What is "metagnosis"?

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It's when you learn something new about yourself—something that has been there all along. Say you learn as an adult that you have ADHD, or that your father is not your genetic parent.

What happens when you have this kind of realization?

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When you suddenly learn something new about yourself, it can be very upsetting. Or it might also offer a welcome explanation for difficulties you've faced. How people respond varies.

 

Why is it called metagnosis?

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Once sense of the Greek prefix meta means change, and gnosis means knowledge. So it literally means changed-knowledge. These experiences demonstrate that we are always living with change—changing diagnoses, changing identities, changing knowledge.

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Danielle Spencer's Metagnosis: Revelatory Narratives of Health and Identity names and explores this phenomenon. 

What is The Metagnosis Project?

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We are interested in learning more. What are the different ways people experience metagnosis, and how do they respond? How can clinicians and patients communicate more effectively when they do occur? What can we learn from metagnosis about our identity? We are gathering stories for a book intended for a broad audience, and will be conducting workshops as well. If you are interested in sharing your story, or have ideas about other types of metagnosis, we encourage you to fill out the form. Thank you!