17th International
Dąbrowski Congress
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
September 25 to 27, 2026
Welcome to the
17th International Dąbrowski Congress!
“Personality is not a ready gift but an achievement.” – Dąbrowski (1967)
Welcome to the 17th International Dąbrowski Congress 2026! Our theme, In Search of Mental Health: Exploring Multilevel Development in Dąbrowski’s Theory, underscores the theory’s unique approach to mental health – one reflected in the multilevel development of an authentic, autonomous personality guided by higher values.
Today, mental health is often understood in terms of well-being, emotional stability, or successful adjustment. Dąbrowski challenges us to look far deeper. In his Theory of Positive Disintegration (TPD), mental health is not defined by well-being but by the presence of conscious personality development. Inner conflict, emotional intensity, and periods of disintegration may signal the emergence of higher values and a more authentic self rather than pathology. From this perspective, mental health may be understood as advanced personality development. We invite participants to reconsider what mental health may mean when viewed through the lens of multilevel development.
In times of extraordinary change across personal, economic, social, political, and spiritual domains, it feels especially meaningful to come together to explore the continuing relevance of Dąbrowski ’s theory in our modern context. This Congress seeks to create a space where scholarship and lived experience intersect—where participants can deepen their understanding of the theory while contributing to an international conversation about human development that is at once rigorous, reflective, and profoundly humane.
Whether you are new to Dąbrowski ’s work or have walked alongside this theory for decades, we invite you to join an international community committed to exploring mental health and multilevel personality development through an integrated psychological, philosophical, pedagogical and social lens.
We are grateful for your participation—whether you have come to listen, to discuss, to present, or to engage in all of these ways. We wish you a rich and meaningful Congress experience.
Conference Focus:
An Integrated Vision
The 17th International Dabrowski Congress 2026 invites participants to explore multilevel personality development through an integrated lens—one that brings together the psychological, philosophical, pedagogical, and social dimensions of Dabrowski’s Theory of Positive Disintegration (TPD).
Dąbrowski’s theory offers a profound reorientation of mental health—not as the absence of symptoms, but as the development of an authentic, autonomous personality guided by higher values. This Congress creates a space to examine that process as it unfolds across disciplines, contexts, and lived experience.
Rather than separating theory from practice, or scholarship from life, this Congress is intentionally designed as a shared intellectual and human experience. Participants will remain connected throughout the Congress, fostering continuity, dialogue, and deep engagement. In this environment, ideas are not only presented—they are encountered, questioned, and transformed in community.
Through this integrated vision, the Congress seeks to:
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Illuminate the inner dynamics of multilevel development
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Bridge theory, research, and lived experience
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Explore the educational, relational, and societal implications of personality development
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Foster a community of inquiry grounded in authenticity, empathy, and higher values
Dabrowski 101
Linda Kreger Silverman, PhD
Dabrowski Congress 2026
Begin the Congress with an engaging introduction to Kazimierz Dabrowski’s Theory of Positive Disintegration (TPD) led by renowned psychologist of giftedness, Dr. Linda Silverman. Drawing from more than four decades of study and application of Dabrowski’s work, this special session offers both newcomers and long-time followers a powerful foundation for understanding the theory and its lasting impact on psychology, human development and giftedness.
While at the University of Alberta, Dabrowski obtained a research grant from Canada Council to complete his theory and demonstrate it on case material. TPD grew out of Dabrowski’s agonizing questioning of the enigma of death, human relationships, suffering, and striving for the ideal. In this session, we will discuss Dabrowski’s background and the basic tenets of the theory: positive disintegration, multilevel development, developmental potential, dynamisms, overexcitabilities, levels of development, and the creation of personality. Especially welcoming for parents, this session offers a meaningful entry point into understanding giftedness from the inside out—particularly the intensity, sensitivity, and emotional depth so often experienced by gifted individuals.
Handouts will be provided. Hopefully, this brief introduction will whet your appetite to learn more about the tenets of the theory and optimize your experience at the 2026 Dabrowski Congress.
Friday, September 25, 2026 • 3:00 – 5:30 PM
Tickets are available for this event.
Linda Kreger Silverman, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical and counseling psychologist. After discovering Dabrowski’s theory in 1979, she and Dr. R. Frank Falk created the Dabrowski Study Group at the University of Denver and the theory has illuminated her career. She established Advanced Development, the first journal on adult giftedness, redefining giftedness according to the principles of Dabrowski’s theory.
She founded and directs the Institute for the Study of Advanced Development (ISAD), and its subsidiary, Gifted Development Center [www.gifteddevelopment.com], in Westminster, Colorado. Linda has studied the psychology and education of the gifted since 1961 and has contributed over 500 articles, chapters and books, including Counseling the Gifted and Talented—a Dabrowskian perspective on counseling, Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual-Spatial Learner, Advanced Development: A Collection of Works on Gifted Adults and Giftedness 101, which has been translated into Swedish, Korean, Japanese and Portuguese.
Registration
Join us in Calgary for the 17th International Dabrowski Congress 2026.
Registration is completed through Eventbrite. Congress fees include meals as noted below.
Eventbrite registration link: See website
Congress Registration Fees
Choose the registration option that works best for you.
Early Bird Registration
$325 CAD (Plus Tax)
All meals included
Available April 27 to July 1, 2026
Regular Registration
$375 CAD (Plus Tax)
All meals included
Available July 2 to September 10, 2026
Dabrowski 101 Workshop
$75 CAD (Plus Tax)
Available April 27 to September 10, 2026
Hotel Accommodations
Special Congress rates are available at the host hotel for attendees.
When booking, please indicate that you are attending the Dabrowski Congress 2026.
The hotel has extended the special Congress rate for stays before and after the Congress dates, as noted below.
Hotel reservations must be made by August 25, 2026.
Host Hotel Options
Stay at the Congress venue and enjoy special attendee pricing.
The hotel is one large building with two accommodation options:
Courtyard by Marriott Calgary South
Congress Rate:
$199 CAD (Plus Tax)
Dates Available:
Thursday, September 24, 2026 to Monday, September 28, 2026
Included: Parking
Phone: 1-587-349-7599
Booking Link: Marriott.com/YYCCS
Residence Inn by Marriott Calgary South
Congress Rate:
$199 CAD (Plus Tax)
Dates Available:
Thursday, September 24, 2026 to Monday, September 28, 2026
Included: Continental breakfast and parking
Phone: 1-587-349-8633
Booking Link: Marriott.com/YYCCR
Residence Inn Suite Option
Ideal for longer stays or shared accommodations.
The Residence Inn offers suites with kitchenettes, with a choice of:
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One-bedroom suites
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Two-bedroom suites, ideal for shared accommodation
In either case, the Congress rate is $199 CAD (Plus Tax).
Airport Transportation
Call: (403) 777-1111
Airport transportation is available for hotel guests. Marriott South Seton has an agreement with Calgary United Cabs, which provides hotel guests with a 15% discount on transportation to and from the airport. If using Calgary United Cabs, please tell the driver the hotel name and mention the hotel guest discount.
Parking Information
Complimentary parking is available for driving guests. Guests who are driving will not be charged for parking by validating their license plates with the hotel front desk, whether or not they are staying at the hotel.
Need Help?
If you need any assistance with your hotel reservation or have questions at any point, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at hello@DabrowskiCongress.com.
We’re here to help.