Creative Mind Audio

"To get out of our heads and into our bodies a little more...I think gifted humans, neurodivergent humans and humans impacted by trauma...really have a hard time doing that."

In a post of hers (Understanding Emotional Intensity), Christine Fonseca summarizes that "Intensity refers to how an individual approaches life. At its best, it is the driving passion that enables some people to achieve amazing things – in any domain.

"But at its worst, it is the turmoil that has the power to consume these same individuals from time to time as they learn how to manage that aspect of their personality."

This audio is from a much longer Embracing Intensit interview by Aurora Remember. Follow link to page on her site with details about her Free Resource Library, podcasts, videos, membership, and more resources for neurodiverse, gifted, and creative people..

Tye Glover is an Ideation Coach, and Founder and President of Think Different Nation.

This is an excerpt from his conversation with Caroline Partridge for her Perception Podcast.

He comments: "We can't really recognize what else someone else is not seeing or seeing...I started recognizing that I have a particular way in which I'm experiencing that I'm looking at things, that I'm taking note of particular operations of forms and functions.

"And I started to recognize how these things are becoming the key pieces of information or what Steve Jobs would refer to as dots - he used to use the expression ‘You can't connect the dots by looking forward, you've got to look backwards.’"

The description for the full Perception Podcast episode includes:

"After being labelled as learning disabled and consigned to a future of manual work Tye describes how the spectre of imposer syndrome haunted him for years, until he finally found the belief to create his own business teaching people how to connect to their ideas and creativity.

Tye also explains the theory behind NCP or Neuro Creative Programming and how Star Trek really does influence science.

Key Takeaways

Imposter syndrome labels us "less intelligent" but we have hidden strengths and perceptive abilities valuable elsewhere, so embrace your distinct way of thinking and operating.

Noticing life's anomalies then drilling down for deeper understanding builds a library of novel inputs to spark new ideas and connections á la Steve Jobs' "connecting the dots."

Science and imagination are intertwined - science fiction writers imagine what scientists verify, like Star Trek influencing NASA, so perceive creativity as foundational to science.

We're distinct individuals experiencing emotion at different polarities and paces, so make space for your own nonlinear neurological and emotional processing free of judgment.

The mind directs energy so carefully choose where to place your mental focus, limiting attention on unchangeable, distracting, lower vibrational drama unrelated to progress.

"To thine own self be true" - create by knowing your native talents and processes then expand by applying them more widely, living and working aligned with your authentic strengths."

Sites

How We Create Ideas with Tye Glover - The Perception Podcast.

The graphic in the image above comes from his site Think Different Nation.

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Related :

"Growing up in the 1990s, I was different from other girls, but I certainly never considered I had autism."

Zhara Astra continues, "Sure, I operated on a different wavelength: I gravitated towards philosophy and books that dissected the meaning of life. I was extremely literal, and had a fascination with math and numbers, as is common in autism.

But, less commonly, I didn’t like to be touched, I laughed at inappropriate times, ate the same foods every day, and was frequently overstimulated by smells, textures and sounds.

We are starting to discover that these traits are more likely to occur in women and girls with autism."

From her Scientific American article: “We Need Better Diagnostic Tests for Autism in Women” - Diagnostic criteria are developed using white boys and men, failing to serve many neurodivergent girls and women.

Zhara Astra is a screenwriter and producer, and also a professor at Arizona State University where she teaches a course she developed on “Understanding Neurodivergent Women” with an emphasis on autism in women and girls.

This audio is an excerpt from the podcast interview: “The Vital Importance of Diagnosis of Autism in Girls and Women: A Discussion with Zhara Astra” - an episode of Uniquely Human: The Podcast with Barry M. Prizant, PhD, and Dave Finch.

Barry M. Prizant book: Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism

In the syllabus for her university course, Astra lists Textbooks, Required Readings and Materials - including:

* Divergent Minds, by Jenara Nerenberg

* Neurodiversity: The Birth of an Idea, by Judy Singer

* Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder, by Sarah Hendrickx

* The Highly Sensitive Person, by Elaine Aron

* The Empowered Highly Sensitive Person: A Workbook to Harness Your Strengths in Every Part of Life, by Amanda Cassil (recommended for my neurodivergent students)

> View these titles and more in my Amazon list Highly Sensitive / Neurodivergent People

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Julie Bjelland, LMFT is a "proud Autistic, HSP, Licensed Psychotherapist specializing in highly sensitive people and adult-diagnosed Autism in females.

