Via @Daimon Institute for the Highly Gifted I have not been able to sleep very well these last two nights. I join countless others, throughout the world who mourn this most amazing man. For me it is especially personal given what I do for a living and who he was. Robin Williams was a profoundly gifted man: compassionate, deeply probing, brilliant, exceptionally sensitive and possessed of such wit and awareness as to be a one-of-a-kind benevolent spirit in this world. He played many interesting roles in film, amongst them the role of the therapist to profoundly gifted Will (Matt Damon) in the flick Good Will Hunting. I was on my way to MIT to speak, on the psychology of the profoundly gifted, when I first saw the film, on the plane to Boston. I spoke in the room where the film was made and while I spoke my blackberry recorded dozens of messages from patients, weighing in on the film, from all over the world. The film had just come out and they were excited that attention was being paid to the unique psychology of this little (and often vastly misunderstood) tribe. The film was decent; Matt Damon did a terrific job of portraying Will , a young man with tremendous potential and underutilized capacity. A young man tortured by emotional intensity, in need of deep compassion and nuanced understanding. Robin Williamss portrayal of the depressed therapist and lecturer matched Damons in intensity and veracity, at least from my perspective. I knew both of them acted from a place of personal knowingness, less so theatrical craft. I made several attempts to contact Matt Damon, with a project for the profoundly gifted in mind. I wanted to contact Robin Williams and did not, daunted by his fame and station in life. I wanted to tell him of our work and thank him for his contributions. I have deep regrets that I did not. I am writing today because I know all of you care about (are) members of this tribe. Robin Williamss passing effects all who knew him or were graced with his presence in film, on the stage. For our PG tribe however, his story hits a little closer to the bone. The need to be understood, to have intellectual compatriots and to be accurately reflected, emotionally and morally and socially is at the core of what it is to be human. Research on the profoundly gifted and major depression tells us that lack of communion is one of the key factors in the etiology of this crippling state of mind. Finding the right help for a severely depressed person -such as the therapist Robin Williams portrayed in Good Will Hunting - is a terrifically difficult task. Research on the profoundly gifted is limited, and few understand the differentiated strategies and subtle therapeutic approach that bears healing fruit for a severely distressed PG person. To my colleagues who support this tribe: thank you. To the parents of PG kids: keep doing what you are doing - caring for your child, reaching out to others who also walk this path and taking the time to care for yourselves. To Robin Williams: thank you so very much for your gentle and penetrating presence in our world. You will not be forgotten.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 16:19:54 +0000
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