Krystyna Laycraft

In the book "The I Ching as Seen Through Collages,"  I present collages depicting the eight trigrams and the sixty-four hexagrams of the I Ching. The I Ching is the oldest and most significant Chines classic. It is based on the change and transformation underlying all existence. The fundamental building blocks are the ancient concepts of Yang and Yin.
Even being created in ancient times, the I Ching fully applies to the present. It is like a wise mentor who offers directions and answers many questions regarding our issues. Through a richness of symbols, the I Ching helps us find how to live a harmonious and meaningful life, develop and maintain our inner strength, how vital the moments of silence and concentration are, and many more.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of my work on Dąbrowski’s theory, I have created this small book, which contains nine of my articles published in different psychological journals.  I was exploring Dąbrowski’s ideas through the prism of my knowledge as a physicist, specializing in complexity science.
In one of the articles, I wrote: “As I read Dąbrowski’s book, Mental Growth through Positive Disintegration, I experienced a profound sense of “resonance.” Moreover, as I immersed myself in the works of Dabrowski, I was mesmerized by the beautiful parallels between the theory of positive disintegration and chaos theory. “ 
Dąbrowski stresses the importance of “emotional turbulence” in the process of transition from the lower level to the higher levels of mental life, which complies with the core ideas of chaos theory where sensitivity, instability and unpredictability are an inherent part of development. For Dąbrowski, nervousness and psychoneurotic symptoms are signs of the beginning of an advancing process of positive transformations.  This idea corresponds to Prigogine’s concept that “non-equilibrium is a source of order.”
Through the perspective of complexity science, I tried to uncover some deep secrets of Dąbrowski’s theory and bring further understanding of human development.
Krystyna C. Laycraft
Lorell Ranch, Summer 2019

Ksiazka ta jest moja intelektualna podroza poprzez wiele filozoficznych podejsc do procesu decyzyjnego. Przez zastosowanie tych idei, bylam w stanie przeegzaminowc wlasne decyzje i zrozumiec ich wplyw na moje zycie.
Mam nadzije, ze praca moja zainspiruje innych do glebszej refleksji nad wlasnym zyciem i zastanowieniem sie nad rola decyzji w przebiegu ich zycia.

In the book, "The Courage to Decide," I've presented my intellectual journey through the theories of many philosophers. During this journey, I've contemplated and examines my life through the light of their ideas. This process has given me clarity about decision-making and its importance in our lives.
Through the courage to decide, we're able to experience freedom, novelty, and understanding. We're then able to orient ourselves to the future and change our vision into reality.
Through the courage to decide, we're able to transcend aging and the ravages of disease and replace them with psychological growth. We're then able to develop creativity and become more compassionate
Through the courage to decide, we create ourselves and the world around us. Simply put, the courage to decide is the ultimate act of creation.

The book, "Feeling Life," has emerged through the process of reflective meditation. I reflected on and deeply explored my actions, choices, and decisions. My persistence in the process of understanding, interpreting and evaluating led to the discovery of unexpected and surprising aspects of my life. I discovered a richness of emotions I had experienced during these emotions guided me through complex, and very often difficult and challenging situations.

The main purpose of this book is to throw light on the role of creativity during the periods of adolescence and young adulthood. I present five life stories of young people who are actively involved in creative pursuits such as music composition, circus arts, painting, journaling, and writing. Then I explore how their creativity helps them to interpret, to understand, and to make meaning out of their internal experiences.
The book contains three parts. In the first part, the basic concepts of chaos theory and the idea of self-organization are introduced. Some contemporary approaches to emotions are also discussed. In the second part, the lives of five young people are presented and by applying these theories, their psychological development and creative processes are interpreted and analyzed. Finally, in the third part, a conceptual model of creativity development is discussed.
The book encourages parents and educators to look at the creativity of young people much more seriously as a tool for enriching their lives, opening up new possibilities for them, and greatly extending their vision of themselves and the world they live in.