I Am Back

I am back. The last year and a half, my friends, has been complete a blur to me. The first part of 2022 was about getting my PhD proposal ready, working through the interviews, and finally getting accepted into the world’s first PhD Programme in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology. Well, that sounds like a big achievement right? Looking back now, I think that was the simplest part. The last nine months since I started the programme has been hectic coping with the workload, and the physical and psychological stress that is often associated with a doctoral programme. My journey so far has been anything but smooth - ups and downs, some disappointments, some achievements, some wins, and definitely some losses.

It has been so manic that I haven’t had a chance to really reflect on my journey. Nor have I had the headspace to take some time and come back to doing things I really enjoyed during my pre PhD days. Like writing on my blog, or filming my 30 second videos, or engaging in active coaching. Honestly, over the past couple of years, I only focussed deeply on academic work, and whilst I still immensely enjoy research, writing academic papers and literature reviews, I missed just coming and writing here on my blog, a space that was always so liberating for me. In a way, I really stopped engaging with the outside world. Maybe a part of me felt that everything stays on hold while I focus on my PhD.

Over the last couple of weeks I had some so called “ academic free time”. It was the first time in almost two years, that I did not open my laptop, engage in any form of academic work, or hassle my supervisors for draft reviews. Instead, I travelled, I spent time with my close and extended family, experienced some profound sadness, happiness and everything in between. I also found deeper meaning to my journey as a coaching psychologist. I reflected on my own experiences of trauma, the loss of my dear father to suicide, my own posttraumatic growth (transformational growth following adversity) journey, and the meaningful work that I continue to do daily for the suicide bereavement community both through my academic research and applied work. This is really my purpose and what I am here to do. Over the next two years as I work towards my PhD, I don’t want to go back into a shell, instead I want to be open and share my PhD and coaching experiences in a way that can be honest, empowering and uplifting.

My name is Nima. I am a coaching psychologist, applied positive psychologist and PhD researcher. I specialise in coaching trauma survivors by facilitating growth in their lives, by helping them thrive, and creating change through recognition of their newfound wisdom and strengths. If you are a suicide loss survivor, looking to facilitate your growth and wellbeing pathways, please get in touch with me.