
The Author–That Would Be Me
My book, Your Rainforest Mind: A Guide to the Well-Being of Gifted Adults and Youth, is available NOW! (June 20, 2016) Here are some highlights:
A few questions from the highly unscientific quiz determining if you, in fact, have a rainforest mind:
- Do people tell you to lighten up when you are just trying to enlighten them?
- Are you overwhelmed by breathtaking sunsets, itchy clothes, strong perfumes, clashing colors, bad architecture, buzzing that no one else hears, angry strangers, needy friends, or global hunger?
- Do you see ecru, beige, and sand where others see only white?
- Do you spend hours looking for the exact word, precise flavor, smoothest texture, right note, perfect gift, finest color, most meaningful discussion, fairest solution, or deepest connection?
- Have you ever called yourself ADHD because you are easily distracted by new ideas or intricate cobwebs, or OCD because you alphabetize your home library or color-code your sweaters, or bipolar because you go from ecstasy to despair in 10 minutes?
- Are you passionate about learning, reading, and research, yet perplexed, perturbed and perspiring about schooling?
From the introduction:
In the following pages, you will meet excessively curious, idealistic, sensitive, highly intelligent humans—individuals with rainforest minds (RFM). You will meet Billy, an adolescent with extraordinary empathy for all beings and a deep desire for precision, ethics, and excellence. His multiple sensitivities and his complicated perfectionism were misunderstood by teachers, peers, family, and himself. As a result, he felt that something was terribly wrong with him, nothing he did was ever good enough. You will also get to know Gina, a twenty-something grad student whose brain ran faster, wider, and deeper than many of her university professors. She overwhelmed and alienated her less effervescent peers, so Gina watched TV and smoked pot to find comfort, procrastinate, and feel normal.
You will meet Gwen, who at 52 completed an interdisciplinary PhD in anthropology, history, art, and feminism. Lonely since childhood, she had an early awareness of human suffering. Her lifetime of divergent interests led her into many endeavors but she had not found a partner who matched her intellect or emotional range. You will also meet Steven, a 35-year-old single parent who was deeply troubled by his difficulty controlling his anger at his son, Tim. Steven expressed frustration with educators when Tim was acting out in school and feared that he would repeat the patterns of his abusive alcoholic father. Steven longed to find ways to heal his family’s legacy and access the creative and spiritual spark within his heart.
In this book, you will meet these and other RFMs, clients with whom I have worked in my counseling practice over the last 25 years. Some entered therapy to examine the roots of their depression, despair, or anxiety. Others wanted to understand their frustrations with relationships, schooling, or career paths. Many experienced trauma in childhood. All of them felt the pressures, pleasures, and peculiarities of living inside the highly intense and complicated rainforest mind…
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To my bloggEEs: And that’s just the beginning! You can buy the paperback or ebook on Amazon, Amazon UK, Amazon Australia (only ebook) and the Nook version on Barnes and Noble or order it from your favorite independent bookstore. It’ll also be found at the GHF Press website. As you can imagine, I’m excited and nervous about this and having occasional severe bouts of impostor syndrome! The book’s style is different from the blog but I hope that you’ll find it informative and inspiring. (Note: All clients’ names and identities are changed.) Let us know your questions and thoughts in the comments. And thank you, as always.
May 3, 2016 at 9:48 am
I’m looking forward to it!
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May 3, 2016 at 9:49 am
I am indexing this book right now and it’s beautiful!!!!
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May 3, 2016 at 10:01 am
I cannot wait to read it! So excited for you Paula.
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May 3, 2016 at 10:06 am
Can’t wait..
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May 3, 2016 at 10:50 am
I can not wait till your book is out.
I relate to 99.9% of your posts however I’ve never been identified as gifted. I question whether Im ADD/ADHD, bipolar, gifted, HSP, Alien etc. Every single day. One day I will muster up the courage to get tested. I often wonder at 46 if it’s even worth it at this point.
At 8 years old I gave up and played the role of stupid. It’s true ignorance is bliss . It was less pressure , less drama & therefore they all left me alone.
Regards
Franca
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May 3, 2016 at 12:29 pm
Franca. The testing isn’t necessarily worth it unless it would help you confirm what you suspect and that would give you some relief. Otherwise, it just might be good to accept that you fit the description of the rainforest mind. I hope my book will give you more ways to understand and help yourself!
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May 5, 2016 at 6:21 pm
Thank you Paula .
As well Maggie Brown thank you for your insight I appreciate it.
For now I’m not claiming the gifted title however, the alien title would be more appropriate. Lol.
