Emotional Strength

By Dr. Patty Williams on July 12, 2023

BISN founder and president Dr. Patty Williams is a trauma therapist who specializes in EMDR, ND-Affirmative DBT, and IFS modalities. Through Bright Insight Support Network, she works to counsel, coach, and advocate for gifted, twice-exceptional, and neurodivergent persons, along with other marginalized populations.

Emotional Strength

I love our Bloomer's group on Facebook... like really love it. It feels like home sometimes. In this group, gifted, twice-exceptional, and otherwise curious lurkers can share ideas, laugh, cry at times, and scratch mental itches we sometimes did not know we had.

Within this group, a beloved member asked about emotional strength. What is it? Whoa.

I had an initial answer, though I am sure there is more to this conversation (oh and please do add to it).

I feel like emotional strength is transparency as needed and carrying emotion while engaging with other parts of ourselves (rational thinking, etc). I look to the concept of wise mind. When we can feel all our emotions and still engage in wise mind practice, this looks like strength to me.

Emotional strength is also knowing when to take a break. ❤

For those who are not familiar, here is an excerpt and graphic from my book about wise mind...

A wise-mind practice is an exercise that helps individuals cultivate a balanced state of mind, integrating emotions and rational thinking. It aims to promote clarity, mindfulness, and effective decision-making by accessing a wise mental state. The idea behind it is to identify where different ideas and decisions come from, making them from where the rational and emotional minds agree or overlap.

From the unpublished manuscript, Intersection of Intensity: Exploring Trauma and Giftedness By Patty Williams, MSMHC, Ph.D. (2023)

Beyond the wise mind concept though, I also see "allowing" emotions as a strength as it sometimes causes others (or ourselves) to judge. Emotional honesty in the face of neuronormative judgment though, is pretty strong (and awesome) if you ask me.

Do others have thoughts about emotional strength? What is it to you?