For a large part of my childhood I lived on the Isle of Man, and it was here I was sucked into a world of pattern repetition. I am not sure a day went by where I wasn't bullied in some shape or form. Inevitably this led to scars that have taken a lifetime to decode and understand. I became adept at reading people, mainly because my psychological survival was at stake. It was here that I read my first self-help books in an attempt to transcend my miserable existence and escape from my own mind, which tormented me in the same way others did. I slowly learnt various psychological theories but attempts at changing myself left me wondering if I was too broken to be fixed. I guess it was no surprise that as the years passed by I continued to study the mind, firstly with a psychology degree and then a masters degree in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy. I became an accredited psychotherapist in order that I could help others break their own bad patterns. I realised that one of my attributes was the ability to spot psychological patterns quickly and easily. Writing Breaking Bad Patterns focused my mind to really dive deep into the world of pattern repetition. The end result is a model you can use to decode your own patterns, in order that your life becomes free from being stuck on repeat.
I was lucky to have a local illustrator draw my illustrations, and it is my hope that Gemma comes to one or two events in the future. The illustrations highlight the immense power of the emotional brain, and show you how quickly you can be swept away by strong emotions. Luckily there are strategies to engage the thinking brain to work with the emotional brain. I hope you like the illustrations.