For some, life is a fairly linear path, free of its more damaging or transformative elements. For most of us, it’s anything but, amidst twists and turns we couldn’t possibly have envisaged, with some experiencing changes in body and mindset that prove transmogrifying; and what better way to explicate those changes than writing about them?

A client of mine grew up in a deprived family household, in an area where violence was often present. Like many young people, he struggled to understand his place in the world. Having lost an apprenticeship through carrying a weapon with which to defend himself from those who meant him harm, he joined the Royal Marines, which helped shape him as a man, enabled him to see the world, and engaged him in war, most dramatically in Afghanistan, where he was shot and injured – a quite remarkable story that saw him refuse pain relief to win a bet with a colleague. But while an overwhelmingly positive tenure, his service in the corps failed to fill the gaping hole that continued to make him feel that there had to be more to life than that which he’d hitherto experienced.

It was only when discovering therapeutic medicine that he started to see life in an entirely different light, obliterating everything he thought he knew about the world. Embarking on a journey that is ongoing, he encountered what most would regard as an alternative reality, viewing what had been painful life experiences as essential lessons, including self-worth and self-love, to set him on a new path: that of spiritual awakening. Experiencing his own ‘death’, fascinating encounters with ‘alien’ entities and the spirits of loved ones who have crossed over to an otherworldly realm, the medicine he took enabled him to see the importance of self-love, awakening him to what he believes to be the true meaning of life.

Writing about his life journey enabled him to make sense of it, and record it, in a way that may not have been possible otherwise. In more recent times, a podcast may well have provided a good platform via which to transmit his message, but a book – even in digital format – feels more concrete somehow. Maybe I’m wrong about that, but composing a manuscript takes, for most of us, a great deal of time and reflection, offering a deeper, more considered perspective than might be the case when talking off the cuff, even when well informed about the subject matter.

In a rapidly changing world, there are many ways of relaying a message and telling a story. And that’s a good thing, because not everybody will feel comfortable, or enticed by, more traditional media. But when subject matter is laid down in book form, it’s a time-honoured, well recognised and respected means of communication that most of us can relate to. The author was an absolute pleasure to work with, and his book, AFWFAAN: A Few Words From An Absolute Nobody, is available on Amazon and other outlets now. So if you’re open to the possibility of another reality, it may well be worth investing in.