​​​​During the past 30 years, I have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). I have flirted with addiction and am considered to be a high functioning member of the illusionary “spectrum” that seems to have exploded into fashion over the past few years. In truth, I am a man who has a unique mind, a mind that is not considered “normal” by our wider society, a mind that has revealed my greatest joy, and my greatest pain. A beautiful mind. I am very grateful. 

 

My diagnoses are irrelevant to me. They point not to a medical condition, to a deficit of some sort, but rather to a lack of understanding, a lack of management, a lack of acceptance. I didn’t always feel like this. Initially my diagnoses motivated me to learn about my mind, to observe it, to decode its peculiarity, its quirk, to accept it, and love it, and to grow with it. I am grateful for this. I now live in harmony with my mind. I am happy and content (although, I would like to surf better than I do). I am committed to my values and for the most part, live a life of purpose. I would be considered by society, I guess, to be successful. I have enjoyed my career as a creative, designing, directing, writing and sculpting around the world, and I now really enjoy my career as a therapist. In truth, my mind has been the greatest gift to my life. 

 

That said, there has been immeasurable pain. I have truly suffered at times. A combination of inappropriate therapy and treatment, unrealistic goals and expectations, a lack of education and imagination, and mostly, my resistance to the dynamics of my mind, caused me great suffering. At times, recovery did not seem possible. At times, my path was tortuous. At times, I gave in to the pain, I gave in to the despair. At times, I almost gave up. It was at these points, that I took the greatest steps forward, past, the challenges, the failures, past the pain, past the mental health quackery, past the diagnoses and the illness models, into new territory where my difference shone and worked lethally for me. Once I understood my mind, its origin, its operation, and learnt how to navigate its peaks and troughs, I began to thrive, and I never looked back. I no longer suffer.

 

I have discovered that “normal” does not exist. My clients, most of whom are considered normal by the society at large, all have unique minds, unique challenges and share many of the characteristics that I have described in myself above. Lawyers, teachers, surfers, Olympians, ruffians, laborers, academics, creatives, students, scholars, bank tellers, you name it, I have yet to meet a normal person in therapy. In fact, I have yet to meet a normal person. Full stop. I have also yet to meet a person who is beyond help. My clients often arrive confused, desperate and in pain. With a little education and skill development, some well-directed practice, and love, the improvement in their mood and outlook is remarkable, and almost immediate. For those who choose to remain in therapy, the changes are solidified as we face the world from a new, forged foundation.

 

Over the past 30 years, as I built sculptures and hammered steel, I have learnt many simple truths. Perhaps the most important, is that the harder I work, the greater my reward. Do the work and you will see the results. Hammer the steel, sharpen the sword. It's as simple as that. I have also learnt that stillness can be found under any circumstance, irrespective of how chaotic and noisy the environment, or the mind, happens to be. It's strange how peaceful a metal workshop is, despite the near constant forging and hammering. This is not magic. It is simply a result of the work I have put in. I have done the work. I do the work. There is no substitute for work. With Mindforge, I will teach you how to do this work. 

 

In my practice, I am not looking for patients, I am looking for results. If the work is understood and practiced, results are delivered in weeks and months, not years. In the work that we explore together, I intend to unlock your suffering and to help you find relief, immediately. Once we have reduced your pain, and reestablished your balance, we can begin the work of creating stability, of creating a solid foundation from which you can grow and expand, a foundation from which you are able to accept and embrace your unique mind, a foundation from which you can reclaim your agency, your independence and your love. A foundation from which you can master your diagnoses.  A foundation from which you can thrive.  ​

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Clint McLean

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