Part 1: From Spiritual Malady to Radical Flourishing

The Secrets we keep: Is Your Life a Chaotic Rerun? Same shit, different day?

Part 1: Integrating Life and Work into something significant. Dissecting the Fiction to Expose the Thought Traps Sabotaging Your Reality. Rigorous honesty is a prerequisite to progress.

“We are not a glum lot!” - “Ultimately uplifting.” 5 * Review

“The Patterns & Chaos of Untreated Minds,” is a novel rooted in the theory that the creation and change of our present reality centres on the premise that we ignore our inner world, at our peril!

I posit that reality is not something that happens to us but rather is built around us when we are actively creating, often and annoyingly, without knowing it. This theory suggests that by understanding and addressing our own untreated subconscious psychological patterns, we can gain conscious control over our reality and make meaningful changes to our lives.

Of course, this is nothing new but as the story unfolds, Liza discovers to her horror that despite every effort to be thorough, she has unwittingly called in yet another malevolent barrier to her progress.

Our inner turmoil, discomfort and disease might be responsible for our lived experience being somewhat unsatisfactory, to downright life threatening. As Liza was to discover.

Would you agree? Feel free to share with us in the comments.

Here is a breakdown of the key concepts from my novel that support this theory and how anyone might experience the same roadblocks:

Pivot Points in the Novel’s Theory

• The Power of Personal Experience: The narrative draws heavily from Liza’s experiences with an abusive work environment and a toxic relationship, viewing them as manifestations of her own internal, untreated psychological patterns. Her journey of recovery from alcoholism and subsequent “awakening” becomes the catalyst for her to see the world differently and understand her role in creating her reality.

  
  

• The Role of Trauma and Subconscious Programming: The novel repeatedly links present-day difficulties to unresolved and minimised childhood trauma. Liza’s experiences with emotional abuse and neglect are presented as the foundation for her later relationships and workplace challenges, such as being pinched, belittled, literally and metaphorically. This suggests that her subconscious, shaped by these painful events, was attracting similar dysfunctional patterns. Similarly, the antagonist in the story is revealed to be a product of his own abusive past.

  
  

• Cognitive Dissonance as a Tool for Coercive Control: The novel presents cognitive dissonance not just as an internal conflict but as a deliberate psychological weapon used by abusers to control their victims. The managing directors actions in the workplace and Sebastien’s behavior in France are portrayed as strategic attempts to “shock” and manipulate the people around them into a state of learned helplessness. Liza’s awakening and her subsequent ability to “see” the abuse for what it is becomes her way of reclaiming her personal power.

  
  

• Integrative Meaning Therapy as a Path to Flourishing: The theory draws on Dr. Wong’s Integrative Meaning Therapy (IMT), which suggests that healing is a pathway to flourishing. This therapy focuses on using the suffering of one’s past as a transformative force. For Liza, this means using her painful experiences to gain wisdom and help others on their own journeys to recovery and self-realization.

What I Might Have Missed

I have intertwined psychological concepts like cognitive dissonance and the “Dark Triad” with spiritual ideas of co-creation and a “Higher Power” to create a theory that I do not claim is groundbreaking to the world at large. Maybe you haven’t yet experienced the dark side in a way that rocks you to your core and forces change upon you. Maybe you never will. Or maybe it’s coming. The story is not a portent of doom. It’s about realising that you are ready. If, you look carefully at what it took to get ready.

The novel suggests that the “Higher Power” is not just an external force but an inner wisdom that guides our actions once we are ready to listen. I also touch on the idea that our purpose is to use our suffering to help others. Hopefully a powerful and compassionate message for readers.

A question that is definitely worth exploring further is the line between personal responsibility and external forces. While the novel does an excellent job (so I am told!) of showing how Liza manifests her reality, it could delve deeper into how her reality is not only created by her own psychological landscape but also how it is shaped and reinforced by the collective consciousness around her.

An interesting point of order for me as I consider the torture of a corporate existence vs. the freedom I felt as a chef in a professional kitchen. I learned more in two years about diversity, equality and inclusion than I did in 20 in an office environment.