“I founded Sensitive Empowerment to raise awareness about the extraordinary value inherent in Sensitivity and Autism." (From profile on her site.)

Articles in the Blog section of her site include:

* Unmasking Autistic Traits in Women: Could You Be Autistic?

* Neurodivergent Women: HSPs and Autism

* Autistic Women: A Support Group Empowering the Adult-Diagnosed or Self-Diagnosed

* Navigating the Challenges of Autism Diagnosis as an Adult Woman - "…can be a daunting journey. This exploration aims to illuminate the inherent challenges and propose actionable solutions to make this path less difficult.

The Diagnostic Obstacles for Women

Masking and Compensation: Many autistic women master the art of camouflaging their autism traits through coping mechanisms and masking strategies, rendering their symptoms less noticeable to others.

Evolving Diagnostic Criteria: As our understanding of the autism spectrum widens, the diagnostic criteria evolve accordingly. Unfortunately, this evolution often fails to capture the unique manifestations of autism in women.

Limited Professional Awareness: A significant barrier to diagnosis is the lack of training and awareness among healthcare providers regarding autism in adult women, leading to a high rate of underdiagnosis or misdiagnosis. ..."

See the full articles in the HSP Blog section of The Sensitive Empowerment site of Julie Bjelland - follow link to also find her podcast, books, free webinars, courses, Sensitive Empowerment Community and other resources.

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"I was also aware that I was not really allowed to be so gifted, that I threatened their self concepts.

“Which is to say that I wasn’t really encouraged or allowed to be my full self, but I was rather being asked to act as a kind of instrument or one dimensional trophy for other people.

“And I found that it’s really hard to live inside such suffocating and dehumanizing expectations.

"But in adulthood, I have come to understand that I don’t actually need to be beholden to such expectations." - Kaitlin Smith

In this excerpt from an episode of the Embracing Intensity Podcast, host Aurora Remember interviews Kaitlin Smith, a scholar, facilitator, and founder of Our Wild Minds.

Topics in the full interview, as listed on the Embracing Intensity page, include

*Kaitlin’s journey as a scholar, facilitator, and founder of Our Wild Minds.

*The intersections between the history of mind sciences and African American studies in Kaitlin’s research.

*The challenges Kaitlin faced growing up in a predominantly white suburb and the conflicting expectations placed upon her as a gifted Black individual.

*The impact of cultural dynamics on expression and the pressure to conform to societal expectations.

Listen to the full podcast episode 266-Navigating Intensity Through a Cultural Lens with Kaitlin Smith, MSW, and learn about the Embracing Intensity Free Resource Library - includes links to blog posts, podcasts, videos, Course Membership, and more: thecreativemind.info/EI-free-resources

The photo of Kaitlin Smith and the drawing are from her site ourwildminds.com

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"Have you ever frozen up in the face of what should otherwise be a nonthreatening situation?"

That is one way to define the trauma response of freeze.

In the first section of this podcast episode, Dr. Aimie Apigian, MD comments "when we bring in the right kinds of support, the right kinds of energy, I have seen the time needed for the freeze response to become less.

"And yet every person, every body, every nervous system, seems to have its own rough time schedule for the freeze response..."

This is an excerpt from her video What To Do When You Are In The Freeze.

Dr. Aimie Apigian, MD, MS, MPH, is an author, speaker and founder of Trauma Healing Accelerated. Learn about Dr Apigian's program the Foundational Journey “for addressing stored trauma in the body.”

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In the second section, Dr. Jeffrey Rutstein, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and expert in the treatment of trauma, talks about freeze as one of five defensive states in response to trauma.

This is an excerpt from his video 3 on freeze from a Sounds True free series. The description on the registration page asks:

"Have you ever frozen up in the face of what should otherwise be a nonthreatening situation? It can be confusing to say the least.

“Video #3 addresses what we can do to begin the path to self-regulation."

Register free for "Take Back Your Nervous System with Dr. Jeffrey Rutstein" - A 5-Video Series with "Practical ways to calm yourself and others throughout each of our five defensive states."

Also on that page you can learn more about his new Healing Trauma Program, with 12 other trauma experts.

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Video version of these interviews:

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Shutdown

At the end of his comments, Dr. Rutstein refers to shutdown, and "in those moments the body is much more quiet and the mind is almost basically off - that's an even more extreme State than freeze."

