My Normal - How My Brain Rebuilt Itself and What I Learned Reducing Meds

The Rules of Recovery is a deeply human, clinically informed, and powerfully honest account of one man's journey through severe depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairment—and his return to himself. Mark offers a perspective rarely captured in mental health literature: what recovery looks like from the inside, while also navigating the realities of long-term medication, neuroplasticity, and the slow rebuilding of cognitive function. This second expanded edition goes beyond crisis management and survival. It now includes a continuation of the author's story years later—documenting the difficult and often misunderstood phase of recovery where medications are gradually reduced, the brain begins to repair itself, and identity starts to re-emerge. Mark openly shares the setbacks, failed attempts, and eventual stabilization that came only after meaningful neuroplastic changes started to occur. Unlike conventional self-help content written from the outside looking in, Mark speaks from lived experience. His narrative is grounded in personal research, clinical assessments, and the biological realities of how the brain responds to depression, stress, and later—restoration. He does not promote medical avoidance. Instead, he demonstrates how medications served a critical role during his crisis years, and how, once conditions were right, biological and behavioural rehabilitation allowed gradual change. This book remains concise, relatable, and deeply accessible. It tackles the real topics survivors face: relapse risk, physiological contributors to mood, the gut-brain connection, the role of routine, and how emotional suppression from medications can shape identity. And now, it also speaks to what awaits after survival: renewal, cognitive return, and the possibility of feeling alive again. The Rules of Recovery is a meaningful companion for anyone seeking evidence-grounded hope during or after their own mental health battles. It is both a testament to human resilience and a reminder that recovery is not a single event—but a phased evolution. There is life during treatment… and for some, there can be life after medications as well. This is not theory. This is lived reality. This is recovery documented.