We are all pack animals and, whatever our background, evolutionarily we all want to truly belong. Therefore creating, consolidating and growing our community in a sustainable way is hugely important to us.

We are celebrating neurodiversity, being happily unique, together.

What Do we Stand for

PowerWood C.I.C  is the UK’s leading not-for-profit, community-driven, social venture committed to raising awareness about neurodiversity as a positive force for change in society. We believe neurodiversity is the result of normal, natural variation in humans. We celebrate this different way of looking at conditions, or innate abilities, that were traditionally pathologised. This point of view is increasingly supported by science and is challenging widespread social norms and stigmas.

Neurodivergent children and individuals need understanding, strategies and tools to enable them to appreciate themselves and direct their energy towards self-chosen goals, so that they can become a respected contributor to their community who is able to enjoy life.

PowerWood’s aim is supporting and improving the emotional wellbeing of those families and individuals. Neurodivergent families are often living with intensity, super-sensitivity and hyper-reactivity. Psychologists refer to these combined traits as ‘overexcitability’ (OE). Having this increased sensitivity, awareness and intensity make a real difference to how life is experienced. These positive personality traits may bring above-average energy, pleasure, enjoyment, creativity, interests and empathy. OE also often comes with the deep urge to make the world a better place for everyone.

Exploring OverExcitability – E-Book FREE for FreeBee and Friend Community members of PowerWood, read about:

  • How having OE might affect yourself and/or your child.
  • Where this behaviour stems from.
  • How it can be misdiagnosed.
  • What the strengths are of having overexcitability.

You are Not Alone

Are you – or is your child or teenager – intense, sensitive and easily overwhelmed? Do you and/or they sometimes react out of proportion: over-anxious, over-enthusiastic or over-fearful? You or they might feel nervous, shy or very outgoing. Children’s and teens behaviour may seem inappropriate or challenging and they are often misunderstood. Would you like to share your challenges with others experiencing similar situations?

Crave Understanding?

Want to understand where your intensity stems from and why you seem to experience the world in a far more intense, multi-faceted way? You might even wonder if you have a psychological issue and want to find out about how ‘intense’ can be normal for some of us! You can learn how to deal constructively with the anxiety, frustration, self-doubt, maybe even self-loathing, that sometimes comes with the intensity and you can use all that energy to steer your life the direction you want it to go.

Feel Different?

Want to understand why you feel, see and think differently – sometimes experiencing the world in a more overwhelming way compared with others around you? Feeling like not many people seem to understand you or even think that you’re not quite normal? Would you like to meet people who do feel like you do and who ‘get’ you? Would you like to get the knowledge, tools and strategies that will help you to be in charge of your own and others emotional reactions?

Join our Community

*OE is a characteristic of the nervous system involving higher than average sensitivity to stimuli (a lower threshold to stimuli) and a higher than average response to stimuli. People who have these innate traits often experience asynchronous development, high-ability, twice-exceptionality (high-ability combined with a learning difficulty e.g. dyslexia) and sometimes sensory processing and anxiety related issues.

PowerWood’s Community

Find understanding, tools and strategies that work in an understanding, respectful and compassionate Community.
PowerWood can be your and your families advocate and your second family. 

Explore how joining our PowerWood community by becoming a member will benefit you and your family and what types of memberships are available.

Join our Community

Available to Members*

*Booking a one-off Free Introductory Talk of 45-60 minutes by Skype or FaceTime with Senior Consultant Simone de Hoogh is one of the benefits of being either a FreeBee PowerWood Community Member or a Friend PowerWood Community Member.

Book a FREE Introductory Talk with a Professional*

 You can read more about PowerWood’s Consultancy Sessions,  the Benefits of a Free Introductory Talk and PowerWood’s Consultancy Services Tiered Fee Structure.

*Overexcitability Test

OE (Overexcitability) is an element of a Developmental Theory –Theory of Positive Disintegration by Dabrowski- that is one of the underpinning theories of MERT (Multi-level Emotion Regulation Theory) developed by Simone de Hoogh. Overexcitability explains and allows us to look at ‘extreme’ behaviour as a valuable asset in our or our children’s life. 

Find out if you or your child has OE (OverExcitability) as well

*Boundary Test

A HUGE thank YOU to the son and daughter of Ernest Hartmann, who gave PowerWood permission to use and put the full academically approved ‘Boundary in the Mind’ questionnaire on PowerWood’s website.

Find out how the Boundary in the Mind affects you or your child