"I am an anarchist leader. I believe coercion distorts every relationship---especially the one we have with ourselves."
Dr. Patty Gently
Patty Gently, MSMHC, PhD, is a doctor of developmental psychology and founder of Bright Insight Support Network. Grounded in advanced training in psychotherapy and trauma-informed approaches such as EMDR and parts work, she now serves as a therapeutic mentor, supporting gifted and neurodivergent adults in their own autopoietic autopsychotherapy processes.
Drawing from her Identity Development (GEAR) Theory, developmental psychology, and structured reflection, Dr. Patty facilitates opportunities for self-alignment, coherence, and meaning-making. Her current work explores hyperneuroplasticity as a unifying framework for understanding neurodivergence, emphasizing information integrity, integrated inclusivity, and a whole-person perspective.
"I offer space built on trust, consent, shared responsibility, and repair. We explore with integrity and challenge everything."
"We do nonlinear here, and find space in the liminal."
More About Patty Gently, MSMHC, PhD
Bright Insight co-founder and president, Patty Gently, MSMHC, PhD, has a background in psychotherapy with specialized training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Neurodiversity-Affirmative Dialectic Therapy (NDA-DT), and an integrative Internal Family Systems (IFS) approach. Drawing from this foundation, she now works as a therapeutic mentor, supporting gifted, twice-exceptional (2e), and other neurodivergent adults as they engage in their own autopsychotherapy through identity exploration, structured reflection, and alignment with inner values and integrity.
Through Bright Insight Support Network, Dr. Patty advocates for nuanced understanding and authentic self-engagement across gifted, twice-exceptional (2e), otherwise neurodivergent (ND) and other marginalized populations. As a 2e adult herself, she writes, presents, and educates from lived experience, emphasizing relational clarity, conceptual depth, and information integrity in all aspects of her work.
Dr. Patty's Approach to Support
Dr. Patty offers structured, reflective inner work for gifted, neurodivergent adults navigating complexity, dissonance, and identity shifts, particularly those who no longer resonate with conventional therapy or coaching models. In her role as a theraputically-oriented Identity Integration Mentor, she supports individuals through their own autopsychotherapy process, drawing from Dąbrowski’s Theory of Positive Disintegration, her Identity Development (GEAR) Theory, systems-divergent thinking, and an EMDR-informed framework.
Her approach helps individuals identify developmental sticking points and fosters self-trust, coherence, and alignment with lived integrity. Together, she and the individual explore the systems, narratives, and formative experiences that have shaped their identity, while reclaiming values and inner wisdom through structured reflection.
This is liminal, co-created, and non-hierarchical work. Dr. Patty positions each person as the expert in their own development, offering theory-based insight and reflective structure to support deep integration and self-authored transformation. Her practice is neurodiversity-affirming, multiculturally-aware, and grounded in the importance of honest repair, especially from her own acknowledged position of privilege.
To inquire about working with Dr. Patty, email brightinsightadvocate@gmail.com.
Getting Personal
Outside of her work as a therapeutic mentor and advocate, Dr. Patty taught at various universities as an associate professor of psychology. In 2023 she published her research and initial findings about Identity Development (GEAR) Theory and in 2024, her book, Intersection of Intensity: Exploring Giftedness and Trauma was released. She is currently developing her next major work, Hyperneuroplastic: Beyond [Gifted] Neurodivergence, which connects neuroscience and psychology to reframe how neurodivergence is understood.
Dr. Patty also serves as a member of the Mensa Foundation Network Founding Committee with the Mensa Education & Research Foundation, and she is on the California BrainWaves Neuroscience Advisory Board as a 2e specialist. She has also worked as the state chapter leader for Free Mom Hugs, a group of parents, friends, and allies supporting the LGBTQIA+ community, and owned New Day Farmstead, a rescue farm with over 100 animals.
Born and raised in Alaska, Dr. Patty is an outdoor enthusiast, animal lover, and self-described humanoid INFJ (MBTI) and heretic hermit (human design). A mother and creative, she is deeply passionate about the gifted neurodivergent community—a community she belongs to herself as a dyslexic, gifted adult with auditory processing differences. She finds joy in live music and dancing and is driven by a love of insight, integrity, and depth.
Whether in the classroom, in writing, or in one-on-one work, Dr. Patty brings authenticity, clarity, and vision to all she does. Her approach is grounded in a belief that authentic growth begins with seeking truth—first within ourselves, then in community with each other. She is committed to helping gifted neurodivergent individuals uncover who they are beneath the roles they’ve had to play, and to offering space for people to reclaim the wisdom they walk with, authentically.