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Abstract
A 15-year phenomenological case study of an exceptional female from age 15 through 30 was focused on exploring the subjective experience of development during adolescence and young adulthood, with attention to how giftedness and context interacted. The main focus became her response to trauma, which was revealed early in the study. Data, including recollected childhood experiences, were gathered through letters, e-mail, face-to-face interaction, and journals and essays from her troubled adolescence. The central phenomenon that emerged is given particular attention: that giftedness was both an asset and a vulnerability throughout these years, certainly as she struggled in the aftermath of trauma and developed strategies for surviving and healing. The struggles of the subject included dealing with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The concepts of overexcitability and positive disintegration are used to frame some findings.