This site is an experiment that combines one person's reflections on a 20-year personal "Journey to the Self" with a scattering of interests, fascinations, thoughts, research projects, hobbies, obsessions and musings. It's basically a "personal" web site, but it's my hope that it might also prove educational and informative to some of my fellow "self seekers."
The "Journey" part is represented by my ongoing interest in, and study of, the concepts of "Adult Giftedness," "Introversion," "Personality Typing" and being a "Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)." In an effort to keep this from becoming "yet another boring and dry psychology and self-help site," I have frequently relied on personal anecdotes about the ways in which these affect-- and interact with-- the basic daily process of living, through a mixture of words and images.
Why all the pictures? This is a rather information-intensive site. Given that the typical visitor is likely to be an HSP, or an Introvert, or both-- I am aware that it is easy to get overwhelmed by too much information. What's more, HSPs' and Introverts' learning style often follows a "read-process-reflect-read some more" pattern. The peaceful images are intended as a possible place to "rest your eyes" while thinking, or contemplating a concept or a passage of text.
I don't have a "schedule" for adding new things, and you'll probably notice that many of the subjects listed in the left margin don't have links that lead anywhere. This web site is strictly a "labor of love," so the time I have to dedicate to it is strictly limited by the demands of work and daily life.
When I started building this web site, I found myself pondering the question "Do we really need yet another guy's personal website to clutter up the Internet?"
I then came to the realization that I have learned as much-- if not more-- about myself and life from reading about other people's personal journeys, as I had from any textbook or "academic" site on the web. Someone once described me as a "reluctant teacher." Although-- at the time-- I felt myself to be neither reluctant, nor a teacher, I confess that this person perhaps had more insight than I gave them credit for, at the time.
These pages are both new and old. Fluid and static. Words and images. Logical and intuitive. They represent a snapshot of this moment, as well as the history that got me here. This is my ongoing journey.
In a strange sort of way, the history of this site also mimics my life: A jumble of disjointed fragments coming together to form a more integrated whole. You see, much of what is here comes from the eight "freebie" web pages I have had-- until fairly recently-- scattered about, some of them dating back as far as 1995. This is my effort to put it all together, at last.
Enjoy your exploration. If you take away just one insight, one piece of learning, one ounce of inner comfort, one tiny sense of new purpose-- then making this will have been worthwhile.
Thank you for visiting!
Recent Additions and News:
Have you ever been to a Gathering of HSPs?
Attending an HSP Gathering can be an extremely rewarding experience-- something I highly recommend to any HSP who's trying to understand and integrate their trait. Curious about what it is like to go to a Gathering? Read more in the Gathering photo journals: California 2003 and California 2007!
The 2010 East Coast HSP Gathering in North Carolina
The next HSP Gathering will take place on April 8-12, 2010, at Black Mountain in North Carolina (near Asheville); please see Jacquelyn Strickland's web site for more information about HSP Gatherings, and to register for the 2010 East Coast Gathering!
The HSP World Network
This is a new membership organization with two distinct functions: One is to help HSPs connect with other HSPs, the other is to help traveling HSPs find home stay opportunities with other HSPs. Check out the web site for more!
The worldwide HSP Community now has its own Magazine! Launched in the fall of 2009, "Tribe" is a worldwide magazine (online and in print) for HSPs, created and written by HSPs.
The magazine is a quarterly, and features a wide variety of HSP-relevant content, ranging from poetry and photography to personal essays and advice columns. It is available as an online edition, as well as a printed version can be purchased single-copy, or by subscription from the Tribe Magazine web site. Personally, I recommend getting the printed version-- it's a beautiful full-color magazine, well worth reading "in person," and saving for future reference!
Tribe is not just a magazine, it is also an online community for HSPs. The community can be found at the Tribe Community Forum, which serves two purposes. One, it is a place where HSPs can connect online, make friends and discuss issues of interest to HSPs. Two, it serves as a place to learn about how to submit your work to Tribe, for consideration in the magazine. Much of the work in Tribe is the result of a "posting, feedback and peer review" process by other HSP Community members.
Tribe Magazine is actively looking for contributors and submissions! If you are a poet, writer, photographer, musician, artist or other creative soul, I highly recommend that you visit the web site, and then join the Tribe forums. Tribe offers an excellent opportunity for HSPs to get their work published-- and to a very appreciative audience of their peers.