That reminded me of quotes by actor Idris Elba noted how his father’s death affected his acting: “I got to a place where I wasn’t even living anymore. I was becoming a robot with my work.

“I have no fear of jumping out of burning cars or out of buildings on set, but in reality, I couldn’t run one hundred meters. I just felt out of touch with reality.” (ABC News Jul 6, 2017)

More explanation by Dr. Rutstein:

"When we’re in a defensive state, we’re being ruled by our older sections of brain, the mammalian brain or the reptilian brain. And those brains are before our thinking neocortex, the white cauliflower of the top level of our brain...

"Now, anyone who’s had themselves stuck in a state with or without trauma knows it’s really unpleasant, whether you’re angry for three days over a fight, or you’re anxious for two or three days over a confrontation, or you’re shut down for one or two days because you got so blown out of the water by something."

From this podcast episode "Trauma Healing and Not Being a Prisoner to Our Nervous System."

James C. Kaufman, PhD is a Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut, and teaches classes on creativity.

Topics in our interview include* the use of mood-altering substances by writers and other artists* the genius myth stereotype* how the idea of a creative muse impacts creative self-direction* how positive and negative moods …

Writer, actor and producer Issa Rae commented to Terry Gross, host of the NPR show Fresh Air, that she was socially uncomfortable and introverted growing up, and one day wrote the phrase "I'm awkward. And black." in her journal.

Rae says it was a revelation.

"I knew I was black, obviously, but the 'awkward' part really just defined me in a sense," Rae noted.

"That felt like an identity that I had not seen reflected in television or film before, or at least in a very long time."

Terry Gross: "So what made you think that the parts of your life that made you feel awkward and insecure you could claim as an identity and then use that to your advantage and create a character who would be kind of like funny and relatable and everything.

"And that so you could turn what you perceived as like your weakness into a strength."

Issa Rae: "Well, for me, it came from watching shows like Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, and even 30 Rock, and just identifying with the very specific sense of humor that those shows had, but also being like, wow, there are no people of color in these shows that have the same sense of humor, you know?

"Wondering like why is there this segregated humor? There seems to be like black humor and there seems to be white humor and you know a lot of my friends...we like both, but we don't get to see ourselves reflected on the quote-unquote white humor side.

"And so I wanted to take these traits in the same way that, you know, a lot of my favorite comedians have done it, and Ellen included. Ellen takes so many relatable, embarrassing moments and amplifies them and makes it like, Oh my god, I've been through that too, and that's so funny.

"And have a black character go through those things and make it very racially specific but universal at the same time."

(See the transcript for more.)

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Show notes for the Fresh Air podcast interview summarizes: "Her Web comedy series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl [based on her memoir] ran for two seasons, and Rae continued to explore themes of race, identity and belonging as the creator and star of the HBO series Insecure."

This audio in an excerpt from that interview.

Fresh Air episode with Terry Gross (on NPR): 'Awkward' And 'Insecure' Get To The Root Of Writer Issa Rae's Humor.

video: Issa Rae Teaches How to Get Out of Our Own Way and Create Content Successfully

Learn about MasterClass "Issa Rae Teaches Creating Outside the Lines"

Related Substack/Creative Mind posts/podcast episodes:

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“Creating art has always been a way to channel emotional intensity.”

Psychologist Cheryl Arutt adds, “You don’t have to be in pain to do great work as an artist.”

Pain and sensitivity

In our conversation, Dr. Arutt notes "Creative people do tend to be highly sensitive and an exquisite sensitivity is an asset when it comes to creating art...But that same sensitivity can often make the painful experiences that they have even more so."

I asked her about how creative people can work with their sensitivity:

"I think respecting the sensitivity, regarding oneself as a creative artist, as someone who uses that sensitivity to communicate something back about the world, allows that sensitivity to be framed as an asset."

Dr. Arutt thinks that actors and other artists who are willing, in their creative work, to delve into the really “messy” feelings of being human (shame, devastations, disappointments, betrayals, traumas and more), probably have a relationship with those feelings.

That may be one of the key reasons artists can create such compelling and authentic performances, novels, music and other work.

Dr. Arutt is a licensed clinical and forensic psychologist in private practice specializing in trauma recovery and creative artist issues.

She is also a "nationally recognized expert on PTSD, a sought-after mental health commentator on national TV programs & podcasts, a high profile speaker and forensic consultant." Site: drcherylarutt.com.

