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 I really — beneath all the layers I built to survive?
That question became the seed for Psychemagination: Into the Underworld — an illustrated journey of neurodivergent self-discovery told through art, story, and introspection.
At the end of this post is a video interview I did with my daughter as part of our Alkira Publishing YouTube Channel, and before that I tell the story of how the book came to be and why.
A Book Born from Exploration
This book isn’t just something I wrote.
It’s something I lived.
I created it to map my own process of understanding myself through the lens of neurodivergence — and to offer others a gentle way to do the same.
It’s both story and tool: part mythic journey, part reflective guide. The story invites readers to travel with me through dreamlike landscapes of the mind, and the introspective art exercises help them begin their own explorations.
When I look back, I can see that the book itself mirrors a descent — not into darkness exactly, but into depth. Into the quiet, hidden layers where the real self waits.
The Struggle Beneath the Diagnosis
After diagnosis, I realised how much of myself I’d hidden away.
Like many late-diagnosed people, I’d learned to mask early — to appear “normal,” to minimise my differences, to keep people comfortable.
But once I knew I was neurodivergent, I started seeing the cost of that masking.
I began wondering whether the “me” I showed the world was even real.
And I knew I had to look back — at my life, my choices, my patterns — through this new lens. That’s a terrifying thing to do. Because many of us carry trauma from rejection, misunderstanding, or simply from feeling perpetually too much and not enough at the same time.
So I created Psychemagination as a safe way to do that inner work — a mythic map for self-reflection, framed through imagination and art.
How Imagination Opens the Door
Imagination has always been my refuge — and my teacher.
Through art and story, I can approach difficult truths indirectly, symbolically.
That’s why Psychemagination combines AI-assisted artwork with lyrical storytelling and introspective prompts.
The images invite emotional resonance before the intellect kicks in, and the writing reflects what I discovered through those explorations. The introspective art exercises at the end of the book help readers do something similar — they give shape to the invisible, allowing understanding to emerge from the act of creation itself.
I think of it as a kind of introspective art therapy, but self-directed, creative, and intuitive.
The Realisation That Changed Everything
There were several turning points in my journey, but one that changed everything was the moment I realised I had many selves. Different parts of me, each with their own voice, needs, and perspectives — and all deserving of compassion.
That insight came from experience, not theory. It was only later that I discovered psychologist David Lester’s Multiple Self Theory, which gave language to what I’d already lived. Recognising that internal multiplicity was like unlocking a door I hadn’t known existed.
But the deeper moment — the one that shaped the next stage of my work — was realising that I needed to reconnect with my childhood self. I hadn’t expected that. It came almost as a whisper, a feeling that to move forward, I had to go back. That realisation didn’t heal me overnight, but it opened me to the possibility of healing. It made me eager, for the first time, to meet myself with kindness.
A Map for Others on the Same Path
In many ways, Psychemagination: Into the Underworld is a map of preparation — the groundwork for deeper integration. It’s the descent before the return. The part of the story where we gather light in the dark.
If you’re newly diagnosed or simply beginning to explore your neurodivergent identity, this book is for you. It’s for those who are trying to make sense of themselves, who want to heal but don’t know where to start, who are tired of analysing and ready to feel.
The book doesn’t promise easy answers — it offers a mirror, a companion, and gentle creative tools to help you see what’s waiting to be seen.
Why I Wrote It
I wrote Psychemagination to show that self-discovery through art isn’t abstract or elitist — it’s human. I used art naturally and spontaneously as a tool of self-exploration. .
The story is mythic because our lives are mythic.
The struggles of the neurodivergent mind are not just challenges — they are invitations to deeper awareness, sensitivity, and empathy.
I wanted to share that understanding not as a teacher, but as a fellow traveller.
And I hope that, in reading it, others might find courage to explore their own underworlds — to uncover what’s true, beautiful, and uniquely theirs.
An Invitation
If you’ve been recently diagnosed — or if you’re still wondering whether you might be neurodivergent — I see you.
The path ahead isn’t linear, but it’s rich.
Every question you ask yourself brings you closer to your authentic self.
Let this book be a lantern for that journey.
A reminder that you’re not alone, and that your differences are part of what make your story worth telling.
Psychemagination: Into the Underworld is available now here:
It’s the first in a series exploring the landscapes of the mind — a lyrical, visual, and introspective journey for late-diagnosed neurodivergent adults.
If you’d like to join me in exploring the intersection of art, imagination, meditation and neurodivergent self-discovery, subscribe to Psychemagination: Offerings from a Neurodivergent Mind. I’ll be sharing behind-the-scenes stories, creative exercises, and reflections from the journey.