I didn’t truly ‘fit’ in either world anything like perfectly but I was happier than ever ‘misfitting’ with others in a kitchen than fitfully missing the elusive ingredients to truly fit in, in corporate.

I could deepen this work by exploring how the “patterns and chaos” of others’ untreated minds directly contribute to her experiences. But that wasn’t the goal. The goal was to focus on Liza’s own responsibilities. Her pursuit of freedom and to leave the diagnosis to the professionals.

How to Improve our Future Prospects after Chaos

The novel provides a clear roadmap for improving our future based on my theory. If indeed this is why you are reading it. Otherwise it is an adequate work of fiction for entertainment purposes only. The core message is that the way to change our reality is to actively engage in the process of healing and self-discovery. As if our lives depend on it!

• Acknowledge and Process Your Past: The first step is to recognize and take responsibility for the patterns we have co-created. This means looking at past events, no matter how painful, to understand their impact and to release the attachment to them.

  
  

• Reclaim Your Power: Once we recognize the patterns, we can begin to regain control over our lives. This involves setting boundaries with toxic people and situations and choosing to act in alignment with our the best possible version of ourselves, rather than responding to external chaos.

  
  

• Use Your Experience to Serve Others: The novel suggests that true healing comes from transforming suffering into a source of wisdom and hope for others. As I have experienced most powerfully in fellowships. By helping others, I can not only solidify my own recovery but also create a new, healthier reality for myself and my community.

  
  

• Trust the Process: The novel ends with the idea that the “pathway to freedom was a process of co-creation”. This means trusting that by taking “the next right action,” we will be guided to a life of joy and fulfillment, even if we can’t see the entire path ahead.

  
  

Liza’s reality was created not despite her conscious desires for a different outcome, but because of her deeper, often subconscious, beliefs and unresolved emotional patterns.

The novel presents a core concept: what we consciously want and what we subconsciously believe are two different things. While Liza’s conscious mind desired a healthy, happy life, her subconscious, shaped by a ‘colourful’ childhood, was programmed to seek out familiar, dysfunctional dynamics. This created a powerful internal conflict.

I have never forgotten a comment one of my colleagues made that, in part inspired the subject matter of the Prologue;

“Everyone that ends up here is a little bit broken.”

Here are some suggestions as to why this reality manifested for Liza:

The Dominance of the Subconscious

The novel’s theory suggests that the subconscious is a more powerful manifestor than the conscious mind. Liza’s trauma from her past created deep-seated beliefs about her worth and what she deserved. For example, her past experiences with emotional abuse and neglect may have led her to subconsciously believe that she was only valuable if she was being “rescued” or if she was in a chaotic situation. Therefore, even as she consciously desired a different outcome, her subconscious was actively attracting circumstances that mirrored her past, in a subconscious effort to “solve” the unresolved trauma.

The “Familiar” Pattern

The concept of “patterns and chaos” is central to my theory. Liza was unknowingly repeating a pattern that was familiar to her, even if it was painful. The abusive relationship with Sebastien and the hostile work environment were not random events; they were a direct result of her subconscious attraction to what was familiar. This is a common psychological phenomenon where individuals unconsciously recreate traumatic situations in an attempt to gain a sense of control over them, or simply because it feels like “home.”

The Unseen “Higher Power”

The novel introduces the idea of a “Higher Power” that guides Liza. In this context, this force is not simply external. It’s the part of her that is waiting for her to do the work of healing and self-discovery. By creating these difficult realities, this “Higher Power”—or her own higher self—was forcing Liza to confront her inner demons and to take action. The pain became a necessary catalyst for her to finally “wake up” and begin the process of healing and co-creation.

In short, Liza created her reality not because she wanted it but because she needed it to confront the underlying, unresolved issues that were preventing her from living the life she consciously desired. The external chaos was a mirror of her internal, untreated mind. Her belief in a different outcome was not strong enough to overcome the deeply ingrained subconscious patterns until she actively started to heal them.

