Unmasking: A Video Exploration of a Book
If you’ve ever looked into late-diagnosed autism or ADHD, you’ll quickly come across the idea of masking. Masking is something neurodivergent people learn to do over their lives to fit into ordinary society. It’s about hiding autistic or ADHD traits so you appear more ‘normal’ and are less likely to face rejection from peers. This happens naturally. Masking lets you grow up looking fairly typical, but it can lead to a strange disconnect later in life. When you start to wonder, ‘Am I autistic?’ the first thought might be, ‘No, I’m normal.’ You’ve masked so well that you don’t even recognise your own traits anymore. Losing Yourself in the Mask For some, masking becomes so ingrained that they lose sight of who they really are. In neurodivergent circles, the idea of unmasking is huge. It’s a journey of self-discovery, and it’s not just for neurodivergent people—it’s something everyone can benefit…
An Uplifting Mantra Meditation: Great Meditation for ADHD
Meditation for ADHD is recommended by ADHD Treatment Australia and many mental health professionals as a way to improve ADHD symptoms. I have found it vital for the management of my ADHD. But not all forms of meditation work well for those with ADHD. Here’s a run down of my experience: An uplifting chant My latest AI art music video is to an uplifting mantra chant that can be used for mantra meditation. Chant along and let the mantra guide you into inner peace and awareness. This 7-minute mantra meditation moves from the familiar world of breath and body, gently into the luminous inner landscape, and back again. The mantra Om Maha Vajra Hung is an invocation of great awareness, the vast stillness that is always present, beneath the noise of thought. As you chant feel you mind opening into greater awareness. Awareness of your breath, of the sound of…
The ADHD Multi‑Passionate Quandary: Where the Fuck Am I Going?
A look at the multi‑passionate ADHD mind, the search for direction, and the thread that ties a creative life together.
My Journey of Autistic Self-Discovery Expressed in a Surreal Music Video
My AI art music video below, set to a song about a late-diagnosed autistic discovering their neurodivergence, illustrates the first chapter of my book Psychemagination: Into the Underworld — where myth, art, and introspection meet, not only to tell my story but also to help you find your own way into discovering who you really are. But the Psychemagination story doesn’t begin—or end—with the book. Psychemagination is a living creative exploration, a multi-modal journey into the depths of self through myth, introspection, and art. It takes form as prose, poetry, visual storytelling, and AI-generated music videos. Not all of it fits between the pages. Some of it sings. Some of it dances. Some of it flickers across the screen in images that speak where words fall silent. The story first emerged two years ago as a series of videos set to my husband’s music. Those early pieces were heartfelt, but…
What Makes Psychemagination: Into the Underworld So Special?
This video is of an interview I did with my daughter as part of our Alkira Publishing YouTube Channel, Below it I tell the story of how the book came to be and why I published it. Did you know that more than 50% of adults with ADHD only receive their diagnosis after the age of 18? That means most of us live half our lives — or more — without understanding why we feel different. Why the world seems to ask so much of us. Why it’s so exhausting to keep up, to fit in, to mask. When I was finally diagnosed, I felt both relief and grief. Relief that there was a reason for the lifelong sense of not-quite-belonging, and grief for all the years I’d spent trying to fit in. It made me ask a question that I think many of us face after late diagnosis:Who am…
Begin the Journey: Into the Depths and Heights of Being
The journey begins. The short work of videoart below illustrates the inciting incident for my book ‘Psychemagination: Into the Underworld,’ the moment when my sister suggested that our whole family was autistic. Set to an original song and visionary AI art, it invites you to follow the Psychemagination series – illustrated books and videos about a contemplative, neuro-affirming path of healing and transformation—using the expressive arts, imaginative meditation, and modern psychological insight. But Psychemagination isn’t just a book series—it’s a personal and universal journey of exploration of our psyche through the expressive arts. It’s looking into ourselves and expressing what we find through writing, art, music and dance. The act of putting our inner world outside ourselves helps us to process what we find. The Psychemagination books combine my story, written in lyrical prose, and my art, plus introspective art exercises for you, so you can also take a journey…
Celebrating My Unique Brain: Why I Don’t Need Fixing
Understanding My Neurodivergent Identity My brain is wired in such a way that I fit the diagnosis for Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. A disorder, in most people’s minds, means that there’s something wrong that needs fixing or curing. But here’s the thing—I do not need fixing. In fact the idea of being ‘fixed’ or cured is terrifying to me. I don’t feel that there’s anything ‘wrong’ with me. I am just different from the norm. That’s all. I’ve never seen myself as someone with a disability, perhaps because I adjusted my expectations and desires to account for my challenges. What I want to do is what most nurtures me and mostly aligns with what I know I can handle. There are certain jobs I’ve always known were out of my reach because I couldn’t physically manage them. I look back now and realize that, yes, this…
Meditation as ADHD Medication: A Personal Journey to Clarity
A Morning Ritual I’ve just finished my meditation, and my mind is crystal clear. It feels like focusing a camera on something that might otherwise be fuzzy and distracted. After meditation, my ADHD brain is totally focused. When I meditate in the morning, I get things done and am much less distracted throughout the day. The difference is huge. Discovering ADHD and the Power of Meditation When I did massive amounts of meditation over a couple of decades, I didn’t know I had ADHD. It wasn’t until around six years after I stopped that the effects of meditation began to wear off. I found myself becoming incredibly distracted, with a scattered quality to my mind. Around that time, I discovered I was autistic and had ADHD. I had given up on meditation as a formal practice, but I missed the clarity it brought. I went back to meditation to see…
Seeing the World Differently: A Neurodivergent Perspective
As someone who has spent decades immersed in words—either reading, writing, editing, publishing—you may know me as a thoughtful observer of human nature. But there’s a part of my inner world you might not have seen, one that has shaped everything I create. I’m neurodivergent. For some, that word might conjure images of extreme disability or seem like a trendy label, but for me, it’s a key to understanding why I’ve always experienced the world so differently. In this post, I want to offer a glimpse into what being neurodivergent really means—not in terms of diagnosis, but in how it shapes perception, creativity, ethics, and connection. (Short on time? A brief version of this post is available on my Substack.) Feeling Like an Alien: The Early Signs of Neurodivergence While growing up, I often felt like I had been mistakenly dropped into the wrong universe. It was as if I…
Is Autism a Disability? What the Label Means (and Doesn’t) for Me
Is autism a disability? That’s a more complex question than it may seem given the vast range of levels of impairment and abilities in autistic people. But the words ‘disabled’ and ‘disorder’ are part of the baggage that comes with being labelled as autistic. As an extension on my last post on being careful with labels you apply to yourself, I’ve been reflecting on the impact of the ‘disabled’ and ‘disordered’ labels. I’m comfortable with the term neurodivergent, and 2eAuDHD (a gifted autistic with ADHD) fits me well. But ‘disabled’? This article explores why I, as a low-support-needs (i.e. high-functioning), late-diagnosed adult, don’t personally claim that label, and why I still value its importance for others. Disability vs Disorder Technically, in medical and educational settings, neurodivergent conditions like autism and ADHD are classified as disorders rather than disabilities. People often confuse the words ‘disability’ and ‘disorder’, but they’re not the…