Advancing Human Development Science
Independent Discovery, Scientific Alignment
For decades, science has studied the mind — yet the deeper, organizing intelligence behind autonomy, motivation, and meaningful growth often escapes conscious awareness.
As an independent researcher, I discovered a recurring phenomenon within human experience: a 12-phase cycle that activates when our lives are disrupted — and continues until we regain clarity, restore autonomy, and initiate new growth.
This natural pattern, now known as the 12 Phases™, is the basis of the Theory of Unconscious Response™. It reveals how our inner lives reorganize in real time — not by chance, but by an inherent logic that works to preserve integrity, align with meaning, and initiate transformation.
This isn’t a theory about how people should change. It’s a discovery of how they already do.
Why This Discovery Matters
What began as observation now finds echoes across the sciences — from neuroscience to systems chemistry. The 12 Phases™ may offer a missing piece: a model of how complex adaptive behavior emerges from within, driven by an unconscious desire for coherence and development.
This theory intersects with:
🧠 Antonio Damasio’s Work on Autonomy & Feeling
Damasio’s neurobiological model shows that the mind and body are not separate systems — but one organism, constantly working to preserve itself.
Similarly, the 12 Phases™ reflect how unconscious responses organize experience in a way that restores order, protects identity, and aligns behavior with inner meaning — even before we’re aware it’s happening.
🧬 Assembly Theory by Lee Cronin & Sara Imari Walker
Assembly Theory proposes that complexity and memory are evidence of selection — that life forms by assembling components through time, retaining what works, and discarding what doesn’t.
That same principle appears in human development. The 12 Phases™ show how our internal responses select, refine, and reintegrate experiences into new structures of self.
Our growth is not random — it remembers. The unconscious organizes life like a living system: with memory, feedback, and emergent structure.
What This Means for Human Development
The Theory of Unconscious Response™ contributes a developmental lens to current science — not only explaining what changes in human beings, but how and why it changes from within.
🔍 Applications and Opportunities
Neuroscience & Human Systems
Exploring how unconscious cycles help maintain identity, adapt to change, and fuel forward motion.Mental Health & Resilience
Offering a gentle, evidence-informed view of natural emotional reorganization after stress or loss.Leadership, Learning & Coaching
Supporting meaningful development aligned with intrinsic motivation — not external control.Artificial Intelligence & Complex Systems
Informing models of adaptive intelligence that mirror organic self-assembly and selection.
Next Steps in the Research
I’m currently advancing this work through writing, coaching, and scientific outreach. With support, I intend to:
✅ Design empirical studies validating the 12 Phases™
✅ Facilitate collaboration across neuroscience, psychology, and systems theory
✅ Translate this model into practical tools for coaching, education, and organizational development
This is more than a coaching method. It’s a science of how we return to ourselves.
📩 Interested in collaboration or research partnership? Contact me directly