So how can she ensure she strengthens her beliefs and overcomes her subconscious threats?

Based on the novel’s theory, Liza has ample opportunity to strengthen her beliefs and overcome her subconscious patterns through a process of active self-discovery and intentional action. Importantly, as she struggles to regain her foothold in sanity, a community rallies around her wherever she goes. Empathizing and supporting, wanting nothing in return for their kindness.

The key is to close the gap between her conscious desires and her subconscious programming.

1. Conscious Self-Awareness

The first step is to become a conscious observer of her own thoughts and patterns. This involves recognizing the negative self-talk and limiting beliefs that stem from her trauma. The novel’s focus on journaling and reflection which strays into rumination and resentment, often serves as a method for this, allowing her to identify the specific subconscious “threats” that are sabotaging her. She works hard to maintain her equilibrium.

2. Re-patterning the Subconscious

Once she is aware of the patterns, the novel suggests she must actively replace them with new, healthier beliefs. This isn’t about simply wishing for a better life; it’s about taking concrete steps. For Liza, this included:

• Affirmations and Visualization: Actively affirming her self-worth and visualizing the life she wanted to create.

  
  

• Breaking the Cycle of Co-dependency: The novel’s portrayal of her journey to sobriety and establishing boundaries is a practical example of her breaking free from reliance on external validation or chaotic relationships.

  
  

3. The “Next Right Action”

My novel emphasizes the concept of “the next right action.” This is the bridge between a strengthened belief and a new reality. Liza must not wait for her entire reality to change; she must take small, consistent steps that are aligned with her new, healthier beliefs. These actions, no matter how small, build momentum and begin to create a new reality. Her decision to leave the abusive job and start her own coaching business is a prime example of a series of “next right actions” that led to a completely different outcome.

4. Community and Service

Finally, the novel suggests that strengthening one’s belief is not an isolated act. Liza’s journey to creating a community for others and using her own experiences to help them is a powerful act of solidifying her own transformation. By serving others, she is not only reinforcing her new identity as a healed and capable individual but also creating a healthier reality for those around her, which in turn reinforces her own.

Your Assignment While You Wait 🧠

Thank you for joining the journey to Radical Flourishing! In this first installment, we are performing an intellectual autopsy on my bestselling novel, The Patterns & Chaos of Untreated Minds. The goal is simple: to stop viewing your life as a passive narrative and start seeing it as a design flaw that you, the architect, can change.

Before Part 2 drops, which dives into the process of rewiring your nervous system, I invite you to step into the role of a critical analyst—a Wayfinder surveying your internal landscape. Use these three questions to probe the relationship between your outer world and your inner chaos.

Ponder Questions: The Practical Value of Pain

1. The Echoing Pattern: Reflect on your most recent significant setback (in work, relationships, or health). What untreated pattern from your life so far is this event attempting to solve or recreate? Is the chaos I’m experiencing familiar?

   
   

2. The Blind Spot of Intentional Harm: Where in your present life—a job, a social circle, a relationship—are you consistently minimizing or accepting intentional harm (manipulation, disrespect, or belittling)? What deep-seated, subconscious belief about your own worth does this relationship validate?

   
   

3. The Energy Drain: What single thought or recurring anxiety consumes the most energy from your day? By giving this “thought trap” its power, how is your nervous system being held captive in a state of chronic defense?

   
   

Your Small Action & Call to Flourish

If this introduction has resonated, do not wait for the next part to begin the work. You have the power to create a moment of Inner Peace right now.

Your Simple Action: Perform The First Breath (4-7-8 breathing) for two full minutes. This small, free, and immediate act is a direct signal to your vagus nerve that the emergency is over. By doing so, you are executing your first “next right action” toward Radical Flourishing.

Call to Action: Join the discussion below! Tell me which of the three ponder questions resonated most deeply with you, and hit that subscribe button now so you don’t miss Part 2 later this week, where we dive into the step-by-step Radical Flourishing process!

Book a Discovery Call with me today!