Video of a broadcast TV program with some of her perspectives on mental health:

Topics in our audio interview include

* high sensitivity,

* regulating disruptive feelings,

* destructiveness vs creativity,

* pain and creativity,

* being unconventional vs rebellion against the self,

* the fight-or-flight response,

and other issues which can impact creative artists and other people as well.

"A lot of times when we're working on our mental health, being that so much of it is cognitive, we think we have to speak things through and that's the only way...

“But creativity is the conduit for another way of communication."

This is a brief excerpt from The Mental Wellness Practice Podcast episode 027: How Your Creativity Affects Your Mental Health with Dr. LA Stretch.

In the episode, Dr. Shainna Ali talks with Dr. LoriAnn 'LA' Stretch, about the link between creativity and mental wellness.

Dr. Stretch is the President and conference co-chair for the Association for Creativity in Counseling.

More info on her LinkedIn page.

Dr. Ali is a mental health counselor, educator, and host of the Mental Wellness Practice Podcast.

One of her books: Designing Healthy Boundaries by Shainna Ali PhD.

Her site: shainnaali.com

Dr Ali is a speaker at the Healing Toxic Relationships Super Conference Nov. 2023 on the topic "How to Repair Your Self Image and Self Love."

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See episodes and links to Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more, on the main podcast page at creativemindaudio.buzzsprout.com

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This very broad topic of mental/emotional health and creative people is of deep personal interest, and over the years I have created a number of articles, videos [see my playlist Emotional Health with 240+ titles] and more.

Here are two related articles, followed by podcast episodes:

Being Creative Can Be Healing And A Refuge

Actor Kristin Bauer portrayed the deliciously imperious and sarcastic vampire Pam on the HBO series “True Blood.”

In addition to acting, she has been drawing and painting since around age twelve.

(Photo: Kristin Bauer van Straten with her portrait of 'True Blood' castmate Stephen Moyer; Bauer as vampire Pam.)

Bauer says one of the inspirations for her art is a “need to unwind and sort of recuperate and do something because acting is this huge group production...But painting is just ME.

“It’s just the polar opposite and somehow it balances the craziness of acting.”

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Mental Health and Creative People – selected articles.

“The work talks about what people don’t talk about – what people are afraid to say.”

Clara Lieu, a visual artist and professor at the Rhode Island School of Design, is referring to her projects, especially “Falling” – a series of fifty self-portrait drawings that visually represent her personal experience with depression and anxiety.

Lieu said about her work: “Being diagnosed and treated just a few years ago… It was startling to see myself clearly for the first time, free from the disease.

“Only at that point did I have the emotional distance that allowed me to to be in position to address this subject artistically.

“I knew at that point that I felt an uncontrollable drive and compulsion to make the work.”

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Podcast episodes:

…

Dr. Diamond says the idea of possession has been around a long time, and “it used to be believed — and still is by many people — that it is caused by entities of some kind, demons, devils and so forth.

“Jung is the one who talked about it most. He said the shadow, and the unconscious in general, has the power to possess the individual due to its unconsciousness; the more unconsciousness there is, the more vulnerability there is for that kind of possession in the negative sense.

“And he talked about complexes in particular, having the ability to take possession of one in a destructive way.”

Dr. Diamond notes that one illustration of this is the Robert Louis Stevenson story in which an unconscious personality, the shadow, has the power to take over, “because of its very dissociation: that’s what gives it its power.

“When Rollo May talked about the daimonic, part of the definition is the potentiality to be possessed, to be driven by it unconsciously, for it to take over and usurp the whole personality.”

[Photo is from movie ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ 1941 with Spencer Tracy, based on the Robert Louis Stevenson novella "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" (1886).]

Here is more material from a related article of mine; this is not a transcript, but does include many quotes by Dr. Diamond from our interview.

A clinical and forensic psychologist, Stephen Diamond works with many talented individuals committed to becoming more creative. He says:

“Creativity is one of humankind’s healthiest inclinations, one of our greatest attributes.”

As he explains in his book, “Anger, Madness, and the Daimonic,” our impulse to be creative “can be understood to some degree as the subjective struggle to give form, structure and constructive expression to inner and outer chaos and conflict.

“It can also be one of the most dynamic methods of meeting and redeeming one’s devils and demons.”

One artist Dr. Diamond mentions is painter and sculptor Niki de St. Phalle (1930-2002), who was able to find “a fertile outlet for her ferocious rage in her work, such as her ‘shooting paintings’ - see more of his comments below.