“From Breakdown to Becoming” is the fourth book by Dr Rand Floyd. In terms of his life story, this book takes the reader through a whole new mental and physical health journey as Rand makes it back to his parents’ house following the extraordinary events described in “The Path Uncertain”. This book picks up the path of Rand’s life after he finally made it out of his final inpatient mental health facility in Virginia, picked up by his sister, Sarah. The two of them fly back to their parents’ house, where Rand’s life begins anew, with a newly discovered will to live and sense of purpose. This journey follows his story of life back from the brink of destruction through progressive recovery. The story includes getting settled back in the real world, re-engaging with family, discovering his true mental illness diagnosis, learning to accommodate for that condition, searching for and finding a positive outlet for his renewed energy, and all of it while accepting treatment for his ruptured Achilles tendon with the physical limitations imposed.
The difficulty at the start of this story is trying to find a productive focus for his will to live and a way to best transition “From Breakdown to Becoming”. For the first several days there was no plan, and he was a bit lost. Then, an idea began to form. Having learned the power of journaling, and fortunate enough to have most of his journals from “The Path Uncertain” recovered by his father, Rand first engages in the lengthy and challenging process of trying to transcribe his raw journals into a digital file. Only one volume was lost. This coincided with the timing of a first Achilles tendon repair surgery. With no definite plan for the journals at the beginning, an idea of writing a book starts to take shape. As the words flowed from the journals to his laptop, Rand starts to see the possibility of fulfilling his dream of being an author slowly take shape. Physically limited following surgery, he finds a new “hab” in his bedroom and his chair in his parents’ family room.
At the same time as the vision of a book and his initial surgical recovery are taking place, Rand is struggling to still answer the question of what his real mental health diagnosis is? The discovery is purely accidental and detailed here. Best intentions turn into a temporary disaster and a subsequent epiphany which is life altering. Good fortune shines as Rand stumbles upon the first mental health professional to make an appropriate diagnosis and offer realistic treatment.
Rand reaches out to find resources to convert his digital journal into a book. Through extensive searching and research, he finds a publisher, starts his own business, and dives deeper into the nature of mental health care. As he works with team at Creek Publishers, the idea of a book grows into the eventual three book series previously released. The concept from simple journal transcription to book writing grows rapidly and is life altering. A physical setback of needing a second surgery and other struggles surface along the way, and this book details his new adventures.
After having the day of mental health nightmare mentioned above, Rand once again finds an outlet through journaling. This time, he begins a new habit of making a plan of the day for every day, which as with his first journal, begins out of notable necessity. Then, he adds the habit of journaling his daily activities similar to his prior written journals. This time, he is lucky enough to have the comforts of his parent’s home and his laptop, which becomes a constant fixture in his life. Out of this new digital journal the idea for “From Breakdown to Becoming” is born. All of the reasons writing books one through three of the Mysterious Mind series apply to this new project.
Full of detailed descriptions of Rand’s long recovery road, this is the must-read follow-up to “The Path Uncertain”. He hopes that this once again demonstrates how imperfectly human we all are, and how we live in this imperfect world. Each of us do struggle one way or another every day to make our lives count. This book completes the journey of falling apart and finding the light at the end of the tunnel. It is for each and every one of us trying to find meaning in life and seeking our road to personal health and well-being. Mental and physical health walk hand in hand and both matter. This book should demonstrate how the integration of mental and physical health coexist, further the goal of eliminating mental health stigma, provide insight into the nature of recovery, and show how breaking down can turn into “becoming”.
