small group. Each week we'll weave together mindfulness theory and practices, dialogue, reflection, and creative expression -- all tailored to the gifted feminine experience. ⁣
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Complete details and how to register can be found on our website: www.giftedmindfulness.com/foundations-for-women. We currently have 3 spots remaining. If this journey resonates for you, I hope you'll consider giving your gifted self this gift. 💜

Fellow gifted & 2e women (& Moms), does this resonate for you? You may be interested in the Gifted Mindfulness Collective's upcoming course on embodied mindfulness. Details below... 🧡

Our reclamation journey begins November 20th!⁣⁣
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We've spent the last 2 years in the GMC deep diving into the gifted feminine, uncovering layers that hinder and discovering the richness of our sensuality that infuse our full experience & expression of gifted womanhood. ⁣⁣
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Embracing our bodies and the fullness of our sensual intelligence is essential to living in the ways we long for as gifted women. And yet, our culture and the experience of giftedness in this culture lead us to disconnect from our bodies and plow our way through with our thinking minds and (hyper)masculine energies.⁣⁣
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And we're exhausted.⁣⁣
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In our 4-week course starting Nov 20 (with no meeting on 11/27 for US Thanksgiving), we'll be transforming this disembodied way of living as we delve into feminine energies to (re)integrate our minds-bodies-hearts, learn the unique language of our bodies within the context of our gifted traits, and reclaim our wholeness & aliveness as gifted women.⁣⁣
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If you're ready to embark on this leg of your journey as a gifted or twice-exceptional woman, you are warmly invited to join us. We have a few spots left.⁣⁣
Complete details & registration info can be found at www.giftedmindfulness.com/embodied-mindfulness

Dear friends,

For those of you who identify as gifted or twice-exceptional women here, I wanted to let you know about a unique ebook compilation, "Emergence", that was just released via the Gifted Mindfulness Collective. This book is the culmination of a year-long project where gifted and 2e women contemplated and creatively expressed our voices and stories on the gifted feminine and our experiences growing up and living in patriarchal, normative systems.

The compilation consists of 30+ moving essays, stories, poems, artwork, as well as resources. It's for any gifted or 2e woman who has lost or had to deny parts of herself in order to fit in, who has struggled to embrace her sensitivity and complexity, and who longs to reclaim the feminine parts of her self.

I hope you will gift yourself or a loved one with this book and that it will resonate with you in the deep, beautiful way it has with all of the women who contributed to it.

The ebook is available at www.giftedmindfulness.com/shop

I was really moved by this poem by Adrie Kussarow reminding us of our inherent goodness during these corona times. It was inspired by Mary Oliver's "Wild Geese"... 🧡
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You do not have to become totally zen,⠀
You do not have to use this isolation to make your marriage better,⠀
your body slimmer, your children more creative.⠀
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You do not have to “maximize its benefits”⠀
By using this time to work even more,⠀
write the bestselling Corona Diaries,⠀
Or preach the gospel of ZOOM.⠀
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You only have to let the soft animal of your body unlearn⠀
everything capitalism has taught you,⠀
(That you are nothing if not productive,⠀
That consumption equals happiness,⠀
That the most important unit is the single self.⠀
That you are at your best when you resemble an efficient machine).⠀
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Even if your life looks nothing like the Sabbath,⠀
Your stress boa-constricting your chest.⠀
Know that your antsy kids, your terror, your shifting moods,⠀
Your need for a drink have every right to be here,⠀
And are no less sacred than a yoga class..⠀
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Whoever you are, no matter how broken,⠀
the world still has a place for you, calls to you over and over⠀
announcing your place as legit, as forgiven,⠀
even if you fail and fail and fail again.⠀
remind yourself over and over,⠀
all the swells and storms that run through your long tired body⠀
all have their place here, now in this world.⠀
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It is your birthright to be held⠀
deeply, warmly in the family of things,⠀
not one cell left in the cold.⠀
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(Excerpts from "Mary Oliver for Corona Times”) :: reposted from

For those of you with intense, curious, sensitive, and creative kiddos, SENG - Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted has generously offered this free video for parenting during covid-19 led by Dr. Joanne Foster.

Be safe and well 🌿

A recording of this SENGinar has been uploaded to SENG's Vimeo Channel and is available for FREE viewing! You can visit this link to watch it: https://vimeo.com/403997979

A fun (and helpful) activity to do with your intense + sensitive self and/or kiddos during covid-19.

~ MINDFUL MOVEMENT ~

With intensely wired nervous systems, it can be common for gifted/2e persons to become dysregulated -- stuck in hyperarousal (anxiety, overwhelm) or hypoarousal (shutdown, despair) during difficult times. We can also become disembodied as we tend to intellectualize what's happening within and around us.

Using mindful movement is a helpful way to regulate our nervous systems and move us out of our thinking minds. Dancing is one of my favourite ways to get back into my body to either disperse the anxious energy or re-boot my system if it's feeling shutdown. It's also incredibly joyful ... especially if you have a partner or two. (Note: tweens/teens will roll their eyes, but they secretly enjoy it ;) )

How do you dance mindfully? Be in the moment. Notice what you *feel* in your body as you move - both physical and feeling sensations. Notice what you *hear* in the music - changes in tempo, rhythm, voice qualities. Notice what you *see* as you move - kiddos rolling eyes (!), dance partners smiling, visual flow.

Have fun ... and (one of my fave quotes from ) "never underestimate the healing power of listening to your favorite music on full blast while jumping around the house like an idiot."

I love this systems theory approach to caring. From distinguishing between self-care and self-soothing to expanding our awareness of — and action around — collective and structural care, this is an essential paradigm shift for supporting ourselves and each other.

How do you engage in these various forms of care?

Comic by

For parents of gifted + 2e kids struggling with emotional intensity, this is a wonderful opportunity for learning + connection with and

Details + registration at sengifted.org

RADICAL PAUSE

The holidays can be a difficult time of year for anyone. For those of us with highly sensitive nervous systems, it can be especially stressful and burnout inducing.

High sensitivity is a trait common in about 15-20% of the population and refers to a nervous system that processes sensory information in a much deeper way. To people who are not highly sensitive, it can look like an adult or child is being overly dramatic and exaggerating their response to certain sensory stimuli. Highly sensitive persons (HSPs) are not exaggerating; their sensitivity is very real and can be overwhelming and draining if not supported.

During the holidays, it can be easy for HSPs - children and adults - to push themselves to partake in all the hoopla. This can lead to meltdowns, moodiness, anxiety, and somatic reactions like headaches, stomachaches, and extreme fatigue. Being aware of heightened sensitivities and honoring your or your child's need for refuge - aka a radical pause - will go a long way in ensuring the holiday doesn't leave you frazzled and burnt out.

This article from highlysensitiverefuge.com offers some great tips for HSPs to take a radical pause in order to honor and protect their sensitive selves during the holiday: https://highlysensitiverefuge.com/highly-sensitive-people-survive-holidays/ For more on HSP, check out Elaine Aron's work (she's the pioneer!) at hsperson.com

Wishing you peace, naps, and honoured downtime for your sensitive self/family this holiday.