You Are Not Your Diagnosis – How Human Design Can Help You Reconnect With Your True Self
- Brainz Magazine
- Aug 22
- 5 min read
Therese Lyander is a Transformational Coach within Holistic Health and Mindset. Through her program, Finally Free, she helps women reconnect with their inner Genius by combining Human Design with holistic health practices. She guides them in releasing trauma, finding balance, and creating a life that feels true—on their own terms.
Many people strongly identify with their diagnoses, as if they were a definition of who they are and what they can expect from life. But the truth is, you are not your diagnosis. Your diagnosis is a survival pattern that actually has nothing to do with who you are as a person.
Diagnoses as survival patterns, not your identity
Your diagnoses are often an expression of never having been allowed to fully live as yourself. As a child, you were most likely not seen for who you truly are. Instead, you were seen through the lens of your parents’ history, their belief systems, and the patterns they carried with them. Based on this, your first relationships and your perception of reality were shaped. This carried over into your relationship with society and life at large. This is not who you are; it is part of your history and where you come from. But do not let it define who you truly are.
Children are born in a unique form. They are already whole and themselves from the very beginning. They do not need to be shaped or disciplined to become “right.” What they need is to be seen, to feel safe, and to have their basic needs met. When that happens, they naturally bloom into the person they were meant to be.
Human design: A map back to your natural self
In Human Design, there is a similar understanding. Every human being is born with a specific energy, a unique design that is already complete. We have different bodies, different ways of making decisions, different rhythms, and different gifts. When we live in alignment with that, life feels easier and more natural.
My journey as a projector: From performance to burnout and diagnoses
I am a Projector, and for many years, I lived completely against my design. My survival pattern was stuck in performance. I tried to keep the same pace as everyone else, working long days, performing, and delivering, even though my body screamed for rest. Eventually, I burned out completely with several diagnoses and autoimmune diseases. My body developed symptoms that could no longer be ignored. I carried diagnoses that felt like a lifelong sentence, but deep down, I knew something wasn’t right. Instead of letting those diagnoses rule my life, I chose to free myself from them.
I remember in 2018 when I first came into contact with Human Design and got to know my chart. I was so incredibly disappointed to be a Projector. It was painful to realize that I had been living my life in complete opposition to who I really am. I couldn’t even imagine not continuing with all my projects and working at least 16 hours a day. Yes, for a period, my life looked exactly like that, and in hindsight, anyone can see why I got sick. It is very common for Projectors to live like ultra-generators or Manifesting Generators because we have the ability to amplify all the energy around us, for better or worse.
What happens when you live against your design
It was only when I began to understand my design and live more in alignment with it that things started to change. Allowing myself to rest, not measuring my worth in performance, waiting for the right invitations, and trusting my vision and ability to guide others instead of doing everything myself. That allowed my body to slowly relax. And the symptoms began to fade.
Suddenly, I understood why I was naturally drawn to understanding different systems, how I effortlessly had the ability to comprehend complex structures that others found much harder to grasp. Projectors are designed to guide Generators, Manifesting Generators, and Manifestors in just such complex systems. We are also here to show how work can be done differently, more efficiently, with more rest and more joy. In many cases, this actually leads to better results than working from morning till night. (If only I had known that earlier in my life.)
But not everyone wants to hear what a Projector has to say. If a Projector gives unsolicited advice, they are often dismissed harshly and directly. This is often what happens when a Projector lives in its shadow. It easily leads to taking on all the work oneself because no one listened to what they had to say, the details they alone could see. To break this curse, a Projector must follow their unique strategy and authority, which means waiting for the right invitation. Over time, this leads them closer to their genius, and the people around them finally hear what they have to say as a Projector.
Diagnoses and symptoms as signals, not life sentences
This is not unique to Projectors. Each type carries its own pitfalls when not living as themselves:
Projectors: risk burnout and depression when they try to live like Generators.
Generators / Manifesting Generators: become frustrated and drained when stuck in jobs or relationships that don’t feel right.
Manifestors: suffocate under control and can develop strong reactions in both body and emotions.
Reflectors: become ill and overwhelmed when they don’t have the time and space to follow their own pace.
Diagnoses, mental health struggles, and physical imbalances are therefore often signs that we have lived too long in survival mode, afraid to show our true selves, or in an energy that is not our own.
Healing is about remembering who you are
Healing is not about “fixing” yourself or forcing yourself into yet another mold. It is about remembering who you are beneath all the layers of adaptation. Human Design can be a tool for that, a map back to your natural way of being. Imagine that every person is sacredly designed to live out their genius. Every human has the possibility to experience this with the right guidance and tools.
When you start living in alignment with your own design, something magical happens: the body relaxes, energy flows, and diagnoses stop feeling like your whole identity. You see them for what they are, symptoms of a time when you weren’t living as yourself, but no longer a definition of who you are.
A reflection: Which part of yourself have you hidden away?
Think of a diagnosis or a symptom you’ve carried. Ask yourself:
“Which part of myself have I been forced to hide in order to fit in, and how would it feel to start living a little more as myself again?”
That could be the beginning of an entirely new journey.
Read more from Therese Lyander
Therese Lyander, Transformational Holistic Health & Mindset Coach
Therese Lyander is a pioneer within Holistic Health and Mindset Coaching, with a passion for awakening the inner Genius in every woman. She guides women who have lost touch with their power, purpose, or zest for life—not by focusing on what's “wrong,” but by helping them return to the wisdom of the body and the clarity of the soul.
After more than a decade of struggling with physical and mental health challenges, she found her own path to healing through detox, fasting, trauma healing, and Human Design. Today, she shares that journey with others—not just to help them function again, but to live freely, truthfully, and in alignment with who they really are.