Best regards
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May 3, 2016 at 3:58 pm
I had a little giggle when I read your comment Franca. My most successful session with a gifted client (I’m a therapist in New Zealand) included my admitting that I believe(d) that I’m an alien life form. That allowed her to appreciate her uniqueness more than the G word had! Loved your honesty.
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May 3, 2016 at 5:21 pm
Oh wow, me, too! Alien life form!
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May 3, 2016 at 8:58 pm
For years my most common reply to suggestions of where I should move and what I should do was “I’m not in the wrong city, I’m on the wrong planet”.
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May 3, 2016 at 12:47 pm
Your book sounds intriguing Paula. I’m looking forward to it’s release 🙂
As for impostor syndrome… you can choose to smile at it but not buy into it’s carping on (this is the strategy I’ve taken to using myself). Wishing you all the very best Paula!
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May 3, 2016 at 5:22 pm
Thanks so much, Ro. I look forward having you read the book!
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May 3, 2016 at 4:47 pm
Congratulations on your about-to-be-published book! Sounds wonderful.
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May 3, 2016 at 5:23 pm
Thanks, Gail. I hope you find the book useful for yourself and your clients! I list your blog in the resources.
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May 3, 2016 at 7:40 pm
Congratulations Paula! I can’t wait to read it
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May 3, 2016 at 7:44 pm
I plan on buying several copies to give as gifts to the parents of my students and to leave atound the faculty room to enlighten the other teachers!
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May 3, 2016 at 10:18 pm
What a great idea! Buying copies for parents, teachers and counselors, too! It’s written for teens, as well. Two of my case studies are of adolescents. So buy it for your kids!
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May 3, 2016 at 11:21 pm
How am I able to purchase a copy or two in Australia ,especially the Eastern States – New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.
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May 4, 2016 at 7:48 am
I’ll contact the publisher and ask them and get back to you. Thanks for the question! The publisher, GHF Press, can also be contacted directly. Go to this page: http://giftedhomeschoolers.org/contact-us/ Sarah Wilson is the editor.
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May 8, 2016 at 4:26 pm
I just heard from the publisher that you’ll be able to get the book on Amazon Australia but just the ebook there. It’ll be out on Amazon UK, too, in paper and as an ebook. (new release date– mid-June)
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May 4, 2016 at 12:52 am
Reblogged this on helenjnoble and commented:
So looking forward to this publication!
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May 4, 2016 at 7:48 am
Thanks for the reblog, Helen! Always appreciate it.
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May 4, 2016 at 4:10 am
DO you know if it will be available on amazon.co.uk? I can’t find it, and it costs me lots to get it from amazon.com…
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May 4, 2016 at 7:50 am
It’s not out yet, Abbie. Probably by the end of the month. I’ll ask the publisher about this and get back to you. You can contact them via email, too. See the contact information above. Thanks for the question.
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May 8, 2016 at 4:24 pm
Just heard the book will be available on Amazon UK! Also, Amazon Australia (but just as an ebook). Update on release date. Probably mid-June.
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May 4, 2016 at 7:25 am
Fabulous news, Paula! I can’t wait to read it!
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May 4, 2016 at 7:50 am
Thanks, Ann. I look forward to hearing what you think of it!
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May 5, 2016 at 9:34 am
What an interesting cast of characters, Paula. I can’t wait to get to know them better.
Oh and defintely ‘yes’ to having ADHD, OCD and bipolar disorder as you describe them!
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May 5, 2016 at 1:44 pm
Thanks, Lucinda. Yes, I think you’ll enjoy “meeting” them and hearing their stories.
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May 5, 2016 at 4:02 pm
I’m looking forward to this. Will there be a book tour? I keep hoping we’ll run into each other someday.
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May 5, 2016 at 9:17 pm
No official book tour right now but I’ll likely be at the SENG (www.sengifted.org) conference in Chicago in July 2017 and at other gifted and related conferences. Where are you, KtCallsita?
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May 9, 2016 at 11:27 pm
Congratulations, Paula.
I’ll be in Portland in September and Powells is always a must. I’ll look for a copy then. I am going to hope it is in paperback as hardcovers are difficult to hold. Best of success!
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May 10, 2016 at 9:28 am
I love Powells! It will be out in paperback and as an ebook. Launch date mid-June. I’m not sure if they’ll carry it so you might contact them in advance so they order some copies before you arrive!
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May 11, 2016 at 8:43 am
Thanks!
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May 18, 2016 at 1:54 am
Your book sounds magic! I can’t wait to read it!
With Love, Monika
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May 18, 2016 at 7:35 pm
Thanks Monika! I hope you like it. 🙂
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June 20, 2016 at 4:57 am
I can’t wait to read it!!!
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