Art therapist and licensed professional counselor, Briana Benn-Mirandi had been intensely studying the intersection of mental health diagnoses when the theory began to take shape.  Using case studies from her private practice, educational resources, clinical papers, and her own familial experience, she noticed the vast overlap of:
Trauma
Intergenerational trauma, PTSD, and Complex PTSD,

Neurodivergence

ADHD, ASD, developmental disorders, giftedness

Long-lasting mental health diagnoses
Personality disorders, eating disorders, mood disorders

​

Again and again, she noticed a repeating pattern to the development of serious long-term mental health diagnoses.  She also noticed that many of these diagnoses are as likely to be paired with positive outcomes (ie high levels of talent and achievement in various careers) as they were negative outcomes (emotional dysregulation, violence, substance abuse, incarceration).

​

What if we could work to ensure more positive outcomes?  How could we do that?  And what would that look like? Perhaps... from a metaphorical standpoint... it would look like a vibrant field of flowers reclaiming a desolate, broken landscape.