Nourishing to achieve Flourishing: the gift that gives – flowing calmly and happily through one’s highest values

Taking stock of the past few weeks and months I occasionally have a little chuckle to myself.

The progress I achieved since my diagnosis in 2011 of bipolar – what a journey.

And now as I progress the rewriting of my memoir which I also find slightly comical, I find myself become even more reflective on the amazing and fascinating progress I have achieved in evolving from chaos to calm and from someone not really fit for purpose to someone pleasant to be in the company of.

The more I reflect on the diagnosis of bipolar, the more I believe it is a form of rebirthing of the human spirit and human form – a kind of strange science fiction movie where the character transforms from one human form to a completely different one.

The deepest transformation for me, maybe call it healing or recovery, has been the complete reconfiguration of my character and personality.

I am much more at ease with myself, more comfortable in my own skin, and find myself enjoying a more leisurely pace of life than previously.

Bipolar I believe is a diagnosis of imbalance caused both by inherited inter-generational trauma and also childhood conditioning that impacts both the conscious and unconscious patterns of behaviour – and not in a healthy way.

Psychosis results when the internal engineering kinda blows up – a bit like a car engine exploding.

Depression results when the new seeks light but the old shrouds the light in its dark veil of flawed familiarity and security.

And so the progress of the highs and lows is a natural process of realising patterns of behaviour that do not belong to the individual – maybe if truth be told – they never belonged to the individual.

And so having released myself from myself into a calmer and happier form of being in the world, I find myself increasingly reflecting on my experiences with the mental health system and drawing on the fields of ethics, morals and human rights to determine what worked, what didn’t and what needs to improve if we are ever to see a fit for purpose approach to mental health globally.

I consider myself extremely lucky.

Extremely lucky to have survived a six-month psychotic episode in 2011.

Extremely lucky to have survived several soul-wrenching episodes of depression since that time.

Extremely lucky to have never been an inpatient in a mental health facility.

Extremely lucky to have sought answers, insight and information outside of mental health services which helped me in healing and recovery.

I found no answers, insight or information from within mental health services throughout a decade of asking questions.

My legacy now is focused on demystifying mental illness, bipolar specifically and advocating for more ethical, more moral, more human rights informed, more fit for purpose approaches to mental health for those grappling with their inner reality.

It took me ten years to recover.

I hope others’ experience is more ethically, morally and purposefully aligned to the individual’s need.