Alicemarie O’Neill is a survivor of four major manic depressive episodes (breakdowns) in 20 years and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. As a mental health and spiritual counselor, she worked through her depression and mood swings and chronicles her real-life experiences in the book, The Formula: Seven Steps for Healing from Depression and Manic Depression. The book takes a holistic approach with attention to mind, body and spirit and introduces traditional and nontraditional approaches, such as mental alchemy. O’Neill has not had an episode in 20 years. She identifies this as a time of healing, creativity, greater awareness and productivity and now wants to help others live a more hopeful life. A graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in criminology, sociology and a minor in psychology, O’Neill is a patient advocate with an astrology and spiritual counseling practice in Hawaii.