Third Culture Therapy

How can healthcare workers cope with the emotional toll of witnessing a humanitarian crisis, and what can be done to protect them in conflict zones? What are the mental health impacts of being an outspoken advocate for Palestinians in politically hostile environments? In this episode of Third Culture Therapy , Dr. Omar Abdel-Mannan, a British-Egyptian paediatric neurologist and humanitarian activi...

In this episode, I share some of my reflections on my recent trip to Damascus, the place my mother was born and raised in, the place I spent all my childhood summers, the place I have some of my most loving and joyful memories and the place that is at the heart of one of the worst wars of the past century. Here is where I answer some of the many questions I've been asked about how Damascus is...

How does growing up between cultures shape one’s perspective on business, technology, and mental well-being? In this episode of Third Culture Therapy , we’re joined by Amir Bozorgzadeh, co-founder and CEO of Virtuleap, a startup combining neuroscience with virtual reality to address cognitive disorders like ADD, ADHD, addiction, and phobias. Born to Iranian parents in Canada, and having lived in t...

How do we find our sense of belonging after years away from home? What happens when the place we return to no longer feels familiar? Dubai-born Reema Baniabbasi is a USA-trained counselling psychologist who faced these exact questions when she returned to her hometown after a decade in the United States. Reema currently works at The Psychiatry & Therapy Centre in Dubai, and as a consultant for...

What hurdles do survivors face when trying to heal from their past? How does leaving your home country shape your journey toward finding peace and purpose? In this episode, we speak to Hazara-Brit Roh Yakobi, a UK-based activist and journalist who escaped Afghanistan as a child after being tortured by the Taliban. Roh, now standing as a Labour Party candidate in Shrewsbury, shares his story of sur...

Host Layla Maghribi shares her thoughts on Karina's conversation about what it means to be Russian and reflects on her own assumptions and hang-ups about Russia. Layla also reflects on the emotional and mental burden of being associated with your country's politics and leaders, particularly when they aren't popular, and the effect that has. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...

How does childhood in one country shape adulthood in another - particularly when the values and cultures of those countries seem in total opposition? Karina Carter was born and raised amongst the wreckage of a fallen Soviet Union, before moving to the Netherlands as a teen. Raised by a single mother in the house of a grandmother who had taken her own life, Karina describes the world she was born i...

Host Layla Maghribi shares her musings on the episode with a round-up what Bhanu shared about growing up between cultures and not completely fitting in either 'back home' or in one's adopted home. Layla also questions what societal 'norms' really are and where they come from with a look at how many of our contemporary beliefs or views, including about homosexuality, come from c...

How does growing up in different cultures shape your sense of belonging? What happens when you feel caught between identities in both your home and adopted countries? In this episode, Bhanu Bhatnagar, a true Third Culture Kid, shares his unique journey. Born in Sweden to Indian parents and raised between Stockholm and Delhi, Bhanu now leads press and media relations for the World Health Organizati...

Host Layla Maghribi recaps some of what Louisa said in her episode and shares her own personal journey with Ayahuasca and what she experienced and discovered along the way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

**PART TWO** How does the journey from trauma to healing shape one’s identity? What role can ancient practices play in modern mental health recovery? In this two-part episode, we meet Louisa, an Iraqi Ayahuasca shaman and healer who trained in the Amazon jungle of Peru. After fleeing Baghdad during the Gulf War and seeking asylum in the Netherlands, Louisa faced years of trauma, anxiety, and PTSD...

**PART ONE** How does the journey from trauma to healing shape one’s identity? What role can ancient practices play in modern mental health recovery? In this two-part episode, we meet Louisa, an Iraqi Ayahuasca shaman and healer who trained in the Amazon jungle of Peru. After fleeing Baghdad during the Gulf War and seeking asylum in the Netherlands, Louisa faced years of trauma, anxiety, and PTSD...

Host Layla Maghribi reflects on Jihad's episode and shares her own story of grief after losing her father to cancer in her 20s and why it took her a long time to properly heal from it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does growing up between cultures shape our understanding of grief and healing? In what ways can personal trauma connect to broader societal challenges? In this episode, we chat with Jihad, a British-Lebanese multimedia producer who navigated life between Sierra Leone and the UK. He opens up about the profound grief and depression he faced after losing his mother to cancer, and how therapy beca...

Host Layla Maghribi shares her thoughts on Tania's episodes and the parts of it that resonated with her personally, including the challenges of balancing different cultures and taking on adult duties as a child of immigrants. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can emotional intelligence help us navigate the challenges of migration and identity? In this episode, we speak with Tania Khojasteh, a UK-based Iranian-Canadian entrepreneur, educator, and emotional intelligence expert. Tania is the founder of Uber Tutors and Fearless Knowledge, and hosts a podcast by the same name, where she delves into the intersection of emotional, social, and political in...

Host Layla Maghribi shares some of her reflections on what Omar Lababedi said about managing the inner critic, the importance of men's work and man-to-man connections and how Layla has used some religious practices to help ease her own anxiety Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can we build stronger connections with one another? What drives the need for deeper emotional bonds, and how can this lead to greater well-being? In this episode, we chat with Omar Lababedi, a British Syrian entrepreneur and men’s work coach who grew up in France, Syria, Lebanon, and Nigeria. After years in real estate and construction, Omar felt a professional void and personal unhappine...

I share some of the thoughts and feelings that came up for me after my conversation with Layla Al Ammar, in particular how being connected to a region that is in constant socio-political turmoil impacts personally and why reading and writing go some way in easing the pain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does literature help us understand trauma and recovery in Arab cultures? What insights can Arab women’s fiction offer about the connection between personal and collective trauma? In this episode, we sit down with Layla Al Ammar, a writer and academic from Kuwait. With a master’s in Creative Writing from the University of Edinburgh and a doctorate focusing on Arab women's fiction and literary t...

Here's the what, who and why of this podcast! Podcast cover art created by Rami Kanso Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Third Culture Therapy with Layla Maghribi, a podcast that looks at the unique ways our cultural heritage impacts our mental and emotional well-being. Mental ill-health is a big concern across all societies and the topic is thankfully gaining more prominence in the media and within social circles. However, these discussions largely remain Western-centric and without enough regard to the...